Stockholm once became my first trip outside of “traditional” Europe. After all, first all tourists go to Paris, London, Rome and Prague-Budapest, and only then they begin to look at less standard options. Is it possible to compare the capital of Sweden with other European cities, or does Scandinavia stand apart?
We all remember Stockholm from the amazing children's books by Astrid Lindgren (and by the way, not only Astrid - in the stagnant Soviet times as a child, they once bought me a book by Barbra Lindgren - "Matthias and His Friends", where the action also takes place in the Swedish capital. I love her I'm still reading it). Therefore, if there is no other reason to go to Stockholm, then at least you can feel nostalgic from the bottom of your heart and look for Carlson’s house. or, at worst, Mikael Blomkvist from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
To be honest, I find it difficult to talk a little about Stockholm. In those days I took photographs of some antediluvian Olympus, there were few photos, and to be completely honest, it is not that impressive, the capital of Sweden. So I'm planning to just take a walk around the city.
Let's start with the main attraction of the city - the brick Town Hall.
Stockholm, if I'm not mistaken, is divided into fourteen islands. The town hall building is located on the island of Kungsholm, construction was completed in 1923 - exactly 400 years after Gustav Vasa arrived in Scandinavia. The Town Hall is home to local authorities and important political debates, and also contains the Blue and Gold Rooms.
Where banquets are held after the presentation of the Nobel Prizes. And here is the device from which the newly minted Nobel Laureate eats. I hope that someday I will have the opportunity to use this cutlery for its intended purpose)
Well, and most importantly, the 106-meter tower of the Town Hall offers incredible views of Stockholm.
In the foreground is a bridge that separates two islands - Gamla Stan (Old Town, the most central area of the capital - on the left) and Riddarholm, the smallest, but apparently the most beautiful island of Stockholm. Here is a view of Riddarholm from the ground.
We climb the 365 steps back to the tower, which was built using 2.5 million bricks. View of the Riksdag, Swedish Parliament.
And here is the Riksdag from the ground)
It is from Riksdag that the main shopping street of the city begins - Drottinggagatan (I already wrote about gagatans and the unpronounceability of the names of Swedish streets when I talked about Gothenburg -. On it you can buy all possible goods and souvenirs, as well as find a statue of the Fox (not a stoned one).
A demonstration for the rights of unfortunate Iranians (the Swedes are always defending some nationalities, like the fictional Palestinians - they obviously live too well, and have nowhere to spend their free time and money).
View of the tower from below
The square next to the town hall. Built in the Roman style, with fountains a la Bernini.
Statues in the square, and Riddarholm
Even the sidewalk
next to the Town Hall they decorate such fun things
Trying to photograph the Town Hall in the evening
The central square of Stortoget and the three main houses - Red, Yellow and Green. Some old houses of rich merchants. You can see two in the photo, because the Green House was under restoration.
Downstairs there is a pastry shop where they serve special pastries and the coolest Americano coffee in the city)
The houses opposite are not bad either)
Since we're talking about houses (and, as you know, I really love houses and buildings) - a little more architectural joys.
And here is a private house. I wouldn't refuse this.
In terms of architectural delights, it must be admitted that Stockholm can give odds to many cities. What houses on the embankment!!
from houses let's move on to sculptures. The famous Swedish knotted pistol is a symbol of peace.
Sergelstorg Square, and a strange sculpture called "Crystal".
It was simply impossible to pass by this store in the city center)
Subsequently, it turned out that a huge number of Russians live in the Swedish capital; some fled back in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. They live for themselves, work, and don’t seem to miss the birch trees much. Well, if you want more local products, there are plenty of such stores too)
Beautiful streets of Stockholm
A look at Gamla Stan from the “other side”
Synagogue in the center of Stockholm
And finally - a traditional Swedish dish - meatballs in cranberry sauce. This means that with the right sauce - Stockholm is a beautiful city)
For a long time, Stockholm was my number 1 city. And although a lot of time has passed since then and I have already fallen in love with some other cities, like Tr omse or L ubek , which ousted the Swedish capital from its place of honor, I still have the warmest memories of this city. I invite you to remember with me some of the brightest moments of spring Stockholm
There are a lot of photographs, but it’s hard to figure out where to start. Therefore, here I collect all sorts of things that are difficult to group into a separate story. Then I’ll start with the hotel, namely with the view from the window
We lived near the Old Town. And although there was already a lot of traffic here, there was still something to see
For many residents of the northern capital of the Russian Federation, Stockholm and Sweden are not exotic, but for me then it was a distant country, which was also very expensive to get to. That is why I absorbed every moment of new impressions from the life of the city, architecture and just passers-by
The first thing I noticed very quickly was that the city is very calm, there is no fuss, there are no traffic jams on a weekday, the air is clean, and public transport uses biodiesel as fuel. The smell is very interesting after the bus leaves the stop. But it was 2008
It’s really surprising, because Stockholm is the capital of a highly developed European state; it has everything your heart desires (though it’s expensive) and at the same time such tranquility that I can’t forget to this day. Probably the perfect city to live in
Stockholm is a maritime city; Sweden generally has rich maritime traditions. They certainly did not become great geographical discoverers, but they had influence in the Baltic waters.
