Fotoeins Fotografie

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Posts tagged ‘Stockholm’

Gamla Stan, from Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday: Stockholm call to summer

From the vantage point of neighbouring Skeppsholmen island, the Old Town in Stockholm beckons softly to the visitor with visual promises of pointed roofs, colourful facades, and narrow passageways. Summer days are very long and there’s little “dark of night” at these high latitudes; there’s no point going to sleep when the sun pops back up at 330 in the morning. But wherever you are in Stockholm, there’s always something new to find in either open spaces or hidden corners, by day or at night.

More from Stockholm:

•   Why Stockholm is super
•   Daytrip to Vaxholm in Stockholm’s archipelago
•   The colours of Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town
•   Say Hej! to Lisa in the Saluhall, Östermalm Stockholm
•   Greeting Greta Garbo in Stockholm’s SkogskyrkogĂĄrden

I made the photo above on 26 June 2008 with the Canon EOS450D (XSi), EF-S 18-55 IS kit-lens, and the following settings: 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO200, and 35mm focal-length (56mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-5xj.

Alhambra, Sierra Nevada, Granada, Andalucia, Spain, fotoeins.com

UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Around the World

Since 1995, I’ve been fortunate to experience significant travel: first as green graduate student on my first (of many) trips to Chile; followed by the opportunity to live and work in 3 countries on 3 continents inside a span of 10 years. I didn’t give much thought about their relative importance at the time, but I’m lucky to have visited a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS).

UNESCO World Heritage logo, Wikimedia CC3 license

( Click here for images and more )

Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden, fotoeins.com

7 reasons why Stockholm is super

There are at least seven reasons why I believe Stockholm, Sweden is a super place to visit.

  1. Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town
  2. A visit to the Saluhall in Ă–stermalm for a look at what’s up with food from Sweden and Scandinavia
  3. SkogskyrkogĂĄrden, an enormous urban green space, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and also marks the final resting place for Greta Garbo
  4. Daytrip and ferry to Vaxholm in the archipelago
  5. Sodermalm, for a rough, dirty, edge, as well as smart upcoming trends in art, style, design, and fashion
  6. Skeppsholmen island, and the Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art)
  7. DjurgĂĄrden, home of the Vasa Museet (remnants of the shipwrecked vessel Vasa), the Nordiska Museet (Nordic Museum), and a large green space

Yes, of course, Scandinavia is expensive. But then again, why would anyone visit if they knew and wanted to visit cheaper destinations in the first place, only to turn around and complain about how expensive the destination was when they visited?

Fact is: Stockholm is super.

If you have an opportunity, grab it and get yourself to Sweden, especially during the final weeks of spring to the first two weeks in summer. However, Stockholm might feel a little empty in July and August, as many vacate the city for the cabins to enjoy as much of the summer outside of the city.

Stockholm archipelago, Sweden

I made the two photos above on 26 June 2008. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com.

North to Strömkajen (harbour quays), Stockholmsström, Stockholm harbour, Stockholm, Sweden, fotoeins.com

My Stockholm: daytrip to Vaxholm in the archipelago

Above/featured: Stockholmsström (Stockholm harbour).

One of the great attractions in Stockholm is its archipelago (Stockholms skärgård), a network of over 20-thousand islands in the Baltic Sea. An easy get-away from the city, Vaxholm is a favorite for many, accessible by bus, by car, or by ferry.

It is with the latter, the Waxholmsbolaget ferry service, that I set off on a day trip. I boarded the boat at Stockholm Strömkajen for the hour-long ferry to Vaxholm. The return boat journey puts me back at Stockholm Strömkajen.

The Official Roslagen site describes Vaxholm as:

Vaxholm, called the archipelago’s “capital”, is the gateway to Roslagen from Stockholm. The town is a hub for boats travelling to the central and northern archipelago – Roslagen’s archipelago. Vaxholm’s municipality includes about 70 islands.

Vaxholm has lots of trees, beautiful homes and cottages, all within easy reach of the water. Because of its proximity to Stockholm, Vaxholm can also be expensive. But if you’re looking for something different in the Stockholm area, Vaxholm is an ideal daytrip for some peace and quiet by the water’s edge.

( Click here for images and more )

My Stockholm: the colours of Gamla Stan

Buildings with bright beautiful colours.
Narrow cobblestone alleys.
Street signage with few consonants.

This is Gamla Stan: Stockholm’s Old Town.

I love the mystery of trying to parse a different language, even when I’ve twisted my tongue into unrecognizably knotted grunts.

With the summer solstice in late-June, the days are long, and skies remain lit until the wee hours of the morning. You can walk through the streets of the old town by day, like other visitors who’ve come to enjoy the place. But I highly recommend you navigate the streets at night. By mid-evening, activities wind down, and eventually, you’ve basically the quiet streets all to yourself.

Gilded crown, Skeppsholmsbron, Skeppsholmen, Stockholms ström, Stockholm, Sweden, fotoeins.com

View of the Stockholms ström inner harbour from Skeppsholmsbron (Skeppsholm island bridge).

Högvaktsterrassen, Hauptwachsterrassen, Main Guard Terrace, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

From Högvaktsterrassen (Main Guard Terrace): Riddarhuset (House of Nobility, left); Mynttorget (Coin Square, centre foreground); Riksdagshuset (Parliament House, centre background)

Kornhamnstorg, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

Statue of Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson at Kornhamnstorg (Grain Harbour Square)

Stortorget, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

Standing tall, at Stortorget (Great Square)

MĂĄrten Trotzigs Grand, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

At Stortorget: Storkyrkan (Grand Church); Börshuset (Stock Exchange Building), now Nobel Museum

Sankt Göran och Draken (St. George & the Dragon), Köpmanbrinken, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

Sankt Göran och Draken (St. George & the Dragon), at Köpmanbrinken (Merchant’s Slope)

Gamla Stan from Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden

Grey rainy skies over Gamla Stan, from Skeppsholmen island

Gamla Stan and Strömmen, from Katerinavägen, Södermalm, Sweden

Gamla Stan and Strömmen, from Katerinavägen, Södermalm : 1130pm

Tyska Brinken at Prästgatan, Gamla Stan, Sweden

Tyska Brinken at Prästgatan : midnight

Börshuset, Nobelmuseet, Stortorget, Gamla Stan, Sweden

At Stortorget : Börshuset / Nobelmuseet, minutes after midnight

Please do yourself a favour — go to Stockholm in the summertime. Yes, it’s expensive compared to other European destinations, but worthwhile things to see and do await in Gamla Stan, Ă–stermalm, Södermalm, DjurgĂĄrden, SkogskyrkogĂĄrden, and in the archipelago (e.g., Vaxholm by boat).

More

•   Daytrip to Vaxholm in Stockholm’s archipelago
•   Say “Hej!” (and to food) at Lisa Elmqvist in Ă–stermalm’s Saluhall market hall
•   Greeting Greta Garbo in the SkogskyrokogĂĄrden

I made the photos above on 25 to 27 June 2008, just after northern summer solstice. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com at http://wp.me/p1BIdT-JI.