Haymarket

A dozen images from the flea market at Hötorget. I am finding it hard to stay away from this weekly event. Such a great place for street photography. People from all over the world visiting. Young, old, couples, loners. I recognized a few people, both buyers and sellers, but most faces were new. My favorite from this is, wait, I am not going to tell you that just yet. Pick your own, why don't you!

The Arborist

Cycling home, I often stop at the new seating area down by the water in the old town. Munkbrokajen. There are a number of benches there, all in the direction of the water, towards Slussen and Södermalm. But if you look the other way towards the square Kornhamnstorg there is often something to aim the camera at. This time it was two arborists hard at work. One of them was working high up in this nifty lift, rented from Skyab. Obviously I should have photographed him with my nifty fifty lens, but I left it at home, so I shot this with the 60mm lens.

The Low Line

The old railway track below Södersjukhuset on Södermalm. It ends at a tunnel at the hospital. Today a green area where people have been growing vegetables for a decade. Inspired by the High Line in New York. There is no official name, but someone suggested Stockholm Low Line. The railtrack is still there and can be used in case of an emergency. Let's hope that will never happen. I have shown you photos from this area before, it is known as Tanto, or Tantolunden. There are several big allotment gardens here. And the most popular Stockholm walk passes by here. And there is a beach here. And a lot of water. And a huge green park. And several marinas. And more.

Drottninggatan

A few street scenes from Drottninggatan, snapped while making my way to the Centralbadet that I showed you yesterday. The woman in the top photo stopped in front of several stores, filming and photograph herself. The people in the second photo were happy to see me, which is always nice, of course. The woman in the second to last photo looks more uncertain about the photographer, but we finish with another smiling couple realizing they were being photographed.

Centralbadet

Sometimes I show you street photos from the number one shopping street in Stockholm. Drottninggatan. If you turn right halfway down going in the direction from the Royal Palace, you can end up at this little gem. The green garden at what used to be Hårlemanska malmgården. That is what the architect Wilhelm Klemming did in 1901. He then bought the property and built the famous spa, Centralbadet. The water feature in the top photo was made by Klemmings daughter Greta, and it is today surrounded by a couple of restaurants. It is tricky to photograph the building, but here are two photos with interesting details. The fountain and bust depicting the architect Wilhelm Klemming looks as old as the spa, which was finished in 1904. But it is not. Made just 20 years ago by Helene Aurell and Nigel Wells.

Strandbryggan

If you enjoy expensive food and drinks, and being photographed like on a zoo, this is the place for you. Strandbryggan means the beach pier. It is located at the end of Strandvägen, next to the bridge over to Royal Djurgården. The location is top-notch, as the walk along Strandvägen is one of the more popular in Stockholm.

I balans

A thirteen-meter-high glass sculpture by Frida Fjellman at Ersta Nya Sjukhus at Södermalm in Stockholm. The new hospital is still under construction, although from the outside everything looks more or less finished. The big opening will take place come the early Autumn, I think.

At the flea market

Another Sunday visit to the weekly flea market at Hötorget, the Haymarket square in Stockholm. I never buy anything when I am here. I am here to look at the people.

Coincidence?

This is a very expensive hotel at Brunkebergstorg in Stockholm. Called At Six. Opened by the Norwegian billionaire Petter Stordalen. The second photo shows The Fishery, a very good seafood restaurant at the hotel. I took these photos while out walking a few days ago, shooting mostly facades. A couple of days later, I get a call from my brother. In town with his girlfriend for four days. They live in Barcelona. No time to visit me as he had a very busy schedule. We are staying at this 5-star hotel, he tells me. At Six. And as he has a Gold or Diamond card because of all his flying, they always upgrade him to a top floor suite, seen in my photo. When we talked today, he was back in Spain. The best meal they had in Stockholm was at this seafood place, The Fishery. My second photo, so we laugh about these coincidences. Me shooting his hotel and dinner place without knowing he would be there two days later. He then sends me a photo of three books that his business partner's wife gave him. One of the books being the novel I am currently reading! The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. Always fun then things like that happens.

Explosive art

If you walk down Östgötagatan on Södermalm you will pass two big turquoise copper gates. At the Katarina power station. Made by the artist Mikael Pauli some thirty years ago. The technique he used for making them is a bit special. He was told by the electrical company that the gates had to be able to withstand an explosion. That gave him some ideas. With the help of an explosives expert, he dug a huge hole in a forest up North. He filled that hole with hundreds of everyday items, like an old TV, coins, a guitar, a chair, a few bottles of beer, an old suitcase, a pair of skis and more. They then added the copper plates which were four by twelve meters big. And over that they put some plastic and masonite. Before finishing it off with a lot of penthrite. After that, they filled the hole with water from a nearby lake with the help of a tractor and a few big tanks, and blew it all up! They did that three times. And from that, Mikael created the two big gates. My kind of artist!

Tucat

Per Alfred Ekdahl, (piano), and Charlie Sandström, (saxophone), performing as Tucat on Orfeusscenen at Konserthuset which is located at Hötorget in Stockholm. Playing Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday. This is a pop-up stage, and you can just walk right in for a listen, which is what I did on a Sunday in July.

Stockholmsverken

I was sitting on a bench at Rosenlundsgatan on Södermalm, close to the commuter station eating a sandwich, thinking that it might be fun to photograph this old brick building, known as Gjuteriet. A former cast iron factory. From 1909. Designed by Nilsson & Nyqvist. Built for a company called Luth & Roséns Elektriska Aktiebolag. It was one of several big industrial buildings in this area. They picked the location because of the railway station. Around 100 people worked there. So I gave it a go. I stood up against a wall. It took 27 photos! Shot with the 60mm lens. Using the Canon 77D. This area is totally transformed today. All the industries are gone. But some of the old buildings remain. Today you will find bars, restaurants and modern innovative companies inside.

A Royal Garden

I totally forgot about the theme day which is Garden. Luckily for me, I visited The Rosendal Palace pavilion at Royal Djurgården recently. It used to be a Summer palace for parts of the Royal family. It dates back to 1820. Built for Karl XIV Johan. Designed by the architect Fredrik Blom. It is a museum since more than 100 years. Open to the public during the Summer. You will often see people sunbathing on the lawn in front of the Palace, or families out having a picnic. If I had remembered about the theme day, I would have walked over to the garden, but you can read about it here. Oh, and the sculpture is of Venus. And in the last photo, a tour guide asked a question about an historical event that took place here, and one of the people in the group knew all about it. So the guide said, well, I guess I will tell that story to the rest of you then.