Tekst! journalisten » Sweden

Studentenjubel

Marcel Burger — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:05:03 +0000

Juni is de maand dat veel studenten met diploma het hoger onderwijs verlaten. Tekst! journalisten Marcel Burger drong zich in het Zweedse Uppsala – de stad met de oudste universiteit van Scandinavië – tussen de honderden familieleden, vrienden en kennissen van de feestende jongeren en poogde bij de internationale Katedralskolan het Studentenjubel vast te leggen.

Studentjubel, Katedralskolan, Uppsala, Zweden (Beeld © Marcel Burger)

Skokloster Slott

Marcel Burger — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:08:23 +0000

Skoklosters Slott is een van de allermooiste kastelen van Zweden, vooral vanwege zijn collectie binnen de muren. Gelet op zijn omvang is het wonderbaarlijk dat dit lange tijd privé-eigendom is. Het is veldmaarschalk Carl Gustaf Wrangel (1613-16767) die een Europees uitziend kasteel als visitekaart wil. Hij laat uit heel Europa tapijten, kunst, boeken, wapens en meubels komen. Tijdens de verkoop door de laatste erven, in 1967 aan de Zweedse staat, zijn er 50.000 voorwerpen gedocumenteerd. Rondleidingen door het flinke complex zijn zonder meer indrukwekkend, waarbij je ook de Rustkammaren met glanzende ridderuitrusting bezoekt. De prachtige bibliotheek en de verzameling uit de 18e eeuw zijn alleen met een speciale boeking te bezoeken || Tekst © 2008 Marcel Burger, uit Wereldwijzer Zweden (www.wereldwijzerzweden.net) | Fotografie © juli 2009 Marcel Burger.

Gotland: Monsters and steady legs

Marcel Burger — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:32:26 +0000

Raukar (rocks eroded by wind and sea) at Langhammars coast, a reserve at the north coast of Fårö, a seperate island directly east of Gotland, Sweden (Foto © Marcel Burger)

25th of June, 2009 | Tough looking limestone cliffs reach out above the Baltic See. The wind seems to be the only element that can hold these monsters at bay, by chopping parts of them off, day by day.

Gotland is partly barren, partly an almost cosy arrangement of farms with lands, framed by small roads rich with trees with a nearby church as the main attraction. Sweden’s largest island offers stately views on the sea. Gotland’s landscape rolls a bit, has woods, rocks and beautiful flowers – with tens of unique orchid species.

Gotland is stuffed with archeological interesting discoveries, varying from graves, stone masses or ruins till buildings still intact. The Vikings used Gotland as a support location, for German Lübeck and the Danes the island was a strategic stronghold needed to be conquered, for Sweden itself during the Cold War Gotland was the first line of defence against the Russians.

Gotland is known as a biking island, but you must have steady legs to succeed in discovering the entire island on just two wheels. There are biking roads, especially around the island’s capital Visby and in the north, but some paths contain nothing more than little stones that make any negotiation a tough call.

© 2009 Marcel Burger. Translation of the introduction of the chapter Stockholm, from the Dutch travel guide book Wereldwijzer Zweden (Worldguide Sweden). Book written by Marcel Burger, published in October 2008 by Uitgeverij Elmar (Elmar publishing company, Rijswijk, the Netherlands), English translation published on Community of Sweden.com

Stockholm: Stone fronts and sunset

Marcel Burger — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:15:37 +0000

13th of June, 2009 | Façades of glass taking turns with creamy or terracotta stone fronts with rich decorations. They don’t look up or down when a wave of people presses itself in many small streams into shops, café’s and restaurants. The ducks in the dark blue water near the Royal Opera seemingly don’t care: a day as every other day.

While the bright blue guard of honour with its silver helmets make the round alongside the walls of the Royal Palace, one boat after the other leaves the quays of the inner town to head for the archipelago or just another part of town. They pass Gröna Lund, where dare devils enjoy a fabulous view before they are released from 60 meters up in the sky and rocket down to ground level.

But as the sun sets behind the golden tower of the city hall famous for the Nobel ceremonies, sets behind the land of bridges that connect Stockholm with itself, gorgeously dressed women and handsomely tailored gentlemen appear in lines to enter one of the discothèques in town, transported by Porsche or limo.