F Evening strolling Stockholm with the locals - jeepneyjinggoy

Evening strolling Stockholm with the locals



IT WAS a chilly night for a walk, but it was the last night in Stockholm and I was making the most out of the visit, a very short one. The short days didn’t help as light was grabbed by the dark of night earlier during the cold season. Having locals for friends was a blessing.





A schooner at the bay




Richard and Althea volunteered to take me around the city when night fell and even took another friend, Shakia, who can wear the badge of a professional tour guide.




In black & white. Life imitate art moment. :)




The main attractions on the Stockholm list may have been checked, but the personalized walking tour by night lead showed me the sites Des and I missed out.




A horse statue at Blasieholmstorg Square in Norrmalm




I wouldn’t have known that the Sturegallerian is an icon and the first mall in the city center. The same goes for the Ostermalms Saluhall, a historic market place and food hall over a century old.




Sturegallerian is iconic. It's the first shopping mall in the city center.


Inside Sturegallerian: If I can take home the chandelier & the chairs...







How about a croc finish on the toilet appointments?








Even the urinals are stylish.








Within the same area is the Stureplan, the high-end public square known as the “playground for the rich and famous,” the new generation of royalties included.



Stureplan is a high-end public square, the playground of the rich & famous, the younger royalty included. The Svampen (the Mushroom, lower left corner) is a popular meeting place




The three of major streets that square connects are the addresses of financial and corporate institutions, the most famous bars and expensive dining spots, as well as luxury fashion houses.




I was told this is a very expensive joint where the elite hang out.





A few steps away, in the Nybroplan, is the 1788 founded Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern aka Royal Dramatic Theatre, the national stage for "spoken drama."

On the eight stages of the theater’s 1908 Art Nouveau house, around a thousand shows are put on annually. Dramatens elevskola is the theater also has an acting school, which became a separate institution in 1967.



More than a thousand shows are staged here annyally, the Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern




Among its famous alumni are Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, and Max von Sydow, to name a few. We crossed to another island to check out the Katarinahissen aka the Katarina Elevator, a way to move people from the Slussen (the lock area) to the different heights of Sodermalm (district).




Katarinahissen aka the Katarina Elevator used to be the shortcut.


The ramp to the lift.





It used to be that the lift was a shortcut between the areas of Katarinavagen, Slussen and Mosebacke Square. It was in 1881 when the original elevator was constructed and in 1883 when it became operational. It transported about 1,500 passengers daily at a price of 5 ore (Scandinavian cent) to go up and 3 ore to go down. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ride the lift. It was closed in 2010 due to lack of security in its reconstruction, which was done in 1936 when the Slussen transport (a cloverleaf interchange) was rebuilt.




A panaromaic view of the city on the Katarinahissen in Sodermalm



With Des A. 




To get to the top where the ramp is, we used the Moseback Square passage. The Katarina Elevator ramp is a good place to get a panoramic view of the city.

Heading back down to the Southern Isle (Sodermalam), our guides said they’ll be taking us to the “hippie” part of the city. I liked it already before I stepped on it. The well-lit path with stylish pedestrians walking it is one of the longest streets in central Stockholm -- the Gothegatan or Gothia Street. Although the street has been existence since the 12th century, it got its name in the 1640s after the main thoroughfare it was part of, the Gota highway.



The 12th century Gotgotan in the South Isle is one of the longest street in central Stockholm




Time flew and we were strolling Stockholm for more than a couple of hours without rest. I was famished and I wanted another shot of those Swedish meatballs. Richard and Althea knew where to take me for that craving.

Thank you Shakia, Althea and Richard for the best tour any tourist can ever have.



Evening stroll with these women- Des, A., Althea & Shakia. Thanks guys!




For more photos about this story, and other travel and lifestyle stories,http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com and http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com


Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on July 09, 2015.


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