Finishing up in Sweden

Yesterday’s shoot and race to the airport to get back to Stockholm was a bit crazy.  We shot a full day’s work in less than 3 hours of daylight.  The air was dry and cold, the snow was waist deep and the light changed quickly and constantly throughout the day.  In spite of all the hustle and bustle, or maybe because of it, the results were terrific.  The footage looks great, the client is happy and we are off to a strong start.

Today was a day to prepare for the next two, which in some ways will be more challenging than the last.  We won’t be in the snow, instead we will be in the mud.  And instead of shooting material for one spot, we will be shooting for two with two different cars and two different drivers.  The days here in Stockholm are a bit longer than they were up north, we should have close to 4 hours of light each day, but on Monday, we check out of our hotel in the morning, drive 40 minutes to our location in the forest to shoot, then have to wrap to the airport.  Clean our gear, clean ourselves, change into dry clothes and board our flight to Istanbul.  I expect I’ll sleep from the moment I fasten my seat belt. 

After organizing our equipment and ensuring that everything is still intact, we had some time today to explore a bit, and to relax.  There were a few production issues to discuss, but most of the details have already been decided.  It was rainy and cold today, but not icy, and not snowy, so it wasn’t too bad.

  This morning on our way to the train station for coffee, we passed an interesting McDonalds – it was still early and almost empty, but much nicer looking that most.  So I took a photo of it. 

Later we went to the Royal Palace to see the changing of the guards; and then continued into the older part of the city for lunch.  It was nice to see a bit of Stockholm in the daylight. 

After taking care of some production and equipment issues, we went out again this evening.  We walked through an area that was full of people out to do their Christmas shopping.  There were food and craft vendors, retailers and tourists, all crowded into a long shopping boulevard.  The city is quite pretty with colorful lights, and an interesting and eclectic mix of old and modern architecture.  Like much of Europe, they have found a way to progress while honoring their past. 

  

The people here are very friendly, though not particularly polite.  They seem to simply go about their business, if you are in their path, they keep on moving.  The cars don’t slow for j walkers, and people do not hold doors, nor say excuse me – they simply do what they do.  I presume they are anxious to get where they are going, to get out of the rain and cold, to survive in a sometimes challenging and harsh environment. 

The food is rich, and deceptively filling.  Even dishes that are not particularly large can fill you up quickly.  Today was the best of our meals – I had Thai for lunch and boulliabase for dinner.  This is a great city in which to walk, it seems to be constructed on a series of islands, interconnected by bridges.  In many ways it is reminiscent of Amsterdam with its canals.  It is easy to get turned around or to meander down a road that curves around depositing you someplace different from where you anticipated.  But it is small enough and manageable enough to quickly become reoriented and to find one’s way back on track.

There is very little graffitti, but what I did see was unique. Here is a a bit of stucco that chipped off a wall, and within its boundaries, the shape has been labeled.