A Skirt, photos sets, and Facebook

My wife told me she'd seen a male construction worker in a skirt and I thought she was somehow mistaken but noooo. Check it out here.


Also, some of you have not been keeping up with my Flickr pictures (over 1500 now) so I made a set of my last 100 and a set of my 48 most interesting as determined by Flickr, which is determined by Flickr's interestingness measure.

Btw, I'm on Facebook now. I finally caved in to the pressure....anyway it is useful for some thing. I've ranked a lot of Stockholm restaurants there, for example.

Tall Ships in Stockholm

The Tall ships race came to Stockholm this year. I went a little wild with the camera: I managed to pick 70-something photos from over 200. Click here to see them and notice how the weather changed.

The last time the race stopped in Stockholm was in 2000 (and I happened to be in Stockholm at the time). They race in the Baltic every four years.

This year there are 119 ships moored at the Stockholm quays. The Tall Ships races have been going on since 1956. Part of the mission is to engage youth in cultural exchange, teach seamanship and pass on maritime traditions. Half the crew must be between the ages of 15 and 25. The fleet will be moored for four days during which almost a million visitors are expected.

What is a tall ship? Well from what I can tell the signature of a tall ship is tall masts with horizontally secured sails (square-rigged). Wikipedia tells more plus it gives a complete list of all the world's tall ships and pictures and facts about most of them. I was on the Norwegian Statsraad Lehmkuhl, for example. Although these ships can sail into the wind, they cannot do it as well as the newer sailboats with the sails secured vertically. The reason is that most of the propulsion of the sail is from the wing-effect. It's easier to get the wing effect with vertically mounted sails.



One of the brochures at the exhibition indicated seven types of tall ships: the full-rigged ship identified by at least three masts and is square rigged, the barque recognized by three or more masts and square rigging except for the fore-and-aft rigging, the brig which has two square rigged masts, the barquentine which has three or more masts all fore-and-aft rigged except the foremast which is entirely square rigged, the brigantine sporting a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main mast, the topsail schooner having two or more masts with a square rigged foremast, and a schooner which has two or more fore-and-aft rigged masts.

I think Pirates of the Caribbean was a full-rigged or barque.

What's a Cutty Sark? What's a clipper ship? How to they fit in? From what I glean from Wikipedia, the Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Clipper ships are tall ships mostly made in Britain and the US in the 19'th century. Clipper ships are a category of tall ships.



Sailing boats get even more complicated. There are sloops (like the John B the Beach Boys sing about), cutters, and many more. This web site has a short summary.

Utö and Ålö - a perfect day trip

B is visiting so we decided to take a long day trip from Stockholm to the island of Utö (pronounced ew-ter). We left the apartment at around 7 AM, took the pendeltåg from Karlberg to Västerhaninge, a bus to Årsta brygga, and finally a ferry to Gruvbyn pier on Utö. Each leg was about 40 minutes.


Right off the boat is the quaint center of Gruvbyn. It's mostly tourist and Swedes visiting their archipelago cabins. The permanent residents of Utö number around 400, IIRC. We then rented "urban" bike. It was still misting rain and the skies were the color of faded asphalt. We rode the bikes south from Gruvbyn on the primary dirt road toward a fish restaurant we'd been told about on another island called Ålö (pronounced oh-ler). There is a small bridge connecting Utö with Ålö. The ride passed through plush green forest and meadows loaded with ferns. "This is the Sweden I love," said J. It looked like the movie set from Jurassic Park. There were some houses and farms, too. The whole bike ride one way was about 10 kilometers (6 miles). Once at Ålö, we had to wait on the restaurant to open so we explored around the small bay and sat on the dock watching the sea gulls, a few boats passing, and talking.
The restaurant served mostly smoked seafood from the nearby waters. J had smoked salmon. B and I had a combo plate with smoke salmon, raw salmon thinly sliced, and smoked prawns. All served in a wooden box. The prawns still had eggs in them. We ate the big black eyes, some red organs, the meat and the eggs. Not bad. The cost of this lunch was high, IMHO. One beer, two waters, and the three meals was 495 SEK, $71.
The ride back was much nicer because the sun came out, the clouds parted and became the white billowy cumulus clouds. It seed the grays all became blues. You can see how the colors changed by viewing the Flickr slide show (66 photos) from start to finish.

360 degrees at Karlsberg

I took a series of photos from the Karlsberg footbridge near our apartment which you can vie at Flickr.com by clicking here. It was a semi-cloudy day, unfortunately. Especially since there had been several absolutely beautiful days with nice blue skies and fluffy white cumulus clouds. The 360 degrees, taken in eight photos, shows some typical scenes from water to apartment buildings to just plain old city concrete.

Some Boats and Bridges

I want a boat and a house on the water. In fact, I want two boats, a kayak for physical explorations, a sail boat because they are just so elegant and somehow I can use the elements. Of course, I need two kayaks: one for me and one for J. We'd have to learn to sail but that's easy: just spend a little time in the Stockholm archipelago at sailing school. Lyle Lovett wanted a pony and a boat and to put his pony on his boat.

