South Korea

More snippets:

*  Bubble Tea.  I have a new love in my life.  Gong Cha's (that is the chain's name) Grapefruit Green Tea, Large or Jumbo sized - you pick, but seriously - jumbo is not a bad idea!, Pearl Tapioca, No Sugar (it is sweet, but not very sweet), and Less Ice.  Easy to order even if you don't speak Korea.  There is a chart on which you can just point and smile and nod.  And then you get to be very happy.  The beverage is great, and I love chewing on the bouncy pearl tapioca.  So happy!!  : D

Or if you just want a little water - you can grab an envelope and fill it at the water dispenser !  

Down the street are some shops.  This one is for calligraphy brushes.

How cool is that!

We arrived in Seoul on the day that the city was celebrating Buddha's birthday. 

When I asked what was stereo-typically South Korean, I was told that it can be anything, but made cute.  Here is an example:

Notice the characters in the benches back.

That's it for now.  More adventures tomorrow...

South Korea !

You may be wondering how I can rationalize posting about South Korea when this blog is supposed to be about Sweden.  Well - Swedes receive a minimum of 25 days off a year.  That is 5 weeks off a year, aside from public holidays etc.  (Side note #1: look up how much mandatory vacation time citizens of varying countries are given.  Americans may be shocked: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_statutory_minimum_employment_leave_by_country.)
Sounds great right?  In many ways it is.  But, (side note #2:)  from my perspective, residents having so much vacation sometimes leaves no one to attend to the necessities.  For instance, if you need medical attention in Sweden in July, you will most likely have to wait (and wait).  But that is not the focus of this post, so let's get back to what I was originally going to talk to you about.  Namely: vacation!  Swede's have a lot of time to travel. And now, so do we.

Our daughter lives in Daejeon, South Korea.  So, as you may have guessed, we are here visiting.

For the next few blogs, my posts will be dedicated to our time here in South Korea, visiting with our lovely, loving, wonderful daughter!

My impressions:
First installment:

There is so much to write about, I am having difficulty because I want to offer full explanations, but I am too busy vacationing to stop and post.  So I will try to post impressions, and snippets.

* Landing in Seoul airport.  Beautiful, efficient.  Our daughter told us it has been voted the the last few years to be the number 1 or number 2 airport in the world.  I am not surprised.

* We stayed in Seoul overnight at a hostel.  Here is a picture of our room.

Our bed was like a giant shelf that went across the length of the room.  On the "shelf" were three mattresses with accompanying linens.  If was surprisingly comfortable.

Now here is something Koreans have in common with Swede's.  We took our shoes off at the door to our room.  (the other door is to the kitchen, thus the large number of shoes).  I have to admit that in Sweden, although we would take off our shoes at a person's home, and we may put shoe covers on our shoes at a place of business, we would wear our shoes in a hotel room.  But not here.   : D

* Clean.  Compared to Sweden: fewer smokers, and almost no cigarette butts on the ground (butts are everywhere in my neighborhood in Malmö, even though there are plenty of trash cans with ashtrays.), fewer dogs, and no dog droppings in sight (Malmö sidewalks, like those in Paris, can be a bit like walking among land-mines).  Spitting.  Why is it that people think it is OK to spit?  Yuck. I even saw spit on the floor in the otherwise clean, public bathroom. On the up-side, I don't see much littering.  Lovely green-space around town(s).

* A mix of old Asian streets and very modern high-rises (these pictures were taken in Seoul):

* Appearance:  Very stylish, dressed-up (more so in Seoul than in smaller cities), slim population. Women dressed femininely.  A lot of high heels, and some baby-doll dresses.  Men are dressed up too, sometimes in suits and ties (which one rarely sees in Sweden).  It is not uncommon to see people (at least women) looking at themselves in mirrors, or taking pictures of themselves.  Today at the subway, we saw a young woman who was carrying a silver-tone framed, hand-held mirror that was ~ 6 inches in diameter.


* There are even small mirrors in women's toilet stalls so that one can look at one's face when they are sitting on the toilet.  (Yes, really.)

* There is exercise equipment in the parks, and along the roads.  That is pretty cool.

* One sees few handicapped.  I have seen two people in wheelchairs the entire time (9 days thus far) we have been here. If I understand it correctly, although challenged persons are given an education, they are not fully brought out into society.

* A lot of couples.  I am told that being part of a couple is important.  Sometimes, one sees couples dressed in matching clothes. I see this sometimes in the States in older couples, but here it is seen in all age groups.

