Betania

Time for another visit to rural Österhaninge. This time to a place called Beteby. Not far from Stadsberga, and it was after a visit to that village that I decided to continue down the gravel road for another kilometre or so. I have noticed a few unusual looking buildings here on previous visits, and luckily for me I saw the owner out working in the garden, so I walked in and introduced myself. This is Betania. The name comes from the biblical village Bethany. Today a private home, but once upon a time this was a Baptist Chapel. I was invited to have a look inside, and the old building hasn't changed much since it served as a chapel. The other building also has an interesting history. It is a "loftbod" from 1880. And it has travelled a long way, 930 kilometres. Originally it stood in the village Bodsvedjan, outside Boden, not far from the Fortress. Many years ago a young girl used to sleep in the hut. But when she grew older and moved south she decided to take the old loftbod with her. So today it stands in the garden at Betania. When it was first built it was most likely used for food storage.

Sara

I have never been any good at guessing anyone's age. When I spotted Sara from a distance in Västerhaninge, I figured her to be around sixteen years old. That probably made her happy, because in reality she is a few years younger. Come the fall she will be an eight-grader in her school in Handen. Sara is into music. She claimed with a little smile that I was probably not familiar with the bands that she was listening to. And I will have to agree with Sara, because I can't remember listening to Mindless Self Indulgence, a band that describes their music as industrial jungle pussy punk. Another band that I will have to check up on are Porcelain and the Tramps. When she's not listening to those bands, Sara will probably be busy playing on her guitar or synthesizer. So in a few years time, when she is famous for her music, remember where you heard about her first!

Three Cool Rides

Are you like me, will you wave down an interesting looking car or motorcycle if you happen to see one? I guess probably not. But that's what I do. Here are three cool rides that I have documented this summer. The first photo is a Ford Roadster replica. It is registered as an amateur built vehicle. The owner, Lasse, who I met at a filling station in Jordbro the other day, bought the car last year from one of his friends, and it was the friend who built the car. The second photo shows Bengt on his Rewaco trike. I met him in Tungelsta, he is a friend of The Biker . If you want a trike like this one, be ready to pay around 350 000 SEK. The third and last photo is an A Ford from 1931. I spotted that one on a recent visit to Vendelsö. And as you can see the owner and his passenger smiled for the camera when I told them to do just that.

The Goth Girl

Meet the Goth girl. This is Malin. A student from Gothenburg. Interested in photography. She's in Stockholm visiting family. I have a thing for girls with red hair, so when I noticed Malin in a store at Vendelsö, I knew I had to take her photo. The only reason for my visit to the store was to buy a few pens. I always take notes when I meet and photograph people, and on this occasion I had left them on the kitchen table. Which only proves that having a poor memory can sometimes lead to great photo opportunities!

In Flight

Paragliding is a popular sport in Sweden and in Haninge, and I often see and hear them on warm summer evenings. There are a few different types of gliders. This is a powered paraglider. One of four gliders that I spotted hovering over the old tree in Tungelsta on Thursday evening. As I shot this photo I figured it could be Johan, who enjoys this somewhat dangerous sport, or perhaps his daughter Malin. But on Friday, visiting my barber, another paragliding enthusiast, Mikael told me that it was a few friends of him that were out flying.

Josephine

After shooting a very cool panorama photo at Alby in Österhaninge, I decided to stop at the medieval church and go for a photo shoot there. And funnily enough that was exactly was Josephine had been busy doing. She works with graveyard management and had just finished documenting some of the tombstones at the graveyard when I arrived. I hadn't planned to shoot any portraits, but figured it was a good opportunity, as we were both there for the same reason. Josephine lives at Vendelsö in Haninge and one of her hobbies is soccer. She is a midfielder and plays for Vendelsö IF. But just as the previous soccer player, The Strawberry Girl, that I met earlier this summer, Josephine is out with an injury, and hasn't played for a while because of a bad knee.

