SWEDISH SOJOURN, Day 12, July 1

This was the last day for all of us, so we accomplished our own individual quests as far as visiting the city of Stockholm was concerned. I went with the sisters Katie and Alma to Skogskyrkogarden cemetery. The main reason I went was because of Greta Garbo, my favorite actress. Although she died in NY in 1990, it was not until 1999 that her ashes were returned to Stockholm and buried in the cemetery. After a bus and two metros, we reached the cemetery in Enskede, in the southern part of Stockholm. The cemetery is open very day of the year and can be entered at all hours. Over 2000 funerals are held in the five chapels of Skogskyrkogarden (abbreviated to Skog from now on!)every year? When Skog was founded at the beginning of the 1900s, the aim was to create something special and original--a cemetery blending nature and architecture into a seamless whole. Today, the cemetery is considered one of the most important creations of modern architecture, and is even inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list. At the beginning of the 1900s, cemeteries were generally considered "Gardens of the Dead," with grandiose avenues and impressive headstones as mementos to the dead. The city's cemetery committee had a desire to move away from this ideal and to instead create a cemetery centered on the underlying landscape. Skog is considered a great example of the "designed experience"--the design is created around the visitor's experience of the site. When its architects, Lewerentz and Asplund, designed the landscape and the buildings, they started with the experience of the visitor in mind--the concept of mourning and the feelings surrounding it. This is expressed in various ways. For instance, the processional routes leading to the chapels are designed to create the appropriate mood for mourners prior to the funeral service. After the service, attention is drawn to the natural surroundings, to help reconcile the mourners with the sadness of their loss as part of the circle of life. There was confusion as to where the tour would start from, so we missed it, but I had plenty of material to basically guide myself and the two women who were with me. I was able to go to a flower shop outside the cemetery, buying a bouquet of cornflowers for Garbo's grave, which is located in close proximity to the Woodland Chapel. The headstone is located at the back of a slightly raised circle, surrounded by high trees and a border of low flowering plants. A vase stands to it left, filled with cornflowers and white roses, and I added my offering to them. There was also a collection of petals lining the top of the reddish-pink gravestone, so I placed some petals there as well. How well I remembered her in such films as "Grand Hotel," " Camille," "Ninotchka," "The Painted Veil," "Anna Karenina," "Queen Christina,"and "Anna Christie," her first breakthrough talkie. A moving moment for me. After I had spent some time at the grave, I joined the ladies for lunch, which for me consisted of a tomato / mozzarella sandwich and a seltzer water, and then a chocolate / almond ice cream on a stick for dessert. I bought a book on Garbo as well. Afterwards, the ladies and I toured the entire grounds of the chapel, visiting the Woodland Chapel, the crematorium and the three chapels, the meditation grove on top of a hill, and the three chapels of Faith, Hope, and the Holy Cross. Each step has been thoroughly thought out to maximize the cathartic healing the mourners experience as they accompany their loved ones to burial, say goodbye to them, and once again enter the circle of life in the midst of death. Graves at the cemetery are not the centerpiece; the low and simple monuments are mostly found in wooded areas. The feeling is that of great comfort and catharsis in the midst of the healing force of nature and God. A profound experience! Eventually, the ladies and I took the subway / bus combination back to the hotel, but before we did so, we bought a bouquet of flowers for Agneta as a goodbye gift, along with a card and tips, of which I am in charge, along with final remarks at the end of our dinner tonight. She has been a marvelous guide throughout this whole trip. At 4:00 we met Agneta for a tour of the Carl Milles home, only a few steps from our hotel. With its restful park, sculpture fountains and flower-decked terraces, it is a unique environment that offers visitors relaxation and cultural enrichment. The museum park is comprised of five acres of sculptures, fountains, the artist's home, a collection of antiquities, and an art gallery. The internationally known artist's most important works are installed in both the park and the house. We had a whirlwind tour, as we had only one hour to see everything. We had seen his "Poseidon" in Goteborg, and now my knowledge and appreciation of this artist has definitely grown. He reminds me very much of Vigeland, the Norwegian sculptor whose work merits an entire park of muscular sculptures in Oslo. Milles's work is very similar to his. And now I am writing this blog. Soon we will be departing to go for our final dinner and tribute to Agneta. E-mail addresses will be exchanged, final goodbyes will be said, and friendships solidified. I will describe the dinner later tonight or tomorrow, as I will probably be occupied with final packing this evening. It has been an amazing odyssey, and one I will never forget! With love to Sweden / Sverige, as ever, Sylvia