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NERJA. Christina Schollin, 84, wanted to be away from other Swedes when she and her husband bought their Casa Angel in Nerja.
Instead, she was named an honorary citizen by the mayor for having attracted so many Swedes here.
The actress was celebrated with a grand party.
– There were fireworks and I gave my acceptance speech in Spanish. It was probably the longest applause I have received in my entire life, she says.
The gate to Casa Angel, the House of Angels, opens slowly. But no one stands inside it to receive. It turns out that Christina Schollin has a little bit left to fix before she is ready for the interview.
– It’s always like this, states her husband of 60 years, Hans Wahlgren.
After a few minutes she comes out wearing a white skirt and a bright green blouse and with her hair out. She doesn’t wear any shoes.
– I always walk around here barefoot, she says as she walks through the garden.
Here is the jacuzzi that is maintained by Hans, but only used by Christina. Every morning she goes for a swim.
– I turn on the jet stream and then I swim against the current. It is great exercise for muscles and joints.
Pernilla revealed the house
The sun shines from a cloudless sky as Christina settles down on the white sofa on the patio. She says that the couple bought their house here in Nerja, an hour and a half’s drive from Marbella, 22 years ago. At that time there were not many Swedes in the village, which was one reason why they chose Nerja in particular.
Christina and Hans liked to talk about their house in Spain in the newspapers, but never revealed that they lived in Nerja.
– We didn’t really want a lot of Swedes to come here, we wanted to be able to walk here in peace and quiet without being recognised.
But then daughter Pernilla came here. She loved being here. On her blog, she happened to reveal that her parents’ house was in Nerja.
– Maybe she hadn’t heard that we said it was secret.
It started a Swedish move into the village. The effect on tourism was so great that the city’s mayor named Christina Schollin an honorary citizen – as the first foreigner ever.
– He had been told that there was a Swedish actress who lived here who made tourism flourish, she says and laughs.
– It was a party for me here with fireworks and I gave my acceptance speech in Spanish. That’s probably the longest round of applause I’ve ever received in my entire life.
Today there are a lot of Swedes living here, but that doesn’t bother Hans and Christina.
– They are so nice if they recognize one. They are happy and want to take selfies.
Ash starts to rain
Suddenly a black-brown column of smoke is seen from below the village. And soon black ash flakes rain down in the garden. There is a fire and soon sirens are heard. A fire helicopter swoops in over the village.
Black ash falls on the white outdoor furniture that Christina recently had cleaned after Sahara sand moved in over the coast at Easter and colored both house and outdoor furniture red.
Hans rushes to sweep ash off the outdoor furniture and cover the jacuzzi. The ash rain starts to subside and the interview can continue.
Facts
Document Marbella
Marbella is a haven where shy billionaires, celebrities and tourists play golf, party and extend the summer with 340 sunny days a year.
But it is also a place where criminal gangs and international mafias deal in drugs and launder money.
In the shadow of the pandemic, a new wave of Swedish migration to Marbella is underway. When working from home has become more and more common, businessmen, celebrities and families with children exchange the Swedish cold and darkness for a nicer life in the sun.
So do the Swedish gangs. Here they can hide from Swedish police, gang conflicts and negotiate and network with international drug mafias.
Aftonbladet’s Anna Sjögren and Cecilia Vaccari take you on a journey behind the scenes in the Swedish colony in Marbella.
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Christina and Hans came down to Casa Angel on October 16. Three days earlier she had stepped out as the Queen in the Dramat’s production of MacBeth for the last time.
– My first project here is to de-stress and just take the day as it comes. Not having to perform every night like you do when you’re on stage. Get rid of a lot of must-haves. I do what I want, when I want, when I’m here.
She has left the spotlight of the theater scene and feels satisfied with “finishing with the flag at the top”. Now a new project begins: a book about her years as an actress and the meetings with the other greats of the Swedish theater world. She mentions Ingmar Bergman and Alf Sjöberg as examples.
“Easier to socialize down here”
But the actress certainly does not close the door to film roles.
– Hello Lasse Hallström, I’m here! I like him very much as a director and as a person. So I might get to tie the knot with a good movie role.
Today they are going to their traditional GT lunch, “a get together lunch” with Swedish friends they have come to know down here.
– We have a lot of friends that we spend time with. And it’s so much easier to socialize down here because you don’t have to book a week in advance like at home. We decide on the day that we will go out and eat fish down by the Mediterranean Sea. It is so wonderful.
– Here, people don’t have many projects for themselves, unless you have what I have, she says and laughs.
Hans reminds Christina of the time. But before she puts on her shoes to go, she shows the family tree in the hall with pictures of all the children and grandchildren. “Hotel mama, always open”, it says.
– I have them with me every day, I usually say good morning and good day to them.
But daughter Pernilla is often only 1.5 hours away, in her house on the outskirts of Marbella. Hans and Christina, as well as grandchildren Benjamin and Bianca, like to visit her there.
– It is a very nice house and very nice to be there, she says.
But the calm and warmth of the sunny coast in all its glory. Christina and Hans will celebrate Christmas with all their children and grandchildren back home in Sweden.
Broke the leg in three places
But it didn’t quite go as planned. Shortly after Aftonbladet’s visit to Casa Angel, she fell down a flight of stairs and broke her foot in three places. She was flown home to Sweden for emergency surgery.
Two days before Christmas Eve, Christina Schollin is sitting at Saltsjöbaden’s rehab with a glittering red cast around one of her feet. She is cool enough to join the family’s Christmas celebration in Pernilla’s new house on Lidingö, but
– It is located on a mountain and there is no lift. So now they have to carry me up 48 steps with a stair climber, she says.
More celebration awaits on Boxing Day. Then Christina will celebrate both her 85th birthday and her and Hans’ diamond wedding.
Although there won’t be much dancing for Christina, she is thankful that she is feeling well enough to celebrate with her loved ones.
– No, I guess I’ll have to dance with the wheelchair then. But it will be very, very fun to implement. It will be a glittering party to celebrate life and love.
Facts
Christina Schollin about…
…the love of husband Hans Wahlgren: It said boom, bang when we met! We are actually celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary in December.
…his first ever theater role: We theater students weren’t really allowed to be on stage. But since little Anjutka would be eleven years old and I was the only one who looked childish enough, I got the part.
…to step down from the theater stage: You should stop when you can still do work and reach an audience. You shouldn’t just have roles because you want to stay. It is better to finish with the flag on top. I entered Dramatens scenskola in 1958 and 64 years later the circle closed when I ended my career on the same stage, because I have. I couldn’t have finished better than playing the queen in Macbeth.
…Marbella: It’s a bit flashier than Nerja, here it’s more relaxed. But I think it’s nice to be there sometime.
…his great interest in embroidery: I always embroider here and at home on Värmdö. Large paintings. I usually sit in my armchair and embroider and watch TV.
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