stockholm

Stunning Photos of Stockholm in HDR

Here’s a collection of HDR (high dynamic range) photos I took throughout the past year here in Stockholm (okay yes and a couple from Gothenburg). I’ll be adding on more photos this summer.

Link up if you have som beautiful photos of Sweden that you would like to share.

Cross Street to Bellmansgatan, Södermalm

West Coast Waters in Göteborg

Kungliga Slottet and Riksdag

Slussen, Södermalm

Hornsgatan at Rush Hour

Old Green Boat

Stockholms Riksdag – Swedish Parliament

Kungsholmen

Red Bull Racing Day, in front of Riksdag

Skeppsbron Island

Tower at Skansen with a Pink Hot Air Balloon

The Swedish Crown

Skeppsbron Hostel Ship

Super Yacht Docked at Gamla Stan

High School Invasion at Sergels Torg

View over Stockholm

Tower at Skeppsbron

Church

Doesn’t it make you want to be a tourist in Stockholm all over again?

Swedish Fashion 2010: The Horror Continues

It wasn’t enough that I had to spend 2008 and 2009 in a fashion black hole when it came to Swedes’ sensibility on the catwalk.

Now that it’s summer again, I am faced with the fashion horror everywhere I walk. The 80s fashion look is back in full force but in a different way. The extra large garbage bag shirts with twisty ties are replaced with smaller garbage bag shirts with neon colors.

And girls still wear black short leggings no matter what color dress they wear. Pink skirt? Black leggings. White flower dress? Black leggings. C’mon people!!! GET OFF THE BLACK OBSESSION! We don’t want to see knee length black leggings when you are wearing an adorable printed skirt.

Splendid Willow remarked that Odd Molly’s pretty summer Swedish fashion was full of flowers and romantic yet modern style. I rarely see these beautiful dresses on the streets of Stockholm.
odd-molly-fashion

And what’s with the men and the myriad of red pants? Did the Red Pants Shop have a sale of buy 1 get 10 free? While I do love that Swedish men have style (there’s no baggy ass jeans with dirty t-shirts), in typical Swedish style, everyone looks the same. Some women even match by wearing the neon blue pants (see photo 9). And by the way, this look originated in the 1970s according to the exhibition at Nordiska Museet.

My friends and I tried some H&M sale clothes last week. Not only was the selection disastrous in colors, prints, and styles, we figured the best way of showing off our Swedish fashion was to try them on.

Black Jean dress with frills. NOTE: A brightly yellow sticker was attached to let you know that color leaks onto furniture. Brilliant, just what I wanted to buy…

Next look: Pull up jean leggings with neon t-shirt. If you grew up in the 1980s and your parents did not torture you enough with stupid leggings and crazy graffiti neon pink tops, well, here’s your chance to do it again!

Long sleeve Grey T-shirt with Fuchsia belt and lingerie top. This horrible look says it all.

I maybe too old or unhip but I am lost in Swedish fashion. It is unflattering on women and disfigures their feminine bodies. No one should wear black leggings with pretty dresses. That’s not just wrong but sacrilegious to the airy, summer love feeling.

Free Museums in Stockholm to Visit during the Summer

Stockholm is not a cheap city to visit on a budget. It’s almost an irony to say “Stockholm on a budget” because well, it can involve kebabs, pizza, and really disgustingly cheap stor stark beer or lättöl (light alcohol content beers).

Alas, there is some relief during the summertime in Stockholm. Many museums have free days and some are free entirely.

Free Museums in Stockholm: Free ALL the time

Forum för levande historia (The Living History Forum)

This museum provides a haunting look at crimes against humanity and aims to remind us of the importance of learning from our dark pasts.

Färgfabriken (Center for contemporary art and architecture)

This museum boasts fun and serious exhibitions related to art, society, film, and architecture. They also have interactive sections where you can get your own hands dirty.

Haga parkmuseum (Haga Park Museum)

Located in Solna, Haga Museum describes the history and architecture of the surrounding park. The park grounds have The Turkish and Chinese Pavilion, Haga Ruins (Gustav III’s unfinished castle), a beautiful lake, and the bizarre yet gorgeous Copper Tents (where guards used to live) lies within the park grounds. Take bus 515 from Odenplan to the park.

Haga Park Copper Tent by Linkahwai

Dansmuseet (Museum for the Performing and Visual Arts)

This museum focuses on dance and theater from various cultures. They occasionally have live performances.