* Sun is avoided. It is common to see women carrying a parasol or umbrella, and/or wearing a mask, hat, scarf, etc.  Here is one example:

The mask below (commonly seen) and others like it which can cover the neck and upper chest, (I believe) have a dual purpose to protect against smog (that primarily blows in from China) and also to shield one from the sun. 

* Let me leave you with a somber picture which honors the memory of all those who died in the sad ferry accident several weeks before our visit. 

I will write more later.  Stay tuned.

påskmat (Easter food)

We had the pleasure of celebrating Easter dinner both on the Eve of the day (påskafton),

 and then again with other friends on Easter Sunday.

I am sharing a picture of the "firsts" we had at our svensk friend's, which some enjoyed with a little snapps (a shot) or beer.  I share it simply because it was delicious, and because it is not something I would have had in the US.

It is an open faced sandwich
 (which is almost the only way I see swedes have sandwiches),
with buttered dark bread, hard-boiled egg, herring, and chives.  Lovely.

Påsk. Swedish style

For this blogpost, rather than writing myself, I am sharing an article from The Local,  an English language  news source.       http://www.thelocal.se/20110421/3525

Easter in Sweden: when the witches come out to play

Brightly colored feathers in blues, reds, yellows and glaring pinks tied to long willowy twigs sold beside daffodil buds tip off the arrival of theEaster season in Sweden.

The local supermarkets in their weekly adverts also exploit the food associations of chicks, lamb, påskmust (*see below), eggs, sweets and the obligatory “påskkäring” orEaster witch to draw in customers gearing up for the upcoming gluttony of Påskafton.

Easter celebrations and traditions for the secular Swede are nearly as sacred as Christmas to the Swedish culture. Even devout atheists pay respect to the long-standing traditional norms that the holiday dictates in Sweden. Easter is a big deal to the entire country.

Religious Easter isn’t completely removed from the celebrations of the modern Swede. Swedes are traditionalists after all.

There will always be the group of churchgoers on Easter Sunday. Most likely they are the same gang who went to church for julotta Christmas morning. However, Easter today, has little to do with Christian beliefs for the majority of Swedes.

Children dressed as witches give a clear indication that Swedish Påsk origins predate Christianity. Folklore alleges that witches flew off on broomsticks to dance with the devil at Blåkulla.

In Sweden, this tale ties in with Easter. And so on skärtorsdag, Maundy Thursday, modern Swedish children dress up as påskkärringar (Easter hags) paint their faces, carry a broom and knock on neighbor’s doors for treats, much like American children do at Halloween.

Children also contribute to the tradition of Easter worldwide. What would Easter be without beautifully painted and adorned Easter eggs? Swedes just revere their Easter eggs –the decorative and the edible versions.

Semlor are still on sale despite the Lenten fast, and anticipation of the big day grows in the week beginning with Palm Sunday. In conservative communities there is an air of solemnity.

It would be taboo to get married or baptize a child during this week. And many die hard traditionalists still scowl at the modern disregard of a sober Good Friday and snort at the mention of potential merriment that evening.

Only in recent years are cinemas allowed to be open. Good Friday is more appropriately named in Swedish Långfredag – Long Friday, the most unhappening day of the calendar. Fun not allowed.

However, once the mourning of the crucifixion of Christ is over, the proverbial good times roll.

Saturday morning resembles a resurrection of sorts.

Spring is in the air, merriment is on the menu. The family will sit down to an ample feast in the afternoon on Påskafton, or the Eve of Easter. Eggs and lamb are the quintessential Easter fare that very nearly connote Påsk all by themselves. They represent the fertility of the spring and the rebirth of the year after the long winter.

Bonfires are lit in some regions of Sweden in the late afternoon.

Some say they are to scare off the evil influences of the Easter hags and their journey to Blåkulla. Others take the opportunity to clear gardens for the coming spring. For some regions, including the Stockholm area, the bonfires must wait until Valborgsmässafton or Walpurgis Night at the end of April to banish the remnants of winter.

Elizabeth Dacey-Fondelius

(A note from Carolyn: Påskmust, and its Christmas equivolent, Julmust, is a cola drink that is very popular in Sweden.  I actually do not think much of it.  I do not drink a lot of Coke, but I do enjoy it very much a few times a year.  Julmust/ Påskmust tastes like off-brand cola: Kinda flat and not bursting with flavor. But I have been told that here, when Julmust hits the market, Coke sales drop.  The ad below basically says, I think, "What is best?  Påskmus or Julmust.  No, the taste is not the same."  So there you have it.)

