where are we going

Went out to Migrationsverket in Norrköping to get my biometrics handled (appointments closer in to the city were impossible to get). The ride was lovely; quiet, smooth, beautiful scenery. I really enjoyed the double decker trains so that I could really take it all in.

I got to town a little early and went for some Fika at a little cafe called Spiro cafe. It truly looked like it had been plucked out of another timeline and dropped into ours. Doilies, upholsters everything, wallpaper, and a staff of elderly women. It was so sweet.

I felt proud of being able to order something for the first time in Swedish, as the register person didn’t speak English. First, I said hej, then asked her (in Swedish) if she spoke any English (not really), then ordered an oatmilk (havredryk) latte and said thank you! Small steps.

Here are a few things I learned about Norrköping:

It is the 10th largest city in Sweden

It’s home to more ancient rock carvings than anywhere else (7k) - some going back to the Bronze Age! (I will come back when it’s not raining to see them)

The Kolmården quarry produced deep green marble for famous buildings including the Rockefeller Center

It was founded in the 1300s; Medieval churches still can be found there, though a number of fires (a huge one in the early 1700s) cleared the way for industry

It was a huge hub for the paper and textile industries in the 18th and 19th centuries (the name literally means north market, or north market town). It also milled flour and produced snus!

It’s a UNESCO City of Music, since the city has placed music at the center of their development.

There’s a fish ladder and people literally can literally fish for salmon in the Motala ström

The river is very powerful (ström means current or steam - as in electric current, water current, data stream, etc); the power of the water was used for mills and machines since the Middle Ages and gave the city a competitive edge as an industrial stronghold

Vegan food at Mallow in London (little sister to Mildred’s); incredible small plates. Particularly loved the croquettes and beetroot rummaniyeh. The vegan blackcurrant doughnut from crosstown doughnuts was amazing too. Love the use of chia seeds as egg replacer.

To send me to Heaven

Went to the British Museum on Friday, got totally lost for two hours in the Ancient Egyptian / Ancient Assyrian / Ancient Mesopotamian exhibits (not physically lost — I mean I lost track of time). It was breathtaking to see these stunning statues, thousands of years old, still have the same imposing and godly influence on those in their presence. Every detail connected to something beyond this realm. Their artwork, written language, rituals…with so much continuity across thousands of years. How is it we, now, can’t keep our shit together for more than a couple hundred years? Speaking about America but also of course this applies to civilizations across the globe. Or are we all now considered one civilization?

Anyway…was unsettling seeing the mummies; I can’t help but feel it’s inappropriate for them to be anywhere other than where they were painstakingly laid to rest.

Of course I was keeping an eye out for anything alien-like too 😅 I mean no one can really know what all happened thousands of years ago. It’s all speculation, right? Some hypotheses much more informed (archaeologists / anthropologists) than others (aka mine) I’ll definitely say that.