A sign of Spring

I guess this counts as a sign of Spring. Two dudes taking out the Ferrari convertible for a spin. Photographed at Strandvägen in Stockholm.

Götgatsbacken

Five street shots from Götgatsbacken on Södermalm. A new project of mine. I spotted the girl in the top photo before she spotted me. Many interesting shops in this area. For all sorts of streetwear. And quite a few bars and restaurants. Hirschenkeller is a legendary place. They have at least three different places in Stockholm, and I was a frequent guest at one of their other pubs during my beer drinking days, but I am yet to try this one.

Stop the Palestine genocide

A photo from the weekly demonstration in Stockholm against Israels war in Gaza. I don't know which organization is behind it. I happened upon them at Strandvägen earlier this afternoon.

A sunny Spring day

Five recent street shots. We start with two photos from Hornstull, a hip area on Södermalm with a lot of trendy cafés and restaurants, two of which you can see here. But everything is really down to earth. As I took the second photo, a group of friendly drunks were nearly run over by a police van that honked it's horn to wake them up! The third photo shows Babylon, an institution at Björns trädgård, also on Södermalm. The fourth shot is from Skeppsholmskajen near the water in the old town, where there are lots of construction going on at the moment. I remember hearing the story that Zum Franziskaner at Skeppsbron dated back to 1421. The beer hall itself says that it dates back to 1622. But the latest I heard, or read, which was at Wikipedia, says that it opened for business in 1889, and that it has since moved to this building that was finished in 1910. Still, if you enjoy a beer, go for it. Finally, popular benches at Sergelgatan close to Sergels torg and the cultural center. A good spot when the sun is shining.

The 2024 Spring Look

I aim to please, so here is the 2024 Spring look. Spotted while window shopping at NK in Stockholm. So now you know how to dress in the coming months. You are welcome.

Window Shopping

I did a bit of window shopping at Nordiska Kompaniet at Hamngatan in Stockholm a couple of days ago.

Stockholm i mitt hjärta

A new deck in the water at Söder Mälarstrand on Södermalm. Behind the red heart. It has been there since November of last year. Part of a project to make this part of Södermalm more interesting. At least according to the chairman of Stockholms Hamnar, Jens Holm, a politician that I met in the middle of nowhere many years ago when he was a bit lost and needed some directions to get to a ferry! The title means Stockholm in my heart. That was the title of a song by a popular artist called Lasse Berghagen.

The unwritten rule

There must at every given time, at the very minimum, be at least one bicycle parked in every alley way in the old town. I this case a mail bike from PostNord.

Weather Report

My first and my last photo from Friday. I cycled home in a chilly Winter rain, which is never much fun. At home, I noticed a few new crocuses on the lawn, so I walked in and got my 60 mm macro lens and took the top photo using my Canon 77D. A few hours earlier I was on all fours at the UNESCOWorld Heritage Site Skogskyrkogården at Enskede in Stockholm trying to get a photo of some snow drops. For that shot I used my mirrorless Canon with the 85mm lens. Oh, and we are expecting a serious snow fall in the greater Stockholm area today.

The sunny spot

I often cycle over a bridge called Skanstullbron on my way into Stockholm. Halfway over I sometimes stop to photograph this view, so you have probably seen it before. Betongbryggan. The concrete pier. At a square called Fredriksdalstorget at Hammarby sjöstad. From late Spring to mid-Autumn it is often very crowded with serious sunbathers, or hungry office workers enjoying an outdoor lunch. This time of the year it is quieter. Last Summer I remember photographing a delivery boat approaching with food to some hungry person.

Quote of the day

Spotted outside Kulturhuset at Sergels torg in Stockholm.

Stortorget

Out walking near and around Stortorget, the main square in the old town in Stockholm. It was a sunny,although chilly day but warm enough to enjoy lunch with your friends on the stairs to the Nobel museum.

Street Art by Hilma Franzon

Cycling past the Farsta graffiti wall a few days ago I could see an artist working on what looked like a wild animal, so I made a mental note to remember to stop for a closer look and a photo the next time I was in the area. And two days later I did just that.

Tifosi

Cycling home from Stockholm I stopped at Johanneshov, at a bicycle parking to eat an energy bar, I always have a few with me just in case. Standing there at the Tele2 Arena I spotted this group of football fans walking up the stairs. The upcoming game was DIF-IFK Göteborg. A match in the Swedish Cup. 15 fans arrested, DIF won the match 3-0. But I am sure these group enjoyed the match, and that they were also seen and heard.

