Belgian Wedding Bells

*** Post in progress.

A Brazilian in Brussels

Now, when I was 17 I did not like beer. But that year something happened to forever change my mind about the amber ale - I went to Belgium!!

During this visit to Belgium for Lieselotte and Wouter's wedding, I also had the chance to visit my very dear friend Mariéve in Brussels. When we were both exchange students in Lund we had spent many many hours gossiping and discussing life’s challenges, usually over a delicious meal and bottle of wine! And as we had not seen each other for three years, one of our marathon conversations over good food was definitely in order...

Mariéve is now working for the Canadian Embassy in Brussels, and has a lovely apartment is a charming area of town. The evening we met we went and found a small pub down a narrow ally in the centre of town. I think the bar had been there for maybe 500 years. It was likely that that tables, tiles and stairs were put in place before Australia was even colonized. There we had some delicious local beer, started one of many long and funny catch-up stories and planned our meal for that evening.

For dinner we went to a bustling, friendly, local brasserie near Mariéve’s place. It was a real treat for me to have delicious steak, green beans, hollandaise sauce and of cause, frites! After which we split a dessert that has possibly the funniest name I have heard for a while, ‘A Brazilian’ (the ladies will get the joke!)

The following day was a public holiday, so Mariéve had time to walk with me around Brussels, looking in some of her favorite stores and cafés. I got to visit the most incredible chocolate store Pierre Marcolini, where you enter through big dark stairs draped in black velvet and little lights - as if going into an exclusive night club, and everything is displayed like jewellery in black and silver boxes in glass cabinets (no photography allowed!). Mariéve also took me to Palais des Thés, a store with over 200 types of specialty teas. Maxime, you would have been in heaven! We did spare a thought for you and your tea collection!

So, after a truly blissful 18 hours in Brussels, I hoped back on the train on Thursday afternoon and headed back to the pre-wedding mayhem in Wetteren…. Where everyone was gearing up for the following day’s extravaganza!

(Mariéve, la belgique gourmande!)

(the best name for a restaurant: 'And who will walk the dog?)

Sverige, Sverige älskade vän…

After three years of Sweden existing only in my memories, I was finally returning to the country and friends I love so dearly.

(Spring flowers in Gamla Stan)

Returning to Sweden has been one of the most bizarre and happy weeks of my life. On arrival at the airport I felt as if I was coming ‘home’. I knew the landscape, the language and the system of life. Immediately I noticed all the small things that make this country different from where I come from, things we all noticed when first living there. It was so nice to be experiencing this again, but not as a new comer, as someone who knows this place.

I took the bus into Stockholm Central Station, which was the same trip I made on my very first day in Sweden four years ago, and there was Anna waiting for me with a big smile! Needless to say, three years of not seeing each other disappeared as we started to gossip about life, love, work and the universe…. For two friends who never seem to run out of things to talk about, we had a lot of catching up to do!

That evening we took a long walk through the city, from Anna’s apartment in Östermalm through the centre of town, and across the bridge to Gamla Stan. It was so good to know where I was and recognize things! I am not sure how, or why, but I always felt very peaceful when in Stockholm. That feeling resurfaced again on that night, and I was so happy I still feel a connection to this place.

(my favorite thing about sweden, flowers and candles on the windowsill)

Over the next week I spent time with Anna and friends, taking long walks, visiting quirky shops and galleries, having ‘fika’ with various people, and enjoying being in a large, cosmopolitan, mild city again! (You wouldn’t believe what a joy it was to be able to walk to places again after a year of living in the sort of heat that makes you take a motorbike to the corner shop!)

Darling, darling Stina took a bus for 5 hours to Stockholm to spend one day with me, on the weekend before her master’s thesis was due. It was so lovely to see her again, and talk about Melbourne, music and life since her return to Sweden. She was also in town to have fika with the ‘svensk gang’ from Melbourne last year… Nadja, Frey, Marcus, Petra…

(A long way from Thornbury! Fika with the Melbourne Svenskas)

It was so nice to see everyone, and it was proved to me again that time apart means nothing between good friends, as we all picked up our conversations and friendships from the last time we saw each other.

Stiiiiiiiiiinnnnnaaaaa!!

Manuela, whom I spent Christmas with in 2002, is now working at SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency), and we had a great, although far too short, catch up lunch one day. Her family was wonderfully kind to me when I was living in Sweden, and Manuela had been my first Swedish friend in Lund. It was extremely nice to re-connect with each other and hear about all the events of the past few years, and gossip about our experiences and aspirations for the work we are both pursuing in international development.

(View from National Museum)

(The park near Anna's apartment)

I spent my last night in Sweden in the same way I spent my last night there three years ago; having a lovely dinner at Anna’s parent’s house in Uppsala. Anna’s mum Cathrin made my favorite ‘husmanskost’ meal, Biff a la Lindstrom - Beef, beetroot and caper meatballs with sauce, served with summer potatoes, salad and lingon! Yummy!

