Playing Hooky

I took a day off from work Friday (it's becoming a habit) so The Weaver and I visited to The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. We were greeted by an enormous tapestry, and had a bite to eat (Icelandic cod) in FIKA, the Scandinavian restaurant adjacent to the Turnblad mansion:



There were several related exhibits on display, mostly concerning The Sámi people of Northern Scandinavia, included was this exquisite purse with carved horn attachments:



Many of the rooms in the mansion were empty, a pleasant surprise in a way, every other time I've been here they were filled with displays:





The massive stained glass window Valdemar Atterdag Levying Contributions on Visby, depicts the conquering Danish king taking tributes from the citizens of Visby on the island of Gotland. Cheerful:



And of course, there are the eleven fantastic Swedish tile stoves. I particularly enjoyed the one which depicts Þor, with his hammer Mjölnir, vanquishing various trolls:



It seems as if it's becoming a habit, this mid-winter "escape to Scandinavia", more Nordic culture to follow in the next several days...