Europe Alive visit to Sweden 2011
EUROPE ALIVE – SWEDEN
Eight EUW British Section ladies accepted an invitation from Sweden to a Europe Alive gathering in June. This was a memorable event, not least because we stayed on the 18th Century ship, ‘af Chapman’, in the heart of Stockholm – sleeping in bunks – in glorious weather. If you add excellent organisation, the friendship of Inger Billing and Swedish EUW members and an excellent photographic record, produced by Inga Nathorst, with career details of 21 ladies from five countries, and you see what I mean!
We fully embraced the purpose of Europe Alive, expressed by Alison Tennant, by exploring political, cultural and social aspects of Sweden, which our hostesses really made ‘come alive’ for us.
On arrival we went on a boat trip around Stockholm’s waterways , passing through two locks, between the freshwater lake of Malaren and the saltwater Baltic sea. There we could see the extent of this city, with old and new buildings. The Swedes are very environmentally aware, with clean waters and old industrial sites renovated into beautiful residential buildings. Our first delicious Swedish meal was on another boat, with the Chef describing the typical menu.
We retired to our bunks, which proved comfortable once we mastered the art of climbing up to the top bunks and down a steep ladder without bumping heads!
After breakfast in the Capitainery building, we walked to the Parliament building, and were greeted by Ulrika Karlsson, a lawyer and MP, one of 47 in the ruling Conservative Moderat Party. She specialises in combating terrorism, organised crime and domestic violence. She explained that Sweden was socialist for many years but is now ruled by a right wing coalition. Their economy was weak in the 1990’s but is now strong and the country is prosperous. After passing through security we saw the Parliament in action in the Chamber. MP’s, elected by proportional representation, are grouped in the Chamber by constituency rather than party. After touring the formal buildings and a delicious lunch, we thanked our hostesses for an interesting insight into the work of the Swedish Parliament, and for their generous hospitality.
Our next visit was to the Royal Palace, where our excellent guide explained the history behind the monarchy. As well as seeing the lovely architecture we also saw the beautiful crown jewels, including several crowns. Unlike our own Queen the monarch does not actually don the crown, but during the coronation ceremony it is symbolically placed on a cushion. The eldest child of the ruling monarch accedes to the throne, not necessarily the son, and the present Heir is Crown Princess Victoria. The final visit for the day was to the Moderat party headquarters, housed in an interesting old palace! An informal meal had been prepared by Swedish members, some of whom had came especially to meet us.
We walked back through the Stockholm streets admiring the lovely skyline, with steeples and decorative golden finials glowing in the soft dusk. Daylight is almost total when so close to mid- summer.
On Saturday we walked the Hallwyn House, built for the Count and Countess von Hallwyn in the 1890’s, as a family home, which has been preserved intact. When the Countess died she left the palace and its contents – 67,000 fully catalogued exhibits, to the city. The contents are amazing, with superb arts and décor, domestic furnishings, clothing and plumbing!
Lunch was at the legendary 19th century Restaurant Berns Salonger, an amazing building with stately galleries, magnificent pink chandeliers and huge mirrors. To celebrate the millennium the Restaurant was restored by the British designer Terence Conran. The lunch was as superb as the building.
We then explored the shops and cafes and observed local people enjoying their city, especially the market. Here we bought gorgeous flowers for our hostesses who had kindly invited us to their homes to see the domestic side of Swedish life. Five of us were invited to the beautiful home of Olga Wallenberg, a member of the famous Swedish banking family, and a relative of the renowned industrialist who saved the lives of many Jewish people during the war. The conversation flowed, before, during and after a delicious dinner. Our visit to her apartment was memorable for her gracious hospitality and lively personality.
Sunday was predicted to be cloudy, but the sun came out and we had another amazing day. We walked around the harbour, boarding a cruising boat to see some of the 24,000 islands of the Archipelago. Public boats visit many of the islands daily and ice-breakers during the winter, so that residents can move about, get supplies etc. We landed at Sandham Island, and enjoyed another excellent lunch before a guided walk around the island. We then relaxed and watched the yachts coming in from the race while some went swimming.
We returned to af Chapman for a light farewell meal, toasting Europe Alive, Inger and her members in pink champagne and thanked them an unforgettable event. We departed on Monday, happy to have learned so much about Sweden, having made new friends, and experienced excellent Swedish hospitality.
Bobbie Middleton, Europe Alive Chairman 2011