As I wrote before, I ended up going to Stockholm 5 days before David. It took me a couple of days to get used to the city. First time in Scandinavia! Much of my crude impressions of Sweden came from the Stieg Larsson books and IKEA, which is to explain my complete lack of Swedish knowledge. Truthfully, my first steps in Stockholm were not pleasant: I had a terrible flight, an impolite taxi driver who picked me up at the airport and, upon arriving at the hotel, the receptionist could not find my booking (which was apparently under David's name, not mine). That night I had dinner solo at the hotel restaurant, which turned out to be quite the Swedish drunken socialite scene on Saturday. And although I was kindly given a table with no reservation, I was completely underdressed for the scene (jeans, sweatshirt, hair messily tied into a ponytail), which was not conducive to dining solo. It was an exhausting experience, to say the least. I felt homesick.
My time in Stockholm picked up the next day, however, with start of work and meeting my Stockholm colleagues. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. With new colleagues and new friends, my social prospects picked up, and from Sunday onwards I had a great time. I even had a chance to catch up with Tarlan's step-brother Jamie, who now lives in Stockholm with his Swedish girlfriend. Casting hard by day, dining out and drinking by night (in nicer outfits), I felt myself again.
Here are a few snapshots from Stockholm....
Visiting a market in a new city always makes me feel better. Here, I found gorgeous mushrooms and berries being sold. If only my hotel room came with a kitchen!... I did bring some raspberries to work, which was much appreciated by my colleagues.
David and I toasted our 5th anniversary via Skype. In a way, I suppose it's fitting that we mark our major anniversary as we embark on another DD adventure, albeit over the internet. It sucks being apart, of course, but at least the temporary distance is due to our increased responsibilities with the show.
I had a morning off one day, so I went to Östermalms Saluhall, which is a famous foodhall. It is gorgeous, and there are wonderful selections of prepared foods, produce, fresh meats and fish.
I joined the Stockholmer lunch crowd and had smoked salmon and a cheeky Pilsner for lunch.
Beautiful crayfish.
And then David arrived!!!
David was a star and agreed to work on the day he arrived (at my scheduling request). He arrived in the morning, had breakfast, had a nap, and then worked with non-dancing actresses and a contemporary dancer on some of the show choreography. A champion, indeed! (He of course called me a slave-driver.)
That same evening, we celebrated our 5th anniversary at F12, a very highly regarded restaurant in Stockholm. Everything from the room, the service to the food was magnificent. We definitely want to go back.
Some pre-requisite silliness on the Stockholm streets after dinner...
Once David arrived, followed by Eleanor, the days seem to speed by. We had a very productive time, and we had a great time with our Swedish colleagues. Although my experience began a bit bumpy, by the end of my 8 days I was a little sorry to be leaving. Stockholm is a beautiful city, and I look forward to seeing more of it.
(View from our hotel room at dawn.)
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