This Weekend: Sailing Regatta & Shakespeare

Photo: Oskar Kihlborg, ksss.se

This weekend (June 29th to July1st) is the annual sailing regatta, ÅF Offshore Race, filling Stockholm harbour with hundreds of sails and a festival atmosphere. The race starts in Stockholm with the contestants heading out into the Baltic, around the island of Gotland before returning... ending at the island of Sandhamn in the outer Stockholm archipelago.
The boats will be moored at the island of Skeppsholmen (location) and this is also where you will find the Race Village. In the Village you will find food & drink, performances as well as information about the race. Click here for a schedule of activities as well as race times. The best plaes to see the race start is along the south coasts of the islands of Skeppsholmen, Kastellholmen, Djurgården as well as the north coast of the island of Södermalm. My tip? Fotografiska museum should be a great place to see the start! Click here for a map of the starting line and best viewpoints.
Looking for something completely different to do this weekend? How about "Shakespeare On The Hill"? A potpourri of scenes from the Bard's most beloved plays and sonnets... all performed in English! Performances on Friday, Saturday & Sunday (June 29th to July 1st) starting at 6pm at Observatoriemuseet.

Photo: KSSSBILDER

This Weekend: Sailing Regatta & Shakespeare

Posted by zlatin

Photo: Oskar Kihlborg, ksss.se

This weekend (June 29th to July1st) is the annual sailing regatta, ÅF Offshore Race, filling Stockholm harbour with hundreds of sails and a festival atmosphere. The race starts in Stockholm with the contestants heading out into the Baltic, around the island of Gotland before returning... ending at the island of Sandhamn in the outer Stockholm archipelago.
The boats will be moored at the island of Skeppsholmen (location) and this is also where you will find the Race Village. In the Village you will find food & drink, performances as well as information about the race. Click here for a schedule of activities as well as race times. The best plaes to see the race start is along the south coasts of the islands of Skeppsholmen, Kastellholmen, Djurgården as well as the north coast of the island of Södermalm. My tip? Fotografiska museum should be a great place to see the start! Click here for a map of the starting line and best viewpoints.
Looking for something completely different to do this weekend? How about "Shakespeare On The Hill"? A potpourri of scenes from the Bard's most beloved plays and sonnets... all performed in English! Performances on Friday, Saturday & Sunday (June 29th to July 1st) starting at 6pm at Observatoriemuseet.

Photo: KSSSBILDER

Walk Along Västerbron (The Western Bridge)

View from the top, looking at City Hall

One of my favorite walks to take on a sunny, summer day is over Västerbron (The Western Bridge). Built in 1935, this 600 meter long bridge connects the islands of Södermalm (where the Rival Hotel is located) and Långholmen with the island of Kungsholmen. It provides great views of Gamla Stan and downtown Stockholm to the east and the Essinge islands in Lake Mälaren to the west. Location.

Locks left by lovers at the top.

As there are great walking paths around both Södermalm and Kunsgholmen, the bridge can be combined with a longer walk... for example, there is a beautiful promenade along the south coast of Kungsholmen between the City Hall and Västerbron. Lovers have taken up leaving padlocks on the railing at the apex of the bridge, symbolizing the hope that their relationship will last forever.There are subway stations on each end of the bridge. On the Södermalm side you have Hornstull (red line) and on the Kungsholmen side you have Fridhemsplan (green & blue lines). A bit of trivia: this walk is part of the Stockholm Marathon route and is considered (with its slow uphill rise) to be one of the toughest parts. Much easier to walk it!

View of the bridge from Kungsholmen.

One of Sweden's most beloved artists, Monica Zetterlund, sang a beautiful song about Stockholm called "Sakta vi gå genom stan" which contains a wonderful reference to the bridge.

Walk Along Västerbron (The Western Bridge)

Posted by zlatin

View from the top, looking at City Hall

One of my favorite walks to take on a sunny, summer day is over Västerbron (The Western Bridge). Built in 1935, this 600 meter long bridge connects the islands of Södermalm (where the Rival Hotel is located) and Långholmen with the island of Kungsholmen. It provides great views of Gamla Stan and downtown Stockholm to the east and the Essinge islands in Lake Mälaren to the west. Location.

Locks left by lovers at the top.

