what's missing

The question of the day is "What's _issing _n Stockh_lm City?". I don't know where to begin, but as the _issing letters spell MIO I guess what's missing (in their twisted minds) is a MIO furniture store right in the middle of everything. I couldn't agree less. But who am I to say? Except that Stockholm is a nice city anyway. Why don't you come visit us?

Sveavägen (map), 27 Dec 2007 - click on pictures to enlarge

bandy

Bandy is a game played on an ice field the size of a soccer field, using a single round ball about the size of a tennis ball, but rock hard. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal using sticks. Here we see spectators entering the Zinkensdamm arena where the home team Hammarby today beat visiting Sandviken by 8 goals to 2 in the premiere bandy league. Turn to Wikipedia for everything you ever wanted to know about bandy.

Zinkensdamms IP (map), 30 Dec 2007 - click on pictures to enlarge

View From a Bridge

With winter solstice being over and done with, we can finally begin looking forward, seeing a bit more daylight each and every day - and this set of pictures is a reminiscent of the glorious, luscious summer past as well as a reminder of what lies ahead of us. In just a few months time we can hopefully enjoy this view from a bridge called the Western once again.

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And if we've been nice enough, someone might treat us to a coffee break named fika at this semi-secret hideout below the bridge. With a wonderful and relaxing view over the city we love so much...

högalidskyrkan

All Saints' Day in the Högalid Church

Högalidskyrkan (map) 4 Nov 2007

the mill

The Mill at Waldemarsudde

have a nice walk (2)

photo: Lena Johansson

Walking here the day after Christmas I found decorations hanging in the trees along the path. Somebody wished the walkers a Merry Christmas. Or was it to the birds?

Lake Aspen, Botkyrka (map) 27 Dec 2007

mosebacke (3)

This triumphal arch is the hallmark of Mosebacke. Enter through it and you're on Mosebacke Terrace, ready for food or music. Preferably both.

Mosebacke torg (map) 20 Sep 2007

Have a bite ?

This huge jaw can really bite. It's presently fiesting at the old mail-center at Klara, which gives way for a new hotel/conference-center/officebuilding. It keeps gnawing down the building bit by bit, and it's impressing to look at. I wonder if anything can withstand it ?

Södra Klarabergskopplet (map) 27 dec 2007

jernhusen

These are busy days at the Central Station. The outside walls as well as the ceiling are being painted by light to mark the season.

Centralstationen (map) 19 Dec 2007

Gadget report 3

It's time to write chapter 3 of "den makalösa manicken", which would translate approximately to "the fantastic gadget". In two previous chapters in swedish I have told "the world" what I use to produce my pics. Maybe it's time to do it in a more common language this time ?
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I started off with an Olympus C-1, followed by an Olympus C-2100UZ ( a truly great camera, even today I still love it).
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Somewhere after that, for a short while, I had a Fuji FinePix S3000 - we never came on speaking terms though. The follower was a Minolta Z5.
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I finally decided to step into the SLR-world. My choice was determined by my wallet, so I ended up with a Minolta Dynax (or Maxxum) 5D. I struggled from day one with it. It never produced what I expected of it. Maybe I was too naive. I settled for the standard lenses that came in the package. Later on I've learned (the hard way) that you get what you pay for. In my case too little....
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I endured almost a year. Constantly unsatisfied. Whenever I thought I had got it right, it turned out to be wrong anyway. I honestly can't say that I'm satisfied with one single shot. Agreed - many of them are pretty good, but in my eyes they lack that final sharpness I would have liked to have. Meanwhile I also used a Olympus Stylus 720SW, a drenchable (to 3m) pocketcamera - a nice one, durable too. Is said to withstand a drop from 1,5m. I never tested :-)
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Came the day when I finally saw the truth. Either give up completely or invest in something that actually was a little too steep for my wallet. I took a deep breath and decided that I wasn't prepared quite yet to let go, so I went for the second choice. I spent a lot of time choosing between the Nikon D80 and Canon 350D. The outcome ??? A Canon EOS 30D.

