Well...during my stay in USA, I was notified of news that hit me like an anvil. AWO is no more.
AWO encouraged me to learn video-editing and broadcasting.
I've got a stock load of video presentations for my portfolio which will no longer be on AWO TV (which is no more) but will be up on my personal youtube channel soon. In the meantime, enjoy this last piece that I wrote for AWO:
AT HOME IN STOCKHOLM
Ladies and gentlemen, including hikers, cruisers, history and art lovers, architects, and shopoholics, I present to you my experiences in Stockholm, a city that is all grandly green and beautifully blue. It is also the biggest city in Sweden, the most populated in all of Scandinavia and home to the beloved character, Pippi Longstockings. It is a city for all types of people, including families, lovers and most importantly, honeymooners. There’s something for everyone.
Hikers and Cruisers:
Consider walking around Stockholm as opposed to taking the train or car so much. There’s something exciting to see at every corner and crossroad.Wilderness blooms all around; in fact, at the centre of the city, there’s a row of cherry blossoms in ‘Conste Gordon.’ Right at the end of it is a TGI Friday’s Restaurant, which gave me the giggles considering it’s an American franchise. And surrounding the garden are corporate buildings. Yet, you lose yourself in the garden and those corporate buildings disappear in your mind.
Cruisers can take ferries across the waters of Stockholm or even the Viking Line, which is a large ship, famous for its trips to Helsinki, Turku, Tallinn and Aland Islands.
History and Art Lovers:Stockholm is full of history, architecture and art. The National Museum, for one, has an extended exhibition of Art and is located right across the Stockholm Palace or Kungliga Slottet.
Right outside of the Slussen train station, there’s the Stads Museum, an entire interactive history of Stockholm within; admission is free.
Another palace is Drottningholm Palace, surrounded by greenery and quaint animals. I even spotted a pair of goats.
Near where the Viking Line is located, there is a place called, Ersta Terrace, which allows you to get an entire view of the city. It’s sort of a hidden location, but if you find it, it’s worth the visit; not to mention, incredibly romantic.
Shopoholics
When taking the train station,
you will notice that the underground stations were built under mountains and have cellphone/mobile service! But what’s right outside of every station is every shopoholic’s dream-come-true: a shopping centre (a.k.a. ‘Centrum’ in Swedish).Even more, there is Kista Mall, Skarholmen Mall, and the designer shopping centre which is equivalent to NYC’s Macy’s and London’s Harrods, Nordiska Kompaniet (NK for short).
Perhaps the most interesting shopping area is Gamla Stan, a small village-like area with charming alleyways and shops (souvenir & fashion). The buildings are all historic so the shop interiors take you ‘back to the future.’ I think it’s best to get off at Slussen Station and walk through a tunnel into Gamla Stan. You will get an amazing view of the city from within the tunnel.
Hungry?
Do not forget to bring back Swedish chocolate, the most famous of which is Marabou coming in varying flavours including their newest one, Mango!Coffee-drinking is a great Swedish tradition. Those of you who watched the series, Wallander, may have noted the term ‘café,’ Swedish for coffee, mentioned profusely. Even more, Stieg Larson (author of the Millenium Trilogy, the first of which is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) mentioned coffee in his novels.
Round yellow table, yellow flowers in a pot at the centre and a ceiling adorned with pretzels, ‘Gunnarsons’ is a quaint little café. Make sure to taste Sweden’s most famous cake, ‘Princess Torte.’
