Stockholm boats

Grandma and I spent a whole day together in the archipelago last week - very nice!

Frangipani in bloom

Our indoor frangipani is in bloom right now - and sooo pretty!

Mama on the radio!

My mother was on swedish radio this morning, talking about Lithuania, Jewish history and consequences today. Listen to it here!

Archaeology for real!

Apparently, a real archeaological find has been made by a child participating in an event at the Stockholm History Museum! Really cool, actually...

Swedish media writes about it- both Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet.

Water in Stockholm

Stockholm is amazingly infinitely beautiful, especially views of water and in the summer....

West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

We heard Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra play tonight in Radio Sweden's Berwald Hall in Stockholm, opening the Baltic Sea festival of this year. It was an amazing experience and very well received by a full concert hall.

Barenboim was interviewed in Dagens Nyheter.

The Baltic Sea Festival also published an article in Expressen on the future of the Baltic sea...

Saturday update: Svenska Dagbladet also has an interview.

Shark!

The results of the fishing expedition are now proudly presented!

World Water Week

World water week is taking place in Stockholm, gathering researchers and decision-makers from all over the world to discuss water policy issues.

This year's prize is given to professor Tony Allan of SOAS in London, the "inventor" of the term "virtual water". Dagens Nyheter met him today.

His book "The Middle East Water Question" can be found here and a list of his publications here.

Abu Dhabi from the seaside

More of the Corniche-side view!

Skyline from the Gulf

In the morning light from the Gulf on the Corniche side, Abu Dhabi looks like this!

Rokia Traoré of Mali!

Rokia Traoré of Mali played in Stockholm tonight!

It was a marvellous outdoor concert - very very funky - outside the Stockholm opera house (opposite my job!), a part of the Stockholm culture festival in cooperation with Södra teatern (an excellent world music concert scene). The energy and professional she radiated were very appreciated by the audience filling the square.

Read more about Rokia Traoré here too.

Abu Dhabi port

Early morning in the marina - taken already in May, but I haven't had time to show you previously.

Tashkent greenery

We saw very little of Tashkent but the surroundings of our hotel were surprisingly green and lush, giving the feeling of a climate zone far from the Gulf... (which is of course also the case, but it is funny how much we could feel it despite the summer heat).

Last look at the Registan

Now, this is the last look...

Registan

A little bit unfocussed here due to current events wanting to take their place too...

But I will continue to ply you with some last shots of the Registan and some other things from our last days in Uzbekistan - now almost 2 months ago.

War in Europe

On day 4, I cannot stay silent. We have a war in Europe. Even if it is infinitely far from my vacation in Stockholm, it is close for many other reasons, and I cannot pretend not to know.

Read Svenska Dagbladet on propaganda in war information, Foreign Minister Bildt on European endeavours, and Global Voices for blog comments. Torgny Hinnemo writes for Svenska Dagbladet on Georgian identies and Claes Arvidsson on the consequences for our defence and security debate - both in Svenska Dagbladet.

My husband links on to Global Voices too, hinting at the importance of alternative media in such a dire situation. Read more on Global Voices coverage, too.

Read and care, do not stay passive and unknowing.

The Swedish Red Cross works in Georgia, as well as Women to Women Foundation. ICG put out a conflict alert.

New ICG conflict alert tonight.

ICRC have also spoken out today on their worries.

Tuesday update: Svenska Dagbladet picked up on the Global Voices-angle too.

Wednesday update: Also Swedish Save the Children are working in Georgia and Human Rights Watch reports of looting in war-torn Georgia. Several friends and acquaintances participated in Wednesday afternoon's talk on Swedish radio on the situation (link to radio broadcast).

Kulturfestival Stockholm

Tomorrow is the start of the Stockholm Culture Festival - with lots of concerts and activities down-town!

Registan

Some more views, partly from new angles, but still - the Registan!

Last look at the Registan

The first look at the Registan was almost overwhelming. So being able to come back to look several times was good, and made the impression more manageable.

Mahmoud Darwish passed away

A great Arab Palestinian poet has passed away. Mahmoud Darwish died yesterday.
Svenska Dagbladet comments here and BBC here.

An interview from 2006 here.

Gianni Schicchi

Stockholm has a wonderful summer tradition of theatre in the city parks. This year the have, among other things, given Gianni Schicchi, in cooperation with a private opera house, Folkoperan.

I went with some friends on Wednesday, just about the only evening without rain this weekend and enjoyed it a lot. The outdoor theatre was full!

Russian town

Outside the great timurid monuments, Samarkand was a very Russian-looking town, with among other things, a GUM (top picture) and small houses in lush green streets.

Vacation reading links

From my lazy couch in Stockholm, I still want to share some reading with you - but expect less links and less frequent in coming weeks too perhaps...

Developments in Turkey have been spinning on since I last posted:
here Dagens Nyheters analysis of the crucial week
Svenska Dagbladet interviews Jan Hjärpe on bomb attacks in Istanbul
Barbro Hedvall's editorial analysis in Dagens Nyheter
BBC meets the elite that are wary of the AKP.
Dagens Nyheter's comment on when the AKP were NOT dissolved by legal decree.
New York Times published this editorial on the topic.
Michael Rubin writes in the latest MidEast Monitor on the situation.

Chris Pattern for The National on European Middle East policies.

Urban Hamid reports for Svenska Dagbladet from Baghdad.

BBC poses the question of British conduct in Basra.

The Baalbek festival sings again, according to the BBC.

BBC writes on the recent coup in Mauretania.

BBC points out the legal difficulties meeting UAE expats.

BBC shows more video clips on their website these days, here with a young Muslim man from Kenyan Lamu.

Svenska Dagbladet reports that a group of Iranian judges want to stop the stonings in Iranian law.

Sultan Al-Qassemi in the National on Saudi-arabia

Swedish football player Christian Wilhelmsson has signed a contract for Saudi Al-Hilal - Expressen writes of his new life.

BBC meets a Kurdish novelist, slated to be published also in Arabic.

BBC meets a Kosovar teacher and Sufi with strong social networks.

Aftonbladet writes on the pro-democracy and gay liberation movements in Belarus.

Expressen highlight recent difficulties to obtain ID's in Sweden, especially for resident non-citizens .

A Bosnian refugee in Sweden tells Svenska Dagbladet of her involvement in the Swedish society and her contributions to it.

Landscapes - going to Samarkand

Close to Termez and the Amu-Darya it was very lush and green. Further north, the harsher realities surrounded us again.