Dags att bjuda adjö till SVERIGE

Thank you Google Translator. With the aid of this 21st century software I can say "It's time to bid adieu to Sweden" and have it turn into something I don't even recognize. I'm hoping the headline actually says this and not "Dogs eat buddha Alpo till Sweden."

These last two slides have serious color issues and even more serious schmutz issues. I made a brief attempt at fixing the color, seriously…I did. I finally gave up realizing I just didn't care.




Click on either gorgeous image to see the schmutz even better.

So say "So long to Sweden in 1959" (really, say it out loud and see if it doesn't make you feel good) and we'll see where Donald takes us next.

It's SWEDEN, SWEDEN, SWEDEN day!

Four shots of Stockholm to ponder. Why you'd ponder them I don't know. They're just nice shots of the city, with the fourth showing the name of a chocolate company, Mazetti Choklad. That is a far too subtle "billboard" for me. If you're going to advertise chocolate I want to SEE chocolate. I want it to be like Hershey, Pennyslvania where the light poles have giant chocolate kisses hanging from them. I want it to be like the old Hershey factory where you actually toured the factory and saw real vats of chocolate and at the end of the tour there were barrels full of chocolate that you could grab.

I'll admit that I prefer to think that in that last shot that is not dirty water, but a huge river of chocolate and the fella on the boat is about to take a header into the glory of Mazetti Choklad.






Västerbron - "The Western Bridge"


Click on any image to see it larger.

Just a warning, don't leave me alone with chocolate if you expect it to be there when you get back.

Way off theme, but this is my submission this week to Sepia Saturday.

A LAPLANDER WALKS INTO A BAR with five reindeer...

…there is no punchline. That's it. This is another slide taken by Donald Schnabel in Sweden in 1959. I'm guessing it was taken at the Skansen Museum, but then again…a laplander walked into a bar with five reindeer…


Click on image to see it larger.

Walking through the SKANSEN MUSEUM in Stockholm in 1959

Yesterday it was a few polar bears at the Skansen zoo in Stockholm. Today we're going for a brief walk by some of the historic buildings located on the grounds of the Skansen Museum.

Skansen is the world's first open-air museum, founded in 1891. Here you can stroll through five centuries of Swedish history, from north to south, with a real sense of the past all around in the histori­cal buildings and dwellings, peop­led by characters in period dress. (Source: Skansen Museum)

I've never been to Sweden, but if I did, I'm sure I'd beeline for this place. I love going to places where historical buildings have been saved, grouped together, providing a feeling of the past. I'm a sucker for Williamsburg. Love that place. I've always wanted to visit the Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum. I'm also big on ghost towns with Bodie, California being my favorite. And if you're ever in Cody, Wyoming, besides visiting the incredible Buffalo Bill Center of the West, make sure to go Old Trail Town. Like I said, I'm a sucker for these places.

These photos were most likely taken by Betty's father, Donald Schnabel, Sr. during his trip to Sweden in 1959. All he wrote on the slides was Stockholm, so I'm guessing they were taken at Skansen. I might be completely wrong.




Click on either image to see them larger.

You GO TO THE ZOO...

and you take one shot. Only one shot. Film is expensive, so what is your one shot?

I give you polar bears in Stockholm in 1959. I'm betting it's safe to say these bears have all passed on. They are bears no more. But when they were bears, they were gorgeous bears.


Click on image to see it larger.

I'm guessing these bears were at the Skansen Museum zoo. Seriously, this is the ONLY shot taken at the zoo.

ROYAL SWEDISH OPERA, Stockholm in 1959

I've found a box that contains some photos of a trip to Sweden Betty's father took in 1959. I don't know if Betty was along for the trip because I haven't found any photos of who Donald Sr. traveled with. They're pretty much just boring shots of buildings. I'll admit I've done the same. Go on a trip and take photos of buildings that mean nothing to me when I get home, but when I saw them they seemed so significant. At least Donald wrote something on the slides or I'd be completely lost. He was a lot better organized than I ever was.

So, here we have the Royal Swedish Opera built in the 1890s. You can read about it here.


Click on image to see it larger.