American Timber

This is Fridhem. A property at Lida. It was built back in 1922. The builder was my maternal grandfather, Oskar Andersson, who never lived here himself. Fridhem has an interesting story. When the rail-road to Stockholm opened a little over a century ago, many new businesses came with it. In Tungelsta that meant a number of new laundries. Fridhem was one of them. Here is the interesting part. Back in the 1920s cars imported from North America were transported in wooden containers. Anyone who wanted could get the timber from the containers for free, at the harbour in Stockholm, as long as they paid for the transportation. And all the buildings seen here (except for the modern garage), was built with that wood. If you look closely on the second photo that I took inside the big laundry barn you can still read what was written on the wooden containers. On the third photo you can see the wringer building. The laundry closed many years ago. Since the 1930s someone from the Björklund family has always lived here, and once every year, Karl Gustaf Björklund usually has a big yard sale here. Earlier this summer I visited what turned out to be the last sale. Because just a few weeks ago Karl Gustaf, who is in his eighties, moved out after selling the property to a developer. So it is very likely that all the buildings, except for the house soon will be gone. And with it a part of Tungelsta history. I have talked to a few members of the historical association and hopefully they can perhaps save one of the buildings. If not I have at least been there on two occasions lately to document it all.

André & Felicia

It was a warm and sunny summer day, and when I spotted this couple coming towards me on their inline skates in Handen, I knew I had to take their picture. This is André Leckremo and his fiancée Felicia. They live in Handen. Felicia used to be one of the many girls out here who was into horseback riding, but has now given up that hobby. She works at the nearby Quality Winn Hotel. André works as a klottersanerare (try google that) and is a very good ice hockey player. He is a defenceman and plays for Haninge HC. And he visits the gym every now and then. I figured this would be a perfect summer portrait and I'm quite happy with the photo.

The old Stadsberga Farm

As promised here are a few more photos from Stadsberga, the little village in rural Österhaninge. By chance I met the birdwatcher Henrietta on a recent bike ride. And when we realised we here heading the same way we decided it would be fun to hang out for a few hours. Going on a photo shoot with a birdwatcher can be interesting. Every time Henrietta noticed a bird, a butterfly or even a cool cloud(!), she had to stop and have a closer look through her binoculars. Once we got to the village we decided to check out one of the three farms namely Stadsberga Gård. I don't know the owner of this farm so I don't have so much information about the place, but it does look like your typical farm from way back when with a few old barns, big storage silos and more. The big red building on the last photo is Årsta Säteri which once was the largest wooden building in Europe. More photos from Stadsberga (from my visit with Jim), to come.

The Chikken

Attitude doesn't have to cost much these days, just take a white t-shirt and write Blä! on it and you are there. And here is the proof. This is Kykklingen. I met him only a few minutes after shooting a portrait of the beautiful Jenny. His real name is Joel.The nick name is misspelled on purpose because that's how the cool kids does it. The Kykkling lives in Jordbro, but goes to secundary school in Örebro. As you can probably guess Joel plays in a band. They play Metal, and The Chikken plays the guitar. They don't have a MySpace site yet, so we can only guess how they sound! After this short chat I shot a few quick snaps because The Chikken had a train to catch.

A Summer Evening

MaCoBra left a comment a few days ago asking me if it wasnt time for another photo of the old tree at Välsta so here it is, the most famous tree in Haninge. Shot this on Saturday. It was a beautiful summer evening. I was the only one there, and to prove that here is a 360 panorama shot from a stony area on a field.



The only thing different from my last visit was the hay bales on the side of the path. As I left Välsta I met an Englishwoman on a bike and we agreed on the fact that it was a perfect evening for a bike ride.

Blue Eyed Girl

This is Jenny. I met her at Torvalla in Handen and decided to ask her for a portrait. She's got amazing blue eyes, so the t-shirt with the Manga girl looks extra good on her I think. Jenny works at Getupdated in Stockholm as a production assistant, but is currently on her summer vacation. She has two kids that keep her busy. They are into soccer and handball. But the kids are not the only sports fanatics in the family. Jenny loves soccer and especially Hammarby. So much so that she works as an usher for the team on her free time. That means two nights per week, which include all home matches and a few away games as well. When I mentioned Barbie, another soccer crazy girl who is a big AIK fan (another Stockholm club), she just smiled and shook her head.

