When my old school friend told me late last year he was planning to visit Stockholm and was looking for a few “travel tips”, my first question to him was “when are you going to be there?”. Because there is so much climate variation between the summer and winter months, there are some things you can and cannot do, according to the time you visit. When he told me it would be early-mid August, I told him simply, “Don’t worry, I’ll show you around…”
Stockholm sunset, as viewed from Fotografiska
One of the activities, for example, you can’t do during the winter months is the Stockholm Rooftop Tour, Upplev Mer (Experience more). I first did this tour in 2011 and absolutely loved it, and so recommended it highly. “Just book it…”, he said via email. Over the course of about 75 minutes, you get to walk (harnessed) along the rooftop of the old parliament building. It’s quite spectacular.
Since he arrived around lunchtime yesterday, we’ve also paid a visit to Katarinahissen (which has spectacular views of Stockholm); we’ve had a cocktail at Berns (my other school-friend who has visited, Sue has fond memories of this); and we had dinner and drinks last night at Fotografiska (the photograph museum) with friends Sandra and Robert.
Stockholm, as viewed from the rooftop tourTaking part in the rooftop tour, Stockholm
Despite a long queue for dinner, we managed to secure a really terrific table and enjoyed a sensational meal. While the others had salmon, I had the pork (which was excellent). Unlike many other restaurants, the philosophy at Fotografiska is that the vegetables are the “main course”. They were beautifully prepared and very tasty.
Over a few hours of great conversation, we enjoyed a bottle or two of wine and watched last night’s beautiful sunset. The night ended with a walk through the city (the Stockholm Kulturfestival is currently underway)and through Gamla stan. So yeah, we’ve managed to squeeze a fair deal of activity into a few short hours.
Salty and delicious, the pork at Fotografiska, StockholmVegetables at Fotografiska, Stockholm
Today, we’re heading off on a cruise of the Stockholm Archipelago (to Vaxholm and back); and will also visit the Vasamuseet and the ABBA Museum (his idea, not mine), and whatever ever else the evening may hold. Peter Hook from New Order is playing a free public gig tonight, as part of the Stockholm Kulturfestival. If the weather clears (currently there’s a little bit of drizzle), this should be a terrific way to spend my last full day in Stockholm before heading off to New York tomorrow.
It’s Wednesday night and I’m at home half watching “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Foxtel. Since the installation of pay television last Thursday morning, I’ve watched a fair bit of television (and have listened to a fair bit of radio), but have still found time to manage to fit a fair bit into my life. Unfortunately, my body is still a little affected by the time-zone change… a bit like when I moved to Perth earlier this year. Based on that earlier experience, I think it will probably still take a few weeks.
I had a reasonably busy weekend socially, attending Ian and Ian’s Annual Christmas Booze & Foodfest (TM) at their place at Lewisham. Many of the usual crowd were there which was great, including some people I only ever meet at the party, but who I think a really nice.
And then on Sunday night, Damien and I went for dinner at Becasse. This was about the third or fourth time we’ve been to dinner there and it was probably the best. We started off the night at the newly refurbished, White Horse Inn on Crown Street, Surry Hills. After being closed for about six years, what was once a reasonably dodgy pub has received a $2million makeover. Following in the footsteps of the refurbishment of The Clock, and with another planned development, Surry Hills is, belatedly, turning into a bona fide yuppie area. The meal was sensational, featuring such treats as a Veloute of Haricot Blanc with a Foie Gras Chantilly which was a luke-warm soup served in a teacup, with with flavours of potato and shallot combining well with the dollup of cream in the centre. Another personal favourites was the South-West France Ravioli of Scallop and Lemon with a Ragout of Spiced Pork Cheeks which had a terrific saltiness offset by the accompanying wine, a 2002 Chateau Lafitte-Ceston, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec. What a great night.
My first day at work in the new job was both busy and disorienting, since I had to both catch up on ten months of absence from Sydney and hit the ground running. By late yesterday I was feeling a little more in control and by today, now feel reasonably confident that I’m on top of the job. But as with moving to Perth earlier this year, taking up a new job and arriving in a “new” city has both its moments of pleasure and frustration.
