Lorensberg

Situated at Söder Mälarstrand at Högalid, this is Lorensberg. Also spelled, Lorentzberg. Named after Lorentz Johan Götherström. Built as a janitor's house around 1860. Hard to believe, but back then there were 12 apartments here. There were a few more buildings here, but they are long gone. The building to the right was used for storage. The building is owned by the city and was renovated in the 1980s. This is just down the street from the two days of posting that I did recently with the store fronts.

Temporary Streetart

Two recent pieces seen at the legal graffiti wall, Farstaväggen. You can paint on both sides. I bike past here a few times every week, so when I see anything new and interesting, I stop for a few photos. These two were signed Gorilla Dyre and Ikaross Block.

What a save!

There is a big park at Tantolunden on Södermalm. It is called Drakenbergssparken, but most people just say Tanto. I have shown you photos from here before. Big green lawns. The little beach. Cliffs. Food trucks and fast food places. A couple of marinas, and more. Greta was here last year during one of the Friday For Future demonstrations, giving a speech. And this is also part of the Årstaviken walk, so there is always a lot of people here, which is great if you enjoy people watching, and street photography. But it is also Bajen-land. Or Hammarby IF. The football club. And this is an allotment garden owned, or rented, by a fan of that club. Not sure which "målvakt" this is, if any, but when I played football in my local club many years ago their current goalie at the time, Ronnie Hellström presented me and my teammates with a plaque for our achievement that season.

Allotment Gardens

There are many allotment gardens at Tantolunden on Södermalm. Some are located on a hillside, and they all have a magnificent view over Årstaviken. There are winding paths going up and down this area. They are open for everyone out on a promenade, and it is a highly recommended walk, you can combine it with the Årstaviken walk. I had a look at a web-site listing ten great walks in Stockholm, and I was a bit surprised that the Årstaviken walk was not on it. The church is Högalidskyrkan, it has been undergoing restoration work for at least two years. I took this photo from a pedestrian bridge that runs over the Årstaviken bay, next to the railroad bridge.

Winter Green

You have seen it before. The Meditation Hill, (Almhöjden) at the Skogskyrkogården cemetery. And also the Mirror Pond. (Spegeldammen). I visit the cemetery a few times every week because since a pit-stop here back in October 2021 I decided to make this UNESCO World Heritage Site a photo project. So every time I bike to and from Stockholm, I usually stop here for a few photos. And it is a nice place for a temporary rest, pun intended. Anyway, on this recent visit I was a bit surprised how green the grass was, unusual for January in Sweden I think.

Långholmsgatan

A mix of new and old. Photos taken along Långholmsgatan, the same street as in yesterday's post about storefronts. Top photo shows a typical Barbershop. The two sisters walking out of the shot were on a shopping spree. They were also seen coming out from the shopping mall seen in the second photo, although not in this photo. Next, a fast food joint, it stands near the mall and a bus stop, so I think it must be a good location. And lastly, another Asian food place. Lemon & Chili. Cool name. You see the Foodora people everywhere these days.

Store Fronts

The first photo shows one of two shops owned by Micke. He sells vinyls and CDs. This is probably the best place in Stockholm for that sort of thing. It is open every day of the year. His other store is across the street, close to where I was standing taking this photo. Next the Apple repair shop with the funny name, re:Pear. In the third shot, a very surprised woman walking out from the Hornstull mall. She kept her eyes on me from the bus stop as I continued taking photos at Långholmsgatan as this street on Södermalm is called. The fourth and last snap of the day shows Helens. One of Stockholm's quadrillion sushi places, and an eatery I am very likely never to visit, as I don't eat sushi.

Kristinehovs Malmgård

Just a short walk from the mural in yesterday's post, this is Kristinehovs Malmgård on Södermalm. Or at least the two wings. I did take a photo of the main building, but it was too messy for my taste, so I will give that view a go another day. But there is a good view at their website. Kristinehov was built as a Summerhouse back in 1790 for Georg Fredrik Diedrichson. The architect was Petrus Serén. Since around a century, this is a hub for cultural history. Operated by twenty common-interest associations. They are financed mostly by contributions from the city and a couple of other organizations. So it is a busy place with focus on dance, music and much more. There are big dining halls here where you can have your wedding party like it is 1790 all over again!

