Swedish Christmas tradition in its julbord: Sjömagasinet 2009

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro Nilsson, Sjömagasinet 2009, julbord, Christmas table

Dining at Sjömagasinet’s Christmas table or julbord.
Outfit is a Karen Millen tartan dress.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

It’s funny how impressions of festivities change with time the longer you’ve been in the place. When I first arrived in Sweden, slightly more than 7 years ago, I thought it strange that Swedes did not celebrate Christmas with quite the same pomp as Singapore. I rationalized that Singapore, as a multi-racial society, took pride in celebrating all festivities of its races with splendour, lighting up various parts of the city country, Geylang during Hari Raya and Orchard Road during Christmas for example, depending on the festivities, while Sweden being rather secular, played down Christmas as such.

Sjömagasinet, Christmas decoration, hanging tree, Gothenburg Sweden 2009

A silver and white Christmas tree suspended from the ceiling of the restaurant, Sjömagasinet.

I’ve found over the years though that contrary to what I believed at first, Sweden did indeed celebrate Christmas as much as Singapore, but in a manner that needed much observation and understanding of its people and culture – an aspect that one, with a quick visit to the country over a few days might wont to miss.

Sjömagasinet Christmas decoration, Gothenburg, Sweden, julbord

Christmas wreath and candles alongside the julbord.

Sweden celebrates Christmas with profound rootedness in the Swedish tradition with hand crafted frocks, decorations and not the least in the cooking of Swedish festive food.
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Handcrafted, at Kronhuset’s Christmas market, Gothenburg 2009

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Cushioned hearts, Kronhuset, Göteborg julmarknad 2009

Cushioned hearts, reflecting a theme in Christmas decorations in Sweden.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

Kronhuset in the true middle of the old City of Gothenburg, being a 17th century armory, is in itself a place-of-interest for most tourists. Built in Dutch style this was where all artillery and other military supplies was kept for the defense of the City of Gothenburg. Eventually it occasionally did came in handy, but that is a different story. Today, Kronhuset is both museum and a concert hall, owing to its pillar free groundfloor construction that lends ample space for it to be used for most any event.

Cushion heart hanging, Kronhuset Christmas market Gothenburg 2009

The Christmas Heart, hanging cushion.

There are several year-round tenants of the place, everything from a glass workshop, a café, an interior design company, to a chocolate store that sells handmade candy and chocolate truffles. So come Christmas season, this place is transformed into a bustling Christmas market, with all activities taking place within its compounds of the East and West wings of the main building.
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Jultomte variations

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Wise men, Haga julmarknad 2009

My favourite rendition of the tomte this year, with hat pulled down low over the eyes, so they go around incognito, in the true spirit of giving this season.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

What I find refreshing when spending Christmas in Scandinavia is the appearance of the jultomte or nisse, a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore believed to help take care of the house, the animals on the farm and the family of the house, preventing any misfortune.

Having grown up in Singapore, with its Anglo-Saxon influence in terms of movies from the USA to British fruit pudding at the Christmas table and Santa Claus dressed in red and white, I find myself almost jumping in glee when greeting these woollen handmade elves that make their appearance just once a year at the shops.

In this post are several variants of the Swedish tomte that you can bring home this season or give away to a friend.

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Gift ideas from Haga, 2009

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Stainless steel jewellery, Haga Christmas market 2009 Sweden julmarknad

A piece of stainless steel jewellery.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

Scandinavian jewellery (particularly Georg Jensen) has always been an attraction to me, even before I arrived in Sweden. So I became quite engrossed with what I saw at one stall at the Haga Christmas market that displayed stainless steel jewellery bound together with leather bands, and glass art rings and pendants.

What I appreciate about Scandinavian jewellery is that it’s often elegant with thick clean lines sweeping through the piece. If heavy, glossy and statement is what you wish to convey, then Scandinavian designed jewellery is perhaps an avenue you might wish to explore. Silversmith Wiwen Nilsson for example, whose designs are perhaps highly influenced by Japanese aesthetics in the early 1900s even though he trained in Germany, Denmark and France, has had a strong influence on Scandinavian jewellery design in general. Vintage pieces from him are still highly coveted because of his modernist take on shapes in relation to function of the item, which render them timeless.

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Café treats at the Haga Christmas market, 2009

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Haga Christmas market, 2009 Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Gothenburg Sweden

Café assortments are quite fantastic at the Haga Christmas market, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

We were much earlier this year to the Haga Christmas market than previous years, where it seems too, that I favour strolling the old streets of Haga in the same furry hat!