I spoke with a few people on the phone from Perth yesterday. Staff in both cities were excited about the news of the radio ratings which was just terrific! And then I spoke with Damian in Perth today about the cricket weather. I hope that heaps of people will come over for our annual conference in May and that I might get back for the opening of the new building.
For the next few weeks life will be concentrated fairly strongly on work, but I’m sure there will be lots of social engagements and interesting things to report.
2015 has definitely been a year of ups and downs. Highlights/lowlights of the year have included some wonderful overseas travel, a life-changing meeting with a family member, the near-loss of one close family member due to a heart-attack, and sadly, in the days before Christmas the loss of another close family member due to cancer. In all the years I’ve been writing this “year in review” (since 2002), I don’t think there’s been a more significant year in my life for the highs and lows involved.
Let’s start with the good stuff. Half way through the year I undertook a wonderful overseas holiday, visiting Tokyo, Stockholm, Rome, Venice and New York. Of course I’ve been to Stockholm many times, and love it as much as now as when I first visited in 2008, but visiting the other cities was the first time for me.
I really loved Tokyo. There are many strong memories. For example, I went to an onsen which was an amazingly sublime experience. I also undertook a 26 kilometre cycle tour of the city.
Loving the view at the Mori Tower, Tokyo
But it was the food that remains one of my strongest memories of the place. The Japanese food we have in Sydney is pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the Japanese food in Japan. I booked to take part in the Tsukiji Fish Market Food Tour.
Over the course of three and a half hours (starting at 8.30am), we wandered around the markets, and tasted dried bonito, Japanese tea, fresh oysters, fried fish cake, sake, and also witnessed the art involved in making Japanese omelettes. And I learned so much on this tour. I never knew, for example, fish with bigger eyes were the ones which you’re most likely to found in deeper water (though of course it makes total sense). I’d also never seen the wasabi plant before, and noted when I shared the photograph earlier today on social media, many others hadn’t either. The tour ended with sushi at a stand-up restaurant called Chiyoda Sushi. There are quite a few of them around Tokyo, and Nori described them as places where you can obtain good sushi at reasonable prices. I thought it was probably the best sushi I’ve had in my life, to be honest.
And once you’ve had “real wasabi”, you’ll never be satisfied with the green-coloured horseradish which we mostly consume.
Rome and Venice were also amazing places to visit. Both were visually spectacular, but also, amazing because of the history.
Real Rome Tours – The Colosseum
“You have to remember that for many many years, The Colosseum was like a very big quarry for Rome”, our guide, Alessio told us… on the “Rome In A Day Tour” run by “Real Rome Tours“. “When it was fully functional as an arena, the walls were painted, and there was rock, and bronze and marble everywhere. So that when it was no longer used in that way, they took rock and the bronze and the marble and used it in other buildings projects”, he went on to say. This was possibly one of the greatest personal revelations for me on today’s tour. That, and the fact the modern Rome is built on top of Medieval Rome, which is built on top of Ancient Rome.
And Venice? I vividly remember waking up early on one morning when the alarm went off. For a moment, I struggled to get out of bed.
Early Morning Venice
When the alarm went off at 5.30am, I thought myself “Why am I doing this? Why am I getting up so early on a Saturday morning when I could just stay in bed?” The answer is simple: I wanted to experience the sunrise, and to see Venice before the tourist crowds woke up. I hesitated briefly, and then reminded myself I would otherwise regret this. As I made way down the stairs of the hotel I was staying in, I encountered another guy doing just the same. He also had that early morning “bleary” look about him. But the both of us, with cameras hung around our necks, headed off to the nearby waterfront. It was well worth it, I can assure you. The only people I could find were “locals” setting up for the day, “locals” coming home from the night before, and tourists like myself who like taking photographs. There was a lovely intimacy about being there, as people genuinely stopped to say hello to each other. It must be hard to live in a place like Venice, when there are so many tourists around. But at this time of the morning, before the tourists (mostly) have woken up, it all seemed so much different. There was just one cafe open at this time, and along with two other tourists, we headed in for a coffee, and were “treated” by the woman behind the counter. “It’s no problem”. one of my fellow tourists explained to me was what she was saying.