Astrid Lindgren

Fast food joint at Hornstull on Södermalm in Stockholm. It is called Downtown Hornstull. It got a nice mural last year. It depicts Sweden's most beloved author. Astrid Lindgren. I tried my best to translate the quote. Anything of any importance that has ever occurred in the world, first came to mind in someone's imagination. Allt stort som skedde i världen skedde först i någon människas fantasi.

Winter swimming, anyone?

Walking out onto the circular pier at Perstorpsvägen at Lake Drevviken. Whenever I stop here I tell myself that there will be someone there going for a Winter swim. That is yet to happen. It was 4C on this day.

Street Snaps

Three photos from Hötorget, or Haymarket, in central Stockholm. First, a wannabe photographer trying his best shooting a sculpture group with his smartphone. Next, a father and young daughter looking for something to buy at the market. Third, and lastly, a man outside the food court Kungshallen, possibly checking up on world news while waiting for a friend.

Glowing in the dark

It was getting dark as I cycled through the Skogskyrkogården cemetery at Enskede. This headstone was glowing in the dark, so I decided to walk over for a photo.

Unavailable Seating

Cycling towards Stockholm a couple of days ago, I stopped at the new circular pier at Lake Drevviken, near Perstorpsvägen. Normally I would make a pit stop further up, at the Hökarängen beach. But since discovering this area, I sometimes stop here. Last time I was here was when I showed you a few ice skaters out on the then frozen lake. The temperature has gone up and down in the last few weeks, and we have also experienced some serious rain showers. So the water level at Drevviken is high at the moment, as proved by the photo of this bench.

Street Scene

I decided that it was time for some real street photography again. These two girls came out from a hotel with their luggage just I had crossed the street at Sveavägen in Stockholm. On their way to Arlanda airport no doubt. I hope they had a great time in Stockholm, despite being caught on camera by the local papparazzo who was out shooting with his silent mirrorless Canon.

Jag

Walking down a pedestrian street in central Stockholm on a gloomy January day. Sergelgatan. Lots of new shops, galleries, restaurants to check out here. I noticed the kid in the dispay window at Designtorget and stopped for a quick photo. There is a gray book in the window. Called Jag, the Swedish word for Me. A teach-yourself book that supposedly will help you find yourself.

Söders Hantverkshus

I used to work in this building at Renstiernas gata on Södermalm. For quite a few years. At a small industrial company on the third floor. It was many years ago. A very famous guitar maker, Georg Bolin, had his workshop next door, and you would often see famous musicians coming and going. Bolin also worked at a school that was based in this building for something like sixty years. It was called Carl Malmstensskolan. My boss had a bit of a crush on the woman who owned and ran the restaurant where we had lunch every day, two stairs down. She was also a singer in a successful group at the time. One afternoon as I left work, I walked past a bus stop when a horrible accident occurred. A bus hit and ran over the famous guitar maker. That was quite the story at the restaurant for the next few days. I was reminded by this as I walked down the stairs here a couple of days ago.

The Woodland Cemetery

This was my last photo on that misty day, a few days ago now. Cycling home, I stopped at the Woodland Cemetery as I always do. This is the big granite cross. Designed by the agnostic architect Gunnar Asplund in 1939. If you walk into the cemetery, you follow the stony path towards where I was standing, shooting this. If you do that, you will have three chapels to your left. The pond will be just to the right, and if you turn just a little bit more, you can choose to walk up to the Meditation Hill, that I have shown you a few times.

Skeppargränd

Four photos from Skeppargränd, (ship alley). A very short street, or alley, at Åsöberget. The same hill at Södermalm with that lookout point I showed you two days ago. The previous name was Sågargränd, because some of the people that lived here were sawyers. All the wooden buildings here are more than 300 years old. All listed, and today owned by the city. If you would like to live here, you can expect to queue for quite a few years. Three hundred years ago, when these buildings were new, this was a very poor part of Stockholm. Many of the people that lived here worked in the tar industry. Later, one or two artists have lived and worked here, including Carl Larsson.

