inspiring stockholm
About two weeks ago, I went to Stockholm with my partner and a good friend to meet up with another friend who was spending a couple of weeks there. We spent a fun evening and the night on the boat (there are big cruiser ships going between Helsinki and Stockholm) and woke up in the beautiful Stockholm archipelago. As we put our feet on Swedish soil (asphalt, actually), the first thing we saw was a flag that said: “Welcome to Stockholm, the capital of Scandinavia!” – pretty arrogant!
But the trip was wonderful and so were the Swedes. One day, we met up with the Stockholm surrealist group and had a fun time; one morning, we went to a cafe that only accepted cash, and they told us to eat first, and go find a cash machine later; and one afternoon, we found a comics bookshop which was owned by a guy who spoke Finnish. One of the surrealists, who also is a biologist, had found my website by chance, and informed me that I had mis-identified one of the insects. How surreal is that? That wasn’t all, but certainly the things I remember best in terms of interactions with the locals. It was wonderful.
I also had a great time with the group I came with, of course – but few things can go wrong with such wonderful friends and a marvellous partner.
After 3 days, we went back to Finland by boat. We spent a substantial amount of time on deck, even though it was quite cold… It was nice, though, and the skies were full of stars. Here are some of the many photos I took during our trip – I hope you enjoy (some of) them! Feel free to comment and/or ask questions.
Standing on deck, enjoying the sunset and the ice.
The Swedish flag didn’t seem too excited…
Hoping for northern lights (none were seen).
We walked from our hostel to the old town along the water. On the way, we met these creatures.
This kid seemed to enjoy feeding them…
… and this friend just enjoyed being.
The narrow streets of the old town.
Cool people in Söder.
Someone had been nice enough to give this guy something warm for the winter.
Someone forgot something…
Enjoying the arrival of spring!
Sometimes, you have to rest a bit…
Why not have a walking stick as you hike through town?
We visited the photographic museum right before we left – the Cartier-Bresson exhibition was inspiring!
Having fun with soap bubbles (not visible) in our cabin on the boat…
Early morning balancing acts were performed as we waited for the train home.
alternative viewpoints 
Really good photos, especially the one of the narrow streets. I wish I could write a better and deeper analysis of your work but my brain is on “switch off” after a long long day at work. Keep going.
thanks a lot, aura! 🙂 i hope you’re enjoying your work – glad you came by to comment!
These are really good. The ones of Rose capture her so well 🙂
glad you like them, ros! 🙂
Look, you can’t catch or capture me, so don’t try.
never, rose, never.
guess you and your partner had
a terrific time, Hannele.
that’s great!
we did – thanks! 🙂