Hamburg

In early December, John and I and two friends started a trip to Hamburg, with a focus on going to the well known Jul (Christmas) Market.  But there was a bad storm, and although we could get part of the way there, we had to turn back.

What happened: There was a lot (!) of rain and wind coming from the west.  The water in the canal surrounding Malmö was ~ 3 1/2 feet higher than is typical.  One way to get to Hamburg from Malmö, which is the way we planned, is to take a train to Copenhagen, switch trains, and then travel southwest to the water's edge - where the train gets on a ferry !!! (I know!!) -  the ferry crosses to Germany, and then on to Hamburg.

Well in December, the wind was so strong that the water level was too low for the ferry - because the water had been blown east - which I find shocking - and we could not cross.  We were refunded the money for the train ticket, and were given credit for our hotel, so we took the trip in late February.

When the train gets on the ferry, everyone must get off the train and get onto deck of the boat.  This is a fast picture I snapped while walking along the train to get back on as we approached Germany.

Note - Do not take a picture of food without asking permission.  

Sales persons can get rather nasty about it...

Uhh, this just doesn't look good to me.  It looks raw...

Below is St. Peter's Church:

For more information: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter's_Church,_Hamburg

The three pictures below are from Hamburg's beautiful city hall, or , "Rathaus".  

What is interesting about the picture below, is that we had gone to a very nice department store (I do not think I saw anything under ~250 Euros).  There was a new line of clothes being promoted.  Rather than a fashion show, the store had the clothes displayed on racks, and was serving wine, champagne, and small desserts, with a DJ playing (heaven help me!) techno music. Anyway, we got a kick out of the fact that the alcohol was being generously served to the general public. 

Can one say enough about German Sausage?  The answer is "No!!"

If you have never tried mayonnaise on your French Fries, give it a try.  Yes, really.

I love French Baguettes, I love Swedish whole grain bread, which is similar to the roll pictured below, but I have to say, the German bread you see here, is the best bread I have ever had. 

Below: Inside the Hamburg train Station. 

The Fish Market.

Honestly, not for me.

One goes early, as the fish market, on some days, opens as early as 4 AM.  

One can get a variety of items: fish, baked goods (though be smart - I bought a roll that was so dry, I ended up throwing it away), flea-market stuff, produce, and seafood. There is a music hall with full bar which is open very early in the morning.  So at ~ 8:15, we were disappointed to find a hall full of middle aged (20ish aren't up that early on a Sunday morning) people drinking and swaying to the music of a mediocre rock band.  Some were drunk enough that they were having trouble standing.  

Not high on my list of places to recommend. 

A working harbor.

I love this picture. 

I absolutely love the plaque below.  It was seen at St. Michael's.  Look at it carefully.  

I find the cross and the crown of thorns, being held before Christ, to be so poingnant.

Second Hand Shops

I enjoy shopping in Second Hand Stores.  The items are more reasonably priced, and it allows me to glimpse into the lives of the community.  Here are a few items I saw at two of the many (many) second hand shops in town.

 It is not uncommon for people, or at least for women,

 to own Swedish traditional folk-dress.  

Self-explanatory.

There are two things I like about these chairs.  

(1) They are cool.  (2) They are children's furniture!

Good children's boots to keep a child warm while waiting at the bus-stop.

So cool.

It is kinda fun to see familiar games, with foreign names.

One of the second-hand shops is run by an organization called 

Erikshjälpen.  It is a Swedish charity which donates money to children's hospitals etc.  

http://www.erikshjalpen.se/english

HATS.
Have I mentioned hats?  

Many people in the United States do not dress for the weather as much as they dress to comfortably travel by car.  So it is not so unusual for it to be 32F and see someone jogging to or from a car with an open jacket, and no scarf, hat or gloves.  Sometimes people do not even wear a coat.  

But here in Malmö, only half the population own a car.  So half the population are walking, or riding a bicycle, bus, and/or train to get where they need to be. When at a bus stop last year, I counted how many people were wearing something on their head.  Two thirds.  




Most men wearing headgear have a baseball style cap (often with a US team represented),
a knit cap, and/or a hood.  Many women also wear knit caps etc..  But some wear a more traditional wool or felt hat.  There is a milliner in town.  I am always surprised when milliners stay in business.  But this one remains, and I see the products of their work around town. Good for them!

(Fun side note: this is my 100th post!)