"If I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat."

I'd replace the pony with a two bikes! My sail boat would be big enough for my bike and my sea kayak. Oh, and I want to be rich enough to not have to work.
J and I would have coffee in the early morning, kayak a little while, sail in the afternoon, bike around, sail back, watch the news, and read a book. Pardon my little fantasy.

The photos in this post are mostly in and around the island of Stora Essingen, where one of my American colleagues and his family live. They had us over for a nice dinner and tour of the island. The island has four thousand residents and is only a couple of kilometers in circumference. There's a French school there so all the French expatriates prefer to live there.



As the date for us to move from the furnished apartment to an unfurnished one approaches, we need to make many decisions and purchases. We'll have some furnishings shipped from Colorado (We're allowed 20 cubic meters) or about the volume of a regular sized bathroom. So let's see....gotta have the hobby stuff first. More bicycles, J's crafts, more warm clothes, more books (including my collections of Rick Steves and Lonely Planets), a couple of chairs, and a tv. Not much else will fit in the 20 cubic meters. So then it's off to IKEA.



The last photo in this post is of the spectacular Tranebergsbron Bridge. The photo is taken on a perfect day from right outside the light rail station.

Excursion to Ireland

Part of D's job requires a monthly trip to Dublin. J joined him on this trip. They added a Saturday and Sunday to be tourists before the workweek.

After arriving on a Friday to some of the best weather possible in Ireland, D & J sampled the obligatory Guinness and some "meat and potatoes." On Saturday morning, they took the LUAS train into Dublin, from the outlying hotel. The LUAS was a clean modern train and the stations were clean and safe. Perfect for tourists. Once in Dublin and St. Stephen's green specifically, the cameras were brought out. You can view some of the photos by clicking on over to flickr. Don't forget to come back here.


After strolling down around St. Stephan's Green and Grafton street, they took the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) to Malahide, a quaint seaside town north of Dublin by about 15 kilometers. Malahide is a treasure trove of photo opportunities. There's also a little bookshop: Village Books. Mary, the owner, is a most well-read owner. She has a "Bookshop Ladies Guide to a Good Read" with numerous new and good novels. Some samples are Brick Lane by Monica Ali, Oracle Night by Paul Auster, Lie in the Dark by Dan Ferperman, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni, The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing, Atonement by Ian McEwan, anything by T. Coraghessan Boyle and anything by the Colorado writer Kent Haruf, and A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. Of course, D bought enough reading for a year.


Sunday was used for an all day tour by bus into the Wicklow mountains. This scenic ride was punctuated with a couple of tourist traps. One of the most interesting stops on the tour was Glendalough, the location of an 1200 year old Celtic monastery. The Celtic traditions gradually absorbed Christianity, often blending some old traditions with the new (1200 years ago) Christianity thing....At one time, the monastery was a thriving place for students all over the world to visit.

Summary, Ireland is a great place for anyone to visit. We as former South Carolinians enjoyed it immensely because of the kinship we have with the Irish. The western parts of South Carolina were settled by the Irish and Scots. They're both so green and also have old music traditions: the fondness for bluegrass, which owes it's origins to the Irish folk music. It also explains the fervent adherence to property rights, since the Irish and the Scots have a long history of having their property seized and reallocated. We saw more similarities, but that's another blog!

J Arrives

J arrived just three days ago. It was wonderful to see her after just over four lonely weeks. She came out of the airport with a single bag. When I asked where the other bags were, she said "we have to go pick them up."
"You just walked past them in the secure area. I hope security lets you back in."

They did. That could never happen in Chicago or Heathrow!

After days of nice weather, J's first three days have either been rainy or cold and windy. We spent more time at the grocery store than I had spent in the previous 4 week but we now have a stocked kitchen. My staple of peanut butter, bread, milk, a few oranges, and, well, that's about it, is now supplemented with meats, eggs, cereals, pasta, vegetables, and spices.

Find a short photo collage of the D&J Weekend on flickr.com.

Here's what J said in her first email back to family (with slight edits for the blog):
"D met me at the airport and we took a cab to the apt. I slept from the afternoon until 12pm today, mostly jet lag. Today, I got up and unpacked and organized the whole apartment to know where everything is and to make room since there are hardly any closets. But there is a little room off the bedroom....a nice study w/desk by a window and nice shelving on the wall. That is where I must put my clothes-on those shelves. It is actually cozy and I like it although it's a little non-traditional.
The apartment is very European and Swedish (at least to me)....tall ceilings, dormer windows that are tall w/big ledges, hardwood floors, decorated in Ikea furniture, lamps, pictures, curtains, and objects. We have 7 rooms that are big...just no closets. But we are here 'til Oct then get to pick a new place.

D and I walked to the grocery store. Imagine walking to King Soopers or Albertsons (although closer) and having to carry what you buy home. You'd buy just what you can carry and go often....and have to dress for all types of weather. Those cloth grocery bags from Whole Foods are coming in handy!

