Östasiatiskamuseet (Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities)

13 June 2017

From ArkDes, I made my way to Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities which was just next door. It is great that there are 3 museums next to each other which has free entrance. There are some exhibitions where one needs to pay an entrance fee but I don't think I am a fan of museum to pay a fee yet. Just yesterday, I was telling a friend that I am "museum overdosed". 

Modern Museum and Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design

13 June 2017

The next museum on the list is Modern Museum and ArkDes (Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design), and Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. All 3 of them are located just next to each other. 

The first step is always finding the place. Taking the train has been very easy for me now. Taking the bus can be confusing sometimes especially in a busy area. This time, I am to take a bus from Centralen Station. I remembered clearly that I am to take Bus 65. So, I walked out from Central Station, looking for the bus stop that has bus 65. I looked at 2 stops and could not find this number. A passer-by suggested I ask the tourist information. The tourist information directed me to another bus stop which is below the bridge, also outside Central Station. Remember, Central Station is HUGE. There are many exits. 

Now, that the bus has dropped me at the bus stop, I looked for the Museum. I turned around 360 degrees looking for any sign that states Modern Museum or Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. I saw a municipal signboard, but because of my terrible sense of direction, I was not sure where I should walk. So, I asked 2 ladies who have no idea where are the museums too. Then, one of them called me from afar when the direction they were headed was next to Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. 

So, Ostasiatiska Museet = Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. 

Drottningholm Palace Park

11 June 2017

Today, I am going to visit Drottningholm Palace Park. I went to Drottningholm Palace in September 2015 but did not have enough time to explore the Park because it was so huge. 

I just noticed a free library in my neighbourhood as I walked to the bus stop. One can take the books and be interested to see more books in their nearby stall. Interesting marketing skill.

We took the train to go to Brommaplan. In this train station, the tiles have cute images on it. I have planned to go on a guided art walk soon.  

We went directly to the Park and there is no entrance fee required. 

The oldest garden was planted at the end of the 1600s upon the initiative of Queen Hedvig Eleonora. The work was headed by the palace architects Tessin – father and son. This part of the garden is known as the baroque garden and is situated directly adjacent to the palace, enclosed by four lime-tree lined avenues. All the bronze sculptures located in the park are created by de Vries and came to Sweden as booty after wars in Prague 1648 and Fredriksborg 1659.

In the middle of the 1700s a garden was built around the Chinese Pavilion. At this time, the strict, symmetrical garden ideal began to be abandoned for a more natural park. Queen Lovisa Ulrika was inspired by this new line of thought and commissioned the Chinese Pavilion's architect, Carl Fredrik Adelkrantz, to plant chestnut tree-lined avenues around the Chinese Pavilion so visitors could view the landscape. Source from Kungahuset.

Ferry Ride to Djurgarden

10 June 2017

On one windy and eventually rainy evening, he suggested to visit Djurgarden. We went there by ferry, and as most of my questions are - Is it free? Yes, it is because I am using the SL card. This SL access card is the best. It is a one card for trams, metro, buses and ferries (not all ferries).

Along the way, I saw 2 ceramic-made-profile-photo (I have no idea what is this called) of 2 famous persons. Well, they have got to be famous to have their face printed and pasted on buildings.

Now, we have arrived at Slussen Ferry Terminal. We tagged our SL cards and waited for the incoming ferry. You can check the frequency of the ferry on the board. 

Sofia Church

9 June 2017

From Katarina Church, I walked to the nearest bus stop to get me to Sofia Church. Now, the mission to find this bus stop was not an easy one. Well, from Katarina Church, one of the graduant's parents directed me correctly to the road Nytorgsgatan. Then, I looked for Nytorsgagatan Bus Stop where Bus 66 goes to Klippgatan. Yes, it does sound pretty easy. 

But no, when there are 3 bus stops call Nytorgsgatan. Haha! Well, I was not laughing then, because I did not want to reach late as it was almost 4pm and the church closes by 5pm. I walked around the vicinity looking for the 4th bus stop and finally found it. Each bus stop will have different buses and even with same bus number 66, the bus will go to the opposite direction. Since my sense of direction is 'off' by default, let alone being in a country where everything is on opposite sides, I could not gauge which direction the buses are turning. Everything seems so messy when I see the vehicles turning opposites from my default mindset. I even fumbled for a while on when to cross the road, unsure which direction to look at prior to crossing the road.

