King & Queen & The Royal Guards

By sheer luck, I happened to be at the Royal Castle at Gamla stan in Stockholm just as the Royal Guards were leaving, so I decided to stick around for a while. On the top photo, you can see H.M. Konung Carl XVI Gustaf and H.M. Drottning Silvia on their way to the Swedish Parliament for the opening of the Riksdag session. Riding in the "Sjuglasvagnen". The following photos show the Royal Guards, or Högvakten as we like to call them. I was on my fast eBike, so I managed to shoot them from a few different locations. Oh, and on the last photo that thingy on his head looks just like my feather duster!

Modern Parenting

Parenting Children in the Age of Screens. Spotted at a bus stop at Slussen recently. We have experienced a few warm summer-like days, when that happens in early Autumn we call that Brittsommar, after Birgitta's name's day. The baby in the stroller was talking, or at least trying to talk a few seconds before I took the photo, because everyone in the photo were laughing then.

Hug a Transformer

This Transformer, Bumblebee was standing at the commuter hub, Slussen in Stockholm, a couple of days ago. He wanted hugs, and he got them, mostly from teenagers. He also wanted some financial help, because it was not just a photo-op. His wife, who had defeated cancer, now needed help paying her living conditions. There was a Swish number for anyone who wanted to help. I Googled the number and a few people had reported this as a scam, but it looked legit there on the square.

Whose car is it?

A flashy Porsche, parked outside Butiken, at Hotel Diplomat, at Strandvägen in Stockholm, on a very warm and sunny day. So, whose car is it? My money would be on the guy to the left, working on his September tan.

Kasper

Lång näsa. Up yours, the Swedish way. Kasper has been standing there at Medis, doing that for half a century by now. Medis is short for Medborgarplatsen which means Citizen Square. It is a popular meeting place at Södermalm.

Mother Goddess

A sculpture down by the water at Liljeholmen. Made by Lena Lervik. I have shown you the highrises in the background a couple of times, but photographed from another angle. This sculpture is one of three along the very popular promenade here.

The Minesweeper

I got a friendly reminder from one of the readers of this photo blog. It was Roger who informed me about an event happening at the Gålö peninsula in Haninge today. He is a member of Föreningen M 20. They operate the military museum Veteranflottiljen at the Gålö base, and they are having an open house today. I won't be able to make it as I'm on my way to a car meet, but here is a photo of one of their ships, the minesweeper M 20. Shot not too long ago at Örlogsdagarna in Stockholm.

The Trobadour

There he is Evert Taube, at Järntorget in Gamla stan, not far from his favorite Inn, Den Gylldene Freden. Waiting for his taxi ride home.

Nynäshamn Collage

The last Summer visit to Nynäshamn this year. It was a beautiful day. Warm, sunny and not too much wind, perfect for a longish eBike ride around the coastal city. I stopped at a couple of beaches, not too many sunbathers out and about despite the great weather. I noticed more people along the picturesque Strandvägen road that follows the water. I made a last stop at the guest harbor, looking at the different ships there, that is always fun, at least for me. If you would like to see more photos from Nynäshamn I have 800 photos in my flickr set.

Bärgningsbil

I passed it a bit up the road. I was on my eBike, heading for Nynäshamn when I spotted the 1976 Scania tow truck parked at a bus stop. The driver, let's call him Tony, was busy photographing it with his smartphone. I figured he had to come my way a little later, so I stopped on a bridge nearby and waited. So Swedish word of the day is bärgningsbil.

Sixteen Recent Summer Snaps

Another day, another collage. A new hospital at Södermalm, still under construction. A military ship, HMS Belos, at Skeppsbrokajen. A man out in his wooden boat at Djurgården, getting the Swedish flag wet. Towers, new and old in Stockholm. The amusement park, Gröna Lund, snapped from Södermalm. The winners of a photo contest displayed on the fence at the Hungarian embassy. A Dala-horse in an old window at Fjällgatan. A Djurgården ferry. Saltsjöqvarn, an old mill in Nacka, today an apartment building that screams, location, location, location. A sculpture of the beloved poet Cornelis Vreejswijk in the park that bears his name. The flag flying at Kastellet. E-scooter, they are everywhere. A man walking with planks, heading for a boat near The Modern Museum.Old buildings at Djurgården. Zooming in on a hotel facade at Johanneshov. Construction cranes at Slussen.

The Town between the Bridges

Staden mellan broarna. Five photos from the tourist mecca in Stockholm, Gamla stan. Always crowded with visitors and locals. There's a good areal view at the Wikipedia article. In the top photo you can see a book shop that I have used many times, it sells a lot of science fiction novels. The second photo shows the square Järntorget. The smiling guy in the third photo is walking down Österlånggatan. Oh, and if you look hard in the fourth photo the girl in black is wearing a face mask. The last snap shows people relaxing at Café Nova.

A face mask!

It is so unusual seeing anyone wearing a face mask in Stockholm, so I had no choice but to take his photo. Snapped a few days ago at Götgatsbacken in Stockholm.

Ponte dei Sospiri, (Swedish version)

The nickname, suckarnas bro, comes from Ponte dei Sospiri in Venice. This is Norra Bankogränd, Gamla stan, Stockholm. There are two old bank buildings here, they date back to around 1770, Norra Bankohuset, and Södra Bankohuset. The elevated walkway in the allwy was used to transport money between the two buildings back in the day. Both buildings are listed today.

Slussen

Slussen is an interesting place in Stockholm, for a lot of reasons. It is currently being rebuilt, making the traffic situation here even worse than before. It is a very busy transport hub with the Metro station and the bus terminal, so it sees a lot of people during the days, and evenings, which is why it is popular with street photographers. Here are three photos from two recent visits. The photographer in the top photo had just photographed the Polish people in their National costumes when I snapped the photo of him in action. The two teenage girls had just walked up the golden bridge, and the kissing couple were saying their goodbyes at the Metro station.