Susan in Sweden: Uppsala Attractions

Uppsala, as Sweden's fourth largest city, is a charming town that gave me an impression of sleepy and slightly faded grandeur. This is likely because I arrived in the depth of summer when quite frankly the place is a bit of a ghost town as many Swedes evacuate the urban areas to take vacations during July and August and Uppsala doesn't have the hordes of tourists that take their place as they do in Stockholm.

There's lots to see and do here - most of it to do with history - including:

Uppsala cathedral, known in Swedish as domkyrka
culture night (or KulturNatten in Swedish) has been happening in Uppsala for 23 years - my first experience of it was a good one although I found myself wishing it had lasted all weekend rather than just a single day
there is quite a bit of public art around Uppsala and presently there is a temporary exhibit called ‘Allt ljus på Uppsala’with interesting installations around the city
Uppsala's annual Ice Festival just ended on February 24, 2013
Uppsala's old cemetery is a peaceful and beautiful place
Valborg is celebrated all over Sweden but with special vigour here in Uppsala

Uppsala Cathedral

Probably Uppsala's most famous attraction is its cathedral - the biggest in Scandinavia and consecrated in 1435.

I've been to the cathedral several times since my arrival in Uppsala on July 13, 2012, and suspect I'll be back many more - it's a beautiful building and has much to explore. I've been on a free guided tour in English as well as been twice to listen to organ music at lunch time. I'm sure there will be lots of other occasions to warrant visits in the two years ahead of me.

Culture Night - September 8, 2012

I didn't get to see that much on culture night - probably because I didn't go with much of a plan in place but rather just wandered around. I was disappointed that the lecture I had wanted to attend at the Gustavianum (How the leopard got its spots) was full and other popular attractions were also very busy which made getting in to them (if inside) problematic or getting a peek at the events (if they were outside) difficult. Still it was a fun evening with for me the highlight being a free showing of the Bollywood movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai at the Fyris cinema. Here are some photos from the event.

Linnaeus's garden - open to the public free of charge on culture night

Another view of Linnaeus's garden

Streets around the main square blocked to traffic - love it when areas go pedestrian only

Families gathering for impromptu picnics

Performers tucked away in hidden courtyards

Main stage near the river

Thai Food

What's a carnival without candy floss?

The Swedish love of candy was evident

More candy

and more candy

and yet more candy

African drumming

Belly dancing

Lovely colourful plants at the Linnaean garden

Canna lily (I think)

My namesake (sort of - common name is Black Eyed Susans) - now I know they are named after prominent and eccentric 17th century Uppsala scientist Olof Rudbeck

Another colourful bloom

Public Art

Uppsala has some interesting public art pieces - below are some shots of a sleeping figure in brass (or some other metal) and two of the 15 exhibits in the currently running light festival. I am not sure how I feel about the light festival installations that are scattered around town - tomorrow I will try and remember to get a shot of the one that looks to my mind like a row of gigantic, inflated condoms standing erect. Be interested to hear your comments on all of the pictures below.

Close up of the art pieces poised above the river

Maija (my Finnish classmate) tried to translate the explanatory panel for this display - it was apparently nothing to do with ghosts although that is what everyone who sees it thinks it is to do with

I think there is something very alien and spooky about this piece - it is much more interesting at night when the lights at its base change colour in coordination with weird sort of electronic music that issues from speakers on the opposite bank of the river

the feet of the sleeping man

Is he sleeping? Or dead?

Not anatomically correct - I guess that would make him not a very comfortable bench

Uppsala Ice Festival

Uppsala's Ice Festival ran this year from February 9-24 and although the sculptures were all that I saw there were several other attractions (I'll be more observant next year). Most of the sculptures were in the Stadsträdgården (city park) but others were scattered around town - some lit with coloured spots, others just in their natural state. Here are some photos from the park.

Someone has been guerilla knitting and equipped these cherubs with slippers

A close up of their feet

Classmate Sofie inside a penguin

Classmate Astrid in the background and a bear (I think) in the foreground

Are these two arguing or is that just my interpretation?

Can't quite remember what this was - ice does not photograph well with a snowy background

Is it a wave? Some strange undersea coral or plant?

Close up of the sculpture above

Bear attempting to eat the roof of a nearby building

Cemetery

I don't know why but I frequently gravitate to cemeteries no matter where I am. Uppsala is no exception and its old cemetery – called in Swedish Gamla Kyrkogården – is a favourite spot that sadly is not on my regular walking route since I left Gamla Studentstaden at the end of summer 2013. Now I need a special occasion to go there and although there isn't snow at the moment it is still not very appealing to go for a walk on the other side of town just to wander through gravestones no matter how scenic.

For non-Swedes/non-Scandinavians no one of great importance is buried here. One name that I now recognize is that of painter Bruno Liljefors who is actually a native son of Uppsala. I saw many of his works in the gallery at Gothenburg. Not particularly to my taste but certainly wonderful capturing of birds and animals. Another grave which is notable and of a much sadder history is that of Fadime Sahindal. I may be mistaken but I believe that the apartment where she was killed was on Bruno Liljeforsgatan (a street not far from where I live). Here are some shots from the cemetery taken over the past few months and the ones of the two graves specifically mentioned which I took today.

Detail of a sculpture on one of the graves

Tear streaked face

A flute player poised on a rock - note the raked gravel

Unusual brass sculptural piece

Colourful lichen

The musician's bowed head

The rest of the musician

Fadime's grave

Bruno Liljefors' grave - photo by Mathias Klang - taken in May 2009

Valborg

Valborg, as it is called in Swedish, is a celebration of the coming of spring that has been quite drastically altered here in Uppsala from how it is celebrated in other countries and even in other parts of Sweden. It is very much a student-led party and in fact young people come from elsewhere in Sweden to take part in Uppsala's special festivities.

There are some fun, family activities - like the student-constructed, flimsy, styrofoam boats with creative and colourful decorations that run down the Fyrisan river and often fall apart in the fast-moving water - but much of the party is alcohol-oriented. There is a huge gathering in the park near Ekonomikum and very many extremely drunk young people can be observed huddled on blankets and enjoying themselves eating, drinking and even in some cases smoking waterpipes (some people came very prepared). Although the day started sunny and warm it clouded over and when we were leaving the park at around 2:45 pm it started to rain and then hail and to me it looked depressingly like a temporary camp after a disaster - garbage strewn everywhere and people sheltering under coats and scraps of plastic as the heavens opened.

We went to in front of the Carolina Rediviva library to watch the chancellor and other bigwigs don their caps - this was fun but rather anticlimactic as nothing happened after that. We then wandered back down to the river with detours to Stockholm Nation where students were participating in a very strange (to my taste) ritual called the champagne galop - spraying each other with champagne (or more economically sparkling wine) to music from a DJ. I guess it could be fun but a classmate who participated said that while it went on it was quite enjoyable but afterwards you were sticky, smelled bad and it was not so nice at all. Here are some pictures from the event - captions could be wildly inaccurate as I have no idea what is actually going on or why people are dressed the way they are.