(Cathrin preparing some good swedish 'Husmanskost' )

It is always so nice to be in Uppsala. Anna’s parents live on a beautiful lake, which we took a walk around before dinner to admire the new spring flowers appearing. It is such a peaceful place and I always feel very much at home there. Anna’s grandmother Silva joined us, and told me all about the books she has been writing about her numerous travel adventures. The first of which is called ‘Pensionär och kär’ (‘Senior and in love’) about the inevitable romances that take place amongst the many retired Swede’s who spend their winters a more agreeable climate on the coast of Turkey. As yet it is not translated into English, but stay tuned, as Silva and I thought this may be a good task for me if I return to Sweden next summer; she is apparently the master of teaching Swedish to Aussies…

(Bob and Silva at dinner)

Since I was last in Sweden Cathrin and Bob have been very busy renovating their home. Bob has obviously enjoyed the chance to be the architect of his own domain, adding some really lovely changes to the house, the piece de resistance being the ultimate Swedish sauna!

The special reason for our visit to Uppsala was to celebrate Anna’s 27^th birthday with her family. It is traditional in Sweden to be woken on the morning of your birthday, very early, with songs, breakfast, flowers, candles and gifts. I love this tradition; it is such a cozy start to the day. All the family in their PJs laughing. And as proof that everyone still looks about six-years-old when woken in this way, see Anna’s face below!

(The birthday girl!! with her 'Auswedish' cake)

After returning to Stockholm from Uppsala I made a quick trip into the city to pick up my hot new jeans (well, two pairs..) and go to the Stig Lindberg design exhibition at the National Gallery. Then I was off to the airport again and on my way to Belgium…

Sverige, my place of peace in the world, until next time….

The tired, but happy, best friends!

The Lundian returns

As my return to Lund was so unbelievably surreal I think it deserves an entry all of its own.

The morning I returned to Lund would have to be the most bizarre day of my life so far. I know that sounds dramatic, but I truly have no words to describe the mixture of feelings and memories that filled my mind as I drove through the familiar cobbled streets, and arrived at the main train station – just down the road from my old house.

The first thing I noticed that was Lund has a scent! I never noticed it when I lived there, but as I stepped off the bus I was hit with a scent so familiar and locked into my memory I was totally taken aback. The best way I can describe it is a mixture of spring pollen, bus exhaust, coffee and smoked meats… I know everyone is now in hysterical laughter, but Maxime, Mariéve, Pierre, Sarah, Caro, gang, you will notice it immediately if you ever return!!

When I arrived in Lund I walked straight to the Stadsbibliotek and found the Spanish sensation Elia, speaking amazing skånska, behind the counter of the café. It was a truly joyful reunion with a dear friend, as we immediately sat down for ‘fika’ and laughed and laughed about life, friends, family and the world.

As I had somehow managed to coincide my visit to Lund with Lundakarnevalen, a huge student festival that takes place over one weekend every four years, the city was buzzing with activity and people, despite absolutely dismal weather!!

(Karneval Öl anyone?)

As it proceeded to rain steadily during my entire visit in Lund, any long walks around the city and reminiscing needed to be cut dramatically short! Needless to say, I spent some time in my favorite shops, having fika at Mondo and generally trying to soak up the atmosphere without getting too soaking wet!!

I spent the first night at Ben’s, and got to relive the student corridor experience, complete with grotty kitchen cooking and many beers in front of the TV. Friday night and Saturday were spent checking out the carnival – all the various tents with bizarre concepts (Tango tent, Sex change tent, Swedish Idol tent, Mission Impossible tent etc etc), meeting the Lund Radio crew and drinking beer in the very festive pub tent!

(Lunch at ÖGs - Östgöta Nation) ('Byt Kön i Kon' - Change sex in line - OK, it's funnier in Swedish)

I also had lunch with my former thesis supervisor and mentor Annika. That was definitely a highlight of my visit, as we got to spend a few hours discussing the ‘big picture’ issues related to life, international development and politics. Annika is always a wonderful inspiration to me, and we think about things in a very similar way. It was great to have a good theoretical discussion about this work and internationalized structure I have been caught up in for the past year. For an afternoon, I was able to pull my mind out of the day-to-day Save the Children issues and think about the wider context of the international community at the moment.

(Botaniska Tradgarden, Swedish spring is glorious even in the rain, many good memories!)

Saturday evening was spent with Elia and Ĩngo, a very funny evening, with lots of gossiping, dancing at the carnival concert, deciding that a carnival full of lines and payments and fences was not really a carnival, then salsa dancing in an apartment kitchen after seeing the line at Ariman was too long to wait…. And of course the obligatory Kebab from Mårtenstorget on the way home!!

(Karneval needs YOU!)

Revisiting this place and time in my life was an important experience for me. Lund played a big part in shaping me as an adult, and was where I made some of my closest friends in the world. Living in Lund gave me the opportunity to realize my full potential as a student and have the time to concentrate on the more peaceful side of life. I will forever remember my time in this city with fondness and nostalgia. However, after spending three days reliving the student life, I have come to the lovely realization that Lund is not ‘my’ place anymore. I have grown past this experience and see that the things I have done and seen in the past three years have changed me so much that I am no longer suited to this place. It is now a glorious memory in my past, but does not hold my inspiration for the future….

With all of that said, I still look forward to a Swedish summer day when I can return and bike around the city and enjoy a piece of Lund atmosphere again!

Lund: still a special place in the world; full of learning and promise and stability.