Pastoral Idyll

I really love riding my bicycle. I prefer rural areas and gravel roads where there's no traffic to speak off. Over the last week or so I have been busy pedalling up and down most of the old roads in Österhaninge, shooting farm buildings, runestones and the odd Baptist chapel. All scenes that you will see on this blog in the next week or so. This is a view that I have come to really enjoy. This is Stadsberga. A small village with three farms, two of which you can see here. Remember Stig-Arne? The man you saw with my friend Jim at the old Smitty a few days ago. He lives in the farm house to the very left. On the other side of the big tree you can just see part of the Bakehouse. It is more that 300 years old and the bake oven is still there although the building today serves as a private home. Next is the stable and above that is the old barn where you can see something a bit different. To the right is Stadsberga Gård which I visited with Henrietta a couple of days ago. If you climb the steep road you will get up to a number of small red cottages that you can rent for the summer. All in all this is an idyll.

Kasimir & Wojtek

Meet Kasimir Ruhnke and his son Wojtek. They had just arrived to Sweden and Nynäshamn with the ferry from Poland when I met them. They live in Duisburg, Germany, but are originally from Poland, and they told me that they have been in Człuchów visiting the family. And now they were on their way to Stockholm. From there they will be pedalling north. All the way up to Boden. Then they will head over to Finland and continue south to Helsinki. And after Finland, the next stop will be Tallinn in Estonia, before they go back home. All this in around 16 days, which sounds a little short if you ask me. And as they will be sleeping in their tent, lets hope that the next few weeks will be warm and sunny! After our chat I started shooting, only to realise that I didn't have any battery in the camera! Luckily for me I had an extra battery in the bag. A bike holiday through Scandinavia seems to be a popular choice this summer. It was only two weeks ago that I met Maciej here, he was heading for the North Cape.

Moo!

There's something special about cows. And as I live in an area with quite a few farms, I do see a lot of cattle on my journeys around Haninge. And as with many other things I have to stop for a closer look and some photos especially as these cows are very photogenic. The top photo was taken near Alvsta on a recent bike ride with my friend Jim. This is Scottish Highland cattle, also known as Kyloe. Just after I took this shot Jim was on his way into the pasture to check out a standing stone, but as that got the attention of the herd, he was quickly back on the other side of the fence!



I shot the second photo close to Stadsberga, but it is actually from the same pasture, and the cattle all belong to the nearby Årsta Säteri. This was from a bike ride just two days ago with Henrietta, a birdwatcher I have met a few times. We stopped at a few interesting places and I will show some photos from our trip in a day or three.

Bacon

This is Rebecka, or Bacon as her friends call her. I met her at the Västerhaninge shopping centre. I was waiting for my flickr contact Jim, and figured I had time to shoot a portrait when I noticed Rebecka. She lives in Västerhaninge. She's a student at the Fredrika Bremer secondary school in Handen as are quite a few of the young people I have photographed. She'd just arrived home from a visit to Kokkola in Finland where her maternal grandparents lives. Her paternal grandfather is Italian. He comes from Udine in Northern Italy, so Bacon has spent many summers in that part of Europe. I told her of a visit to Lago di Garda, and she said she had been there as well. As I sometimes do I mentioned one of my previous portraits, taken here in VH, the priest Sara, and that brought a smile to Rebecka's face as Sara was her confirmation priest. By now Jim had joined us, so I took a few portraits of Bacon and that was that.

The old Smitty

In rural Österhaninge near the Hårsfjärden bay there is a picturesque little village called Stadsberga. I have visited the Västergården farm before, so you know at least one horse that lives there! And I have shown you the beautiful rural road that leads up the Middle Farm. A few days ago Jim and I decided have a closer look at the Mellangården (Middle Farm). Luckily for us we met the owners, Ulla and Stig-Arne Skärbäck. They bought the place back in 2001. As Ulla disappeared into the stable with one of her horses, Stig-Arne gave us a guided tour around the old farm. So you can expect a few more photos in the next week or so. But today I will show you the old smitty. It's around 300 years old and in need of restoration. Stig-Arne and his wife have been busy fixing up all the buildings at the farm, but have yet to start with the smitty. We climbed (!) in and sat on the floor (mind your head), as Stig-Arne and Jim discussed all the stuff in the smitty. What you see here is a Fältässja, (a forge). A tool that the smith used to heat up the metal. This is a portable version and I believe it was foot-powered. It's hard to understand, but the smitty was in use up until 25 years ago.

