Part 2: Liseberg - a mysterious place that you visit several times during a year...

Despite weather/month/daytime you find yourself on the way to this mysterious place where friendly green-colored rabbits receiving you with open arms.
The amusement park has very tasteful and beautiful collection of dresses for every event. In spring/summer season the park is full with vivid colors and scent of flowers. In winter the park is used to be covered with snow and wears a "red diamond dress" - dominance of red color and glow from all the lamps.

As you know from my previous "reportage" I visited Liseberg to get some holiday spirit. Now I want to tell you little bit more about my visit. As one Russian proverb says: "Seeing is believing." - "Лучше один раз увидеть чем сто раз услышать". So I enrich my storytelling with some related images.

Where shall I begin??
When all streets seemed to be empty on the way to the park I was very surprised that all the people were in the park. People were happy in spite of crowd, all the noise - mixture of Christmas songs, children giggle and laughter of people who had been effected from too much beer and glögg (Swedish mulled wine) drinking.

First place I went were small boutiques and stalls where I found a lot of interesting things: eatable and not, shiny and not, good smelling and not:-))

Hot chocolate stall


Christmas tea, spices and cookies stall


Warm glögg spiced up with raisins and nuts stall


Souvenirs stall


Cigar stall (Swedes have a tradition to smoke cigars on New Year celebration party)


When I spent almost all my Christmas money I took a walk to look around. I took
a ride on carousel..




..I met a man who recommended me to see a show on ice, where rabbits rescued children from evil pirates.


Very tired, humming the tunes of all songs I heard, very glad and content with time I spent I left the park.

My best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to all my friends!

You can't imagine how hard it is to find right words to express all my wishes to all of you, my dear friends. So I've borrowed some thought of wise and famous people.

Charles Dickens

A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to the world!

Ann Landers

Let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time. Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look ten years younger. Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.

William Ellery Channing

I will seek elegance rather than luxury, refinement rather than fashion. I will seek to be worthy more than respectable, wealthy and not rich. I will study hard, think quietly, talk gently, and act frankly. I will listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with an open heart. I will bear all things cheerfully, do all things bravely await occasions and hurry never. In a word I will let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Part 1: How Swedish trolls prepare for Christmas celebration

Last Saturday, the only day it wasn't raining, we visited Liseberg - the amusement park to get some Christmas spirit and execute our annual traditions of:

• drinking hot chocolate with chili and cream
• eating a Lapland's burger of reindeer meat with cranberry-jam
• buying some Danish handmade Christmas-tree decorations
  
• buying some Cuban cigars

I took my new camera to test it for shooting in the dark...hm...I'm little bit disappointed with pictures I've got, but I have to be fair ...it was very dark and very crowded so it was hard to be focused.
So let's peek on trolls who's active preparing for Christmas season.

• I guess that this troll killed himself with a hammer...he couldn't bear so much Christmas preparations work and it seems that he had pretty tasty last meal:-)))
  

• Smoked fish is a pearl of all Swedish Christmas meal....joking:-)...wait....actually I'm right...smoked eel is Swedish favorite festive meal

• Poor poor piglets...I won't even suggest what will happen with them on Christmas.....I don't eat pork by the way;-)

• Oh!.. what a relieve!....Trolls is just riding the piglets.

• I guess they are lacto-vegetarians...Look at their pantry, it is full with vegetables.

• What a charming guy!...I guess he really can listen a woman:-)))
  

Three weeks before Christmas

As you see winter haven't come yet to western part of Sweden. Grass is greener than it was in summer 2006.

Broken dream

by Irving Berlin 1942
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten, and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white"
Sing this song

As a child I was always waiting for a white and snowy winter. Even now as a grown-up person I like snow especially on the winter holiday's eve.
What is so special with snow anyway? Isn't it very cold, all nature is covered with snowy fur and snowstorm or blizzard keeps you at home?
When I was a child every winter I used to make a pretentiously looking snowman with a half-eaten carrot-nose and played snowball fight with red-cheeked neighbour boy. How funny it was to come home after skiing and find icicles on my knitted trousers (mostly on behind). And a holiday spirit just came to you after a single look through the frosted window where you saw flying beautiful snowflakes. The climax of it was a celebration of Christmas or New-Year. You had an opportunity to meet "a real one" Santa-Claus/Jultomte/Ded Moroz on this party who gave you a happiest time of your life. I still remember my dress which was sewed by my mother, it was a snowflake dress. Nothing could spoil the spirit even if my dress was sewed of starched gauze and Santa Claus wasn't real. It was magical moment of my life. Snow brought this magic.

.....Hm I'm fortunate because of this memories and experience...

Last few years and the tendency is growing people must go to special events and places to bring/buy a holiday spirit at home otherwise you can not feel the difference between autumn and winter, because winter became a part of everlasting autumn. If you disagree with me just look outside.....yeah, it is raining. And you have never taken out you winter jacket yet, trench-coat is working better nowadays. This year children won't know the happiness and joy snow brings to winter school vacation or holidays.

I can not imagine me buying a Christmas tree when it is raining cats and dogs outside. YES my dream for fairytale-like, shiny, white and a little bit cold Christmas is ruined this year. How Santa Claus will slide on the sledge to my chimney to give me my presents!? I've been a good girl this year?!?!:-)))

I have to be positive otherwise my spirit will be ruined complettely. So let's find a positive side of this situation. Just buy an umbrella and Rubber boots and get out with you camera to make some memories of this grey and rainy Christmas...maybe you will meet Santa who desperately needs your help to fix his broken sledge....you need snow to slide on the sledge don't you:-)