Etnografiska museet (Ethnographic Museum)

Located on the northern part of Djurgården (take Bus 69 to get there), this museum hosts collections on humanity and Sweden’s interaction in conflicts. The museum also boasts one of Europe’s Japanese Tea Houses which is open throughout the summer. Call +46 (0)8-519 550 10 or send an e-mail to ulla.edberg@etnografiska.se about the tea ceremony times.

Stockholms medeltidsmuseum (The Museum of Medieval Stockholm)

This museum offers a look at medieval Stockholm set in an underground building just a stone’s throw away from the royal castle. The only visible remains of Stockholm’s medieval city wall are located, still intact, in the museum. There is even a medieval tunnel from the museum to the castle, which is very much closed to the public.

Stockholms Stadsmuseum (Stockholm City Museum)

An undiscerning blue-gray colored building at Slussen, the Stockholm City Museum provides an overview of the history of Stockholm from its founding to contemporary issues.

Tullmuseum (Swedish Customs Museum)

Not customs like culture, but customs as the annoying people who stand at the airports waiting to search you when exiting. The Tullmuseum offers plenty of exhibitions about smuggling and anti-smuggling.

Kulturhuset

Kulturhuset offers temporary exhibitions throughout the year on everything from photography to theater to music and even comic books. Beware though, Kulturhuset is several floors and not all exhibitions are free.

Kungliga biblioteket (National Library of Sweden)

The museum houses the Codex Gigas, often called the Devil’s Bible. Unfortunately, the Codex Gigas is not viewable by the public. They still have an impressive collection of historical documents.

Special Day FREE Entrances to Stockholm Museums:

Nordiska muséet (The Nordic Museum)

Free on Wednesday evenings but not valid from June-August. They were smart knowing all the tourists visit then. Nevertheless, the Nordiska Museum is located on Djurgården, near Vasa Museum, and hosts collections related to Swedish culture, food, holidays. Currently on exhibition is a section dedicated to Swedish fashion and Swedish holidays.

Easter Eggs at Nordiska Holidays Exhibition

Kungliga Myntkabinettet (The Royal Coin Cabinet & Economy Museum) – Mondays all day – free admission

One of the royal museums of Sweden, the National Economy Museum host collections about the financial history of Sweden, coins, monetary usage, and medals.

Tekniska Museet (The National Museum of Science and Technology) - Wed 5-8PM free admission

This museum offers insight into how things work and why they work. Current exhibitions are about space, sports, and transportation. Sweden’s first passenger airplane hangs from the ceiling.

The next post will have information on free events and happenings throughout Stockholm during the summertime.

Why do Swedish Doors Open Outwards and other Mysteries about Sweden

“Why do Swedish doors open outwards?”

“Why is the Swedish flag blue and yellow?”

“Why do Swedish men give the look?”

“Why can’t Sweden make a decent loaf of bread?”

“Does Kalles Kaviar break Geneva convention rules?”

Thanks to Dano for the inspiration, we need a thread not related to Swedish dating or why cigarette butts are not thrown away. And damnit, we need the answer to life’s mystery: what’s with the small frogs at midsummer?

Post your question and myself or another equally brilliant Swedo, Americano, Britso, Italiano will have an insightful answer. Or multiple answers.

And yes, I am still wondering why there are no real good bakeries in Stockholm. Where can I buy a pain au chocolat?!

Recipe for an Absolut Summer

It was Monday after Midsommar and I had nothing better to do than visit the museum with Andrew and his family who are here to visit Stockholm. After two hours in the museum (more on that later), we headed to the Absolut Ice Bar near central station.

It was 25C outside and sunny in Stockholm. In the ice bar it was -5C and required a funny coat and mittens that don’t warm you up. To say the least, visiting the frigid weather was refreshing and cooling. Wearing a short skirt and high heels is not recommended though.

If you are visiting Stockholm and enjoy Absolut vodka and ice sculptures then visit the Ice Bar at the Nordic Sea Hotel. Booking online is 25kr cheaper than going straight to the door. Who doesn’t love a deal! You can book at least one hour ahead of time. Go here to book. Prices to visit the Ice Bar:
Online pre-booked sessions: SEK 170 per person.
• Pre-booked session on sight or by telephone: SEK 180 per person.
• Drop-in sessions: SEK 195 per person.
• Guests staying at Nordic Sea Hotel: SEK 150 per person.
• Entrance with alcohol-free coctail: SEK 140 per person.
Evidently even being a guest at the hotel doesn’t give you a free ride.

The cost covers entrance into the bar and one drink. They have wild concoctions and being a true Swede myself, I ordered the Absolut Captain made of frozen lingonberries, lingonberry juice, and Absolut 100. Oh yea, the real shit.