That is my lifestyle now....all walking and carrying....no car.....out in all types of weather. It has rained since I got here. D says it was nice before then and is the first rain since he arrived mid-March. And it is chilly and windy...it is a cold wind. I am glad I packed my silk undershirt and several jackets.....only a few sweaters but I can layer and I have my down jacket and a raincoat w/hood.

Since you walk so much here, shoes are a big deal. You're always walking on concrete and going up and down stairs in all weather. D says many people have walking boots or shoes and leave other shoes at their work. Rain boots are common. And maybe I will need to buy a warmer waterproof coat come winter. Maybe my long wool/cashmere will do?? I will definitely need a hat! But the point is, we will need a variety of weather gear.

Buying groceries was a challenge....products look different when the labels are in Swedish. Many are packaged differently. I need to bring a dictionary to grocery store.

Oh and I forgot to tell you that a teenage boy opened the toilet door on me while in flight as I was sitting on the john. It was my fault since I didn't have it latched well. We both gasped. No dignity left in me. He had to close the door 'cause if you're sitting it is hard to reach lath because as it opens in a odd way. But I could reach the lock once he closed it...er slammed it. Afterwards, I laughed and laughed. What can you do?"

Shots from fabulous spring Saturday

This Saturday was a warm spring day that brought the masses outside. It was the first day since my arrival in mid-March that I was able to ride my bike in shorts and no gloves. I really want to take photos of people but haven't yet figured out how to do that. Asking them if I can take a photo always makes them suspicious and saying the photo would be on www.flickr.com would probably not appeal to them. Being quick with the telephoto is also hard. However, the spring day did bring out a lot of interesting people. I want to get some shots of the incredible healthy looking old folks (my age!). The kids are also interesting, fashion-wise, that is.

Click over to flickr.com to see the 30 shots from my Saturday. I recommend viewing as a slide show. If you want to view the description of any photo, just click on the photo when you see the whole collection displayed as thumbnails or click on the link "details". For those readers who are new to www.flickr.com, when you view as a slide show, moving your cursor provides you with different options. Putting the cursor near the top of the photo give you the option of speeding up or slowing down the show. Putting it at the bottom shows you the whole collection as thumbnails. Putting it off to the side maximizes the picture being displayed.

My trip to Täby - Easter Eve 2007 (5 photos)

Täby is a small town north of Stockholm by about 15 kilometers (between eight and nine miles). I took bike paths all the way which took me by some water and through neighborhoods, as you can see in the photos. The day was very clear and sunny but cold (9 Celsius = 48 Fahrenheit) and windy, which made it seem even colder.




The homes are very consistent in color. I am told that the Swedish government has an approved color list, much like my Home Owners Association in Colorado. Only these colors are permitted to keep the countryside looking consistent and to prevent eye-sores. The two colors shown in the photos are the most prevalent. I have seen some older homes in white or grays. I've also seen some modern homes in other colors.

This Easter, many homes had picnic tables and chairs in the yards for family gathering but I think the cold prevented the hoped for outdoors meals.

Norrmalm Sunday Afternoon, Photo Collage

Shots from Apartment to Office by Bike

Stockholm and the surrounding area and most other places I've been in Sweden is riddled with bike paths (a good thing!). Many adults use bikes to run errands and commute to work. Most bikes are "urban" bikes and many are old are left outside, sometimes locked to a gutter or fence. The subway stations and train stations have bike parking areas. It's not unusual to see a 50 or more bikes at these stations.

The first time I tried to bike from Norrmalm to my Kista office, I got lost several times despite having a good bike path map. The ten mile route was easily fourteen. Coming back I made half the mistakes so it was maybe 10 miles. That was last weekend.

Today I tried again and made it in 45 minutes. I used paths not on the trail map.


Most of the route is city with large office buildings and city traffic. However, the bike path does have excursions into the stereotypical Swedish pastoral scenes: the signature earth-tone painted homes and wooded areas. This post shows some shots from my bike commute. It begins with a smart car parked outside my apartment with "Have you got a job?" in Swedish painted on it.

The second photo is one of two small communities on the way. The homes are small, probably 300 square feet and yet they all seem to have small gardens, many have small vegetable greenhouses. These are not typical of Swedish homes, however. More typical homes are in the next collage of photos.




You notice that the bike commute goes by water. In this case it's part of the Baltic sea. The Baltic close to Stockholm is calm by sea standards. It's almost like a lake and not very salty. Everything in Stockholm is close to water, either the Baltic or lake Mälaren. Lake Mälaren and the Baltic are separated by a lock (a sluice) at Slussen (I think that's Swedish for "the sluice"). Boats can use the lock to go between the two bodies of water. I think they lock desgn prevent salt water from entering the lake.

The sailboats are still mostly stored for the winter - on shore under plastic (maybe a photo later). I have noticed more and more boats showing up in the docks near Gamla Stan.


The last picture is of the largest tree mulcher I've ever seen. It was being used to clear a swath through the forest for something. Another bike trail? A power line? I don't know.