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An American in Bergshamra

(Copyright by Steven Steinberg 2003)

(Note: Steven Steinberg is an American journalist and TV producer, who has worked for two of the leading broadcast networks in the US, developed projects for Swedish TV and Radio Sweden,CBS News, NBC News, been published in newspapers and magazines in various countries, and produces an interview-based TV series that airs in New York City. He currently makes his “2^nd home” in Bergshamra.)

Maybe it’s 4:30am, maybe it’s 5:00am when it happens, I can’t be sure. But as I gradually, comfortably awaken to the warmth of the rising Summer sun beginning to send its soft golden rays into my room, and I gaze out the window to see the life-renewing morning of green-and-russet-dappled trees standing tall among fairy-tale villas and modest cloud-hued apartment buildings, and I notice the hazy wisps of mist hugging the quiet highway that passes not far from the rippling blue lake at whose edges white-sailed boats bob as though awakening to greet the new day, I say to myself: Wow! What a pleasure it is to be living in this beautiful area – Bergshamra!

But equal to that feeling, I also welcome the new day reflecting on the positive relationships, both casual and more, that I’ve generated with acquaintances and friends whom I’ve met in Sweden – including in Bergshamra.

I first came to Bergshamra late last year. Having been living elsewhere in Stockholm for awhile, I was looking for a new place to stay, and when a friend offered me the opportunity to move to an area which, she said, had a friendly countryside atmosphere, beautiful surroundings, good access to shopping and key services, and a fast link by tunnel or bus to the heart of Stockholm, I thought “why not give it a shot”. And so, with the rent also being very reasonable – also a factor, of course – I moved in.

Now, I’m originally a New Yorker, used to that City’s typical fast-paced, initiative-inspiring lifestyle – but having also long considered Sweden to be my “second home”, and being in a field of endeavor (journalism and broadcasting) that’s always active, I also enjoy the lifestyle of which I’ve been privileged to be a part here in Sweden. Central Stockholm, with its lively energy and events, is a key part of that lifestyle – and the refreshing feeling that I experience by being in such a beautiful, congenial, nature-enriched area as Bergshamra helps fill out the picture quite well. It’s the combination that does it.

And no, neither of the two duplicate the pulsing heart of New York City or the beat of its suburbs that I’m also accustomed to. But this is not New York City. It’s Sweden, it’s Stockholm, it’s Bergshamra, each with their own appeal, their own personality, their own value. I guess that it’s all a matter of taste.

The beauty of Nature, and a health-inspiring environment that energizes and rejuvenates one’s outlook, are very important to me, and these I find in the environs of Bergshamra. It’s such a beautiful area with easy access – usually just a short walk – to absolutely grand scenery – the skyline lake of Brunnsviken, the sailboats bobbing on the rippling waters of the bay Edsviken, a glorious stroll through tall forests – green in summer, white in winter – to the Castle-grounds of Ulriksdal, and even an easy jaunt to the local cafe or pizzerias or shops at Bergshamra

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Centrum: all this, and the sweet fresh air on a sunny day, add up to a positive feeling for this pleasant locale.

But equal in significance to that is the people – my neighbors all – who populate the area. It’s hard to draw a direct comparison between my experience with people in New York City versus here, except to say that I always seek, as best as I can, to judge the individual on his or her own merit rather than on a preconception based on that person’s heritage. And so while New York City has many fine people of a wide variety of origins, the mix of origins may be different in Bergshamra but the people that I’ve met here, native Swede and immigrant alike, have nearly all impressed me with having an underlying quality of decency, sociability, and friendliness.

In New York City, amidst the crush of rush-hour traffic, on occasion I’ve seen bus-drivers wave a “hello” to each other as their buses pass one another and disappear into the crowded lanes of rumbling rubber and steel. Yet in Bergshamra, with its decidedly calmer pace, I haven’t seen that – after all, who could picture such an overt sign of easy friendliness in “cold reserved Sweden” – but that friendliness does indeed exist here.

