Sweden / Gothenburg / Paddan Sightseeing Tour / Rohsska Museum for Design / West Pride Parade 2013 – HappyHipi

Oh wow, oh wow, OH WOW! I am *SO* looking forward to everything today!

Jeffrey and I have booked a sightseeing-via-water tour which is how we start our day. He *is* quite thankful that I dragged him out early last night. Jonas is feeling the full effects of his adventures the night before and doesn’t join us.

Paddan Sightseeing Tour

It was cold but it was fun! We had the boat pretty much all to ourselves and felt like VIPs.

We go past Jonas’ apartment and spot him and his hangover on the balcony watering his plants. Tough guy or not – he is determined to win the ‘Prettiest Plants on the Balcony 2013’ contest he has going on with his neighbors. And you didn’t hear that from me shhhhhhh 😉

The Paddan Sightseeing Tour takes you around the city and you get to hear the stories and fairy tales behind the city. It is very entertaining and the guide is quite funny. Costs you an hour and about 25 Dollars…

Unless you are too old, too young or married and have 2 kids – then you get a discount… making me wonder WHY the world isn’t kinder to single people??? It’s always the students, seniors or families that get a discount. What about us poor singletons who could use a little bit of TLC even if it is the form of a small discount from the City of Gothenburg?!

Grrrrrr!!!

Annnyway (deep breath), add this to your to-do list too, not at the very top, not at the bottom but a little higher than the middle.

Espresso House

This place is actually a chain but is super cosy and makes you feel like you are in someone’s living room – comfy one.

We drop by for a quick meal and coffee.

Some meetings take a few seconds, some people you don’t forget. Our server is a little diamond of a girl – full of life and bubbles and sparkle. She wants to travel and explore the world – if I had pom poms I would get them out and do a little dance to show her the depth of my support! Words sufficed for this occasion and I have plenty of those especially for such a good cause. She will go a long way – both literally and figuratively.

Good luck sweetie pie!! My phone decided to delete your name amongst my notes but your memory remains.

The Rohsska Museum for Design, Decorative Arts and Fashion

Elsa and I meet up in the correct place at the correct time. The map and navigation feature of my phone is becoming a very reliable friend indeed.

The Rohsska Museum focuses on anything design related. Considering this is a museum and museums are designed with tourists in mind, I was quite surprised by how everything was mercilessly in Swedish – thank God for Elsa helping me understand what everything was all about.

Sweet way to start things up = a quick peek into the lives of child laborers who have different uses for your jeans and pegs.

Why do power and evil so often go hand-in-hand?

Speaking of evil.

Nazi era strait-jackets. Elsa asks me if I have ever been to Washington DC and I am surprised as that is my next stop after Sweden. She recommends the Holocaust Museum there and I do end up going… but that’s another sad story.

Here is our old friend Mickey Mouse who has a big smile and seems delighted to see you! Someone decided to redesign him so he looks exactly the same save for an extra ‘bone’ in his body. I had to blur this image and not post the side view so it is family-friendly. One of the things I wish I could un-see…

Never take off your attitude of gratitude.

Meanwhile in Turkey…

The Gezi protests have erupted and this is giving me sleepless nights.

I see this statue and it immediately reminds me of Turkish media who are refusing to report anything about it.

Spineless, blind, deaf and dumb… what has Turkish media become???

Passivity by Britt Ingrid Persson.

Suicidal teddy – altho seems he *might* be doing it for attention…

This beauty looks just like another beauty – my friend Aliya. Uncanny!

The real Aliya. See?

Apparently people used to just make food outdoors on a fire and the concept of an indoor kitchen was pretty much non-existent until some smart aleck thought of it. This is an early indoor kitchen.

Satanist abode??

I move to the Asian section of the museum and am TRANSFIXED in front of this larger than life-size statue. Vanity eventually makes me pull myself together after 15 minutes of open-mouthed, wide-eyed, oblivious-to-everything-else gawking at it.

Can’t stop staring at the hands. No idea why… my calling to pack it all in and run to a Buddhist monastery perhaps?

Shhhhhh…

Be still and listen.

I have started to do this recently when I am puzzled about something.

Deep breaths in a quiet place and a few minutes later the answer drizzles down… Strange but nice little short-cut.

If he was still alive, he probably wouldn’t have made this his Facebook profile pic.

The museum and sightseeing tour were worth a visit as I was in Gothenburg for so many days. If my days were shorter and time was quite precious I would have probably used it a little differently but it is definitely worth a wander into if you have ample time and want to veer off the beaten path.

Thanks for taking me sweet Elsa!

West Pride Parade

Why, oh why do these Pride events fascinate me so much??

Could there be a disgustingly cheesy romantic beneath the tom-boy facade? I figure this is a celebration of not only of love in any shape, form and position but also the celebration of acceptance of these difference types of love. With acceptance comes peace – when you don’t fight to change but accept as is…

And of course the outrageous costumes and… WHY are all gay men just *gorgeous*??

*Sigh*

Here you go, enjoy all the colors of the rainbow.