The accordion guy

This can't be the easiest way to make a living. Busking at Drottninggatan. I have seen and heard this man play his accordion a few times this Spring. But as no one uses cash in Stockholm, since around a decade, he can't expect to make much money. I only gave him a nod as I lifted the camera and took my photo. I am yet to identify the music he is playing, but it is most likely Romanian folk music.

The horse farm

It has been a very cold start to May the beautiful this year. On several recent bike rides, long and short I have been riding in my Winter uniform. Which is never much fun. Anywho, on my way home from one of those short rides I decided to take a shortcut through a nature reserve in Jordbro where you can find an ancient burial site, and also this little horse farm along Björklundsvägen. To get the whole birch tree in the shot I took nine photos.

Sealed with a Kiss

Wedding season is in full swing at Stockholm City Hall. I have been there two Saturday's in a row snapping away at the different wedding couples and their guests. There are usually a few photographers there with the same idea. All the visiting tourists get very excited as well so anyone getting married here cam expect to be photographed non-stop!

A very balanced man

Not sure I could do that without falling and hurting myself. From where he was at Skeppsbron it is uphill, over the golden bridge, past the new square Vattentorget, before getting to Slussen. I ride my bike there a few times every week.

Tulips

Across the street from Stockholm City Hall there is a little park close to Klara sjö. That's where I photographed these tulips in early May. Or sköna maj as we call this month. May the beautiful.

Strolling through the old town

Out walking in the old town. A red door at Västerlånggatan. I stood in an alleyway waiting out a hord of tourists before I could take one quick shot. The balcony is very famous because it is rather unique. Not too many of those in here. I took the window photo because of the old TV. Not sure if that is a store, or just someones home. But it made for a good photo though. It is so narrow here that I had to shoot it as a three photo panorama. And wait out another group of tourists.

A certain style

Street portrait from Nybrogatan. The man with the scarf.

Making Money

I walked up and down Nybrogatan. A posh street where you can spot a lot of well dressed people mixing with the rest of us. This guy was standing outside a popular restaurant, trying his best to look important, so I figured I could boost his ego by taking a photo of him.

Redheads

Two colorful people at the Hötorget flea market.

A familiar face

One of the people that visits the flea market every Sunday, year round. Always dressed for the occasion. I find her very photogenic.

Cash in hand

You rarely see anyone use cash in Sweden today. But at the weekly flea market at Hötorget cash is king. Well that is probably a stretch, but you can still use cash as seen here.

At the market

I visited the weekly flea market at Hötorget last Sunday. Nice day for it. Lots of locals, many visiting tourists. Quite a few familiar faces. I am currently without broadband so I can't post from Flickr the way I normally do. Not my fault either, hopefully sorted today although I don't think that will happen. This woman was shopping for prints btw

Metallica Guy and the two small dogs

Theme Day. Very small. I sat down at the stone stairs at Vattentorget in the old town. Had a missed call from the brother in Barcelona, so I called him up. And as we were chatting away, I noticed the dude with the Metallica t-shirt walking his tiny dogs. So I tried shooting a few snaps of him one-handed with the mirrorless Canon while holding the smartphone in the other hand. Which turned out to be tricky, but the dogs were in no real rush so in the end I got the shot which I informed the brother about as he was sitting on his balcony looking at the Sagrada Familia. Perfect for the theme day I thought.

Four street snaps from the old town

It was one of those warm and sunny Spring days. I parked the bike outside a Government building in the old town, as there are always a couple of security guards there. Walking along Stora Nygatan I spotted a young girl fixing a flat on her Danish made bike, so I stopped for a photo. Turning left at the next alley, I walked up towards the German church. That is when I spotted a worker standing on a ladder, painting. But he was a little too quick for me, so when I pressed the shutter button he was back on the ground. There are always a few tourists spending too much money at Café Schweizer, one of them spotted me as I took a photo. We end with the butt of the day because I spotted this family of four. Got the camera out of the bag, took a quick snap. Walked on, only to now realize that you can only see one jean butt. But it made for a better photo. At least in my book.

Vita bergen

Vita bergen is a very hilly area at Sofia, on Södermalm in Stockholm. You might have seen the Sofia church on some of my photos from the Hammarbybacken ski hill. It sits on the top of the hill. There is a park here that is popular year round. Here are a few photos I took there last week when everything turned green again. Oh, and funny note, the woman walking on the path was sitting on the bench when I snapped the tulip photos.

Strike a pose

Photo shoot at Hammarby sjöstad. At a park where there are a lot of Cherry Blossom.

Look at the views!

A second batch of photos from my latest walk up to the top of the Hammarbybacken ski hill, and then down again, using the new stairs. We start with a panorama over Lake Sickla. There are a number of benches on the hill where you can sit down for a bit and take in all the different views. The second shot looks at Södra Hammarbyhamnen and across the water Norra Hammarbyhamnen, both at Hammarby sjöstad. The a panorama with the two sport venues, the globe arena and 3Arena. Then some Spring colors looking towards Björkhagen and an apartment building from the 1950s. I sat down on the comfy wooden bench that faces the wrong way if you ask me, although the skiers using it during the Winter would probably disagree. Then another Sickla panorama, because why not. More benches, this time with tables. The blue apartment building dates back to when the suburbs were built and with them the metro, which we call Tunnelbanan. There are three man-made hills at Högdalen. They date back to the 1950s. There used to be alpine skiing there up until the late 1970s. Today popular with skateboarders and Frisbee golf enthusiasts. Next some Spring yellow as we look towards Södermalm. The second last photo shows apartment building at the Danvik rock. See you tomorrow!

Looking at the views again

After a week with miserable weather, the sun finally came out again, and we had a day with a blue sky. Still way too cold for my liking as I once again made my way up the man made ski hill Hammabybacken for a look at the views towards Södermalm, Sickla and Hammarbyhöjden. I was dressed for Winter, more or less. Not that many people around on this visit, but I did meet a few people. The guy in the first photo walked up the same way I did next to the slalom hill. On the second and third photo, we see Hammarby sjöstad with the Sofia church at Vita Bergen as a backdrop. Next the Sickla lake at Nacka. Followed by Södra Hammarbyhamnen with a nice view of Stockholm in the background. The yellow apartment buildings sit on the top of another hill with good views over the city. It is known as Henriksdalshöjden. Then an architectural gem at Hammarbyhöjden, designed by Gert Wingårdh. Still some artificial snow left on the ski hill, as you can see. More views from here tomorrow.