A last minute change. Why? I suddenly realized that a collegue of mine made much better pics than I did. He used a 30D. I also remembered that on my last trip to the Maldives, I met up with a guy who had photography as a sidejob, and he had a Canon EOS 20D, so it could not be too bad.
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So I stepped into the store and with a gulp ordered a 30D and a 24-105/4L IS USM lens plus a 430EX flash. I saw the bills from my wallet fly away in an endless stream, thinking to myself "Am I insane or what....". Paying that amount for a camera....?
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Once home I tried the new equipment. The first 5 pics were better than any of the about 8000 pics I took with the Minolta(sorry about that Minolta, or Sony as it is now). I was immediately satisfied, and with a big grin on my face, told myself that I had made the right decision. This was in april 2007. Now it's late december, and 11500 exposures later I still compliment myself on making that decision to change gear one more time.
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So what's next ? Another shift into the 40D ? I don't think so. Not at the moment. I'm still satisfied with what I've got. I just need a few more lenses. My thoughts were that a 100-400 zoom would be next. But at 15000 SEK it's still a bit out of the question. I want it, but right now I think a decent Macro is more wanted. I'm very fond of getting close to the small animals. Butterflies, beetles and such. Much to the disgust of my fellow peers. Some of them are not really into those kind of pictures. Their loss :-)

red light district

'tis the season for bright colours. Here is a red façade behind the cinema complex Filmstaden ("the Movie City"). Those Hötorget scrapers keep popping up everywhere. Next time they could be blue.

Hötorget (map) 19 Dec 2007

oversight authority

Our center of gravity has sort of moved to Bruxelles lately. There's still a bit of pomp and glory surrounding the parliament, Riksdagen.

Riksdagshuset (map) 19 Sep 2007

yellow sign

Street market's yellow bicycle signals it's market day. This week-end is Christmas market again.

Street market (map), 15 Dec 2007 - click on pictures to enlarge

have a nice walk

photo: Lena Johansson

You can start a 7 km long walk here, around lake Aspen in Botkyrka south of Stockholm. Seven bridges and paths take you around. In a minute or two you are far from cars and buildings. Have a nice walk - but - in the summertime - be aware of vipers sleeping in the sun, looking fat and round, just here! Jump over them or walk another day... (Swedish text here)

donut

Donut? Do not. You've had far too many already.

Sergels Torg (map) 19 Dec 2007

what is this building behind the trees?

What is this building behind the trees?

I thought it was Waldemarsudde but after my last couple of posts, and a bit of googling, I'm not so certain. It is west of Täcka Udden and east of the Mill.

christmas in progress

Once again the investment company Kinnevik (the Stenbeck family) astonishes passers-by when they built a Christmas fir tree out of - fir trees. In 2006 this handmade tree was the worlds highest Christmas tree measuring nearly 40 meters in hight. I see no reason why they should have made it shorter this year. The artificial - but then again not - tree can bee seen at Skeppsbron.

Skeppsbron (map), 20 Nov 2007 - click on pictures to enlarge

window watching (2)

Christmas is approaching, here's a sign of the times at Bastugatan

subway world

Before closing subway day for this month, just a reminder. You can always check out subway photos from other places in our collection subway world. Enjoy!

mid-month theme: subway day

Now, here's a sign of the times - literally speaking. The time until next departure is shown highlighted, and the direction of the lines
is clearly visible too.

subway day is a mid-month theme shared by the following blogs:
New York City Daily Photo - PHO (Paris) - stockholm by pixels

Subway-station Hötorget i.e Haymarket (map) 5 December 2007

mid-month theme: subway day

The subway world is a world of signs. Here is part of the network geography. Tourists who aren't entirely familiar with words like "Fjärrtåg" (long distance train) or "Pendeltåg" (commuter train) will have to rely on the symbols. Bilingual signs should be an obvious thing in this day and age.

subway day is a mid-month theme shared by the following blogs:
New York City Daily Photo - PHO (Paris) - stockholm by pixels

Västra Skogen station (map) 5 Dec 2007

and the not so icy man ?

In an entirely different season, some time ago, the iceman had it much better. Wonder if he remembers it ? Maybe it occupies his mind all of the time, being all frozen now.....

Dutch embassy (map) 9 May 2005

The Iceman

It's obviously hard, cold, naked work being employed by the Dutch embassy in Stockholm. I wonder what the statue union has to say about this, or perhaps the iceman hasn't been able to pay his fees due to the freezing situation?

...and this is....?

I couldn't resist the temptation to take a pic right into the christmas ornaments in Gallerian. There's a lot of blue going on there these days. This is a close encounter of some kind. .

