UD Travel : Stockholm

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFCC" TEXT="#384054" LINK="#000000"> <CENTER> <A HREF="../../../2.4_toc.html#travel" target="content2k"><IMG WIDTH="465" HEIGHT="31" BORDER="0" ALT="TRAVEL" SRC="../../../Images/travel_top.gif"></A> </CENTER> <BR> <A HREF="toc2.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/sun330pm.gif" ALT="Sunday, 3:30 p.m. Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde" ALIGN=TOP WIDTH="300" HEIGHT="88" BORDER="0"></A> <BLOCKQUOTE> <BR> <P> <P>Dear J-P:</P> <P>At your suggestion, luxuriating in the sun-drenched gardens at Waldemarsudde, the former home (now a museum) of Prince Eugen (1865-1947) (of course, you know that! Sorry.). He was indeed a landscape painter of formidable talent. Although the rooms on the lower floor of the mansion are quite lovely, it is the paintings in the adjoining gallery where I spent the most time. Yes, Molnet (1896) (The Cloud) is the masterpiece of the collection. There is something truly mysterious, allegorical even, about that huge cloud ominously hovering over the horizon. Curious, too, to see what Prince Eugen collected of his contemporaries' work. A pleasure (and hardly surprising) to see more Anders Zorn pop up, other paintings by whom can also be found at the National Museum of Art. </P> <P>Forgot to tell you -- before my Haga tour the other day, I went to Koppartälten, that restaurant just down the path from the Pavilion which is also done up in Gustavian style (not authentic of course -- could you imagine, sitting on antique chairs?!). It was excellent. Even managed to write one postcard!</P> <P>But it was what happened on my way back from Hagan Park that was truly hilarious. Since I was freezing cold at that point, I decided to stop off at Centralbadet (Central Baths) to warm up. I quickly by-passed your beloved art-nouveau swimming pool and headed directly for the steam and sauna areas, which, as we know, are ten times hotter (in temperature) than their American equivalents. What I didn't know until that day was that the entire complex could be rented out for private parties at the same time that it was opened to the public. This was the case today, and the occasion for this party was the end of school exams. In the courtyard outside, a huge table of elaborate, catered food was laid out. Some guests wondered about, dressed in chic, formal attire. But the great majority of party-goers was downstairs (where I was) in somewhat less formal attire. Just imagine -- 20 or 30 young, attractive Swedish guys and gals running around this complex of saunas, steam rooms and jacuzzis, beer glasses in hand, drunk, yelling and screaming -- in short, partying -- all wearing next to nothing, or in the case of the single-sex saunas, nothing at all. Now I forget the exact medical reason, but I know that the intense heat of saunas and jacuzzis multiplies the effect of any alcohol in one's blood system, and for that reason, one shouldn't drink under these circumstances. But just try telling that to our student revelers! The entire spectacle was, well, head-spinning, for me as well as for them. And as it could never happen State-side, I took copious mental notes. Suffice it to say, I also warmed up. </P> <P>Will see you tomorrow in Budapest!</P> -- S. <BR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P> <CENTER> <TABLE WIDTH=257> <TR> <TD> <NOBR><A HREF="sun4am.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1prev.gif" ALT="previous letter" WIDTH="69" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A><A HREF="toc2.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1toc.gif" ALT="letters" WIDTH="116" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A><A HREF="mon10pm.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1next.gif" ALT="next letter" WIDTH="72" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A><BR><A HREF="numbers.html"><IMG SRC="../Images/1dire.gif" ALT="directory" WIDTH="257" HEIGHT="30" BORDER="0"></A></NOBR> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> <P> <HR> <ADDRESS>© Copyright 1996 Urban Desires</ADDRESS> <P> </CENTER> </BODY>