EuroPride 08 :: Day Two
EuroPride 08 is in full swing, but the fun really begins tonight, with the big Swedish Legend party at the Berns hotel. We've been promised great music, drinks-a-plenty, and lots of beautiful boys... including some characters from famous Swedish folklore, nearly nude. You can bet we'll be there (with cameras), but before that we've got a bit of exploring to do around town.
A king... or was he a Queen?
We started our day with a tour of the royal palace Pavilion of Gustav III, in beautiful Haga park. Gustav was a somewhat notorious King, who ruled in the late 18th century, and had a penchant for the arts- especially dance, theatre, design and opera. Does that sound a bit suspect to you?
The flamboyant ruler ascended to the throne at a young age, hearing about his father's death- and thus his ascension- while he was attending the opera in Stockholm. Never one to do things half-way, he quickly made himself an absolute monarch, taking power from the aristocracy, and pissing off a lot of bluebloods in the process. This didn't exactly put him in a revered position, and although he did a lot for Swedish art and architecture in following years, the elite never quite forgave him for taking away their privileges. After ruling for 21 years he was shot and assassinated at the opera by a conspiracy of noblemen. Talk about coming full-circle...
Luckily Gus' contributions to Swedish culture lived on, and the Pavilion that he had built- and lived in- just outside of town is open to visitors today. Inside are some fabulous examples of the late Gustavian style (A.K.A. late classicism), with clear influences from the King's travels to France, Italy, and greater Europe, as well as his love of Roman antiquity, all of which is reflected in the furniture and interiors.
When you visit, make sure to plan time to walk around the gardens and park- and if you bring your binoculars you might be able to catch some skin on the beach across the water: it's famous for gay nude sunbathing. Even better, make a day of it and plan to take lunch at...
Haga Forum
A simple, modern, and wonderful restaurant, Haga Forum sits at the edge of Haga Park, offering traditional Swedish dishes with a modern twist. The bread is fabulous, but don't fill up on it because the starters and entr?es are just as delish. During the warm months, ask to sit on the terrace for a beautiful view of the park and nearby tennis courts; in cooler weather you'll enjoy the chic Scandinavian furniture and d?cor that makes up the interior.
Not yet equal...
Following our fabulous lunch, we headed over to the PrideHouse to check out what was going on. One of the official EuroPride sites, we found a diverse and impressive schedule of seminars, round-tables, talks, and performances covering myriad topics. Everything from race, gender, sexuality, and identity issues to stand-comedy, film production, fashion, music, and more. You name it, and they probably had it.
One of the highlights of PrideHouse was a special exhibition on pride and prejudice, called 27 pictures of Pride. Presented by Christopher Fjellner, a Member of the European Parliament, this small but powerful collection of photographs shows the stark differences between Pride celebrations (or a lack thereof) in each of the countries that make up the European Union. While most are festive parties celebrating life and love, a few are quite the opposite- filled with hatred, aggression, and intolerance- and some don't exist at all. The countries whose LGBTQ communities are unable to hold a celebration because of governmental, social, or religious opposition are powerfully- and sadly- represented by frames holding blank images.
The exhibition is scheduled to travel around Europe, and serves as a reminder to everyone that while most of us see Europe as cohesive and progressive, in fact there exists a large diversity in the rate of acceptance and tolerance of the LGBTQ community.
Hotel Stureplan
Before heading to dinner, we stopped by the Hotel Stureplan, a relatively new hotel that I'd heard about from friends who'd visited Stockholm recently. Like me, they're big fans of Champagne, and suggested I take a peek. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Well, aside from the impressively renovated building, beautifully designed rooms (I'd kill to transport one of the bathrooms to my house in Boston), fab amenities, chic lounge, and rooftop terrace, the Stureplan also features a Bollinger Champagne Bar, or as I like to call it, 'the best seats in the house.'
The design of the hotel is a gorgeous combination of modern Scandinavian simplicity with classic touches, which sounds a bit odd, but is stunning in person. The architects did a brilliant job of translating an elegant 19th century building into a boutique hotel, with unique touches throughout. The lower-level lounge is simple-swank, with a long bar, deep banquet seating, and a water feature that I want to recreate in my living room. Practical? No. Fabulous? Without a doubt.
Something unique to the Stureplan is their relationship with a nearby restaurant (Pontus across the street, where we were headed next) and spa and fitness center (the world famous Centralbadet, where I hope to visit this weekend), which allows them to offer guests amenities which they don't have on-property; something uncommon among smaller boutique hotels.
Pontus = Fabulous
Had I stayed at Hotel Stureplan, I would have likely eaten at Pontus every night I was in town. The restaurant boasts a world-renowned chef (one of the best in Sweden), an innovative yet amazingly unpretentious designer interior, and cuisine that would be perfectly at home in a Michelin starred restaurant in France.
Pontus' signature cocktails are delish, and while I'm certainly crossing a line in saying this, the meal gave me a food orgasm. My beautiful blonde "date" (note to my bf: my "date" was a woman) and I were obsessed with the Dirty Diamond; a concoction of Champagne and magic, I'm guessing. Whatever you do, don't skip dessert, even if it means an extra hour on the treadmill the next day. Trust me- it's worth it.
All they were missing was ABBA...
Our final event of the day was the much-talked-about Swedish Legends party, in the ballroom of the Berns hotel. A slightly riotous affair featuring wild performances and dancing queens, I feel it best to leave the rest of the evening to your imagination... although the photos we took might aid in providing some level of understanding.
Check out the EDGE Photo Albums for this evening's stars, including yours truly... if you know where to look!
After a long and busy day, I was more than ready to jump into bed and sleep for days. Unfortunately all I got was about five hours, but more on that tomorrow...
Check back daily for more EuroPride updates, and don't forget to check out the Photo Albums for exclusive pictures from EuroPride 2008, from fabulous photographer Andre Landeros Michel, who supplied most of the photos here.
For photos of EuroPride, go to the EDGE Photo Albums