New York was also amazing. On top of all the iconic spots (Statue Of Liberty, Empire State Building etc), I really loved hanging out with my friend Michaela who joined me for a week. We took an an apartment in Brooklyn which we both agreed was a really fantastic place to stay.
View from the Empire State BuildingBrooklyn BridgeStatue of Liberty
Honey, you’ve come at just the right time…” we were told by an fantastic looking older woman. “This is Harlem Week” she said with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm. Even though she no longer lives in Harlem, she came back especially for this, she told us. Though we had no idea it was on, it was a wonderful discovery. “If we’d gotten off at 125th street as most people do, we would have missed this completely”, Michaela added.
We had in fact planned to come to Harlem for two main reasons: for Michaela to revisit some of the places she used to live, and to have a meal at a place called “Red Rooster” which had been recommended to us both individually. Though the phrase “Red Rooster” conjures up images of barbecue chicken in boxes, this restaurant has a “modern take” on “soul food” (watermelon salad, fried chicken etc) as well as Swedish meatballs. Yes, köttbullar. More on that later.
It wasn’t long after arriving in Harlem that I discovered the main difference between it and Manhattan. Manhattan seems to have a pharmacy on every corner. And when I say pharmacy, I mean places that also sell cigarettes and beer. Go figure. In contrast, in Harlem we only saw a few pharmacies, but we lost count of the number of hairdressing salons.
And upmarket restaurants and bars, as Harlem is going through a gentrification. I won’t share them here, but I took some photographs of a couple of signs which angrily protest the change.
We were so pleased to have timed this visit with Harlem Week, a massive street fair with food, music, dance, history and fashion.
My friend Colin once told me about New York: “You will love it. You will gobble it up”. He was right, you know. I’ll be back.
And Stockholm, beautiful Stockholm. This time around I took an apartment for four weeks which gave me a sense of “permanence”. Along the way, there was Stockholm Pride (including a performance by Måns Zelmerlöw), sight-seeing, and generally hanging-out.
Måns ZelmerlöwStockholm Pride
I also got to play “host” to an old school friend who was in Stockholm for a few days. I also met an online buddy called Mattias who I’ve been chatting with for a few years. And of course it was wonderful to see Robert and Sandra again. “Did I just hear you make another little sigh…? Sandra asked on my final day in Stockholm. As I wrote at the time…
With only a few hours left in Stockholm before heading to New York, I’d apparently developed a bit of a “sigh” whenever I saw something really wonderful. I wasn’t consciously doing it, though clearly the thought of leaving Stockholm was weighing on my mind. I really love it here, and though I’m looking forward to travelling to New York, I’m a little sad to be leaving. “Sometime we’ll both live in the same city”, I said to Sandra.
A few weeks later I was back in Australia, and I appeared on ABC Radio’s “Nightlife” with Tony Delroy, in his “Travel Spot” talking about Stockholm. There’s a few tips if you’re ever planning to visit this amazing city.
There were lots of other wonderful things about the year, including visiting lots of galleries, and generally “hanging out” with Kate, seeing my friend Michaela on a regular basis, and it’s been wonderful having Sue just a few kilometres down the road, instead of half way across the country.
Work has also been really enjoyable and interesting, and in March I was presented with a 25 year service medal which was very exciting.
I told the story of how I’d once dated a guy at work. A few years later, having broken up with him, I caught up with him and he asked if I still worked for the ABC. When I told him I did, he said, in a very negative tone “I always knew you’d be a lifer”. I told those attending I didn’t see it as a negative, even though in this modern world, it’s generally regarded as odd that you should work for the same organisation for such a long time. I told everyone I’d had so many wonderful opportunities to do so many different things, to live in many different parts of the country, and genuinely love my current job and the people I work with. Receiving the medal was a very proud moment for me, and something I’ll really treasure for many years to come. “It’s my Matthew Mitcham moment”, I joked.
