Haymarket

Well, I am pretty sure that I have a new addiction. The weekly flea market at Hötorget in Stockholm. Impossible to stay away. Love to walk around here with my mirrorless. I never buy anything, but I take a lot of photos. Such a great mix of people here. This time I arrived a few hours earlier than usual so the streets were not as crowded, but it sure was crowded at the square.

Geometrical Reflection

Kinda cool, me thinks.

The new normal

Like I said in a previous post. The Swedish Security Service has raised the terrorist threat level from level 3 to level 4. So this is the new normal. Police armed with automatic weapon patrolling the streets, like here at Sergels torg. The reason behind it. It started with the Danish/Swedish right-wing provocateur Rasmus Paludan burning the Quran. He was followed by another nutter, Salwan Momika who also enjoys burning the Quran. I was in Stockholm last week when he did that. I was on the other side of the water, but I could hear a lot of screaming and shouting as people were protesting about his actions. All of this upset a bunch of religious leaders in the Middle East, and they started talking about a holy war against Sweden. Swedish authorities also claim that Russia have something to do with all of this by planting fake news in social media. If you would like to know more, check out this Wikipedia article.

The Blue Benders

Sommar på Medis. Forty free activities during the Summer. The square on Södermalm is called Medborgarplatsen. There's always something happening here. Cycling home a few days ago, I could hear the music, so I stopped for a listen. This time it was a blues band performing on what is an ice rink during the Winter. The Blue Benders. They have played together for around two years.

A bunch of photographers

If I spot another photographer nearby, I will always try to get a photo of them. Here are a few such snaps from this Summer. The attractive photographers in the first two photos were observed at Stockholm City Hall. The guy walking away in the third snap, did so from the weekly flea market that I have shown you many photos from. Then we are back at Stadshuset where two photographers are hard at work, both at "borggården", and in front of the iconic building. And we finish with another wedding photographer, this time at Nybroplan. Oh, and in the fifth photo, there is a bonus photographer. Sean Lewtwaite.

Humlegården

I parked my ebike at one of the three tree lined lanes at the big park Humlegården in Stockholm and went for a photo walk. This is what I saw. The Carl von Linné monument dates back to 1885. When it was unveiled, there were 21 000 plants here. Must have been quite the sight. More about the man himself can be read here. The park dates back just over 400 years. Before that, the land was owned by Ekeby gård. They got it as a gift from King Magnus Ladulås in 1288. Next we see the annex at the National Library. The sculpture in the third photo is in memory of the artist Avicii. Next up, the entrance to Kungliga Biblioteket with a few students arriving. I find the old oak in the fifth photo very impressive. It took ten photos in a panorama to photograph it. Then one of several flower pots in front of the National Library. The rock sculpture was a gift to Sweden by the Chilean artist Francisco Gazitúa. It is called Cordillera de Los Andes. Then another look at the library with another ten-photo panorama. The tree stump is what is left after a big tree just collapsed earlier in the Summer. Most likely because of damage from the big Winter storm last November. We finish off with another tree lined avenue, the one I used when I left the park.

On the lookout

I definitely see more police on the streets, and out on the water, like here at Blasieholmen near the Nationalmuseum, since the national terror threat level was raised last week. And while walking around City Hall during the Antiques Roadshow I spotted security everywhere. I always notice things like this as I am always out with my cameras, and it is hard not to reflect on what might actually happen.

Antiques Roadshow

I often stop by Stockholm City Hall on a whim as it is a good place for street photography. Got a bit lucky here as they were filming for the upcoming season of The Antiques Roadshow. Antikrundan in Swedish. Hosted since quite a few years by Anne Lundberg, she is the woman in the blue dress. She filmed a short sequence as I stopped and watched, and I think she did three takes here. In between all the waiting. The garden down by the Riddarfjärden bay was absolutely packed with people. And they all had something with them to be valuated by the experts. The queues went on forever. So I decided to go for a walk around the garden with my mirrorless Canon. The guy on his knees had brought with him a few old swords. You can also see one expert talking about a few knives. And much more. Oh, and when I left, I decided to bike over to a favorite lookout point and take a photo of City Hall. That is of course the last photo and if you have good eyes you can see all the people queuing in the garden.