When I found the bus stop, it turns out the bus will only arrive at 4.20pm. I could have walked but I did not know which road to turn into. So, I waited and struck a conversation with an elderly lady (she was waiting for a bus too but changed her mind when I told her the bus has came earlier and will only arrive in 20 minutes) who told me she is the same age as Sofia Church. I laughed and told her that she don't look so old!  

Katarina Church

9 June 2017

Today's outing bring me to Katarina Church. I am attempting all places with free entrance and they mostly comprise of museums and churches. This is due to the fact I am jobless. Money needs to be saved where necessary. 

Katarina kyrka (Church of Catherine) is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s. The Katarina-Sofia borough is named after the parish and the neighbouring parish of Sofia. Construction of the church started during the reign of Charles X of Sweden, and the church is named after Princess Catherine, mother of the king, wife of John Casimir, Palsgrave of Pfalz-Zweibrücken and half-sister of Gustavus Adolphus. The original architect was Jean de la Vallée. The construction was severely delayed due to shortage of funds.

In 1723 the church, together with half of the buildings in the parish, was completely destroyed in a major fire. Rebuilding started almost immediately, under supervision of Göran Josua Adelcrantz, the city architect, who designed a larger, octagonal tower. May 17, 1990, the church burned down again. Almost nothing but the external walls remained. Architect Ove Hidemark was responsible for rebuilding the church, which was reopened in 1995. The new organ was built by J. L. van den Heuvel Orgelbouw in the Netherlands. Source from Wikipedia.

Riddarholmen Church

8 June 2017

Today, I decided to go to Riddarholmen Church. I went to Sweden in 2015, and this place was closed on the day I visited it. I took the bus to Gullmarsplan station and disembarked at Gamla Stan station. In Gullmarsplan station, I realised that one can bring dogs inside the train. Dogs are also allowed in the buses. That is so nice. I sat inside the sheltered stop in the station to protect one from the cold or warmth (but I think the locals love the sun too much to sit inside here). 

From Gamla Stan station, it was less than a 3 minutes walk to Riddarholmen. One take the exit for Riddarholmen at Gamla Stan and ta-da, Riddarholmen is on your right. Just walk about 20meters and up the steps, and you are in Riddarholmen. Easy-peasy. 

Riddarholmen (Swedish: [²rɪdːarˌhɔlmɛn], "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarholmskyrkan, used as Sweden's royal burial church from the 17th century to 1950, and where a number of earlier Swedish monarchs also lie buried.

The western end of the island gives a magnificent panoramic and photogenic view of the bay Riddarfjärden, often used by TV journalists with Stockholm City Hall in the background. A statue of Birger Jarl, traditionally considered the founder of Stockholm, stands a pillar in front of the Bonde Palace, north of Riddarholm Church. Source from Wikipedia.

Langholmen - Lake and Prison Museum

6 June 2017

I have been in Sweden for a week now. Specifically in Stockholm. In the first week, he has gotten me a train card (I have yet to explain about the train card), accompanied me to Migrationsverket to apply for my resident permit card and gone for a weekend getaway to Trollhattans, Gothenburg and Halden (in Norway). 

We got back from our weekend getaway the day before, and today is a public holiday in Sweden for its National Day. Unfortunately, he was not feeling well (I think it is due to the long drives) and needed to rest. So, I decided to explore Stockholm by myself. I chose to go to Langholmen (pronounced as Long-hol-men). I have researched the directions on how to get to Langholmen. It was odd the first time as I could not ask him. So, I asked the locals if I was on the right train. It gets pretty normal after a while to ask for directions. 

I got down at Hornstull station and was greeted by a stall selling flowers and fruits. Almost every train station's exit has a stall selling flowers and fruits. I was happy to see the strawberries. So, I bought one box with huge berries for SEK25. I think it is affordable. 

First Weekend Getaway - Part 6 : Stone Quarry (Julita Village)

5 June 2017

Before we returned back to Stockholm, he detoured to a stone quarry site (which is located close to Julita Village). Well, the site is quite far but we could see the view from where we stood. There was even a guest book. I am surprised. We saw the huge buckets that were used to transport the dug out stones. Now, the buckets are not in use and are painted on the surface. We did not spend long here as it was a small attraction.

