Rhian Salmon paid Stockholm a visit this week in a futile quest to use up the vacation allowance she accrued during her 18 months on Halley, Antarctica. She and fellow Antarctician Liz had just gone on “holiday” by mistake: Crossing the Baltic in a 21-foot sloop without engine or GPS in one of that sea’s rainier weeks in living memory. They seemed to have enjoyed it, perhaps by channeling Shackleton, but were eager to hit Stockholm town.
Liz on the left, Rhian on the right.
There is definitely a circuit for showing Stockholm to visitors with time constraints. We went to Pelikan the first night, where I ran into my friend James the expat ER doctor, who was entertaining family friends in exactly the same manner. Pelikan has three things going for it: It serves great honest Swedish food, the locale is an old-school classic, and it shuns pretence. Ironically, in Stockholm, this can also mean there is room.
Over raw herring appetizers and Skåne snaps, Rhian told some flattering news: Beaver Me First, that masterpiece of a short film which Matthew and I had made back in 2002, turns out to have had a public showing in addition to the première — on Antarctica, no less, in front of 16 Halley base winterers. They had been enthusiastic, apparently — as would be anyone if the alternative is watching The Thing for the twelfth time, but why parse compliments overly?
The next night, nearer to home at Lokal, we discovered why it is unlikely the Kungsholmare cocktail will ever take off. The bartender couldn’t/wouldn’t make it for us, as it included vodka and pear cider, both of which are alcoholic, and this apparently presented a problem. He had fewer qualms selling us the ingredients separately, so we ordered pear cider with a dash of lime cordial and a shot of vodka on the side. It made for a rather expensive drink, however. Best to try this at home, then.
Excellent. Does that mean we can now claim to have international distribution (that Interweb contraption notwithstanding)?
Here’s another one on her way to Pelikan restaurant with a visitor from abroad…we only made it to Gamla Stan however, and ended up in an Italian restaurant called Paganini at Västerlanggatan (just before the torg where Österlanggatan starts). Highly recommendable! The best lamb I ever had. And have you ever had good wine in an Italian restaurant outside Italy?? Try this one then.
PS congratulations with the antartica-success of your film 😉
Hi,
Is ” Beaver Me First” out on DVD?
RO
PS: Can you also please do a blog-entry on how to spend a week in Sweden? Will come in mighty handy to me and my friend, when we come travelling to your part of the world next year.
I have a feeling that our visit to Stockholm served as research for a new site Stefan is compiling on how to fill a week in Stockholm.. while we wait for that, I highly recommend getting him to show you around in the first person. The only things I can think of to return the favour when he comes to Cambridge are punting, old pubs, new pubs and, um, reasonably old pubs.. the intoxication level should be roughly equal if not the diversity of ingredients.
Nice to have an Antarctic premiere at Halley. I wintered at Davis in 1974 $ 1978 for 18 months each, as a biologist, without a premiere to boast of; but I enjoyed this one of yours. Stockholm is a splendid place in summer and I liked the sound of PELIKAN. Next time I am there I will range more freely looking for fish and potatoes. Saluhallen was best for me to date. Good for you and sailing in the Baltic.