For example, I have taken pleasure in the fact that various of the tunnelbana clerks – native Swede or otherwise – will often wave a bright “hello” to me (and of course I wave back!) as I, in typical New York fashion, race to catch a train. In the local Bergshamra supermarkets, I might also occasionally engage in a friendly chat with a checkout clerk – who may be native Swedish, or Chinese, or from the Caribbean – and it just makes life a little more interesting, and more enjoyable. At the local pizzerias – where my favorite dish is pizza with bananas and curry (Mmmm!) – I’ve had very interesting political discussions with the owners, who are also immigrant, quite informed and perceptive, and a pleasure to speak with.

In my own building, just by pure chance I’ve met other residents who came to Sweden from Ethiopia, from Czechoslovakia, from Italy, from the Caribbean – and from elsewhere in Sweden too – and they’ve all presented themselves with a smile, an outgoing approach, an eagerness to initiate a new friendship.

I’ve had enjoyable chats, at social events, or just strolling in the area, with people from so many different backgrounds. Immigrant, native Swedish, student, businessperson, nationally renowned celebrities (yes, I do know a few), or people from so many other interesting walks of life (and yes, I do know a few of them too!) – I’ve met people from such a wide range of backgrounds here in Bergshamra and Stockholm in general, and, overall, I’ve found the experience to be energizing, simulating, and positive.

This I like.Whatever the case, it certainly is a valuable component of all those qualities that go into making a life richer and fuller.

As do the refreshing gifts of Nature that one finds in Bergshamra. Here, for example, as I experience it, the air always feels and smells fresh and clean, especially in the Summer mornings or after a cooling rain – even more so as I might take an invigorating walk with a good friend out along the nearby rows of colorful colony-houses, with their glorious flowering gardens, leading to the rich thick-grassed sheep-meadow, and then alongside the shores of the wide expanse of skyblue lake known as Brunnsviken, where in Winter we could see children and adults sledding and skiing across its frozen snow-topped surface and in Summer we could join

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others and sun ourselves on the warm time-smoothed boulders or weave our way amongst the trees and pathways that line the lake’s shores. And then we might walk a bit further to a wonderful cottage housing the quaint Sjöstugan cafe where, sitting inside or at tables outside near the shore, we might dine on smörgåsar, kaffe, and even my favorite, varma pannkåkor med sylt eller gräddsås. Then we might walk further on to visit a famous artist , Egil Malmsten, in his elegant house – something of a “living museum” – where it seemed that just about every wall was covered with an amazing array of original paintings.

And that brings up an interesting point. Bergshamra also has its share of celebrities as residents. Famous singers, musicians, artists, actors, have also chosen to reside in Bergshamra. Not to mention that it’s also just a short, refreshing walk through the woods to Ulriksdal Castle, famed for its heritage, art collection, special events – and in whose vicinity the Royal Princess, Christina, so I understand, also has her home. On Walpurgis Night, when I joined with the throngs of residents gathered around a huge traditional bonfire at Ulriksdal Castle, I too was pleasantly surprised to come across, by pure chance, an acquaintance who also happens to be a celebrated musician, Kalle Moraeus – he too was there enjoying the evening with his family, and, I understand, is a resident of Bergshamra. Must be something in the air.

And a brisk walk (or a short tunnelbana ride) south from Begrshamra will also get you somewhere else interesting – to the National History Museum, or the Stockholm University campus, or to the expansive and beautiful agricultural gardens known as Bergianska Trädgården, and to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences – that’s the organization that issues several of the Nobel Prizes (and it’s also where I once worked) and where public lectures are often presented by renowned scientists. And who knows whom you’ll meet there – or along the way?

My advice: rather than wonder in silence who your Bergshamra neighbors are or what they’re like, take advantage of the everyday things that you might do there – whether it’s traveling or shopping or dining out or going to special events (such as those that are often noted on the bulletin-board in the local library at Bergshamra Centrum) – to strike up a friendly conversation with people that you meet. Native Swede, immigrant, it makes no difference – all have value, all have a story to tell, and, one might hope,all will be glad to extend a hand in neighborly friendship.

And perhaps it’s also an idea to take the initiative – i.e., be the one to volunteer to organize a positive social event, one that can bring people together. Why not do as I did and “give it a shot”?

As a typical New York expression goes, “You never know!”

Bergshamra – it’s a pretty nice place to live.

s-bergshamra@dazzle-unlimited.net