Note to self, in the frozen bar you don’t feel buzzed at all. Outside, 30 minutes later, pushing your bike up Götgatan as old people pass you by, is when the buzz hits you.

My recipe for an Absolut Summer
1 part museum visit – to feel cultural
2 parts sunshine
1 part frozen bar & drink
1 jigga buzzed walk with bicycle
1 part happiness

Stir together and enjoy!

Little Midsommar Frogs

Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.

Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.

The sun is shining brightly, the girls are meeting midsommar men, and the fishes are splashing around on our dining plates.

Welcome to the Swedish Midsummer!

Time to eat delicious strawberries, lax, sill, potatoes with dill, and of course aquavit. No midsommarfirande (midsummer festival) is complete without singing and dancing. Small frogs dancing around a maypole or seven pretty girls in a circle with flowers are essentials to the summer debauchery.

Seven girls in a circle:
Sju vackra flickor i en ring
sju vackra flickor i en ring,
vackraste flickor häromkring
ibland de flickor alla.

Flickorna vända sig omkring
flickorna vända sig omkring,
sökande efter vännen sin
ibland de gossar alla.

Vara vem det vara vill
vara vem det vara vill.
Den, som jag räcker handen till,
han har mitt unga hjärta.

Nu kan jag vara riktigt gla’.
Nu kan jag vara riktigt gla’.
Nu har jag fått den jag vill ha
ibland de gossar alla,
ibland de gossar alla.

This midsummer, I hope all of you are out of the city and in the forest or at Swedish countryside homes drinking brennvin and enjoying a true national Swedish holiday.

For all of you single bees, there are plenty of flowers to pollinate. Håkan Petersson from Folkungagillet, Linköping’s dance association said:

“Traditionally, Midsummer was a time where men and women could come together and flirt in ways that are much more subtle than today,” he says. “Many of these songs and dances reflect the flirtatiousness and are filled with innuendo.”

Maybe you can find a Swede in Sweden amongst the strawberry fields.

Swedish Royal Wedding Weekend

I was a bad American-Swedo. I skipped out on the Swedish Royal Wedding and Love Stockholm in favor of Germany. It wasn’t my idea, the Swede wanted a weekend away from the festivities.

Instead, my friend Andrew attended the Kortege and snapped some spectacular photos. He also is a blogger and photographer at Ett Foto. Unfortunately, he was not invited to the delicious banquet dinner to eat Norwegian lobster, cod, chilled green pea soup, whitefish roe, char, poached quail egg, asparagus and beetroot from Gotland, veal sirloin from Stenhammar, strawberry mousse with rhubarb and vanilla ice cream in white chocolate. Mumms! Except the green pea soup.

It’s beautiful to see Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding go through without a hitch. Her younger sister, Princess Madeleine, spent the past two months in scandal when her douchebag ex-fiance cheated on her; ending the engagement and canceling their royal wedding.

Royal Swedish Airforce

Swedish Flags flying high

Royal Submarine at the wedding ceremony

Crown Princess Victoria and husband, but not frog, Prince Daniel

The 250kg wedding cake made of strawberries, champagne mousse, pulled sugar, and soft almond meringue.
swedish wedding cake
The speech by Prince Daniel. It was really beautiful and lovely. Brings chivalry backs to Sweden and sets the bar high for all the Swedish men.

The transcript to Prince Daniel’s speech. He did speak in both English and Swedish.

För nio år sedan hade jag förmånen att lära känna en ung kvinna med en härlig humor, en stark pliktkänsla och dessutom väldigt, väldigt klok.

Vi blev vänner. Ju mer jag lärde känna henne desto mer oemotståndlig blev hon.

De här åren med dig Victoria har flugit förbi, har varit de bästa i mitt liv.

There have been times when Victorias official duties have separated us. Often taken her to faraway countries and continents. I will never forget some years ago when she left for one of her many trips, this time to China.

We were going to be apart for a whole month. The night before she left she got home late after an official engagement, and she had many preparations to make before the long month of duties ahead. Instead of getting some valuable sleep she stayed up the whole night writing.

In the morning after she had gone I found a box. And in that box I found 30 beautiful letters addressed to me. One for every day she would be away.

This romantic gesture is typical of you Victoria. It says everything about the loving person you are.

Once upon a time the young man was… perhaps not a frog, in the beginning of the fairytale… as in the story first told by the Grimm brothers. But he was certainly not a prince.

The first kiss did not change that. His transformation was not possible without the support of the wise king and queen, who had ruled the kingdom for many years, and who were full of wisdom, experience and had good heart.

