The ley is not the land

With Kjellvander’s song “Portugal” playing in the car, the kids and I started the day by driving south to Mellbystrand for some beach time and the taking of the traditional Christmas calendar photos.

Walking back to the car, the colours were simply incredible in a way that brought me half across the world to San Gregorio State Beach. In fact, with funding now secured and my two submissions accepted, I will travel to California once again in April, although to San Diego and the great deserts this time around.

La table ronde

This semester, I am supervising a student who is writing about Congo and pan-Africanism in the 1960s. Thanks to Historiepodden, I was able to catch up a bit on the history myself, so it was with a bit of a smile that I picked up a round kitchen table at Erikshjälpen earlier today. There is, of course, no real link between a second-hand store in Halmstad and the tumultuous negotiations leading up to Congo's independence in Brussels – but something about the “round table” made the whole errand feel like an inside joke. In any case, it will be perfect for weekend breakfasts, a glass of late-night Ceniciento from Chile, and the supervision of essays on pan-African dreams.

Hokkaido pumpkin

Having been to Kyushu and Honshu in the past, I have never made it up north to Hokkaido, though it has long been on my list. While the snow keeps falling over the interior of Halland, I am going for a culinary stand-in in the shape of a Hokkaido pumpkin as I try to recreate Pontus’ divine miso-glazed salmon with pumpkin purée and oven-roasted pak choi for dinner – but this time with a Pinot Grigio from Südtirol rather than the Chardonnay from Emilia-Romagna that I had at Arlanda.

As the pumpkin softens and the miso begins to caramelise, I am reminded that travel is as much about anticipation as geography – through flavours, scents, and small kitchen experiments in the November darkness.

Blossa 24

Though Blossa 23 made it to the pages of Rawls & Me, I somehow missed the 2024 edition, “Edinburgh”, in which the classic spice blend was enriched with smoky Scottish whisky and rounded off with the seaweed dulse. After running around Gyltige in the snow, it proved irresistible – even as I realise that it is somewhat pointless to recommend something that is no longer for sale.

This year, the theme is “The Alps” which I look forward to reporting on in due course. For now, I am just happy to appreciate the warmth from the fireplace and the fact that this super-busy but productive week is finally beginning to wind down.

Krantz

For our first weekend in the new apartment, the kids and I could not have wished for better weather. After a week of rain, the sky cleared up as the temperature dropped below zero, making the ground crispy as we walked for eight kilometres along the sea this morning. The pine forests shimmered under a coat of silver, each needle catching the low morning sun, while the shoreline lay still and undisturbed.

Even the seal rocks seemed transformed, glistening with frost as the sea lapped quietly against them, as if all of Kattegatt had slowed at this first hint of winter. Once at the Krantz bakery, we picked up a sourdough bread (perhaps also a few saffron buns...) and took the bus back home to read a bit in the book about AI that we bought at Futurium in Berlin two weeks ago.

Skedala x 2

Coastal driftwood

On our return from Germany, the kids and I stopped in Halmstad for a couple of hours to pick up the keys to my new apartment. The location is right next to "Västra stranden" and only a ten-minute bike ride from my office.

In the beginning, the kids will stay with me in Halmstad on weekends, from Friday evening to Monday morning. Once Anna knows more about her work going forward, we will start making longer-term plans. For now, though, I will once again take a break from Rawls & Me.

W at the Ritz-Carlton Potsdamer Platz

Potsdam

For our two days in Berlin, we decided to stay in Potsdam – about 25 minutes from the city centre by Regional Express – where accommodation is much more affordable. Staying in Potsdam also gave me the opportunity to go for a sunset run through the Sanssouci (or “Sorgenfri" as it is known from a Malmö horizon) World Heritage castle grounds and to show the kids what used to be the residence of the Prussian kings.

Making full use of our ABC travel card with the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), we of course also explored Berlin proper – from the obligatory Brandenburger Tor photo-op to the GDR Museum for some Trabi simulator driving. As for the old East, few things remain the same, and the postmodern irony only deepens.

Instead of a Starbucks, an Espresso House (sic!) has opened in the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz, while the Disneyfied rebuilding of the Berliner Schloss is now complete – with three sides reconstructed as exact replicas of the original Baroque castle and the fourth side (as well as the interior) designed in a starkly modern style as part of the new Humboldt Forum art museum – all replacing what was once the Palast der Republik.

U-434

Waking up to the news that my 36 runs over the last 90 days no longer make me the local legend in Skatås, I decided to skip the rainy quays of Hamburg and instead stay indoors for six kilometres on the hotel treadmill. Having done some strength training in the gym last night, our Hampton Inn certainly felt luxurious compared to the facilities aboard the Soviet submarine U-434, which we explored yesterday. 

Built in Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga in 1976, the 90-meter vessel once served in the Northern Fleet. Though the kids and I appreciated the history lesson, its cramped quarters, and the thought of spending weeks beneath the polar ice, left us feeling distinctly claustrophobic. In sharp contrast, waiting for our ICE service to Berlin this morning at Hamburg Hbf reminded me of the freedom of interrailing: standing there above the great station hall with its 14 tracks stretching out to all corners of Europe, and letting the spur of the moment decide if one will spend the night in Paris, Vienna or Prague.