Snaps from a lake (with a long rant)

The plan was to bike into the city. Meet a friend for a walk around Årstaviken on Södermalm. My friend would probably take the commuter from Handen. But I got another flat tire and had to stop at Klockelund. Called my friend. He arrived in his car. So we put the bike in the car and then spent quite some time trying to find parking before the walk around the Årstaviken bay. Turned out to be impossible. My friends blood pressure went up as he started screaming at the evil world. So we figured lets walk around lake Flaten instead, or even better Ältasjön where we had never been before. So that is what we did. Turned out to be a much longer walk than we expected after looking at the map. The first half of the walk close to the water and through the forest was great. But the last half was not as we walked through an area with houses and what have you, so my friends blood pressure rose again. The word älta means that you go over the same negative thoughts over and over again, which was what my friend really did. Which I happily told him a few times during the 10 km walk. Also, he had some issues with his back which didn't help. But back at the car nearly two hours later his back problems were gone, and he was feeling fine again, and I got a ride home, which was nice.

Midsommarstång

Tegelbacken was voted the least liked area in Stockholm a few years ago, mostly because of the heavy traffic. So the City decided to change it. The work started in the Autumn of 2024 and finished this week. Sort of. This part is ready. Rödbodtorget. It was just a busy road two years ago with many buses and cars. Today it is a little square with benches and a new sculpture, (photo to come). During my visit earlier this week nearly all the benches were filled with office workers enjoying lunch in the Summer sunshine. The building to the right is Centralpalatset. The park continues on the other side of it with more benches, a kiosk and a grassy area that is still not open for the public. Oh, and we celebrate Midsummer today, hence the temporary Midsommarstång on the square.

Strolling through the city

Another day, another walk around Stockholm. Top photo shows a smiling girl on a bike at Södermalmstorg. She looked kinda familiar. Next, a few young people resting on a bench at Södermalmstorg. I named the third photo lämmeltåg. It can mean a bunch of people all walking in the same direction, like here, gone shopping at Hamngatan. Then a woman doomscrolling outside Gallerian, the first indoor shopping centre back in the 1970s. Not far from there is Kungsträdgården where a man is walking his dog. That park is always a good spot for street photography as we can see in the next lunch break scene. And still in The King's Park a cool looking woman walks by. Lidl set up a pop-up store in the park which was all about BBQing, which is where the guys are relaxing. A fun Summer pastime here is queueing for free soft drinks which we can see in the next two photos, still in the park.

Another Summer promenade

Time for another Summer promenade. The second this year at Lake Magelungen in Farsta. Perfect weather. This time my walking buddy Hasse and I started at Ågesta. Walking around the southern part of the lake for the first time. Past the Marieborg boat club. Spotting a very fit canoeist from the Ågesta bridge. Walking for some of the time along the waterline with a lot of greenery to the left. Met quite a few people, including cyclists and a guy on a monowheel. We stopped for thermos coffee and cake at the halfway mark. In total, maybe an 8 km walk.

Lunch on the balcony

Mariaberget at Söder Mälarstrand. I would not mind living there. Photographed from the pedestrian bridge that connects the old town with Södermalm.

Street snaps

Out walking in Stockholm. Photos from Stureplan, where the posh people meet and eat. Humlegårdsgatan. Östermalmstorg. Nybrogatan, Biblioteksgatan and Norrmalmstorg. In no particular order. It was a good day for it.

Berthing & Mooring

The "hoppilandkalle" hard at work berthing Teaterskeppet. Fun moment for the tourists, and me. The ship in normally berthed further down Skeppsbrokajen but the Royal Norwegian Navy ship K/N Norge was back in town, so they had to move here. Hoppilandkalle is a fun and very dated word. Back in the day used to describe the young man who would jump ashore with the rope. On this occasion the woman doing it here were never on the ship in the first place.

National Day of Sweden

It was time for another scenic walk along the picturesque ring road in Nynäshamn. My walking buddy and I started at Hembygdsgården, (not seen here), where the National Day celebrations had just got under way. You walk along Strandvägen and a bay called Fagerviken. Lots of fine boats to look at here. A quick count told me that most of the boats were in the water now. Having a pebble in your shoe sure can be annoying. The little dog had just noticed a few people he knew. I always take at least one photo of the Nynäs Havsbad Spa. About the Oldsmobile photo. Some people in the Swedish subculture known as Raggare are a bit different. They see the Confederate flag as a symbol of rebellion. The couple on the bench showed a good spot I sat there with two friends a few weeks ago. The last few photos show a house and a beach at another bay photographed from Hamnviksvägen.