They knew what was best and guided the couple with a gentle hand, generously sharing all their experience.

Jag känner en stor tacksamhet mot eders majestäter kungen och drottningen, för ert helhjärtade stöd, och för det sätt som ni har välkomnat mig in i er familj. Mina tankar går givetvis också till min egen familj. Till min mor och min far, och min syster och hennes döttrar.

Mor och far, under hela min uppväxt har ni givit mig er villkorslösa kärlek. Ni har hjälpt mig med er klokhet, och ni har hjälpt mig att bygga en stark självkänsla och trygghet genom sunda värderingar som har väglett mig genom livet.

I dag, när vi färdades genom Stockholms gator, då möttes vi av en otrolig glädje och värme. Ett minne vi kommer att bära med oss djupt inne i våra hjärtan, för alltid.

Under de år som Victoria och jag har haft tillsammans har jag känt ett stort stöd från människor som jag har mött. Det har varit väldigt viktigt för mig.

Tack.

Jag känner en djup respekt inför de uppgifter som ligger framför mig. Det kommer utan tvekan att bli en stor utmaning. Jag ska göra mitt yttersta för att leva upp till de förväntningar som kommer att ställas på mig. Jag kommer göra mitt yttersta för att stödja min hustru, Sveriges kronprinsessa, i hennes viktiga gärning.

Älskade Victoria. Jag är så stolt över det vi har tillsammans. Jag är så lyckligt att nu få vara din man. Jag ska göra allt jag någonsin kan för att du ska förbli så lycklig som du är i dag.

Victoria, störst av allt är kärleken. Jag älskar dig så.

BTW, happy summer solstice! 18h 38m 25s of daylight. Sunset at 22.09 tonight. If any single Swedish boys are mingling on Midsommer, be sure to say hi.

Clean up Stockholm: Cigarette Butts Trash Sweden

It’s summertime and it means walking around the city, eating ice cream, and hanging out in the park.

Recently though, I get annoyed when in a park or any grassy area where a Swede can lie down and be a solar panel. There’s garbage everywhere. Specifically, snus and cigarette butts.

Cigarette crap is disgusting.

Why is there no where to sit? Why do people have to throw their butts everywhere? Gross. And why, in a city that is the “Green Capital of Europe” no one has bothered to clean up the parks?

Bottle caps, cigarette butts, snus pouches litter the parks all over the city. What’s wrong with people? The park grass is not a garbage bin. I am tired of seeing Swedes’ sucked on, drool disposed crap on the ground. With so many Swedes being concerned and downright fascist about the environment, few care about the implications of tobacco litter. Tobacco litter is dangerous for animals, the ground, and the water supply. Think about the 375 million pounds (500,000,000 liters) of worldwide tobacco litter produced in ONE year.

In 2003, 6,700 tonnes of snus were sold in Sweden. Another seven billion cigarette sticks were sold in Sweden. Seven billion cigarette pieces is 350 million packs of cigarettes sold per year. Or put it this way, 3.5 million liters is pure cigarette butts.
litter butt

And where are the campaigns to reduce cigarette/snus waste and clean up in Sweden? None that I visibly see. There’s no Parks and Recreation Department here that deals with cigarette and snus garbage on a national scale. What about Keep Sweden Beautiful programs? Or “NO LITTER” signs on the highways and in parks. California has a $1000 litter fine if you’re unlucky and get caught. A hit to the pocketbook will scare anyone.

Surely, in a country that prides itself on eco-friendly products, recycling, and public transportation, they can get off their high horses and clean up the parks and cities in Sweden. I especially love people who call themselves “socialists, marxists, or liberals” and then proceed to put out their lit cigarette on the grass and leave it there.

Facts about Cigarette butts:

Cigarette butts can take 5 to 12 years to fully biodegrade due to the cellulose acetate
Plastic pieces are found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales, and other marine creatures that mistake them as food.
Wind and rain carry cigarette butts into waterways, where the toxic chemicals in the cigarette filters leak out and threaten the water supply and creatures living in it.

Cigarettes contain over 165 chemicals – Some of the chemicals smokers inhale and reside on cigarette butts:
Benzo[a]pyrene: found in coal tar and cigarette smoke and it is one of the most potent cancer causing chemical in the world.
Arsenic: deadly poison that causes diarrhea, cramps, anemia, paralysis and malignant skin tumors. It is used in pesticides.
Acetone: It’s one of the active ingredients in nail polish remover.
Lead: Lead poisoning stunts growth, causes vomiting, and causes brain damage.
Formaldehyde: causes cancer, can damage lungs, skin, and digestive systems. Embalmers use it to preserve dead bodies.
Toluene: highly toxic, commonly use as an ingredient in paint thinner.
Butane: highly flammable butane is one of the key components in gasoline.
Cadmium: cause damage to the liver, kidneys and brain, and stays in the body for years.