On top of that, I work with some really amazing people.
As I look back at 2015, there’s lots of to be thankful for.
But it’s also been a year of highs and lows. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for my family this year. Half way through the year we almost lost Nancy. Aged 69, she had a serious heart-attack, and there were a couple of days when we thought she wouldn’t make it through. Thankfully, she survived. In the days leading up to Christmas, however, we lost Margaret (aka Tootsy) after an eight-week battle with pancreatic cancer.
Tootsy and Nancy
Of the four “O’Brien Girls”, there are now only two left. There have been various other family problems throughout the year which I won’t go into here. Suffice it to say, it’s been a tough year on the home front, and I’ve found myself increasingly providing advice and comfort to my family.
How did this happen? How did I suddenly become the wise, older member of my family? Is it because I turned fifty this year? :)
There’s a terrific episode of “The Simpsons” where the family travels with Apu to India, and where Homer keeps repeating the line “are we in India yet?”.
Chuckling to myself, I kept saying the line over and over in my head, because it now makes sense completely. It’s a long way to India. In the world of airline food, the flight is “two full meals and two snacks” long. Though it was supposed to be almost 13 hours long, we made it in 12.
“Would you like the vegetarian or the non-vegetarian?”, I was asked by the flight attendant on the Air India flight from Sydney to Delhi. Coming from a meat-eating culture, it surprised me. I was half-expecting the standard “beef and rice” or “chicken and rice” that you’re generally offered on international airlines, these days, but of course beef and India don’t mix. I chose meat both times, chicken curry and rice for lunch, and then a chicken tikka dish for dinner. In both cases, the meals were delicious.
When we booked Air India several months ago, we had no idea what to expect. But since the return price to Spain (which included a stop-over in Delhi) was so incredibly cheap ($990 return), I would have been happy sitting on the wing. As I’ve researched the airline over the last few months, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what I’ve read. And I’m pleasantly surprised by the flight. It’s nothing flash, but it’s also not terrible. The flight was good, with friendly service, comfortable seats, a reasonable entertainment system, and best of all, there were a few free seats. In fact when we took off, I had three seats to myself. Eventually, someone in a neighbouring seat came and joined me in one of the other seats. But even so, I was able to stretch out and relax.
I slept for a bit. I listened to some music, and to a Spanish language course, and feel reasonably confident that I can order coffee, beer, white wine, red wine, and ask for the bill. That’s all I’m gonna need, right?
So, am I in India yet? No, not yet. Not really. As part of the flight deal, there’s an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Express, located within the airport, the other side of security. The reviews online range from “worst hotel ever” to “great for a stopover”. Looking at the profiles and demographics who described it was the “worst hotel ever” were probably the same people in Shirley Valentine on the Greek island who insisted on “British food”. My room is clean, has a view of international check-in, and the internet’s pretty good. They say they have a “bar” which I went to earlier, but it’s actually just the breakfast room. I giggled slightly, recognising the look of disappointment on the faces of the people who came in expecting something a little more sophisticated. Anyway, I’m back in my room, and I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep ahead of tomorrow’s flight to Madrid.
We had a really interesting moment earlier today as a group of us ate lunch at Ventuno, a funky little restaurant at Dawes Point, near the Sydney Theatre Company. Sitting outside enjoying the great outdoors, our waiter, a large Italian bloke became quite insistent that we moved inside IMMEDIATELY. At the time a few of us thought he was over-reacting a little to the grey clouds which had appeared in the sky. Within a couple of minutes he was shown to be correct, as a fairly heavy rain storm hit Sydney, turning the area into something resembling one of those great black and white photographs taken by David Moore. Later, relaxing outside on their extremely comfortable couches we barely blinked when the rain came down again, as we were protected by a fairly sturdy umbrella.
