a perfect day for museum-ing

we have seen a change in the weather since we arrived. it is cooler and, as you may have gathered, rainy. however, stockholmers are unfazed by a little rain and are still out in full force, riding bikes, running, pushing baby carriages, and apparently enjoying this last bit of gentle weather before winter sets in. mama becky has had a contagiously upbeat attitude, and she must be commended... i did not give her proper credit yesterday for how she held it together when we got caught in a downpour after a challenging journey that would have broken many lesser spirits. today, she was at it again, smiling and reminding me (when my own spirits lagged) how much fun she was having. my grandmother is a pretty awesome lady.

anyways, today was spent in museums. we checked out the mordern art museum and the nordic history museum. both were definitely well worth their admission. of course, i obeyed the NO CAMERAS signage only to see endless sneak-shots with cell phones and full on flash photography by my fellow patrons. i was flustered each time and tempted to be a civilian enforcer of decency.

anyways, the highlight of the moderna museet was an exhibit on the couturier jean-paul gaultier that was incredible. it presented photos and examples of both his ready to wear (pret a porter) and haute couture collections. there were audio visual components with projected video and sound loops that were really effective. i was concerned initially it might ruffle the grandmother's feathers, since it featured what could be termed "provocative" imagery and generous doses of nudity, but surprise- she loved it. regardless of the veracity of gaultier's recent alleged anti-semitic comments, he is an artist of the first caliber and this exhibit really communicated the intensity and significance of his talent in a way that few contemporary art presentations achieve.

though i love and appreciate contemporary art, at a certain point i find it terribly repetitive. we did see some works by matisse, de kooning, and a whole impressive host of others that were mind blowing to stand in front of, with awareness to their stature, but by the end of the museum, i was ready to sit down and eat a pastry. however, the museum is laid out very efficiently and thoughtfully and i loved the way each room was balanced and the works arranged. i say this because sometimes museums stress me out because you must make directional choices that involve retracing your steps to guarantee you haven't missed anything, something that makes me itchy, but the flow of this museum was quite fluid.

we arrived at the nordic museum with a little over an hour to take in the whole thing. as museum experts at this point in the trip, we tackled the endeavor with an eye towards the clock and managed to peruse every exhibit before close. if you go, i recommend focusing on the fourth floor. it has folk art from the sixteenth century to today, which was really fascinating to see both aesthetically and as a look into my own heritage, and an informative exhibit on sweden's indigenous sami people.

the nordiska museet, housed in an imposing giant of a building. 

afterwords, we crossed the street and strolled in a park. rain came down steadily, and despite the cold and wet, when my grandmother exhaled and said "isn't this beautiful" i did not have to think for a second. "yes" i said, and we kept walking.