The Tricycle Constructor

I saw this unique tricycle in Jordbro. It disappeared down a tunnel so I followed suit, and that's how I met with Rifat and his son Mehmet. Rifat is from Turkey, but has lived in Sweden since 1996. He has his own auto repair business in Jordbro and lives nearby. And he has designed this patented tricycle. It is called an Arda Bike. It's unique, as it is powered by both pedals and hand cranks. Rifat hopes to have ten bikes ready for sale later this year. If you want one, be ready to pay around 30 000 SEK. Mehmet told me that his dad used to drive him to kindergarten on the bike, but that he is too big to sit on the extra seat now. Rifat told me about another idea he had that sounded interesting. He would like to be the first person to travel between Stockholm and Istanbul on a tricycle. Sounds like fun! I was invited to visit his shop, and have a look at the construction of the bikes, so it's possible that you will see more of this tricycle in the future.

The Abandoned Farm

This is the abandoned (well sort of), Högsta farm at Åvavägen in Haninge. I guess most people that pass by here on their way to the Högsta Motor Stadium or the Tyresta National Park don't think twice about this place. The last person who lived here was Bertil Eriksson. He sold the property in the 1960's, but lived here until 1990 when Rolf Norlin and his wife bought the nearby Hammarby Farm. Berra has written a message above the door to his house. It says Merry Christmas, so maybe Berra moved out sometime after celebrating one last Christmas here. After leaving Högsta Bertil moved to an apartment in Handen, bud died later the same year. He was originally from Gålö. Rolf Norlin now has plans to build a new stable here, and is hoping to fix up the old house with the help of some of his employee.. On the field behind the house there's even a runestone from the Viking Era. If not unique, that has to be a bit special!




There are a few buildings of interest here. Together with my flickr friend Jim I had a look around the farm a few days ago. The big barn looks like it could collapse at any time. Inside we found one horse carriage and two sleighs. One of the sleighs ought to be at the nearby Berga Agricultural museum I think. Another item that should be in a better setting is the Thermænius Treshing Machine from 1950. There are not many of those still around. The company that made it, AB Johan Thermaenius & Son, started in Hallsberg in 1894. Since then the name has changed as many times as it has changed owners, today the owner is Volvo.



I should point out that there are signs of life here. The property is owned byTina and Rolf Norlin. It's their crops that surround the runestone. The Norlin's live and work at the nearby Hammarby Farm. They rent out the stable building, where a group of young girls have their horses.

Anna

There's often horseback riders at the ancient grave field in Jordbro and this was no exception. This is Anna and her horse Rose. Anna is from Haninge and has her horse at the Hässlingby stable (where I was chased by a few horses a couple of weeks ago). As Anna has a family, and a job to keep her busy, the horseback riding is the one hobby she has time for. Speaking of horses, there are more than 120 companies in Haninge involved in the horse industry. And more than 2000 horses. The municipality is planning a horse trail that will connect all parts of Haninge, which is good news for all horse lovers. And it looks like a new race track might be built near the Berga agricultural school in a few years time.

Up in Smoke

But not the Cheech and Chong version.

Quit smoking before you will go up in smoke. That's the name of this piece. Made by the artist Bengt Hurtig. From the 2009 Art Promenade in Österhaninge. The theme this year is Money. I was a smoker myself for many years. Started smoking when I was eleven years old. Decided to give it up when I was thirty and haven't touched a cigarette since. I wonder how much money I have lost to smoking and how much I have saved since quitting.

The Globetrotter

If you see someone with a camera at Krigslida chances are that it's me photographing smiling joggers or weird machines. So when I spotted this guy out shooting, I zoomed in on him to see who he was. This is Magnus. He grew up here but moved away when he was eighteen. Today he was back to see what had changed. And he has travelled quite a bit. All the way from São Paulo in Brazil. Magnus works for Ericsson and has been living abroad for around five years. After the summer holidays he will go back to South America, but then he will probably move to Santiago, Chile where he was stationed before, and that's also where his girlfriend lives. It's a great life he told me. He has been able to visit a few interesting places like Easter Island. Before South America he was based in South Africa and he has also worked in the USA, so he is quite the globetrotter. He told me that it was a strange feeling walking around here compared to the crowded cities in Chile and Brazil and that he felt that people here were staring at him when he walked around with his camera aiming it to all the familiar places from his youth. I didn't have a notebook on me today but when I saw a woman in her garden looking at us I walked over and got some writing paper from her.