Source: Litterbutt.com

Stockholm can do better. If you smoke or snus, save the environment and throw away the butts in a proper trash bin. Not on the ground.

Swedish National Day in Sweden or AKA Sunbathing

Today is June 6th, National Day in Sweden – Swedish flag day or a day off to sunbathe and drink Carlsberg if you will.

If you missed the blue and yellow flag waving, gun toting, candy eating, BBQ grilling and BudLite, well then, you’re probably dreaming of the American 4th of July celebrated in splendor of excess.

Of course being Sweden, National Day is a summer holiday to enjoy the weather and possibly wave Swedish flags. Nationaldagen became a red day in 2005 in the hopes of Swedes celebrating the independence from [Norway, Denmark, Finland, the darkness?]. This year, National Day is special because it commences Love Stockholm 2010, a 14 day celebration of the Swedish Royal Wedding.

Either way, I started with good intentions of going to Skansen to see the festivities and the King. I made it as far as huge rocks with a view to Kungsholmen and took a nap. Some people grilled, others made out, Swedish girls in bikinis suntanned, and I slept in the glorious sun.

Being lagom people, no one was running down the streets screaming the national anthem and waving flags. Unless of course you’re a racist. In Sweden, waving flags and loving Sweden too much indicates racist tendencies. Obviously.

If you are not a racist and just like waving flags and singing songs (about small frogs and such), here is the de facto national anthem of Sweden, Du Gamla Du Fria. It is not the official national anthem of Sweden as attempts to make it the “official anthem” failed.

Du Gamla, Du Fria was originally known as Sång till Norden (Song to the North) written by Richard Dybeck in 1844. In 1938, Sveriges Radio played the song at the end of evening transmissions and the song was epitomized as Sweden’s national song, despite the lack of official recognition.

Du gamla, du fria

Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord
Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna.
Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna.

Du tronar på minnen från fornstora dar,
då ärat Ditt namn flög över jorden.
Jag vet att Du är och Du blir vad du var.
Ja, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.
Ja, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.

Jag städs vill dig tjäna mitt älskade land,
din trohet till döden vill jag svära.
Din rätt, skall jag värna, med håg och med hand,
din fana, högt den bragderika bära.
din fana, högt den bragderika bära.

Med Gud skall jag kämpa, för hem och för härd,
för Sverige, den kära fosterjorden.
Jag byter Dig ej, mot allt i en värld
Nej, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.
Nej, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.

Now go ahead and sing your heart away to Sweden’s free and ancient most beautiful land on the earth.

The Batmobile Visits Stockholm

Spotted this Batmobile replica in front of the Hilton Slussen last week. It was stunning! Certainly beats the raggare cars floating around the city with hillbillies driving them.

Enjoy the pictures!

Leif Garvin built the replica car. It took him over 20 000 hours of work and $1 million to finish it. The engine is an 460 Ford big block V8, 700 hp and it’s built on a 1973 Lincoln Continental.

These are high dynamic range photos (HDR) compressed from 5 photos using Photomatix. Turns into fantasy like Batmobile photos.

Blogalicious
- Ultimate Blogroll The full list of the cool blogs you should be reading. Yes, you should.
RSS Feed
Twitter
- my @ mention timeline is frozen still. 10 days after supposedly fixing it. another twitter FAIL. sorry folks if i don't reply back. 2010/08/31
Archives
Google Ads
blogcatalog

Lost in Stockholm

Musings about Life in Socialist Sweden – Oh Yea, It's Awesome

Stunning Photos of Stockholm in HDR

Swedish Fashion 2010: The Horror Continues

Free Museums in Stockholm to Visit during the Summer

Why do Swedish Doors Open Outwards and other Mysteries about Sweden

Recipe for an Absolut Summer

Little Midsommar Frogs

Swedish Royal Wedding Weekend

Clean up Stockholm: Cigarette Butts Trash Sweden

Swedish National Day in Sweden or AKA Sunbathing

The Batmobile Visits Stockholm

Blogalicious

RSS Feed

Twitter

Archives

Google Ads

blogcatalog

BlogHer Ads

Recent Comments

Most Popular Posts

Get Lost with Facebook Fans

Recent Posts