Stockholm - again

I spent a few days in Stockholm, excellent weather, nice company… I have already posted about Stockholm (see here and here), so I will try not to repeat myself. If you are a Swede, or have visited the country, you will probably recognise where some of the photos have been taken… and maybe you will realise that the first ones are linked to visits to museums – Nationalmuseum (the top picture), Waldemarsudde, Millesgården, Thielska Galleriet, Dansmuseet.

One nice thing with Stockholm is that there is a lot of water around. You can even visit some of the museums by boat.

Crossing a bridge, I happened to meet the Royal family – on their way to the opening of the Parliament session. (Security measures in Stockholm are not comparable to the Paris ones.)

… and finally, here are just some photos from the  “Gama Stan” (the Old Town) and from the “Söder” (the South) quarters.

Stockholm (2) - the archipelago.

There is a “must” to include in a visit to Stockholm – the archipelago with its some 30.000 islands, islets and rocks, a few smaller towns and villages and some 50.000 holiday cottages.

It could perhaps be mentioned that the archipelago (and the surrounding area) is named “Roslagen”. During the “Viking times”, Swedes coming from this area went east. Some of them, the people of “Ros”, settled there, were then referred to as the “Rus people”, which finally led to the name of the state of Russia – you can read about it, more in detail, here.

A number of ferries and boats of all kinds offer communication between Stockholm and the islands.

In Sweden you can enjoy the “Allemansrätt” (everyman’s right) - everybody should have right to nature. This also gives the right to go ashore or anchor anywhere which is not in the direct vicinity of private buildings - perfect for boating, further helped by the fact that there is no tide.

There are still some old steamers around. To finish my Stockholm visit, with some friends, I took an evening tour on one of them. It found its way among the islands from Stockholm to Vaxholm – and back.

Here are some views of the “Blidösund”, built in 1910, and of what you can watch from the inside or from the deck – the September weather was exceptionally kind.

When it got dark we went inside for an excellent dinner.

A last glimpse of the full moon and, earlier in the evening, something (what?) moving in the sky. 

Stockholm (1)

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Some 1.4 million people live in the urban area. It’s situated on a number of islands and on the coastline with the lake “Mälaren” on one side and an archipelago leading to the Baltic Sea on the other. As we can see there is water all over the place. Large cruising vessels and ferries can reach the very city centre.

Here are some photos where we can see e.g. the “Grand Hotel”, the Parliament building, the Royal Opera and the “Dramaten” (the Royal Dramatic Theatre) …

… the Royal Castle…

… the Town Hall…

… the Vasa Museum (housing the 17^th century ship Vasa), the amusement park “Gröna Lund”, the full-rigged 1888 ship, “af Chapman” (now a youth hostel) and the Nordic Museum.

Outside the “Moderna Museet” there are works by Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely and Alexander Calder and inside by Picasso, Dali, Matisse, Rauschenberg, Duchamp, Louise Bourgeois, Wifredo Lam….

The central little islands, the “Gamla Stan” (the old town) have kept a number of old buildings and narrow alleys.

This is also where you find the Stockholm Cathedral (“Storkyrkan”). Among the inside treasures there is a 15^th century statue of “Saint George and the Dragon”.

Some other old buildings, partly wooden, can be found on the southern banks (“Söder”). This area has been and is still to a high degree linked to the local artistic life.

It’s possible to go bathing on the banks. The exceptional mid-September splendid weather of course helps. 

Some views of the differently decorated subway...

…remembering that biking is an alternative and a very popular way to get around.