Friday was a day revolving around the application that our rektor has submitted for a master’s program. The Swedish body regulating higher education had a series of interviews in Stockholm on Friday afternoon. I was part of the teachers (they don’t use “faculty” here in the same way) hour-long interview. At first, I was a bit unsettled thinking that I would not have much to say, as the interview would be in Swedish. I did speak on 2 occasions–in English–though one was an introduction, and the other I knew that the conversation regarded course goals related to ethics, because this is not explicitly stated on the syllabi. While I agree that this would be a good feature for all syllabi, I added that it was an intentional conversation in exegetical theology and has influenced the reading list (Daniel Patte’s Ethics of Biblical Interpretation) and topics such as post-colonial hermeneutics (as we have a long-term East African connection).
We walked past the 1912 Olympic Stadium (I’m assuming that was where Jim Thorpe won both the decathlon and pentathlon), and I took the subway for the first time in Stockholm, but I have only one pictures from the day.
But, I have many pictures from today!
Two weekends ago, Anya and I met Michael K, in Stockholm. I know Michael and his wife from Bible college. He is here for a few weeks for work. This weekend, he coordinated a visit Uppsala with a professional guide to show us around. Michael enjoys getting to know a place, and this is a great way to have an informed orientation–as well as transportation around the town (as I only have a bike). Before we met our guide, we had time for fika.
Then on to tour. Michael asked about the viking era, so our main guide also secured an archaeologist with a specialty in the viking ere. So, we first stopped by some rune stones. This is the predominant area for them, with over 20,000 known!
Our viking era had some viking era weapon replicas.
Around the corner from the rune stones was the cathedral. The guide added many interesting facts and a few whimsical stories!
We took a little time in the Gustavianum museum across the street from the cathedral. They have a good exhibit of the Vendel Period (550-790 AD, pre-viking era)
The archaeologist had many interesting comments–too many to note. So, if you’re curious, come and visit, and we’ll have the guy take us around!
After Michael’s invitation to a nice dinner, I bid him farewell at the train station and went to my bike. Then, I think I saw a bicycle being stolen right before my eyes! A man was close to one bike (while I was turning off tail lights on a bike that was probably parked before it became dark), but then he walked to the next bike rack and leaned over a bike that had a flyer in the bike rack (a tell-tale sign that the bike had been parked there for a day or two). Then he walked the bike straight to a panel truck parked on the side of the road. Another guy was there to help load the bike and drive off. It seems very fishy! So, I took some pictures. A couple pictures showed the license plate, so I got home and called the non-emergency police line and reported what I saw and gave the license plate number.
Let’s hope that I helped to stop a bike theft ring!
A full day! Perhaps a bit too full!
With blessings,
Beth
Or you could have been witnessing the equivalent of a towing service. Leave your bike too long and it will be confiscated til you pay the fine?. Maybe?
I think that if it was a cleaning out, it would not happen at 7:25 PM on a Friday night, it would be done with uniformed staff (like the ones who gave me a reminder to park in an authorized bike parking area), and they wouldn’t take just one and drive off. There are literally thousands of bikes in that one area, and many had the flyer remaining on the bike rack–and there were no recent posting of warning tags on the handlebars, which are the official notification that the bike is considered to have been parked there too long. I’m thinking theft, perhaps with a bump key for a tire lock, which may be why he moved from one row (without taking a bike that he was bent over) to the next row. One recent year had 76,715 bikes stolen in Sweden. That’s one bicycle for every 130 people every year (and many small children and elderly may not even have a bike).