Travelogue Diaries : Entry No. 02 - Sweden

I've never been interested in Paris like most women. I'm sorry but it's true. In fact I have to admit that I haven't had such great experiences involving French... things... but this isn't about Paris - or French things. I only bring it up to say that - My " Paris" has always been Sweden. In other words.. I've been dreaming about Sweden since I was little girl. It all started in grade school.The teacher wanted to excite us about the world and get us interested in other cultures. Great teacher! 

It must have worked because ever since - I have been excited about other countries and cultures. The teacher dropped a bunch of books on the table and said pick one that appeals most to you and explain why.

Well I've never been good at " picking one" of anything. In this case - I was. The only place at the time that appealed to me was Sweden. That was the easy part. Explaining why was less easy.

So " less easy" that it led me to commit one of my first biggest crimes in life. I hate to admit what I did - but it's part of the story. I couldn't find a way to explain how I felt about Sweden. I could only "feel" what I felt about Sweden. The photographs touched something inside my heart and made me feel like there was magic in the world. I decided that one day I had to live there.

How do you explain this in an essay? At the time I thought it was impossible. So I did the only thing that made sense at the time. I wouldn't write an essay. I would show the teacher. 

So that's what I did. I went to the library and found the best book on Sweden I could find. I ripped out all the best photographs and I taped them lovingly onto a piece of paper - and turned it in.

I know - I'm a bad person. The funny thing is - my crime earned me an A. The teacher made a comment to the class about how only one person got it right - and winked at me.

I'm pretty sure she knew what I had done, and I promise I have never ripped photographs out of any book since - at least not books that weren't mine. I'm also pretty sure- that wink taught me how to be a bit fearless in life. Sometimes you have to break the rules to portray how you feel... and I've been doing it ever since. So thanks teacher! ( I don't remember her name)

So finally my dream came true in December, 2011. I had just come back from the U.S. - to be reunited with my boyfriend Paul. I had been for gone for about 3 months due to some visa problems I was having with the Netherlands at the time. He surprised me with tickets to Sweden! So we went. 

It was very cold. So so so cold. 

and so so beautiful.

We were in time for the  celebration of Santa Lucia. It takes place on December 13. Here is what it's about according to Wikipedia: 

In the Nordic countries

In Sweden, Estonia, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, Lucy (called Lucia) is venerated on December 13 in a ceremony where a girl is elected to portray Lucia. Wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, she walks at the head of a procession of women, each holding a candle. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucia's life when she was sentenced to be burned. The women sing a Lucia song while entering the room, to the melody of the traditional Neapolitan song Santa Lucia; the Italian lyrics describe the view from Santa Lucia in Naples, the various Scandinavian lyrics are fashioned for the occasion, describing the light with which Lucia overcomes the darkness. Each Scandinavian country has lyrics in their native tongues. After finishing this song, the procession sings Christmas carols or more songs about Lucia.

Here is the link to read more about it : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy's_Day

I found a real life red riding hood! We were walking around a closed fairground and saw her wandering around. So cool right?

So I'm pretty pleased that I have my own photographs to share about Sweden now. I would like to go back again when it's not so cold, but I'm really glad I got to witness the winters in Sweden... because maybe I don't want to live there after all! It's just a little bit to cold - the blurry cold kind of cold. I do have more photographs floating around but for now - these are the ones I'm sharing today.

X - Lorraine