The city itself consists of islands, which are often connected by beautiful bridges
The presence of a chic embankment allows residents and guests of the city to always enjoy fresh and clean air
It's always nice to feel the serenity on the banks of the canals, look at the moored boats and just have a drink
What interested me most in Stockholm was the old town, or as it is called here, Gamla Stan. We're heading there
I first fell in love with the Hanseatic style of architecture when I visited Riga. I have always been drawn to the Nordic countries, here I like the careful and systematic development of old cities, Gothic style and tall cathedral spiers, which is not at all what is typical for the south
Another street contender for the title of narrowest in the world/Europe
And of course, a selection of souvenirs. Some of my favorite activities
A little bit of creative Stockholm
Attention to detail
Monument to pigeons. However, the pigeons themselves did not spare him either.
More sculptures 
Found the place where the Swedish Football Association was founded
A pompous meeting was also taking place not far from him.
The majestic Nordic Museum
Stockholm can be so modern
Usually at the end of the day we looked like this mask in one of the restaurants in the city. Tired but happy.
How about living in a house built in the 17th century? Would you like a 4-storey apartment in the very center of Stockholm, in the Old Town, and a royal palace next door? Have you wanted to live in a museum, but didn't know how to do it?
If you have an extra 60 million crowns (about half a billion rubles), then you cannot pass up this offer. Upd. Apparently there are few buyers, the price has dropped to 48 million! Let's fly!)))
So, a multi-storey apartment with an area of 379 square meters with a library, a wine cellar, a spa and, of course, a knight’s hall (what could we do without it?))) The set includes bear skins, skeletons and ancient statues. Although perhaps the seller will take all this stuff with him, I don’t know. However, you can find all the details in the advertisement. The house dates back to 1600!
2. Dining room. Nothing special - a dog on the table and naked women in the style of Picasso (?) on the wall. Apparently, to improve appetite =)) 
3. Levitating skeleton on a horse - simple and tasteful =))) 
4. An unremarkable bed:) 
5. Library 
6. Vinoteka 
7. Crypt Basement 
8. Poor Yorick. 
9. Hall 
10. Living room. 
I chose only some photos, even more photos )
And as the ad says, it’s almost impossible to describe what’s going on in the apartment, so come see and buy quickly))
But honestly, I would probably go crazy living in THIS =)) Making a movie, renting out for the holidays or something like that - yes, but living there..
How do you like THIS? Do you think it’s possible to live here?
I hope the post lifted your spirits! Have a great Monday!
For Russian-speaking guests of Sweden, Karslon is probably even more popular and in demand than, for example, the entire royal family combined. But if in the souvenir shops of Stockholm you can see as many products with kings and princesses as you like, then you can’t find Carlson during the day, since in Sweden he is banned, because he is a hooligan, a rude person, a braggart and in general a destructive person) Well, God bless them, with these souvenirs, but we simply have to know where that same Carlson roof is!)
So, it is known from the primary source that the Kid lived “ in the city of Stockholm, on the most ordinary street, in the most ordinary house", in the Vazastan region. But in which house exactly - no one knew at first except Astrid Lindgren. But she was in no hurry to share the address. This is how she talked about her “meeting” with Carlson:
« I saw him, or rather, I first heard something at night when I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t sleep, maybe because something was buzzing outside the window for a long time. And then he flew into the room, sat on the bed and asked where to find the Kid... “Who are you? – I asked. “Why did you come to me?” “I am the best Carlson in the world, who lives on the roof,” he answered, “and I came because you wrote a book about Pippi Longstocking.” Then I gave him Baby's address. I won’t give this address, because it’s a secret... It all happened exactly like that, and I’m ready to swear to it - on a book about Pippi».
Probably, the writer could not even imagine what resonance her words would cause. An advertisement immediately appeared in the newspaper: “10,000 crowns to the one who finds Carlson’s roof.” And there was a serious hype. To protect children from dangerous searches on the roofs of Vazastan, Astrid Lindgren herself once and for all put an end to the controversy about the Kid’s address:
« Carlson lives very close to my house, on the other side of the park, which is under my windows. This is Vulkanusgatan street, 12. My family life began there. And when I began to write about him, I only thought about the roof of the house where my husband and I lived as newlyweds. Above us, on the floor above, there was a balcony - that’s where I first saw him. He still flies over to see me any time he wants, and we chat about this and that.».
It turns out that we have the exact address of the house where Astrid Lindgren spent her youth and we can see the very roof that she saw and in which she placed her famous character.
Below is a map of the places we need. A little explanation:
the red circle is the house in which Astrid Lindgren lived from 1941 to 2002.
the blue circle is the turret of a house on the corner of the square, very suitable for Karslon’s place of residence.
the gray circle is the house where Astrid Lindgren lived from 1931 to 1941.
Having gone here, I first looked for the house of Astid Lindgren, in which she lived most of her life, until her death, from 1941 to 2002.
This is the house, as far as I know, she lived on the second floor.
Memorial plaque. House address: Dalagatan 46
Approaching these places, a beautiful turret on the roof immediately catches your eye, although it is not located at the exact address of Astrid Lindgren’s residence, but it is clear that the writer was inspired by it, since it is impossible not to notice it. I even believe that this is Karslon’s real place of residence, she really stands out in this area and besides, this is all a common roof with the house where she lived.
To get directly to the house where Astrid Lindgren lived, we need to walk along this house with a turret and enter the second arch.
This is what the place will look like when you go down through the arch and look back.
The house we need is located on the right in the corner. Address: Vulcanusgatan 12. Here she lived with her family from 1931 to 1941.
And here is the very roof that Astrid is talking about: And when I began to write about him, I only thought about the roof of the house where my husband and I lived as newlyweds. Above us, on the floor above, there was a balcony - that’s where I first saw him.
So the task is completed, Karslon’s place of residence has been identified, although he himself did not decide to show up during my stay here)
