A close-up street portrait

On a recent promenade snapping away right and left I noticed this redhead standing out from the crowd, well not really, it was just the two of us there near Norra Latin, so I raised the camera as if to ask if I could take a quick portrait, she nodded, I took the photo and then we walked on.

What big eyes you have

Bank palace at Kungsträdgårdsgatan with a classy entrance. Sculpture made by the classicist Ivar Johansson, a member of De tolv. The Twelve.

Street observations

I parked my bike at the Royal Dramatic Theatre at Nybroplan and went for a walk along Strandvägen. It was a sunny afternoon. Lots of people out and about. Top photo shows people enjoying something to drink at a pier at Strandvägskajen. In the background the world-famous Wasa Museum and the amusement park Gröna Lund. Next, three tired tourists at the ferry docks. The woman on the bench with the pug tried her best to make me just photograph the dog, but I was a little too quick for her. In the end we both smiled. The dog looked more serious though. Next two guys chatting up two gals at one of the posh restaurants. They reminded me of two ice hockey players. Then a dad and his daughter at the ferry port Nybrokajen. She had a nice star. Always fun to see people out walking their bikes. I'm guessing the runner was his girlfriend. Tourist season is around the corner and I saw several people working on this archipelago ferry. It looked to me that one of the guys were holding a champagne glass in his hand. You can never have too many selfies, right? I spotted the flying tiger as I waited at a stop light at Nybroplan. A woman dressed for Winter out walking with her daughter, maybe. We finish with a snap of a white bicycle outside the very expensive Diplomat hotel, famous for its Afternoon tea.

Classic comics

It's a good thing I am not a collector of comics. I'm sure I read most of these growing up. And back then I had a big collection of them. I guess my parents threw them out at some point. Alvglans, at Östgötagatan on Södermalm.

Mäster Mikaels gata

All the old houses that once stood here was destroyed in the big Katarina fire in 1723. In total, around 500 houses were lost to the flames. After that huge fire it became illegal to construct wooden houses here, but just six years later these houses were finished at what is today Mäster Mikaels gata. All the buildings are today owned by the City. The young woman came out from number 8 as I took the photo. Must be an interesting place to live.

Kapsylen

Two of my friends, both of them music idiots, (at least if you ask them about it), have spent many evenings and nights in here working at Kafé 44. When one of them retired, his friends, (everyone in the music industry) arranged two concerts in his honour. All the bands played for free and Tompa got all the money. It was a secret for him up until a few hours before it happened. I learned about it a few months before it happen while out driving with the other music idiot. The bands playing were: REFUSED WEEPING WILLOWS TEDDYBEARS (Hardcore set) MONEYBROTHER NOMADS SATOR ASTA KASK STRINDBERGS NO FUN AT ALL THE BABOON SHOW DE LYCKLIGA KOMPISARNA TROUBLEMAKER PSYKBRYT KSM3 (Gäster: Stefan Sundström, Kajsa Grytt, Hasse Edström mfl) ADAM NILSSON COCA CAROLA MONSTER. I was reminded of that as I walked by there the other day.

The door

A favorite door this, at Katarina on Södermalm, with a historical view, and with the Katarina church from yesterday's post in the mural. If you have good eyes you can read the word varuintag on the door. Which means that it is used for deliveries.

A church bell with a story

Fifteen minutes before midnight on the 17th of May 1990 the fire alarm sounded. When the fire trucks arrived from the oldest fire station in the world, which is very close by, it was already too late. The Katarina church from 1656 was lost. The church did not have any smoke detectors. It burned down for the first time back in 1723. This is the old church bell. It weighs 4200 kilos, it fell down from the tower during the 1990 fire. It survived, the others melted. Some material from the melted bells were later used to make the new bells. The church was rebuilt and opened again in 1995. The church photo dates back a few years. I took the church bell photo on a walk last week.

Beer O'Clock

Four photos from Kägelbanan at the Mosebacke Terrace at Katarina on Södermalm. If you ever visit Stockholm this place with a great view over Stockholm is a must. It was a sunny Spring weekend and everyone seemed happy enjoying beer, cider and more.

The Frog

A sculpture at Björns Trädgård on Södermalm. Grodan. The Frog. La Grenouille. By Per Hasselberg. What can I say, the sculptor like young girls. I have photographed some of his work before and recently a relative to one of his young models left a comment on one of my photos. Bit of a sad story that. Different times.

A day at the flea market, (part two)

A second bunch of photos from the flea market at Hötorget. Always fun to look at all the different people here. The November LP is a good one. Considered the first ever "metal" album form a Swedish act. Although a modern Metal Head would probably disagree. The girls jumping off her bicycle looked very familiar. A singer, maybe. I stalked the guy wearing blue-green. The female photographer were aiming at a building on the square where today there is a hotel called Haymarket. The guy on the phone is probably calling his wife asking for permission to buy another wristwatch.

A day at the flea market, (part 1)

A few street snaps from the weekly flea market at Hötorget.

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story

I remember hearing a story about the cannonball on the wall at Stortorget, the main square in the old town. It was supposedly aimed at the Danish king Christian II. Also known as Kristian the tyrant in Swedish. This should have been a year after the Stockholm Bloodbath. So in 1521. The less exciting truth is a bit different. The cannonball was placed there by Carl Adolph Grevesmühl in 1795 when he had the building renovated.

Chasiv Yar: Fireproof

”Chasiv Yar: Fireproof” is an open-air photography exhibition created by Ukrainian soldiers from the 24th Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo. It documents their defense of the bombarded frontline city of Chasiv Yar. The exhibition features photographs by Oleg Petrasiuk displayed on bullet-riddled fences collected directly from Chasiv Yar. The exhibition’s true power lies in the fact that it was created entirely by Ukrainian soldiers themselves – the very people who fought for the town, documented the evidence of Russia’s war of aggression, and preserved the memory of their fellow soldiers. In a sense, the installation itself is as expressive as the photographs, as it allows visitors to literally touch the reality of this war – here in Sweden. Photos by Oleg Petrasiuk, and I recommend checking out his Facebook account for more info. I took my photos at Kungsträdgården a few days ago.