My wife and I went on a trip to Stockholm.  A trip we have wanted to do for quite a time now.  I have always wanted to visit there to see what Bruno Liljefors paintings I could find and of course anything else of merit.  There are quite a few great auctions to they have there this time of year.  Bukowskis.se is a good one, Auktionsverket.se and Uppsalaauktion.se is another good one.  Twice a year they have their important art auctions with wonderful artist from Sweden and other European deceased artist that somehow made their way to Sweden over the years.  Upon arriving I was shocked at our good fortune.  Bukowskis auction house was about 100 yards from our hotel, The National Museum was just behind us and other wonderful galleries and antique shops seemed to be around every corner.  My wife has always loved Scandinavian furniture and design.  Textiles being a favorite, there was an amazing store there called Svenska Tenn.  Killer fabrics and amazing furniture.  As neat as I already thought Swedish design was I shocked how I felt that there attitude towards food, art and mainly living seemed to leaned toward leading a very aesthetic lifestyle.  With a population around nine million and charging a 25% tax on about everything you can see why Socialism works there.  Aside from that we learned that Swedish cooking too had gone to the arts.  I never imagined how good it could be.  My first meal of Reindeer Filet and potatoes at the 300 year old Fem Sma Hus (Five Small Houses) was quite amazing. Seeing my favorite artists work in person was a welcome breath of fresh air and helped me gather my enthusiasm for own work upon my return.  The Thielska Galleriet just outside Stockholm was a treat.  They let me into the storage and see quite a few works that normally do not make their way out to the public.  The facility is a former residence of patron of Liljefors, Anders Zorn, Hammershoi, Edvard Munch, Carl Larsson to name a few.  They still have small exhibitions of older work but the country owned foundation left by Thielska is a gem off the main tourist attractions.  The landscape around the place was exquisite as well.  Sea Birds of all types still inhabit the surrounding land and I felt like I was transported back in time.  My wife and I truly enjoyed ourselves.  Here are a few pictures from the trip.