Slava Ukraini

Nordic Ukraine Forum. Sergels Torg. That is the happiest photographer I have ever seen. There is a meeting here once a week. A man was standing on the stairs giving a speech in Ukranian. And just as I took the photo he said something about Putin, and people started laughing.

Pippi Longstocking

I decided to check out the annual Christmas window display at Nordiska Kompaniet at Hamngatan. I knew that it would be hard to get any clean shots, so I took a few snaps from across the street, and they all looked like this one. People everywhere. I think there are six display windows. The theme this year seems to be Pippi Longstocking. This photo is from last Sunday, but I was there again today, and it was even more people and chances are that it will be the same for the next month.

A day at the market

Been a while since my last visit to the weekly flea market at Hötorget. A bit chilly. Maybe 5C. But quite busy, still.

STHLM City Food Hall

Apparently, so good, they named it twice. A food hall at Klarabergsgatan. Never been inside, but a Flickr contact said that it was well worth a visit just walking through it.

Blue hour photography

A photographer at Södermalmstorg. Aiming her camera at the DN highrise building at Marieberg on Kungsholmen.

The Grinch

I spotted The Grinch in the Buttericks Christmas display window yesterday. At the busiest pedestrian street in the country. Drottninggatan. Packed with people on a Sunday, well any day really, so I was lucky to get a clean shot without waiting too long.

A Winter photo

It started to snow a few days ago. Never much fun. Chaos in the traffic everywhere. Many people stuck out on the roads for many hours and through the night. Mostly because big trucks got stuck. Everyone blaming each other for it. As in the norm these days. Not so bad in and around Stockholm, though. And today, this Sunday morning all the snow is gone and as I am getting ready to go for a snow free bike ride it is maybe 3C. I took this snow photo yesterday when it was still a bit chilly.

Feeling Violated

Biking into the city I spotted two guys painting at the legal wall Farstaväggen, so a few hours later on my way home I stopped for a closer look. After uploading the photo to Flickr my Dutch contact Steef informed me that this was a character from a show called Dexter's Lab, and that this is Doug McPherson. Yet to see that programme.

The daily grind

November afternoon. Klarabergsgatan, Stockholm.

The Central Bridge

Blue hour photo from the new square, Södermalmstorg. Aiming the Canon towards Centralbron. Behind the bridge we can see the Mälardrottningen ship at Riddarholmen. Once known as Lady Hutton, it was a birthday gift for a teenage girl. Behind it, Stockholm City Hall at Kungsholmen. To the right, the former Government building with the Riddarholmen church rising behind it. Several monarchs are buried there.

Spot the worker

A photo of the Globe Arena at Johanneshov. Although the new name is Avicii Arena, it will always be known as Globen to me. I still remember my first visit, just a few weeks after it opened. I watched Sweden beat Canada in the Ice Hockey World Championships. This was my second photo of it on this day while at Hammarbybacken because after taking my first photo I noticed the worker who probably was fixing something on the gondola. Fun fact, the nearby highrise known as Skrapan would fit inside the huge sphere, which for many years was the biggest such building in the world.

Office Hours

November afternoon. A recently renovated office building in central Stockholm.

Monochrome Monday

The forecast promised rain in the early afternoon, and they were right. I biked home in the rain, but before that I managed to walk up the Hammarbybacken ski hill again. This bench on the top of the hill is a favorite and I like all the gray tones here. If I had a say I would place another similar bench here facing the forest that you can see here.

Kristallvertikalaccent

This large sculpture from the 1970s, placed in a fountain at Sergels Torg is hard to miss. The official name was to tricky to remember so it was nicknamed pinnen, the stick.

Sju brunnars stig

A late Autumn walk at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Skogskyrkogården in Enskede.The Path of Seven Wells, looking towards the Meditation Hill, Almhöjden.

The kings garden

Walking through Kungsträdgården. Stopping for photos at Non Solo bar, along Birgit Nilsson allé. And at John Scotts that looks out onto the big fountain in the park. Looks very warm and inviting.

Hotel Kungsträdgården

All very logical. It is a hotel. You can find it at Kungsträdgården. They offer 94 unique rooms. If you are a Francophile, this is the place for you. The building dates back to 1764 and was built for the countess and painter Eva Bielke. Just a few years later, the noble Piper family bought it. They kept it for two hundred years and added a few stories during that time. The hotel dates back a decade.

Windows

I do enjoy photographing windows. I took these two photos while walking down Svartensgatan after my visit to Mosebacke.

Dylan & Gollum

Hellstone Music. Always something worth looking at while window shopping here. The store at Götgatsbacken opened thirty odd years ago by the drummer Sven Hellsten. Some of the very different artwork seen here over the years was made by the illustrator and jazz musician Jan Lööf. Oh, and behind the dynamic duo Dylan & Gollum you can see Katarinahissen, which is just a short walk from the store.

On the outside, looking in

Three popular places at Götgatsbacken on Södermalm slowly filling up with people out for a good time.

Christmas already?

Christmas windows in early November at Götgatsbacken on Södermalm in Stockholm. Way too early for that sort of thing, but as it gets dark here so early now I can understand why they do it.

Mikkeller Södermalm

Mikkel drank a lot of beer in his youth. Then he became a teacher who started experimenting with hops, malt, and yeast at home in his small Copenhagen kitchen. Long story short. Today he exports his craft beer all around the world. Much more info here. There are two Mikkeller pubs in Stockholm. This one can be found at Östgötagatan on Södermalm.

Blue hour at Mosebacke

I walked up to Mosebacke at Katarina on Södermalm. The big terrace where people enjoy a cold beer on warm Summer evenings. Not too many people around. I spotted one tourist who was leaving when I walked in and two people at a table talking. I had a look at the views and then took this photo that shows Skeppsholmen with the amusement Gröna Lund at Djurgården in the background.

Bastard Burgers

Street food like a Bastard. Inspired by something they tried in New York. Big chain today with restaurants popping up all over the place. This one can be found at Folkungagatan on Södermalm in Stockholm. They do everything their own way, whatever that means.

Need something to read during the dark days?

Söderbokhandeln at Götgatsbacken. Since 1927. A classic book store.

Puddle Reflections

Walking along Skeppsbrokajen, part of the old town, after a few rainy days. Stopping for photos at Logårdstrappan which is sometimes used when important visitors arrive by boat and is greeted by the king and the PM. If you would like to go on a boat trip in the archipelago you can do that on M/S Sjögull.

Enjoying the views

Cycling towards Stockholm. Stopping at Klockelund for a few photos from the circular pier. Nice Autumn views of Lake Drevviken towards Sköndal, the terrace house, a few row boats and the Hökarängen boat club. They are still building more apartment buildings here, close to the water, so the pier have become much more popular, although on this visit it as just two other people there. I continued on the boardwalk that goes to the little beach, Hökarängsbadet. It was closed off last week as they were replacing some of the old boards but open now although a little slippery with all the leaves.

One hundred days of darkness

November is here and with it the dark days. So I will probably take more night photos from now on. Took these yesterday as I managed to get out after the stomach problems. The first photo shows STHLM 01. A newish highrise with a sky bar, which is the rule these days. Then comes Folksamhuset. From 1960. At Skanstull, my aunt worked at that insurance company for many years. The third photo shows The Social Lounge at a hotel at Johanneshov. Lastly, the 3 Headquarters, also at Johanneshov.