First Weekend Getaway - Part 5 : Brekke Sluser

Before we reached the Norway-Sweden border, we detoured at Brekke Sluser. He was explaining to me about a lock system and his excitement... I could not understand what was he referring to. Nor can I visualise. So, he stopped and I asked him is this the place? Because I don't see any signboard that introduces the place. 

Brekke sluser is a sluice facility in the Halden Canal. With its 26.6 m total lift height in four chambers, Brekke is Scandinavia's highest sluice facility. 

The sluice facility was built under the direction of Engebret Soot and was completed in 1852 , but in 1861 the plant was destroyed by flooding. Only in 1877 was it rebuilt. The present plant was completed in 1924 when the water falls in Stenselva were collected in Brekke Locks and Krappeto, which lay further up, was immersed. At the same time, Brekke power station was completed. The loops were used for timber transport until 1982 , when the timber cars took over all transport.

The sleepers can take boats up to 26m long, 6m wide and 1.6m deep, and today is one of several highlights for travelers with the tourist boats in Halden Canal. Source from Wikipedia.

This is the lake at the top where the water flows into each "gate" to level the water in each space. By looking at the photos, can you imagine how the lock system works? 

Each 'gate' has an opening which will release the water to ensure the same water level at the space behind the 'gate' prior to opening the 'gate'. Once the 'gate' is opened, the boaters can row to the next space. It takes 45 minutes for the entire process. There are, I think 4 gates. I asked the kayak-ers and they paid NOK230 for 3 canoes. I asked them why do you pay to use this. One of them commented that they were lazy. It is definitely tiring to carry the canoes. 

First Weekend Getaway - Part 4 : Fredriksten Fortress

The weekend getaway continued from Fossum Rock Carvings to Halden town in Norway. It was just a 45 minutes' drive away between each other.

This Fortresses was constructed by Denmark-Norway in the 17th century as a replacement for the border fortress at Bohus, which had been lost when the province of Bohuslän was ceded to Sweden by the terms of the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The fortress was named after King Fredrik III of Denmark and Norway, and the town of Halden was also originally named after him, having been known as Fredrikshald between 1665 and 1928. After 1905 the fortress lost all military significance, but it still hosted various units. As of today the Norwegian defence logistics and administrative college is situated by the fortress. The fortress also hosts several museums and art exhibitions. During the summer season outdoor concerts are arranged with both classic and contemporary music. Source from Wikipedia.

First Weekend Getaway - Part 3 : Fossumristningen (Fossum Rock Carvings)

4 June 2017

The night before, he has driven from Gothenburg and parked in front of a lake. He drove for about 2 hours. He has suggested to go to Halden, a small town in Norway which lies at the Sweden-Norway border. The place we slept for the night was about an hour drive to Halden.

Along the route, I spied a UNESCO sign and requested for a detour. I am on a mission to view all of UNESCO World Heritage, if I am given the opportunity. I told him that I am going to mark all the UNESCO sites in Sweden and we shall go there. My rationale - The place must hold some history or some unique attributes to be worthy of a UNESCO recognition.

The parking lot was empty. It was a short walk to the UNESCO site. What we saw is Fossumristningen (Fossum Rock Carvings).

First Weekend Getaway - Part 2 : Gothenburg Botanical Garden

From Trollhattans, we took another hour to reach Gothenburg (pronounced as Go-ten-buh-ry). It was really cold for me. I was with a down-jacket and so wrapped up. It did not helped that it was drizzling too. It was easy to find the place - Gothenburg Botanical Garden as there were signboards. He parked his car in front of the park and paid SEK5. It was SEK1 hourly for parking rates at night. During the day, it will be SEK5 per hour. I thought there will be an entrance fee to enter the park but we did not see anyone manning the gates. 

The flowers are gorgeous and huge. The landscape is beautiful. There are even labels at every single plant. Let the photos speak for themselves!

The Gothenburg Botanical Garden is located in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is one of the larger botanical gardens in Europe. The Gothenburg Botanical Garden is situated in a formerly completely rural area, where earlier a great country estate named Stora Änggården was located. The total area is 175 hectares (ca 430 acres).

