‘The Best’ of Shane and Stormy’s Stockholm Trip

By Stormy Burns, music department office coordinator

Shane and Stormy Burns at the Nobel Committee reception.

As many of you know, in December Shane and I attended an exciting celebration. The Berkeley astrophysics group that Shane helped establish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. I’d like to share some “bests” of our trip to Stockholm.  

Best big event: The Royal Ball after the ceremony and banquet.
Best little event: The Christmas markets we found in the squares around Stockholm.
Best walk: Strolling in the cold and looking at the department store windows at night.
Best ride: The taxi ride from the hotel to the Town Hall to join our spouses for the banquet. (Five women in ball gowns and wraps can really fill a vehicle!)

Best big meal:
The royal banquet, complete with fireworks as dessert was served.
Best small meal: Lunch in a diner in old town Stockholm. (No burgers, however.)
Best drink: All that French champagne!
Best conversation: Overhearing why there is no Nobel prize in mathematics.

Best gifts:
Little wooden Swedish horses; tiny wooden star ornaments and candle holders.
Best tacky gift: Replica dynamite sticks made of black licorice and wrapped in paper.
Best group gathering: The Swedish lunch on the island of Fjaderholmarnas, in Stockholm’s archipelago, with the physics team.
Most fun in a museum: Watching the Nobel Laureates and other Ph.D.s romp on the play structures in the Pippi Longstocking Museum lobby.
Best hair: Judy Goldhaber’s electric shade of orange that she chose for the celebration week.
Best tiara and gown: The Crown Princess of Sweden’s blue gown and headpiece.
Best trumpet fanfare: At the beginning of the royal promenade to the banquet hall.
Best tourist event: The bus tour of the city with the Nobel laureates and their families.

I wrote and posted pictures to a blog I called “Stormy Adventures”:  http://stormybburns.blogspot.com/ There are lots of photos of each day of our adventures and some video clips of the trumpet fanfare and banquet.  At this time, the blog has had almost 4,000 hits – it must be people looking for Saul and Shane in their white tie and tails!

The link to the official Nobel website is www.nobelprize.org

Stormy and Shane celebrate with a champagne toast.

4 replies on “‘The Best’ of Shane and Stormy’s Stockholm Trip”

  1. Sounds like a nice trip! I live in Stockholm and hope to here from your admissions office soon regarding the decisions for the class of 2016!

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