It's much colder in Sweden and other highlights from my time there
It's been more than a week since I've been back from Malmo and I have totally failed to properly document my time there.
I've been busy having lots of feelings and trying to re-establish a good food/work/life routine after the whirlwind of hosting Justin and traveling.
Yes I've been busy having feelings, lots of feelings. Nothing will spark some serious introspection quite like an international relocation. *Its why they say travel is good.* And I am with "them" on this. I'll keep it vague here. Just know that I am reading essays on the spiritual dimension of relationships and considering Rolfing.
Back to the documentation of my travels. As promised.
Malmo.
This obscure little city across the bay from Copenhagen was on my agenda because back in 2008, Justin and I befriended two incredible Swedish filmmakers who were in the states documenting queer identity. Tommellen and Julia have been our friends ever since. Tommellen (also refered to as Tommie) has visited the states probably 4 times since 2008. Justin and I always hoped to visit Tommellen, Julia and the awesome crew of friends they introduced us too in Malmo.
And much to my amazement we were able too. (Thanks Dre's corporate job for helping to facilitate a super deluxe European adventure).
So Justin arrived and we spent a week here in AMS and then hopped on a plane to Malmo.
And because Julia and Tommellen are filmmakers and activists we got to see the real awesome vibrant radical Malmo that might otherwise be hidden under its slightly-more-80s-modern-industrial-city skin.
Tommellen and Julia and Erica (Erica being another awesome Swede who visited the states w/ Tommie) are all part of the film collective, RaFilm.
RaFilm documents so many incredible things. And one of those things is a film series exploring the impacts of gentrification of Malmo on the immigrant community and creative class.
Luckily film is a visual medium and the language barrier didn't stop the stories in the Swedish shorts from coming through. Plus, we had Tommie to give us a little run-down on many of the films before they played. (Tommie also uploaded a whole collection of RaFilms for me to view on my computer, THANK-YOU Tommellen {for everything}).
Before the films Tommellen and Justin and Samuel and I went to a coastal sauna.
What? A coastal sauna that is affordable and beautiful right on the flipping sea? Who's life is this???
So I rotated between dips in the 8 degrees Celsius ocean on a 4 degrees Celsius day and and a coed wet sauna with a picture window overlooking the ocean and a women-only wet sauna also with views and and an old-timey wood burning stove. Heaven. I get such a charge off of the hot-cold rotation. This place was as good as Harbin in totally-different-from-Harbin way. It was way more every-BODY, every-day people than Harbin.
Then we ate delicious sandwiches and took the bus home in the rain.
Tuesday was the seriously put in some work and then go to Christiania day. Wednesday was locally grown (as in, grown in that nearby field locally) breakfast + beautiful hike (then work) day and Thursday was brekkie, Copenhagen + film festival premiere day. Friday I headed home. Ready for some down time.
Christiania is a "city within a city" and while Pusher street had a gritty vibe to it, its essence is beautiful. And so were the people we met and the nooks we explored. It inspires me to see a dynamic, vibrant and rustic alternative community going its own way inside of a booming metro.
Our hike in a Swedish National Park was lovely. And we ate hot (hot!) quinoa on a mountain top over looking a valley exploding in fall colors.
The premier was for the film, Petey and Ginger. Both Tommellen and Justin had worked on it so it was pretty special to get to be there and watch their work (Justin's car was reflected in one of the windows of a really heart-wrenching scene). The film was f-ing gorgeous. It was this dreamy-gritty-arty inspiring documentary-portrait of two off-beat Americans discussing the economy through the lens of their lives in SF + NY. And the Petey grew up in Raytown, MO. (A stone's throw from my hometown: Independence, MO).
The after-party was pretty awesome too.
I've been busy having lots of feelings and trying to re-establish a good food/work/life routine after the whirlwind of hosting Justin and traveling.
 |
| bye Justin. I'm so glad you came. |
Back to the documentation of my travels. As promised.
Malmo.
This obscure little city across the bay from Copenhagen was on my agenda because back in 2008, Justin and I befriended two incredible Swedish filmmakers who were in the states documenting queer identity. Tommellen and Julia have been our friends ever since. Tommellen (also refered to as Tommie) has visited the states probably 4 times since 2008. Justin and I always hoped to visit Tommellen, Julia and the awesome crew of friends they introduced us too in Malmo.
And much to my amazement we were able too. (Thanks Dre's corporate job for helping to facilitate a super deluxe European adventure).
So Justin arrived and we spent a week here in AMS and then hopped on a plane to Malmo.
 |
| art not ads in the subway. |
And because Julia and Tommellen are filmmakers and activists we got to see the real awesome vibrant radical Malmo that might otherwise be hidden under its slightly-more-80s-modern-industrial-city skin.
Tommellen and Julia and Erica (Erica being another awesome Swede who visited the states w/ Tommie) are all part of the film collective, RaFilm.
 |
| the queer inspectors |
 |
| if this photo wasn't blurry you'd see the poster for the film series |
Before the films Tommellen and Justin and Samuel and I went to a coastal sauna.
What? A coastal sauna that is affordable and beautiful right on the flipping sea? Who's life is this???
So I rotated between dips in the 8 degrees Celsius ocean on a 4 degrees Celsius day and and a coed wet sauna with a picture window overlooking the ocean and a women-only wet sauna also with views and and an old-timey wood burning stove. Heaven. I get such a charge off of the hot-cold rotation. This place was as good as Harbin in totally-different-from-Harbin way. It was way more every-BODY, every-day people than Harbin.
Then we ate delicious sandwiches and took the bus home in the rain.
Tuesday was the seriously put in some work and then go to Christiania day. Wednesday was locally grown (as in, grown in that nearby field locally) breakfast + beautiful hike (then work) day and Thursday was brekkie, Copenhagen + film festival premiere day. Friday I headed home. Ready for some down time.
Christiania is a "city within a city" and while Pusher street had a gritty vibe to it, its essence is beautiful. And so were the people we met and the nooks we explored. It inspires me to see a dynamic, vibrant and rustic alternative community going its own way inside of a booming metro.
Our hike in a Swedish National Park was lovely. And we ate hot (hot!) quinoa on a mountain top over looking a valley exploding in fall colors.
The premier was for the film, Petey and Ginger. Both Tommellen and Justin had worked on it so it was pretty special to get to be there and watch their work (Justin's car was reflected in one of the windows of a really heart-wrenching scene). The film was f-ing gorgeous. It was this dreamy-gritty-arty inspiring documentary-portrait of two off-beat Americans discussing the economy through the lens of their lives in SF + NY. And the Petey grew up in Raytown, MO. (A stone's throw from my hometown: Independence, MO).
The after-party was pretty awesome too.
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