Slalom anyone?

Well, maybe one more Winter related photo then. And not only because it is -5C this morning. This is a hill in Stockholm called Hammarbybacken. This time of the year you can ski down the slope as you can see in this photo that I took from Fåfängan a few days ago. A few Summers ago I was walking up that hill when I was caught in the hailstorm of the century. The plan on that day was to shoot a number of photos from the top of the hill but I had to quickly make my way down the muddy, and very slippery hill, and I haven't been back since.

A final Winter post?

A bunch of photos taken from the circular pier last Sunday on my way to Stockholm. From the bike path, I could see a few people out on the ice on Lake Drevviken, so I had to stop for a closer look. It was two guys ice fishing. You can see old buildings at Sköndal on the second photo. I was chatting with a few people on YouTube yesterday evening. On a channel called, Let's Walk Around Stockholm, and someone pointed out that another member had posted videos from this lake, so I checked them out, and the guy who had uploaded the videos, Kenneth, told me that he took a Winter bath here just a few days ago. Possibly from the pier here.I will not go swimming before midsummer!

International Women's Day

A day late I know, but this graffiti work at the legal graffiti wall in Farsta did not appear until yesterday and when I took this photo I had already published yesterday's post. But better late than ever, I guess. The work is signed with an anonymous A, I can't remember seeing that signature here before.

Hagaesplanaden

A few recent photos from Hagastaden in Stockholm on the border to Solna. Everytime I visit I see a new building under construction. These all have cedar facades and looks very cool to me. I think the address would be Norra Hagaesplanaden. There are two streets here. One is for bicycles and the other one is for very slow vehicles, six to eight km/h. There will be a big area for the kids to play in and a lot of trees, benches and outdoor cafés. The new metro station will open later this year.

Missed opportunities (rant)

Yesterdau morning I debated with myself about packing the zoom lens as I knew about the NATO/Gripen flyover, but in the end decided not to bring it. Walking across Stortorget in the old town, I said hello to the former PM Stefan Löfven, and asked him if I could take a portrait. He said, what? And then pretended not to understand me before walking on and then chatting with a few people outside a café, to the amusement of two suits that also had recognized the politician. And then, a few minutes later at Riksbron as I had just jumped on the bike, the flyover happened, so I hit the brakes. Jumped off the bike. Grabbed the camera in the bag and snapped away, hoping for a good shot of the B-1B Lancer, the B-52 Stratofortress and the two escorting JAS Gripen planes with the 85mm lens. How was your day photography wise?

Around the block

Five recent photos from a walk in the central parts of Stockholm. A woman crossing the street at Stureplan. The entrance to the mall Sturegallerian. Two people with their smartphones near a bridge at Kungsgatan. An eBike parked outside a 3 store, also at Kungsgatan, where I guess the owner of the bike works. My eBike was parked nearby, btw. And in the fifth and final photo the corner of Sveavägen/Kungsgatan. The empty property owned by Hufvudstaden has seen many shops over the years. Adidas moved out last Autumn, I guess because of the high rent.

Breaking News

We interrupt the flow of Stockholm posts on the daily photo blog with this breaking news story from my lawn in Tungelsta. After a cold night with-3C, the temperature rose to 7C and that is when this crocus woke up. Later in the day I also managed to sit on the veranda in the afternoon sunshine enjoying a mug of coffee while listening to a podcast. But this morning we are back at freezing from a very gray sky.

Gone fishing

Often when I cycle home from Stockholm, I use a very narrow bike path that goes along a canal known as Riddarholmskanalen. It runs between Gamla stan and Riddarholmen. Above it, you will find a very busy road. I, for one, would like to remove that road all together, something not very likely to happen. Anywho, the urban canal is popular with anglers as are all waters around Stockholm, btw. Not sure what might have happened here looking at the two funeral wreaths. I nodded to the fisher before taking the photo, and he nodded back. The guy walking on the second photo is doing that on the very narrow bike path that can be scary to ride on during rush hour. Just a few days ago, local politicians took a decision to widen the bike path, but it will probably be a few years before we can see a result on that. The building that you can spot on the second photo is Riddarhuset. House of Nobility.