Växjö - trains, glass and Moomins

Left Malmö today - which after three days there, we were really beginning to know our way around. It was a little sad to move on. But, Växjö had some new sites to offer. 

First the cathedral - 

Växjö is in the Glass Kingdom where Kosta Boda and Orrefors, the big Swedish glassblowing places are. So, of course the cathedral has a lot of glass work. 

Then to another library - where Moomintrolls and hedgehogs rule. 

And picture of the day. 

Pick up after your dogs. 

Day 3 - We get Spontaneous

So, we went with spontaneity today and dropped the schedule. Yes, I know, Bruce and spontaneity don't seem to go together! We had planned on going to Ystad today. But the hour train ride, the weather report of 100% rain all day in Ystad, and the lingering effects of jet lag, led to an unplanned day of fun and relaxation in Malmö. We started by going to church at the cathedral - which might not sound wild and crazy - but it was Lutheran high church and in Swedish!

And then shopping! Here's the Midsummer maypole at the mall and Yoda in Legos.

 

 

Then we ate at Burger King! But it's okay because we've been having very Swedish breakfasts (knäckebröd and liverwurst) and dinners (salmon, new potatoes, brown bread).

 

 

 

 

Then to the library -

 

 

Here's Bruce's favorite picture of the day.

And the fun one for today.

It says "We may not be here!"





Day two in Sweden, Bread, Buildings, and Bumble Bees

Our hotel has a buffet breakfast, as well as dinner. Last night was salmon, which everyone but Bruce and I would apparently love. Fortunately, tonight was pork chili! And I haven't yet meet a piece of bread I didn't like!

We took the train to Lund today, a medieval town that houses one of the first universities in Sweden. Went to the cathedral, the botanical gardens, and the first of many, open-air museums. Bruce loves open-air museums. It's an old-timey thing!

Here's the cathedral:

 

 

Above is the astronomical clock in the cathedral built in the 1440s. It shows hours, days, weeks and the courses of the sun and moon in the zodiac. The cathedral was finished in 1135 and according to Bruce is Romanesque.

Then we went to the botanical gardens, where Bruce took way more pictures of flowers than he should have.

 

 

Here's his one of his artistic works. 

 

 

 

Here's some of the cool buildings at Kulturen, the open air museum focusing on the buildings and culture of life in 1700 and 1800 Skåne, the southernmost province in Sweden.

 

Then we did some shopping. Here's Bruce new outfit!

 

 



At Last, Malmö Sweden

So, after layovers in Toronto, Reykjavik, Iceland, and Copenhagen, Denmark, we took a train under and then over the Baltic Sea to Sweden and arrived in Malmö at 7 am. It's Midsummer's Eve, a major holiday, so the city is pretty quiet. And it's drizzling. But, after a nap we went exploring. And the first thing I took a picture of - you guessed it - the library.

 

 

 

Bruce, of course, took pictures of the cathedral.

 

 

 

 

Here are a few more highlights of the city square.

 

 

And, of course, the word for the day - speed bump.

 



So stay tune for more updates as we make our way from southern Sweden to the Arctic Circle.

 



 

Misreading Adventures

Freudian slips are those things you say that don’t mean what you meant, but do mean something. Usually something you were trying to avoid saying all together. But what’s the word for Freudian slips in writing or reading? Because those are the ones that get me thinking.

 

Like write and right. Whenever I’m writing, I usually interchange those two. I write right for write, and write for right. Most people would figure this was simply because they sound alike. But, I think there might be a more psychological reason. Not exactly Freudian, but definitely cerebral. I love to write after all. And I love being right. There is, in my opinion, a right way to do everything. And it’s my way. I think every time, I right write for right, or right for write, the universe is trying to tell me something. But, I generally don’t listen to the universe. All its attempts to tell me I’m not necessarily right are just annoying.

 

Of course, this Freudian thing happens in reading, too. Which is why I didn’t make it to the family Easter get together. I was home relaxing Saturday when my mother called. “Where are you?” she said.

 

“Home,” I answered.

 

“Why?” she asked.

