Downtown Birdwatching

Well I for one always enjoy some birdwatching every now and then, just look at my post from yesterday. But here it was a sighting of an unusual bird at Kungträdgården. The park filled up with male birdwatchers in no time at all. I asked a friend, and he told me that it was a Ring-billed gull that would normally be in the US, and not in central Stockholm.

Babe of the day

One of the more known streets in Stockholm is Kungsgatan. It is not a very old street. Not even 100 years old. But it has still undergone some serious renovations for the last two or three years. I missed the official opening after the renovation, when speeches were held by politicians and what have you, but figured I could check it out a few days later. Nothing to report, really, so I did what I would normally do and took a few street snaps. This girl came from Stureplan which is a very posh part of the city.

Mälarterrassen

Mälarterrassen at Södermalmstorg. A new square that opened to the public earlier this month. It is very open, so it will be a bit windy. There's a lot of stone, granite. And places to sit. Trees and flowers to come. On my first visits last week, two places were open for anyone wanting a fika. The view towards Gamla stan is of course great. There are two glass buildings still under construction. I tried all the stairs up and down between the square and vattentorget below. The ew square is part of a massive project known as Nya Slussen that I of course have documented for a few years already.I already like the place, although some architects not involved in the project have expressed their dislike for it, as is the rule these days.

BBQ Time

I was doing nothing at all out on my veranda yesterday afternoon when one of the usual suspects called and asked if it was time for a BBQ. It was. So I jumped on the bike and pedalled the 14 kilometres to Villa Blåmes in Norrby. The third suspect, Jujja showed up in his old Volvo as we were carrying up the furniture from the storage room. He brought with him Bruichladdich whisky that could only be bought on site in Scotland, and some other spirits as well. I was in charge of the grill and I lit it up while the others took the old Volvo to the store as we were out of beer, ice cream, strawberries and crispbread for the salmon and aioli starter meal. Then we enjoyed three different sausages, fries, and a salad. The coma hit as it always does here, so we drank more whisky and Cointreau liqueur before finishing off the meal with Belgian strawberries and vanilla ice cream. The only major issue was the total lack of coffee. Not sure if I can survive that again! The evening continued with more food coma and story telling. Mostly from Jujja about his Scotland travels and birding at Gotland. The bike ride home during sunset was quite nice thanks to the warm Summer evening and possibly helped by the alcohol consumed. I finished the evening looking at an episode of Unforgotten while enjoying a mug of coffee.

A new square

This is a six-photo panorama shot through a fence from The Katarina Elevator on Södermalm. Looking down at a square that have been totally closed off for several years. Södermalmstorg. But it opened for the public a day or two after I took this photo. The view from Katarinahissen is pretty good, and I try to visit occasionally. It was also closed for a very long time because of the gigantic Slussen project. I visited the square yesterday and the day before that, so many photos to come soon.

And the living is easy

Sergels torg.

The portral

Völundsgatan. Sankt Eriksplan.

A bit unexpected

I can't say that I ever expected to see a Google Cloud Dala Horse. But now I have. Kungsträdgården a few days ago.

Bicyclemania

Time for some bicycle photography. We start with a panning photo, shot at 1/100th of a second at Slussplan of a guy on a rental bike, partly using his phone while cycling. Next, a woman doomscrolling down by the water at Skeppsbrokajen. In the third photo, a couple chatting away at Skeppsbron. Someone over at Flickr noticed the woman's fox brooch, Googled it, and most likely ordered one. Next, a stylish biker at Gamla Brogatan, close to where I took the two detail photos that I showed you three days ago. We finish with a cyclist riding up the golden bridge at Slussen. The tattoo on his arm reads Noah Karlsson Cortez, which most likely is his son who lives in Uppsala, I know that because I googled the name.

Torpedo Boat

T121 Spica. Torpedbåt. Veteranflottiljen. Torpedo boat. From the mid 1960s. In service until 1987. Listed as a historic ship. Today a museum. Usually moored at Djurgården, but I spotted it at Skeppsbrokajen a few days ago. You can book a ride with the ship here: www.t121spica.se/bokningssida/

More Summertime

Four Summer views from Drakenbergsparken and Tantolunden on Södermalm. This is one of the more popular parks in Stockholm. There's also a rocky beach along the Årstaviken bay, usually packed with sunbathers, weather permitting. The walk along Årstaviken is always very busy, and I usually bike around it. There are two big allotment gardens on a hillside overlooking the bay. There are restaurants and food trucks, miniature golf, a legal graffiti wall, and more. I have seen a few concerts here as well as a Greta Thunberg protest, and last Summer a strong man competition. Oh, and boats of course. Many boats.

Details

Walking along Klara norra kyrkogata, between Gamla Brogatan and Mäster Samuelsgatan at Norrmalm in Stockholm, stopping twice for photos.

Summertime

Four photos from a few days ago, taken at Rålambshovsparken on Kungsholmen in Stockholm. The park was packed with sunbathers, picnickers and beach volleyball players. This is one of the more popular parks in the city. There is another beach nearby. And a marina, and a lot of activities for kids and teenagers. Summer is looking good so far. We celebrate our National Day today and there will be a lot of fun activities to check out if the rain stays away.

Sørlandet

The Norwegian heritage tall ship Sørlandet visiting Stockholm. Photographed from the temporary pontoon used for bus parking and as a bike path at Stadsgårdsleden. And to the right you can see part of the Fåfängan hill where I sat on that bench two days ago. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8rlandet_(ship)

AIDAdiva cruise ship

Another one of my photography rules, while walking around Fåfängan, photograph one of the visiting Cruise ships docked at Masthamnen. No idea why these lazy people are not enjoying Stockholm, though.