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Gallerian (map) 3 dec 2007

skogskyrkogården (5)

Copper being stolen at the Woodland Cemetery. Sadly, that's how we take care of this world heritage.

Skogskyrkogården (map) 18 Sep 2007

Luma bend

The entrance to South Hammarby harbor, between Danvikstull bridge and the so called Luma böjen "Luma bend". The phrase Luma bend is used when calling the Master at the Hammarby lock over VHF-radio announcing your approach to the lock. Doing this facing the old Luma bulb factory gave him time to open up the lock for you. The phrase is still used but the Luma light is gone, replaced by Hammarby sjöstad. "Luma" is a old local nickname for electric lamp.

katarinahissen

The Katarina Elevator, originally from 1883, was reconstructed in the 1930's. The elevator offers a great view of central Stockholm. When you're tired of the view, you can check out the elevating hardware.

Katarinahissen (map) 20 Sep 2007

on the hills of the South (2)

We're still at Blecktornstrappan on that busy Saturday afternoon. Turning our backs at Mariatorget for a moment, we look in the opposite direction.

birka paradise

November at sea isn't always a picnic. M/S Birka Paradise departs Stadsgården for what looks like a smooth voyage.

Slussen towards Stadsgårdshamnen (map) 4 Nov 2007

here we come - embrace us

Back at Woodland Cemetery again, it seems that these guys are trying to make it for a final escape through the roof. John Lundqvist made the Resurrection statue at the Holy cross (map).
(thanks to Per for correcting me)

The exit

One of the more mysterious tunnel entrances or exits in the Stockholm subway. I guess Harry Potter or the Fellowship of the Ring would love to find out what's behind it...

West of Biskopsudden

Just to the West of my previous picture of Biskopsudden is the estate of Waldemarsudde

window watching

Bastugatan ("the Sauna Street") has many nice old houses. People like to decorate their windows. Could this one belong to a sailor?

heavy spare parts at the north port

17 ton was written on this spare part. 17 is a nice prime number, there are those who say it's the prime most frequently used during lectures. Mind your toes Ladies and Gentlemen! 17000 kilograms is not a prime, it's a weight.

årstaberg (2)

There are so many choices to make in life. At the commuter station one has to decide which escalator to use.

Årstaberg station (map) 4 Nov 2007

old town in mist

Old Town on a misty November day - as seen from Stadsgårdshamnen. Stadsgårdshamnen is a harbour in central south where Baltic Sea party ships and international cruise ships moor.

Stadsgårdshamnen (map), 20 Nov 2007 - click on pictures to enlarge

mosebacke (2)

Mosebacke Etablissement is a place where you can enjoy live music as well as a good meal. Well, the menu sounds nice at least. Haven't tried it yet. This is right in the heart of söder.

Mosebacke torg (map) 20 Sep 2007

on the hills of the South

The southern part "Söder" of Stockholm city is not exactly a Flatland. Here we're looking down towards Mariatorget ("the Maria Square") from Blecktornstrappan on a busy Saturday afternoon.

here's another one

Essingeleden is the backbone of traffic in or through Stockholm. It is also a part of European route E4 connecting northern Finland with southern Sweden. This photo was taken from the heights of Fredhäll.

Essingeleden, Fredhäll (map), 21 Nov 2007 - click on pictures to enlarge

clarion hotel

Clarion Hotel by Ringvägen is built on top of a busy road so it doesn't have a back yard. Instead... this.

Ringvägen 98 (map) 28 Oct 2007

what a view

This is a large sized map over this bridge. The model over the city, has been around once or twice already, actually three times, but this time it's to illustrate the daily photo theme for this month "Bridges". This one didn't quite make it to our final in pixels though.

hammarbyslussen

Hammarbyslussen (the Hammarby Lock) got its fair share of bridges crossing. At a distance we see Johanneshovsbron, in the foreground Skanstullsbron and finally we're standing on Skansbron

Hammarby Lock (map) 28 Oct 2007

old town

Kornhams torg (K. square) photographed from Sjöbergsplan in south central. The church in the background is St. Gertrude's (or German) Church previously documented by Per. Here Lake Mälaren adjoins the Baltic Sea in Karl Johans slussen (K. J. sluice, on the right just outside the photo).

Kornhamstorg, Old town (map), 14 Nov 2007