Friday the 13th

Because it is Friday the 13th, here is a fitting story. This is Stigbergsgatan on Södermalm. I took this photo on that misty day earlier in the week. You can walk down the stairs here, behind the fence. They are called Sista Styverns trappor, and will take you to Fjällgatan, a popular lookout point. An earlier name was Mikaelsgränd. Named after the executioner, Mäster Mikael. He had the job for 15 years between 1635 and 1650. Then, one night, he was drinking with a well known criminal. They argued about a debt and Mikael killed the other man, although he never confessed. And guess what, Mäster Mikael was convicted for the murder and was himself executed by his successor.

Look at that view!

This is a popular lookout point at Åsöberget, a hill on Södermalm in Stockholm. There are three benches here, but I cropped out one of them for artistic reasons. The last two times I was here, I remember eavesdropping on conversations as I sat down for a look at the view and for a bite to eat. Nothing like that happened on this occasion, as I was on my own. Or maybe there was someone else there, lurking in the fog. Who knows?

You can't park here

Well, I guess you can if you are an ambulance and if you are there to save someone's life. But they still managed to park it across the bike path, just saying. Anyway, I just wanted to say something about the weather. It is a really gray sky. It is raining. And like an hour ago, the storm winds moved in. Looking at my phone just now, there were reports about cancelled train service. No ferries because of the wind and more, so it looks like a really fun day, not.

Benbrytarväder

I am yet to go through most of the mist photos I took yesterday, but here is a first one. This is from the cemetery I visit so often. Skogskyrkogården at Enskede. This is a little birch forest with newly planted trees next to the 888-meter-long path known as sju brunnars stig. Looking through my Flickr album, I realized that this was my 365th photo from the Woodland Cemetery, which is its English name. Since a few decades, this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is a big tourist destination. There are around ten funerals here every day, year round. Oh, and the title benbrytarväder means bone-breaking weather. Had this been a Spring, Summer, or Autumn visit, I would have walked into the forest to one of the benches, but it looked way too icy for that.

Monday

Cemetery weather today. A lot of fog all day. And quite icy on the path here. My parents rest here, as does my grandparents on both sides of the family.

Snow Pattern

I took a short promenade after a recent snowfall. No real inspiration. This caught my eye as I walked through the local park in Tungelsta. It is part of a beehive. Placed there a few years ago by Bee Urban.

Gröna Huset

A building with an interesting history. Some people claim that the building, that a century ago was a convenient store, was moved from Fors, a few kilometers from here to its current position across the road from the Tungelsta commuter station. Supposedly when the new railway line Nynäsbanan was constructed. It is also said to have a secret room. I heard that story from a guy who grew up here. Another story says that the then King of Sweden spent the night here when the first steam locomotive passed by here, (but I am pretty sure the King opted for a stop a couple of station's further to the south, at Ösmo). For the time being, the building is undergoing a big renovation. For many years, this was known as Vasco's place. A popular pizzeria and drinking place for thirsty locals. But since a year and a half it is known as Gröna Huset. On the menu these days are shepherds pie, salmon salad, halloumi burger and desserts like apple pie and chocolate cake.

That Old Tree

It rained as I cycled home from Stockholm after a visit to the Woodland Cemetery. I was soaking wet after just a few minutes. It is a 27 km ride to the old tree from where I started, so it wasn't all fun. As I parked the bike on the path over an hour later, the rain finally stopped. This is my 649th photo of the Swedish Whitebeam, btw.

Twilight

Cycling home one afternoon it was getting dark so I stopped for a photo at Stav/Lillgården in Tungelsta. This is the area with the new row-houses and more, that I have been photographing since the construction began.

Urban Escape

Spotify headquarters, and more, in this building at Hamngatan in Stockholm. You will also find the big mall Gallerian and the new IKEA store in this building. As well as a few bars and what have you. Oh, and of course there is also a big roof terrace here.

Iran Protest

A demonstration against the Iranian regime at Sergels torg in Stockholm. The first one was back in September of last year, when a group of women cut off their hair and burned their hijabs after the killing of Mahsa Amiri. This protest was followed by another one, that one was in support of Afghan women.

Winter fun in the King's park

Always something to do, see, and or photograph at the Kings' Garden, Kungsträdgården in Stockholm. On this visit, I focused on the people at the ice skating arena. Very popular with kids of all ages. I had my eyes open for any potential and spectacular crashes, but that never happened. Which is a good thing, I guess.