 

Apparently, my sister had written that we were getting together on Easter Saturday. But, I just saw Easter and assumed it said Sunday. I read the writing wrong and wasn’t right and am now being accused of having a senior moment. But, I’m thinking it was actually a reading Freudian slip.

 

Then last night, I was reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I got to the line that said, “Mrs. McKinnon, who had taken up crocheting when they had banned smoking in the staff room….” Except I read, “Mrs. McKinnon, who had taken up crotchetying when they had banned smoking in the staff room…” I was temporarily delighted to know that I could not just be crotchety, but I could actually practice crotchetying. Then I realized I’d read it wrong.

 

But still – I think I like my version better. If we can make a verb of Google – to google it. Or text – to texting. Why can’t being crotchety become crotchety it or crotchetying.

 

Apparently, crochet and crotchety actually have the same origin. Crotchet means both a small hook – from which crochet comes. And it means something whimsical and eccentric, which somehow led to crotchety. Although how, no one seems to know.

 

I’d take up crotchetying, if I didn’t suspect I already practice the art with impunity. But there is, I’m sure, nothing Freudian about it.

Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett died today. The world has lost its best fantasy satirist. I’m having trouble imagining a world without a new Terry Pratchett novel to look forward to.  Whether he was riffing on politics, religion, universities, or death, he always gave a laugh-out-loud depiction of human life.  Despite his lampooning of humanity, he gave me hope. Hope that we could recognize ourselves, hope that we could laugh at ourselves, hope that we could maybe even improve.

Facing life without a new novel featuring Death, or his granddaughter Susan, or Granny Weatherwax, or Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men is going to be hard. Let’s all read some Terry Pratchett tonight. The Wee Free Men, Equal Rites, Reaper Man, any of them will make Terry’s passing a little more bearable. And we’ll be the better for it.

Books are Our Babies

People always come to me saying “You should read this book.” They probably do it to everyone, but it happens more when you’re a librarian. It is part of the librarians “should read every book there is” mystique. But, I’ve reached the age where I no longer am willing to do the things I “should” do. Occasionally, people will even say “You have to read this book,” which is the kiss of death. Because, on general principle, I no longer do things I’m told I “have” to do.

 

The problem with making book recommendations is that reading tastes vary. And if you recommend a beloved book to someone, and they hate it, it feels like a personal affront. Rejecting my reading tastes is a lot like rejecting my dog – it’s personal – it feels like a declaration of war.  Because, even though I can allow for individual tastes –we all know that those people with different tastes are totally and utterly wrong.

 

This past week, the 5^th grade book club was discussing one of my favorite fantasies, Savvy by Ingrid Law.  I was devastated to learn that several of them didn’t like the book. I had to restrain myself from going all adult on them and saying – “What, you didn’t like this book! What were you thinking?” So, why didn’t some of the kids like Savvy? The reasons ranged from the fact that no one died in the first chapter, to it being too slow, to it being a fantasy. Now, I’m all for fantasies where characters die, preferably the nasty awful ones. But occasionally, even I can read something cute and charming. I wanted to say – buck up and read it! But the point is to be enticing – so I didn’t.

 

Suggesting a book to someone is a delicate art. When people ask for book suggestions at the library, I rarely offer my favorites – to have them rejected would be too hard to bear.  There are always a few books I loved that are fairly universally liked – like A Man Called Ove (by Fredrik Backman) or Crossing to Safety (by Wallace Stegner) or Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons (by Lorna Landvik).  There are some, like Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down that need to be recommended with a caveat – great book, if you can filter out all the swearing. There are some that I would only dare recommend to friends, like Christopher Moore’s Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, which is highly irreverent and some might find offensive. There are a few that might reveal too much about me, like the YA fantasy by Michelle Knudsen called Evil Librarian. 

 

And there are some that are offensive, irreverent, revealing, and so quirky some people just find them confusing – like Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Which is why it’s the Fantasy/Sci Fi Book Discussion selection for February. But if you don’t like the book, don’t come to the discussion, which will be Wednesday, Feb. 18th at 6:30 pm. I couldn’t bear to hear that you don’t love Pratchett and Gaiman’s take on the apocalypse.  And my displeasure might trigger the apocalypse.