Seat of Our Pants » the north

The Church of Kalix

Martin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 09:30:08 +0000

We’ve visited many a church and religious wonder during this trip, and the other day the turn came to the picturesque church of Kalix. Thanks goes to my cousin Åsa, who made it possible and really quite entertaining. Cheers!

The church sits next to the Kalix river – one of the last wild, unexploited rivers in Europe. It was probably founded some time in the 15^th century, but today’s stone structure was erected in the 1600s. Among the highlights were the 300 year-old priestly garbs and the medieval font (so old that it has Viking era imagery on it).

Åsa also told us that when she guides children around the church, she never mentions the all-seeing eye above the window until the very end of her tour, because the kids will worry and obsess over that eye for the rest of their stay. Funny.

Unfortunately we couldn’t pry open the church floor to view the mummy that rests beneath it – a young girl interred there in the early 1800s, also known as the ‘church bride’.

For me, it was an opportunity to see something familiar in a new light. Who knew that the old Kalix church was a pretty cool sight in its own right?

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The Swedish Icon

Martin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:26:03 +0000

I guess it was bound to happen. Since I’m a Swede, there was always going to be one post about IKEA on this blog. The stars were aligned, and now they deliver.

About 3 years ago, Haparanda (33km from my home town) was a depressed, run-down border town with very few incentives to entice a casual passer-by to spend the night.

Yes it's Fantastisk.

Then, along came IKEA. Against better knowledge (the area was notoriously bad for business, on that everyone would agree), the Swedish furniture giant decided to build one of their signature stores on an empty lot just next to the border.

Once news broke that IKEA were moving in, a dozen other retailers followed suit. In just three short years, Haparanda went from being a threatened outpost to being the main commercial center for people in a 500km radius, enticing visitors from places as far as Murmansk and Northern Norway. In short, it was a thumping success.

So what is it like, really? Well, imagine any place where big, boxy buildings make up most of the architecture. The main restaurant in town is the IKEA canteen. It must be like living in an outlet village. In fact, I think it IS like living in an outlet village.
People in Haparanda aren’t complaining though. They now have jobs, and they don’t have to move.

Thanks, IKEA. I guess.

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Things Are Happening Fast

Martin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 09:39:24 +0000

As I wrote recently, spring in northern Sweden is a dramatic event. In this I have been proven right: the day we arrived happened to be the last day of winter. Since then, the thermometer has been firmly in the red, with sultry temperatures making the snow melt at breakneck speed.

In a perfect world, we’d get a couple of cold nights next: that would freeze the now-wet snow, creating a wonderful winter land where you can walk on the snow and reach all kinds of favorite spots.

The stage is set. All we need is a good freeze.

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