Roe Deer Buck

Whenever I am visiting Slätmossen, the old peat moor, made into a popular bird park in Handen, I expect to meet pretty girls like Andrea or the Sun-Worshippers, or even a Dalmatian, but yesterday the park was empty. But suddenly I noticed a Roe Deer Buck walking up behind some trees where it started to eat some tasty blueberries. I was on the bike so I stopped slowly not to scare away the animal and took out my camera from the bag. I had to change to the zoom lens but the buck didn't mind waiting. Normally the animal will run away when they hear something, or if you get to close. But on this occasion it was yours truly who jumped back onto the bike and headed for home while the deer continued his lunch.

Two Cool Dudes

I was in Handen when I noticed these two guys leaving a tattoo parlour and figured they would be interesting to talk with. And I was right. Meet Hugo and Robban. They haven't been friends for very long, they met while working. Hugo was the most talkative of the two. He is originally from Norrköping and is looking for an apartment in the Stockholm area whilst living at his sister's place in Västerhaninge. He described himself as a skater who is interested in piercings and computers. Robban was the one who was going to get the tattoo, and he was at the parlour to book a sitting. The tattoo he wanted was some sort of skull on his left arm. Robban's big hobby is fantasy painting, and he is apparently a decent artist. After I took a few snaps of the guys, Hugo asked if I could shoot a few portraits of him, which I did then and there. And if he liked the photos he said he was going to buy them, and I have mailed him a contact sheet.

A lucky escape

You need to be careful these days. Dangerous creatures are everywhere. Out walking on a very warm day I was suddenly in a garden and before I knew it I was surrounded by gargoyles and dragons. I nearly stepped on a crocodile that was lurking in the water. On the walls there was many evil figurines looking down on me. In a tub one of the grotesque figures were spitting at me. They say that the devil comes in many forms, and after my visit to this scary garden I will have to agree with that. I managed to escape unharmed into a glasshouse where I was able to get some coffee and relax my nerves. But then as I was trying to escape all the monsters, I took a wrong turn and suddenly a zombie was slowly creeping my way. I froze, but managed to pull myself together, lifted the camera and took a few snaps before I started running for my life. I have no idea how I escaped, and as my memory from the ordeal is vague, these photos are my only proof of what happened.

Heading to the North Cape!

I guess you could call this a coincidence. Only a few weeks ago I shot a portrait on this exact spot in Handen. Back then I had met Maria from Zakopane in Poland. Now it was Maciej Marczewski from Augustów, which is also in Poland! Maciej had just arrived to Nynäshamn, with the ferry when I met him a few days ago. His first stop on his bicycle trip through Scandinavia was Stockholm, where he was planning to stay for a couple of days. I asked him where he was going after that, and was a bit surprised by his answer, which was Nordkap! Also known as the North Cape in northern Norway. That's quite a journey! He reckons he will be on the bike for the next seven weeks. Very impressive indeed. He has a tent with him so he will be sleeping in that for most of the trip. Which is very economical, I only hope it is water proof. After our chat I wished him the best of luck, and was ready to leave, when he pointed out that I hadn't taken any photos yet! It's not the first time that has happened, but it's always a bit embarrassing! If you speak Polish check out Maciej's website. I'm not sure if he has designed it himself, but it is possible, because he is a web designer.

Bay Side

I spent one hour down at the ferry pier at Årsta Havsbad at the Hårsfjärden Bay on Wednesday. Relaxing in the sunshine near the kiosk as I was taking photos of boats out on the bay. I also aimed the camera at a few tourists waiting for the Silverpilen ferry to arrive to the pier. The boat will take them out to the archipelago and the Utö island. Årsta Havsbad dates back to 1929. It was built as a summer resort for workers after an idea from the architect Sven Wallander. Seven hundred small wooden houses were built along with a hotel (it burned down in 1970), and a number of stores, including a butcher and a hair dresser. Today it looks a bit different as many people live here year round. Despite that all the stores are gone, except for a pizza place and a small convenient store at the square. If you recognise the name, it's because this is where you will find my favorite beach and I have shown you a number of photos from here over the last three years. Here is a link to a beach panorama I shot last month.

