13.10.08

A week in Sweden

In a nice weather and with beautiful autumn colours, I spent a week in Sweden, Gothenburg (Göteborg), meeting mother, family and friends. (I you wish, you can refer to some previous posts about Gothenburg - 1, 2.)Looking through some albums, I found a nice photo (1930) of my mother with her nine sisters and brothers together with their parents.












I love the 1903 building where my mother lives. There was not much time for strolling around, but I took a walk up to the 17th century fortress, the Skansen Crown (which never served), to have a look over the surroundings. On the way back... ... I dropped into a 19th century University Library building, today nicely equipped, but with the original interior design maintained. I did not want to disturb all the busy students; the photos are just from the entrance.

42 comments:

Virginia said...

Well look here, I am the first to be able to tell you how gorgeous these photos are. I do believe the leaves are even prettier colors in Sweden! Love the University Library, what wonderful rich colors and details. I am glad you had such a nice time with family and friends, but especially your mom. Hope she is well. ( I like her apartment building too!)

krystyna said...

It is good to know that your time in Sweden was nice with your mom and family and friends.
How did you find such beautiful atumn colors?
Family photo shows how big was your mom's family. I wonder which is your mom.
Really beautiful photo and
the building where your mom lives is special.
Thank you Peter for sharing little bit your family history.
University Library - beautiful!

My best wishes to you!

Anonymous said...

Loved the autumn colours Peter. They are gorgeous. So pretty.

The family photo is wonderful. :-) I wonder which is your mom. And the building still has the same charm. :-)

I can understand how it soothes to go back to one's roots the replenish the memories.

Anonymous said...

une belle visite Suédoise! Ta jonchée de feuilles est très belle!

SusuPetal said...

Seeing ones family is usually nice, to come back to the roots also.
Beautiful photos, Peter.

Welcome back.

Jessica said...

Welcome back, Peter! Sounds like you had a nice time. I love the old family photo. It's so great that you still have that.

Olivier said...

Et oui quand on pars en automne, au retour il faut nettoyer les feuilles mortes.
Belle ballade, et beau moment de nostalgie. L'immeuble, ou vivait ta maman, est très beau.

Azer Mantessa said...

i don't care. i saved all the pictures. they are now all mine!

MINE!
MINE!
MINE!

alice said...

Je reprendrais bien des études rien que pour avoir le plaisir de pénétrer dans ce superbe lieu puis me balader dans ces rues piétonnes en shootant dans les feuilles mortes...

Anonymous said...

Ah Peter, tes feuilles mortes qui se ramassent à la pelle sont bien belles.

La photo de famille de ta maman est tout à fait extraordinaire aussi. Neuf enfants, ça laisse rêveur. Quelle vie de mère...

Le reste de la ballade donne envie de s'attarder: les toits rouges, le port, les allées arborées, la bibliothèque... merci pour tout ça.

Anonymous said...

...elle était combientième, ta maman, dans la famille ? L'immeuble où elle habite est magnifique, je comprends que tu apprécies !

Cergie said...

C'est bien que tu aies tout de même eu le temps de stroller et retrouver les lieux chéris que tu as en mémoire. L'automne est sans doute un moment exceptionnel, en témoignent ces feuilles mêlées d'essences différentes (tu aurais pu les nommer)

Dis donc, je t'ai reconnu : le grand garçon assis au milieu de la photo de 1930 !
Tu ne fais vraiment pas ton âge !

Anonymous said...

Both the best of Nature and the best of human design, just inspiring.

Mona said...

O Peter! Thanks for posting these delightful pictures!

I was wondering which one is your mom! I looked at all the 'children' carefully but still could not make a guess! You have a lot of uncles and aunts!

That is indeed a a fine building, where your mother lives!

I love that crown & those pointed towers of the buildings.
Sweden is a beautiful place!

Mona said...

And those leaves are so beautiful!

hpy said...

Plus on monte vers le nord, plus les feuilles sont colorées - sauf au Pôle Nord tout de même! Bel immeuble 1903 avec beau décor, mais peut-être sans ascenseur, au moins d'origine.
J'aurais bien volontiers vu d'autres photo d'intérieur, car je sais combien ces immeubles peuvent être délicieux.
Et bon retour parmi nous.

EMNM said...

Very nice post, i love old pictures, thanks to show us.

Welcome back! ;)

Adam said...

Fantastic photos Peter. You do a great job of selling the city - can we stay at your Mum's place? :-)

Kate said...