By this time we had been at the restaurant for two or three hours, had consumed a great antipasto plate, had eaten some delicious pizza and had enjoyed a few bottles of wine (though not too many, actually). It was then I was reminded and told everyone else the story of an occasion several years of another long lunch at a restaurant in Double Bay. Sitting at a nearby table was the wife of a former Australian Prime Minister (you can guess which one I’m sure), along with her entourage, a group of obviously wealthy women and men in their 60s, or thereabouts. After a few hours of watching them consume SEVERAL bottles of wine, a waiter walked over and said, smilingly, to one of them who had a couple of shopping bags with her, “Would you like me to put your milk in the fridge? It looks like you might be here for quite some time…”
Dawes Point
It wasn’t quite like that with us this afternoon, but we were there for quite some time. Along with the food, the wine, and thegreat company, we were kept entertained with the large number of nearby wedding parties. We had discovered, we soon realised, the spot where many people go to have their wedding photographs taken in Sydney these days. I think we counted in all about half a dozen weddings. Some of the brides were dressed beautifully, others needed some work. We were impressed, in particular, with the bright yellow Flamenco-inspired bridesmaids dresses from one wedding, and the beautiful Middle-Eastern style outfits of another. At point point, however, we noticed one of the grooms uncomfortably playing with his wedding ring. A little too early in the marriage to be doing that we all agreed. “Come and bring us the bill, before we become too cynical”, said one of my friends to the waiter when it was clear we had spent too much time watching watching the activities.
Actually it’s been a pretty enjoyable, sociable 48-hours. There were Christmas drinks at a friend’s place on Thursday night, involving some lovely French champagne, some nice sandwiches, and a couple of hours of great conversation. And then there was a couple of beers after work on Friday at a groovy little cafe/bar in Darlinghurst called The Lounge. Although it’s been around for years, I was unaware of its existence, and even had trouble finding it. But yes, it was a great little space, attracting a very exotic crowd, indeed. It was “very Melbourne”, if you know what I mean.
Having now seen that bar, and having walked past Firefly Tapas & Wine Bar today I don’t know what Clover Moore is on about with this “small bar stuff”. Actually I do, I’m just being obtuse, but it just goes to show you can find some great small bars in Sydney, that’s it’s not just RSL-scale pubs and pokies, as has often been portrayed over the last few months.
Tomorrow also promises to be sociable, making a brief trip to the airport to see a friend who has a 2-hour stop-over between Melbourne and Ballina, and then catching up with another mate for Christmas. It’s a great time of the year, isn’t it, just to catch up with people? One of my friends today commented, “Isn’t this great on the weekend before Christmas just to sit around and relax. Buggar going to Westfield, we’ll do that tomorrow”. As I walked through the city today, observing the Christmas shopping, watching blokes carrying coffee machines, juice extractors, and assorted white goods, I wondered if they really needed all that stuff. Couldn’t they buy it at some other time of the year, using the money instead to spend time with friends and family? I think the best gift of all at this time of the year is the gift of time…
“Is there much water in the Duck Pond yet?” was one of the questions mostly commonly asked in our house when a flood was imminent.
I was born in Kyogle Street, not far from The Duck Pond, and spent the remainder of my youth only a little further way.
Though it’s not actually connected to Leycester Creek (one of the waterways that flows through Lismore), the pond would always fill up as we prepared for a flood, and the water would eventually flow on to other parts of South Lismore.
These days, the pond is probably more appropriately called a “wetland”, and has a variety of people and organisations, including a Landcare group, concerned with its welfare. As a child, I remember playing there, and I’m pretty sure it was also a place where rubbish was often dumped.
On a quiet Sunday afternoon in Lismore, I thought it would be interesting and fun to go for a walk around the area.
It seems to me it’s still in “recovery mode” after the big flood of 2017, though noting there have been several “smaller floods” since.
It was lovely to walk around the area, though I did so with caution. Though it’s winter and they’re likely in hibernation, I kept a close eye out for snakes. Subsequently, I didn’t walk too closely to the water where the bird-life were.
The closest I’ll come to The Duck Pond this week is to grab a coffee at the nearby Duck Pond Espresso coffee shop.
Lovely photos and nice story!
I’m just so jealous.
I keep meaning to ask if your Swedish has held up!