Meet The Vicar

This is Sara. One of the priests in the Västerhaninge-Muskö parish. I met her at the Medieval Västerhaninge Church on Tuesday. And when I noticed her modern outfit I decided I had to take a portrait of her. Sara comes from Handen. She has a twelve year old daughter. Her hobbies include painting and playing classical music on her piano. Sara told me that she has been a priest for four years. The reason for my visit to the church was that I wanted to climb up the tower and have a look at the great view from up there. Unfortunately that wasnt possible on my visit as the man responsible for the tower was elsewhere. And that was probably for the best, as just a few minutes after I took this photo it started to rain and a thunderstorm quickly followed. And I know that the tower has been hit by lightning on at least one occasion

Malin

This was a chance encounter. Just ten minutes after I shot the photos in yesterdays post I was on the bike and decided to take a shortcut on a gravel road at Ekeby in Tungelsta, where there's normally no traffic. But on this occasion the roads in the forest were filled with Jeeps and Land Rovers. It was the Swedish Offroad Tour that had a stopover at Ekeby. The event which is in it's fourteenth year started on July 4th in Kristianstad, and will end in the land of the Midnight Sun, in Kiruna on the 19th of July. Around 400 cars and ATV takes part this year, and I sat down and talked to a few people from O.A.S which stands for Off-road & Adventure Society. This is the club's founder and chairperson Malin Bruce. She drives a Land Rover Discovery and had her 12 year old Labrador Harry ( got the dogs name wrong but that has been corrected now) with her. The club is brand new and has 127 members around Stockholm. The members are adventure seekers that enjoy everything from diving and climbing to mountain biking and horse marathon! At the moment Malin is trying to set up a new blog for the club, and we talked a bit about the advantages of blogger, flickr and Picasa. I didn't have the Canon with me, and as I explained that to Malin she told me that I could use her Nikon and that's what I did. So thanks for the chat and the photos that just landed in my gmail box.

Abandoned Plant Nursery

Sometimes I ask people if they can guess how many family owned greenhouse nurseries there has been in Tungelsta in the last 100 years. No one has ever been able guess the correct number. Or even been close. The correct answer is 95. Today 8 of those 95 plant nurseries are still in business. This is not one of them. This is Stenvreten at Karlsro. This greenhouse skeleton is the only evidence that there once was a nursery here. As you can see it's very over-grown, and on my visit on Saturday the place was crowded with butterflies. If you look more closely on the ground you can still see the foundations from some of the other greenhouses.




On a small hillside overlooking the greenhouses, this is the house where Viran Eklöf lived. She was the woman who owned Stenvreten. I don't have any information about her. But by the looks of it the house has been abandoned for around forty years or so, but there was still some window decorations left. As I walked around the house I found a marble table in the garden. As I stood there it was easy to imagine how it must have been to sit there in the berceau, drinking coffee and chatting away an hour or two. There was a padlock on the door, so I couldn't go in, but from a window that faced the greenhouses they must have been able to see the steam train pass by on the Nynäsbanan track. Next to the house there is a small barn, and if you continue past that building the road will take you up to a modern house. I don't know the people that live there or if they own this property, but it's a good location and I'm a bit surprised that no one has bought the old nursery.

A Sign of True Love

You don't see too many people with matching shoes, so when I spotted this couple in Handen a while back, I knew I had to ask for a photo. This is Anders (or Bentley as he is known as in the gaming community), and his girlfriend Emmi. Anders works as a security guard at the Jordbro business park and Emmi is a nursing assistant. For now she lives in Västerås (100 km away), but is planning to move back to Haninge. And when that happens, the couple with the matching shoes are hoping to live together.

Romancing in the park

Here are as promised a few more photos from my recent visit to the Häringe Castle down at the nature reserve, at the Häringe peninsula. On my walk around the garden I noticed this couple near the pond at the 17th century palace. I took a quick snap and I don't think they saw me.



Just in front of the main entrance you can see this sculpture. If you like Shakespeare, Häringe is the place for you this summer. The Mirror Theatre group is setting up the comedy The Taming of the Shrew at the Rotunda, that for this purpose has been made to look as a piazza in Padova. It's not the first time that the theatre group sets up a Shakespeare play. They have been doing that for 24 summers. But it is the first Shakespeare place at the castle. And as the castle today is a popular hotel, you can buy a package that includes the show, dinner, a room for the night, and breakfast in the morning. Or you could go for the Josephine Baker suite in the seawing. It comes with a jacuzzi, and if the kids don't like the play, the hotel have 42" TVs with Playstation. All the rooms are named after famous celebrities and movie stars that have visited the castle.