Hello Peter! Thanks for the visit to my blog today, and I fixed the link after your tip. Go see it because I'm confident that you'll like the gallery of paintings.

Your photos today captured the splendor of nature with those bright, blazing leaves as well as the man-made beauty of the library's architecture and design. You always manage to find photos to share with us that are spectacular in subject and design. Thank you, my friend!

Shionge said...

Charming Charming & Charming place on earth and when I visited Sweden in 1995 travelling from Helsinki we thought we could migrate and stay there hahahahha....

Thanks for sharing coz I was literally walking down memory lane :D

Thérèse said...

Les couleurs d'automne sont de retour avec leur quiétude.
Une belle photo de famille avec donc une dizaine d'histoires différentes les unes des autres.
Quel bel immeuble.

sonia a. mascaro said...

I am glad you had a nice time meeting your mother, family and friends. Love so much the building where your mother lives. Amazing architecture. All photos, Peter, are very beautiful! Thanks for sharing them with us.

Maxime said...

La couronne n'a jamais servi parce que les rois de suède n'avaient pas une assez grosse tête, ou bien est-ce parce qu'ils n'étaient pas assez agiles pour aller la chercher là haut ?
En tout cas, le gamin qui a fait le coup d'aller la percher sur le toit a du prendre une belle fessée !

Neva said...

Hi Peter! Always good to see your photos...I love the colors of the leaves....and the picture of your mom and siblings is awesome....nothing like a bit of history!!! glad you had a nice visit and are back.....

Anonymous said...

First of all: welcome back. On the other hand: it's always nice to have some time with the family living far away ;-). - So nice to see Göteborg. We have been there, but it's long, long ago.

Shammickite said...

Welcome back after your holiday. Gothenburg looks so interesting, I wish I could visit. Your mother's apartment building is very smart, with such lovely coloured windows. How nice to have the photo of your mother and all her siblings as children. My father was one of 10 children, but there are no family photos, the family was too poor to be able to afford one!

PeterParis said...

virginia:
Mother is well for her age, thanks!

krystyna:
Mother is to the left, second row. She must have been around 13.

cuckoo:
I just gave the answer above.

PeterParis said...

lasiate:
Merci pour ce compliment!

susupetal:
Thanks!

jessica:
Actually I found a number of old photos from the first decades of last century!

PeterParis said...

olivier:
Maintenant quand je regarde, je suis étonné de voir le nombre de beaux immeubles!

azer:
You are welcome!

alice:
Je pensai un peu la même chose. Qu'est qu'on va étudier?

PeterParis said...

nathalie:
Ma mère était septième de dix enfants; neuf frères et soeurs!

cergie:
Tu sais, moi, les arbres et les plantes... Oui, il faut savoir bien viellir! :-)

ruth:
Thanks ... and well said!

PeterParis said...

mona:
I told above where to find my mother. Well, I used to have nine of them on my mother's side. Only three left, including my mother. But I have a lot of cousins!

hpy:
Il y avait bien un ascenseur, mais, oui, ce n'est plus le même!

matritiensis:
I know, you make also use of old pictures!

PeterParis said...

adam:
I guess you are welcome over there, with some notice!

kate:
I checked the site of Neto Ybarra! Really nice. One of your visitors, Kirsten G., sent me the address also!

shionge:
You have been everywhere! Maybe you could tell something more about your visit ti Finland and Sweden?

PeterParis said...

therese:
Toutes les saisons ont leur charme!

sonia:
Thanks for your always so kind words!

maxime:
Je crois bien que la Suède a eu des rois avec des grosses têtes! Donc, la raison est ailleurs! :-)

PeterParis said...

neva:
Happy you liked them!

april:
So, another one who knows Göteborg!

shammickite:
Photos were not common those days. I was happy to find some!

Marie-Noyale said...

The students of Göteborg are very lucky to have such a beautiful library!!
All those girls on the picture are quite good looking!!

stromsjo said...

Libraries can be great venues for photography. Do stop by Stockholm some time if you get the chance.

Claudia said...

Lovely!

di.di said...

yeah.. maybe i should "bookmark" sweden too... :P

PeterParis said...

marie-noyale:
As I think I already said; sometimes you would like to take up studies again... without exam!

oer:
Why go to Stockholm when I have Göteborg? :-))

claudia:
Yes, I gess I agree!

PeterParis said...

di.di.:
Bookmark, bookmark!!

stromsjo said...

;) well, there's always a few...

SC said...

Beautiful