As there are great walking paths around both Södermalm and Kunsgholmen, the bridge can be combined with a longer walk... for example, there is a beautiful promenade along the south coast of Kungsholmen between the City Hall and Västerbron. Lovers have taken up leaving padlocks on the railing at the apex of the bridge, symbolizing the hope that their relationship will last forever.There are subway stations on each end of the bridge. On the Södermalm side you have Hornstull (red line) and on the Kungsholmen side you have Fridhemsplan (green & blue lines). A bit of trivia: this walk is part of the Stockholm Marathon route and is considered (with its slow uphill rise) to be one of the toughest parts. Much easier to walk it!

View of the bridge from Kungsholmen.

One of Sweden's most beloved artists, Monica Zetterlund, sang a beautiful song about Stockholm called "Sakta vi gå genom stan" which contains a wonderful reference to the bridge.

Mariatorget: Restaurants, Cafés & Food Stores

First I wrote about the shops in our neighbourhood (Mariatorget), now it is on to food! The Rival Hotel has a great Bistro, Bar & Café, but if you want to leave the hotel and dine/snack in the surrounding area then there is a large variety of options to choose from. As these are all establishments that mostly cater to the locals, the websites linked below are mainly in Swedish.

Rival Bistro

Restaurants:

• Bistro Süd. Neighbourhood bistro serving Swedish & French favourites. Location.
• Nostrano. Quaint italian restaurant. Location.
• Ramblas Mariatorget- popular Spanish tapas restaurant. Location.
• Marie Laveau. Cajun restaurant with a popular bar/nightclub. Location.
• Tabbouli. Restaurant serving Lebanese cuisine. Location.
• Tehran Grill. Specializing in Iranian cuisine. Location.
• Blå Dörren. Classic Swedish dishes with a pub atmosphere. Location.
• Ljunggrens. Popular restaurant serving Asian fusion cuisine. Location.
• Angry Diner. Newly open. American classics with a twist. Location.
• Pitcher's. Restaurant and "soft" sports bar. Swedish/American favorites. Location. 
• Nyagatan Patagonia. Neighbourhood South American restaurant. Location.

Restaurant Sjögräs

Cafés:

• Drop Coffee. Coffee bar where they roast their own beans. Location.
• Johan & Nyström.  Coffee bar where they roast their own beans. Location. 
• Kaffe. Trivia: scenes from "Girl with a Dragon tattoo" were filmed here. Location.
• Muggen. Popular with the "söder" locals! Location.

Oaxen Skafferi

Specialty Food Stores:

• Oaxen Skafferi. Butcher shop and great place to find Swedish specialties like herring and sausage. Location.
• 8T8. Ecological and locally produced specialty foods. Noodle bar as well! Location.
• 18 Smaker. Home made ice cream... 18 flavours. Location.

8T8

Mariatorget: Restaurants, Cafés & Food Stores

Posted by zlatin

First I wrote about the shops in our neighbourhood (Mariatorget), now it is on to food! The Rival Hotel has a great Bistro, Bar & Café, but if you want to leave the hotel and dine/snack in the surrounding area then there is a large variety of options to choose from. As these are all establishments that mostly cater to the locals, the websites linked below are mainly in Swedish.

Rival Bistro

Restaurants:

• Bistro Süd. Neighbourhood bistro serving Swedish & French favourites. Location.
• Nostrano. Quaint italian restaurant. Location.
• Ramblas Mariatorget- popular Spanish tapas restaurant. Location.
• Marie Laveau. Cajun restaurant with a popular bar/nightclub. Location.
• Tabbouli. Restaurant serving Lebanese cuisine. Location.
• Tehran Grill. Specializing in Iranian cuisine. Location.
• Blå Dörren. Classic Swedish dishes with a pub atmosphere. Location.
• Ljunggrens. Popular restaurant serving Asian fusion cuisine. Location.
• Angry Diner. Newly open. American classics with a twist. Location.
• Pitcher's. Restaurant and "soft" sports bar. Swedish/American favorites. Location. 
• Nyagatan Patagonia. Neighbourhood South American restaurant. Location.

Restaurant Sjögräs

Cafés:

• Drop Coffee. Coffee bar where they roast their own beans. Location.
• Johan & Nyström.  Coffee bar where they roast their own beans. Location. 
• Kaffe. Trivia: scenes from "Girl with a Dragon tattoo" were filmed here. Location.
• Muggen. Popular with the "söder" locals! Location.

Oaxen Skafferi

Specialty Food Stores:

• Oaxen Skafferi. Butcher shop and great place to find Swedish specialties like herring and sausage. Location.
• 8T8. Ecological and locally produced specialty foods. Noodle bar as well! Location.
• 18 Smaker. Home made ice cream... 18 flavours. Location.

8T8