Friday, June 16, 2017

Solo Trip Into Stockholm and Our Last U15 Practice of the Spring


Friday, 16 June, 2017:

Laurie felt that she needed a day of rest while I realized that with our upcoming vacation week in Mallorca and then our return flight to Los Angeles, we only had five more full days in Sweden.

I had to go see more of this great country's capital city with my 111 Places in Stockholm That You Must Not Miss guidebook in hand.

First stop on my solo run, suburban Solna to find a sight that Laurie and I could not find yesterday.

Sight #20
Cinema City
A stroll through the history of film

Filmstaden literally "Film City"

I used the T11 metro line today to get here instead of trying to find it on foot from Solna's Mall of Scandinavia as we did on Thursday. After yesterday's failed attempt, I was a bit embarrassed when I found this entrance to Filmstaden only 50 meters from the T11 Metro line's Näckrosen exit

Built in 1919, this studio was the hub of the Swedish film industry.

This is where classic films like director Victor Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage were made.

The Swedish actress got her
start at Filmstaden

A young Greta Gustavsson got her first big part at Filmstaden in director Mauritz Stiller's film Gösta Berling's Saga.

After Sjöström took her to Hollywood, she changed her last name to Garbo.

Interesting artwork inspired
I'm sure by the films made here

 Some of those films were grim

A young Max von Sydow?

Easily Sweden's most
famed film director

This 1936 Swedish film classic
was made at Filmstaden and
starred Ingrid Bergman

With Ingrid Bergman the two
most noteworthy Swedish actresses
of the 20th-century
  
There is now a theater
on the old film lot

 This visit through Swedish film
history brought a smile
to my face too

I still had lots of time left before I needed to return to Upplands-Väsby for tonight's final U15 practice of the Spring so I ventured from suburban Solna into Stockholm.

Sight #69
The Preem Petrol Station
Secret hipster spot on Kungsholmen

Since I spend most of my Stockholm night's clubbing in Stureplan, I consider myself a hipster so this place for lunch was a natural.

 Yep, it IS a gas station!

Posh dining area

For lunch this hipster had a pre-packaged ham and cheese wrap and a bottle of bubbly water surrounded by interesting fellow diners and a good view of the water.

 People watching was a MUST!

Somewhat sated but in need of fika, I trekked on along the waterfront.

 Nice old boats

 People enjoying the day
by the water

It was a good time to sit for a
spell and read my book

 Anti-Trump graffiti under a bridge

As I said I needed pika so I continued my waterside walk in search of . . .

Sight #24
Dessert & Chocolate
Unbridled indulgence

Located at Patentgatan 7
on Stockholm's
Lilla Essingen island

 It was small and unpretentious
but OH MY!

The chocolate here was as rich if not richer than any that I've ever tasted.

That makes a lot of sense considering that this little bakery made the desserts for the 2012 Nobel Prize award ceremony.

Here they also designed and baked the wedding cake for the gala 2010 wedding of Swedish Princess Victoria and her David.

Laurie loved watching the wedding on TV that Summer when we lived in Hässleholm.

We were not invited to the actual event.

As an act of good faith, I bought five of Dessert & Choklad's wonderful offerings to share with Laurie, Aiki and Janne.

Three of them made it all the way home.

That makes 36 sights down and still 75 to go with only four more full days left in Sweden.

I'm not going to finish am I?

Not now on Lilla Essingen
 but soon in Mallorca I'm sure

Now it time to head back to Uplands-Väsby for a final Warriors U15 workout.

Across the street from
our practice field

A training film for the U13s
Google Chrome or the like needed
to view this video

After Wednesday night's coaching clinic, Johan Lundqvist, our U13 Head Coach, asked if I could make some videos for him of our "Aim Small, Miss Small" blocking concepts teaching progression.

Laurie filmed several different blocking schemes and drills for us. I hope they help our U13 coaches as desired.

Reading Is FUNdamental

I'm getting to like these
most British of crime
solving characters

I've now read and enjoyed the first two installments of Runcie's The Grantchester Mysteries series of books.

I checked out his third book from our local public library today to read while basking in the Mallorca sun next week.

Physical Fitness Is
Also FUNdemental

Sightseeing in Sweden
can be healthy too

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