The garden proper is about 40 hectares and there are 16,000 different species. The Rock Garden has received two stars in the Michelin Green Guide. Other sights worth seeing are The Rhododendron Valley, the Japanese Glade and the greenhouses with about 4,000 various plants, including some 1,500 orchids, a remarkable tufa apartment and the rare Easter Island Tree, Sophora toromiro.

The park is unique in Sweden since it is independent of the city university. Currently it is one of the larger botanical gardens in Europe, with its 175 hectares, which include a wild nature reserve in the Änggårdsbergen hills. This reserve is also the site of the Garden’s arboretum with copses of trees from many parts of the world, in scientifically ordered collections. The cultivated part of the Garden is about 40 hectares in area, of which about half consists of beds of plants. There are also extensive lawns and shrubberies. Source from Wikipedia.

First Weekend Getaway - Part 1 : Byklevsfallet and Hallesnipen in Halleberg, Trollhattans Fall

3 June 2017

It was a public holiday on 6 June 2017, due to Sweden's National Day. Hence, he has taken a Monday off. It was our first weekend getaway. We were going to Gothenburg but along the way, we will stop and Halleberg (pronounced as 'Halle-buh-ry'. I pronounced it as Halle Berry) and Trollhattans. We left on Friday evening itself to avoid the traffic in Stockholm on Saturday morning.

He has driven until 1am Saturday morning whereas I have fallen asleep. He has the stamina to drive long hours because he says he enjoys driving. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of driving. I am used to his long driving hours as he has done in our previous trips to Pyrenees and Romania. So, he has driven till he reached a rest area.

It was a gloomy rainy Saturday morning when I woke up. The restroom was dirty and I told him we need to go to a petrol station to clean myself up. In most petrol stations in Europe and Scandinavia, their toilets are locked. We need to approach the cashier inside the station for the key. I asked him why is this? He said to prevent drug addicts from entering inside the toilet and committing suicide inside. Sometimes, I am not sure if he is joking or telling the facts.

After 30 minutes drive, we reached the area of Halleberg.

Halleberg is a table mountain by lake Vänern in Vänersborg Municipality, Västergötland, Sweden. Halleberg, part of which protrudes into Lake Vänern is separated in the south by about 500 m (1,600 ft) wide valley from the adjacent Hunneberg (although this is a table mountain). The northern part of Halleberg called Hallesnipen. Hallberg has an average height of about 90 m (300 ft) above lake Vänern, or 134 ft (41 m) above sea level; the highest point is 155 m (509 ft) above sea level. Source from Wikipedia.

The first place we stopped by is Byklesfallet. He parked by the roadside and we had a short 30 minute walk around the waterfall. The rocks were slippery because it has rained that evening. He was confident in his steps but I was not.

Resident Permit Application

2 June 2017

I went to Migrationsverket to apply for my resident permit. I have made an appointment for 12.30pm on 2 June 2017 (from the website) to get my finger print and photo taken. It was only 11.30am when I arrived at the train station. It was cold for me as I stepped out of the train station. Second day in Sweden and I was still adapting to the temperature. My hands were painfully cold.

So, we went to the nearest mall, Mall of Scandinavia. Can't get less Scandinavian anymore. It is quite a high-end mall. Everything seems more expensive. Well, everything is expensive in Sweden anyway. I got to see my first indoor fountain in Stockholm. Haha!

At 12.20pm, we hurried to Migrationsverket. The place was packed. I registered myself and my number was called 30 minutes after my appointed time. I got my photo and thumb print taken. Then, I asked the officer if I am allowed to work. He said yes. I was excited! I have been anxious thinking if I can find a job. Phew. Once I get my resident permit, then only I have to go to the Tax Office to get my personal ID number.

Task completed. Now, we buy some groceries for the long weekend. This is what I found in the store - Nasi Goreng dan Telur for SEK59 = RM29.50. Tell me now how I have the heart to eat.

Time to start our long weekend. It was a public holiday on Tuesday because it was the National Day. So, he took a Monday off and we will drive for a longer destination. He told me - Halle Berry. Well, it sounded like that when he spoke. First Swedish lesson - 'berg' is pronounced as 'buhry'. The place we were intending to go is spelt as 'Halleburg'. This is in addition to Garden of Gothenburg (correct if you pronounced it as Gothen-buhry). Excellent, you are catching up too!