Skywatch and FMTSO: Warmth

All photos from the countryside near my town, today.
We’re having an incredibly beautiful early June, this far.

Friday My Town Shoot Out: Warmth

Skywatch Friday

Oldest Building – Hedared Stave Church

Friday My Town Shoot Out

On our way to Nääs Castle last summer (see FMTSO posts Frozen in Time and Windows and Doors) , we also passed a candidate for the FMTSO theme “oldest building”. It is in fact the oldest surviving building of its kind in Sweden: Hedared Stave Church from 1506.

Landscape photo from the neighbourhood of Hedared.

Windows and Doors – Nääs Castle II

Friday My Town Shoot Out

Another FTMSO topic that gives me a reason to show some more photos from a visit to Nääs Castle last summer.

In case you missed the previous post about Nääs, or wish to refresh your memory, you can find it here: Frozen in Time 

Nääs Castle

 

One of the wings in front of the castle

 

 

Close-up of entrance to the wing, and an open window

 

The barn (now stables)

 

A kitchen window in the basement of the castle

 

House built for the director of Nääs Craft School in 1878.

 

▲ Lots and lots of windows in this building… ▼

I’ve been to crafts exhibitions here in the past. There was nothing going on in that room just now – BUT…

… there was an outdoors exhibition to do with building techniques and doors and windows…

Money, Money, Money (Friday My Town)

A money post of mine from 2010 repeated,
with a follow-up, for Friday My Town Shoot Out.

Originally posted on Soaring Through The World, September 12, 2010:

I wonder how many millions ABBA have made since 1976?

Sweden, though member of the European Union, does not use the Euro, but the currency krona (pl. kronor) (SEK). It is sometimes informally referred to in English as the "Swedish crown" (krona literally means crown). The picture on the 1 krona coin (above) is of our King Carl XVI Gustaf.

1 American Dollar ~ 7,20 SEK
1 British Pound ~ 11,20 SEK
1 Euro ~ 9,20 SEK

 

In January 2013, I ask myself what, if anything, has changed on the money front in the last 2½ years?

Apparently the Swedish economy has grown stronger.
These are today’s figures (25 January, 2013):

1 American dollar ~ 6,48 SEK
1 British pound ~ 10,23 SEK
1 Euro ~ 8,68 SEK              

 

In October 2010 we got rid of the last of the ‘öre’ coins.

Back in my childhood, in the 1950’s, there were 1, 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 öre coins.

There were also 5 kronor bills back then.
I still have one saved from the year I was born:

Our smallest bill nowadays is 20 kronor. It’s nicknamed a “Selma” because on the front it shows the Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909.

One of her most famous books is ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Nils’, a boy who shrank to the size of little gnome and flew on a goose from the south of Sweden to the North, seeing the whole country:

Today, however, even if you happen to have your wallet full of 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 kronor bills, it may not get you where you want to go. In many places, my town and area included, it is no longer to possible to pay cash on the bus. You may have your pockets full of coins and bills, but without a valid plastic card you have to walk.

 

 

 

Frozen in Time–Nääs Castle

Friday My Town Shoot Out

Back in July 2012, my brother and I went on a couple of outings to historical buildings in the area. The FMTSO theme this week reminded me that one of those I had still left unblogged… How very convenient. So I’ll be focusing on the Time aspect rather than the Frozen. But in the metaphorical sense you’ll get the latter as well.

Nääs Castle is a 17th century mansion at lake Sävelången in the province of Västergötland in Sweden, not very far from Göteborg.

 

Nääs estate, now a cultural heritage site, is renowned for its Crafts education during the late 19th and early 20th century. Beside several nature and walking trails, Nääs estate also provides Bed & Breakfast as well as conference accommodations.

The Castle is out on the little island, the Crafts College buildings are facing it from across the water.

The old Crafts College

During the summer craft courses are still held at ’Slöjdseminariet’, the old crafts college. I’ve been to crafts exhibitions there in the past, but there was nothing of that kind going on when we were visiting now.

 

In the old barn there are now stables and a riding school

… but the horses weren’t at home when we looked in:

In the buildings between the stables and the Castle there is a restaurant and café and a little shop.

The main building, Nääs Castle, is open to the public between May–September; but guided tours only.

The earliest castle on the estate was built in the 16th century. The last private owner of the present mansion and associated land was August Abrahamson, wholesaler from Gothenburg. He founded the Crafts College and after his death (1897) donated the entire property to the State in order to secure continuity for the educational programme.

We went on a guided tour inside the main building, which has indeed been “frozen in time”, as the last owner’s instructions were to keep it preserved exactly as it was when he lived there. Unfortunately, the only room where photography is allowed is the kitchen and servants’ hall:

The kitchen was also used for giving cooking classes; which is why there is a blackboard.

Servants’ stairs, and food-lift

The pantry

▼ Below, for comparison ▼
Photo from Wikimedia Commons of the men’s lounge upstairs

For a few more peeks upstairs, visit the Nääs website