The day started with slippery ice all over the entrance, so you had to be careful walking out of the door. It was sunny, but the ice from the previous rain and snow had frozen. One false step and you could fall down on the hard, cold ice, and break a leg. But then again,…
Category: Articles
"Three questions about Sweden"
A documentary video about Swedish identity In January 2022, I stayed in Sweden for a month, and I asked Swedish people three questions. These are the results. (Documentary, 18 min, Sweden.) For English, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles, please check this version here on Youtube. Thanks for the support of BKN Björkö Konstnod, and thanks to…
Sweden. Day 34. I saw the sun.
Do you know that scene in the animated movie “Snow White”, when she goes into the forest and starts singing, and all the animals come out to listen to her? Well, here in Björkö is the opposite. You go into the forest and all animals disappear. You only see their footprints. You may see, at…
Sweden. Day 33. The sad end of all things.
Everything comes to an end. The broken washing machine has now found its final resting place in a junkyard, about 800 meters away from the house, together with several of its brothers and sisters. I saw it lying there the other day, covered by snow, lit by the sun, like a memorial to all broken…
Sweden. Day 32. Swedish hospitality.
Some days a lot happens and some days nothing happens, so perhaps the idea of dividing this texts in the form of a daily journal may have been a mistake. But then again, how many people can be interested in the travel journal of someone who is not a celebrity in any case? Besides, part…
Sweden. Day 31. Ghosts.
AUGUST: Is he still there, sitting by his desk, watching the snow fall? HENRIK: Yes, he is. His face shows a growing sense of depression and despair. AUGUST: Is he typing anything at all? HENRIK: I can’t see anything. His arms are resting and he’s just looking out of the window. AUGUST: But the bird…
Sweden. Day 30. Snow, squirrels and sea eagles.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. The strong winds died down, but snow came back with a vengeance, and today it has been snowing continuously the whole day. Perhaps it was not an ideal for walking, and more conducive to baking, but I feel I need to do at least a short…
Sweden. Day 29. City time and country time.
I was told by locals that people in Stockholm were a bit more closed, less patient, less polite, less friendly, than people at Björkö. I don’t know if it is true, everybody seemed nice enough, but they did seem to be a bit more in a rush in general. They didn’t have much time to…
Sweden. Day 28. Windy Björkö.
The storm “Malik” is crossing Sweden right now — it was a hurricane before, but it appears to have been downgraded — and it is still very windy up here, although nothing terrible has happened. Just a lot of wind, and a lot of snow. It is possible to walk outside, it just doesn’t feel…
Sweden. Day 27. Uppsala: runes and rain.
Friday was sunny and nice the whole day: perfect for a walk around Stockholm. Saturday, however, began foggy and rainy. Since I did not get many interviews in Stockholm, except with the woman at the reception of the Strindberg Museum, who gave monosyllabic answers, and weather wasn’t improving, I thought it was time to leave….