I believe most Christmas markets begin in western Sweden thereabouts on the 28th of November, and I generally appreciated just a smidgen more daylight time than if we were to go Christmas marketing just three weeks on in December.

Chocolate at Haga julmarknad 2009

Handmade chocolates and liquour chocolate balls.

Walking down the street, it became apparent that this year at Haga was mostly about café treats! Even before the extensive renovations to this area during the 1970s, Haga was known for its restaurants. Today, the entire street is punctuated with good coffee places, where I personally bear one or two cafés in mind when headed this way.
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Portobello Road, London

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Portobello Road, London, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

Portobello Road, London
Photo for CMC © Kevin D. Cordeiro 2009

It’s like visiting old friends, when walking down Portobello Road. The sights and sounds of the street market, the second hand shops and the antiques trade, visited by both Londoners and tourists alike, make you feel at home, right through the heart of Notting Hill.

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3 travel secrets…

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I’ve been nominated by Erica Johansson who writes at Travel Blissful, to do a Tripbase blog tag for 3 travel secrets of mine – Thank You, Erica!

There are innumerble places of interest to visit when travelling, so in that sense, I would rather that each traveller unravels their own secret places of wonder, be it a state of art museum in a metropolitan state or enjoying a quiet dinner in the backstreets of Florence.

My travel recommendations in this post has to do with the practicalities of travelling in itself…

Secret 1

Norwegian Forest Cat, drinking from tap, Sweden

Drink plenty of water!
Photo for CMC © Jan-Erik Nilsson, Cheryl M. Cordeiro-Nilsson 2009

Long haul flights are not always the most comfortable if you’re not flying Business or First Class. What I’ve found most useful is to have my own bottled water with me, so that I have instant access to water, without having to call for it. I even tend to drink more than necessary when on long flights because of the dehydrating cabin air.
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Natural History Museum, London

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Natural History Museum 4 London, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

Natural History Museum, London
Photo for CMC © Kevin D. Cordeiro 2009

If London’s Natural History Museum is on your list of places of interest to visit, then set aside the better part of a day to do this – preferably on a full stomach too – because you could easily spend hours touring not only its exhibition wings, but its surrounding compounds on the outside of this Gibbs and Canning building.

London Natural History Museum, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

One of three large museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London, along with the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Victorian architecture of this museum is strikingly majestic in contrast to its neighbours.

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The London Eye

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The London Eye 1, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

The London Eye
Photo for CMC © Kevin D. Cordeiro 2009

Tourism has gone global, and it seems that almost every major city in the world – from Berlin to Beijing, Singapore to Melbourne – has its own gigantic ferris wheel as part of its tourist attractions. There are plans for one to be built in Gothenburg, but as Swedish consensus go, the idea is popular with the politicians but not with the majority of the population.

When I read what Sir Richard Rogers (winner of the 2007 Pritzker Architecture Prize) said about the Eye:

The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That’s the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.

I was sceptical and had several questions – what type of symbol was it for the British peope? Was it considered an architectural eyesore on the Southern Bank of the River Thames? And was it indeed in a “great position at the heart of London”? Since there isn’t much to view by the Thames, especially at low tide.

The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, the Millennium Wheel, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

The London Eye has been around since 2000 (Singapore opened its Flyer in 2008) and having observed its workings for some time, I think it possesses one of the prettier designs for this type of city attractions. It’s thin, thread-like spokes look impossibly delicate from afar.

And I think I could agree after all, that it does offer people a different perspective of London. The view of the city, from atop the wheel, is quite spectacular!

That many think it a phenomena is also confirmed by the number of visitors The Eye gets in a year. Being one of London’s top tourist attractions, and having won more than 75 awards since it’s opening in 2000.

Above all, it took a team of hundreds of people from 5 different countries, to make this project a reality. So, more than serving its purpose of letting people look down into the city, the structure symbolizes the reality of the global organization of workforces and what can be accomplished in today’s interconnected world.

London Red

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London guards

London Guards
Photo for CMC © Kevin D. Cordeiro 2009

I was about seventeen the first time I visited London, and even then, the one distinguishing colour that, from then on, brought associations for me about the city was red.

It seemed a distinct, just a hint, darker shade of fire engine red that echoed throughout the city, whether on the uniforms of the Guards, or at bus-stops, the Underground, restaurants and pubs…

London double decker bus, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

London pub and restaurant, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

London sign Blackfriars Bridge, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro photography

London, Portobellow Road, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

Big Ben London by night, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

By night.

A vibrant red that for me, has become the heartbeat of the city, a reminder of the day gone by and a reassurance for the day to come, of knowing that the city though quieter by night, is only in temporary slumber.