Welcome to Stockholm!

Recently I've promised you a little mention of my Swedish adventure. Ok, here goes!

 

No sooner had the plane touched down safety (the flight was very uncomfortable because of turbulence) than my friend realized that she had lost her mobile phone. I decided to fumble for cell-phone in her backpack. I swear I made thorough search of the rucksack. Sadly, all my efforts proved futile. One of the airport employees put her backpack through the x-ray machine. It turned out that the mobile phone had fallen into the folder… Ok, we managed to come out of the airport, safe and sound. And if that’s not enough, we missed the bus. At the end of the day, we  achieved our goal: we met our acquaintance. She was very amused and laughed at us. The fact of the matter is that we are always getting into trouble. 

 

During our stay in the capital of Sweden we get lost seven times. It’s just as well we met so many friendly and helpful people (by the way, it’s interesting to meet so many people from different country or culture) that we got out of the situation.

What about tourist attractions? We visited all flagship monuments and… To be honest, Stockholm is certainly worth going to. Furthermore, if you like spending time out in the open, it hits the bull’s eye. Sweden is full of deep forests and breathtaking views. And, interestingly, you have the opportunity to have a taste of absolutely delicious cakes. The general opinion is that Swedish confectionery isn’t very tasty but my friend was delighted. 

 

Do you fancy going to Sweden?

Something about Sweden

Today I would like to bring up a subject which differs widely from those previous. I would like to talk about my Swedish adventure. 

A few months ago my friend found really cheap flight to Sweden. We briefly considered that this would be an excellent opportunity for find out about Swedish culture, gain new experiences and, maybe, make friends. Fortunately our acquaintance lives in Stockholm and she invited us to come to her house. As we know, Sweden passes for very expensive country. It’s worth pointing out that Swedish prices do not come up to Norwegian costs. My friend told me that Swedish students are in the habit of picking strawberries in Norway. This way, they can earn extra money… To tell the truth, if you are lucky and something is on special, you should acquire this commodity (you could always stock up on something, e.g. meat costs a fortune). But however you put it, prices go through the roof. 

All the same, we were all eager to fly to Stockholm (you know you can fly from Poznan to Stockholm in under 1,5 hours?) and we began to plan what we would go sightseeing in the capital of Sweden. Furthermore, our acquaintance promised us that it will be an unforgettable experience. And she was right…:) But… More on that later :)

Święta, święta i po świętach!

Hi Everyone,

Yes, I know I didn't post here for a long, long time but I promise to amend. All this fuss over Christmas is drawing to an end. Christmas flew ver fast. In Poland we say "Święta, święta i po świętach". The shopping spree is about to explode and now is a moment to think seriously about New Year's Eve. What are you doing on New Year's Eve?

Most people associate Christmas with well - earned rest and familly get together. For some of us it's a time of last - minute shopping and a pervasive fuss. As far as I'm concerned, it's a really good chance to see old friends and catch on reading. I would like to tell you a little and share my opinion about one of the book which I read for Christmas. 

This is the novel entitled "El retablo del Conde Eros" (in Polish "Teatr hrabiego Erosa) written by Cuban poet Eliseo Alberto. He was not only a very famous novelist and journalist but also a highly respected screenwriter for films and television shows. Have you ever heard something about him? Eliseo Alberto was a laureate of many prestigious award in the field of literature. In 1998 he was awarded the Premio Alfaguara de Novela literary prize for "Caracol Beach". Thanks to this novel, Eliseo Alberto gained ground. He was born in 1951 in Arroyo Naranjo (Cuba) and died three years ago. The author was a chess enthusiast and he spoke with great passion about cooking. 

In "El retablo del Conde Eros"(2008) Alberto presents a world of prostitutes and second - rate artists. In the background a reader can catch sight of the capital of Cuba in the fifties. 

In the spring of 1957 the actor Julian Dalmau returns to Cuba after a long stay in the United States. He was invited to direct one of the plays of Howard Owen...

I think that this novel is a little bit conventional, however, it's worth reading it: we can get to know a conduct of Cuban people as well as memories of Eliseo Alberto. The author portrays not only the atmosphere of these days but also social unrest.

A little bit of literature (continuation)

Do you fancy a read some gripping story? I recommend you a novel entilted "Method of Losing or The Art of Losing" by Santiago Gamboa. Everybody who read this novel gushed over it! 

As far as the author is concerned,Santiago Gamboa was born in 1965 in Bogota (Colombia). He studied literature at the Javeriana University (Bogota). Next, Gamboa moved to Madrid and he received his Bachelor's Degree in Spanish Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid. The author has lived in France since 1990 and he has worked as a journalist for Radio France International.

It's worth pointing out that Gamboa was awarded La Otra Orilla Literary Prize (2009). 

 

Thanks to "Method of Losing or The Art of Losing", his second novel, Santiago Gamboa gained ground. Sergio Cabrera is a director who filmed it in 2005. Both the book and the screen version are really good judging by the audience.

Santiago Gamboa  tells us a ficcional story of a journalist who inadvertently gets mixed up in some shady affair. The readers get to know tangible aspects of the capital of Columbia. Here both  corruption and violence are the order of the day. One way or another, everyone is doomed to failure. It's important that the author draws attention to our fate: we have to be prepared to lose something in order to gain something. Gamboa combines an adventure novel with black humour and, additionally, criticizes Colombian society.

A little bit of literature

Today I'd like to tell you a little bit about a work of the Spanish poet and playwright, Federico García Lorca. He was born on 5th June 1898 in Fuente Vaqueros and died on 19th August 1936 (García Lorca was executed). He was a member of The Generation of '27: a group of poets who dedicated to work with avant - garde forms of poetry and arts.

To tell you the truth, a women's issue is really current in the literature but this poet invites us to get to know a woman's soul. In my opinion, Lorca is one of the most well - known authors who plucked up the courage to present a detailed analysys of woman's spirit. 

I don't want to write a summary of Lorca's dramas because I would like to encourage you to delve into his work.

His famous play, The House of Bernarda Alba, is one of so called Andalusian dramas and presents the portraits of women oppressed by a patriarchal society. Unfortunatelly, the division of roles which fulfil women and men are completely different. She is obliged to bring up the children and do the housework. He provides for his family and has advantages over his wife.

The book's main characters doesn't agree to live in the shadow of men.They rebel against the prevailing norms and fight for the right to freedom and greater privileges. Their fierce struggle for independence doesn't bring results. Lorca's women aren't be trated as equal to men but they don't give up.