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Travel Journal Photos |
Swedish innovation I am in Göteborg, Sweden. Tomorrow, I will visit their newspaper, the Posten. Their newspaper, like its Stockholm counterparts, it is very contemporary and incorporates several design innovations not yet adopted by American papers. Following the Svenska Dagbladet (Stockholm), Dagens Nyheter (Stockholm), Politiken (Copenhagen) and Die Welt (Berlin), this is the fifth and final paper to tour on this trip. These papers are frequent Society of News Design winners and among the best in the world visually. I arrived in Göteborg this afternoon from Stockholm and shopped my way out of the rain. I almost peed my pants today when I saw 'pre peed' jeans on sale. I don't know how else to describe these stonewashed jeans with large yellow stains in dubious spots. These are not slightly damaged goods, half off. They are designer Diesel dungarees. They can be yours for 1,295 kr ($130 USD) at Nordic Company, Sweden's version of Macy's. I passed on the pants, but got a few boxes of fruit soup at the grocery store. Before this trip, I never had fruit soup. I've had fruit. I've had soup. Just never at the same time. It's a rather sweet combination: raisins, nuts, apricots, peaches, apples, and passion fruit juice. Plus sugar, potato starch and water. Göteborg is my final stop in Sweden. I have been visiting three friends from the same home town: stylish Swedish students from Sundsvall studying at school. They are Anne, Anna and Ida. Although it wasn't planned, I am helping the first two girls celebrate their birthdays this week. Before Göteborg and Stockholm, I explored Borlänge and Falun. In the former, I found out how Swedes attend a movie. In the absence of stadium seating, they have reserved seating. We chose our seats on a screen at the ticket counter and once inside, took the first two free seats we saw. The movie is in the original language, with Swedish subtitles. Falun was a quaint city with traditional red houses and a quiet canal. We strolled along the icy sidewalks bordering the canal and were a little nervous when the railing stopped accompanying us. In a couple days, I will be making my last stop in Trier, Germany's oldest city, before I return to the Netherlands to catch my flight home... Where my dentist waits to see a cavity he found the day I left. |
