Visit Djurgården!

Entrance to the visitors' center

I braved the drizzly weather today to visit the visitors' center for Djurgården called Visit Djurgården. Djurgården is both the name of an island as well as a National City Park (which includes the island). In fact, it is the world's first National City Park. For the sake of comparison, you could say that it is Stockholm's version of Hyde or Central Park. In the past this was a royal game park and these days it is still owned by the Crown. It is a great park to take a nature walk.

Some beauty found on the island.

Besides acres and acres of beautiful parks, woodlands and fields... Djurgården also has the highest concentration of tourist sites (museums, art galleries, amusement parks, etc;) in Stockholm. So if you are planning a visit to Stockholm, chances are pretty high that you will spend a considerable amount of your visit on this island! Here you will find museums such as the Vasa, Nordic, ABBA, Biology, Technology, Spirits and Maritime History. There are also several great art galleries/museums including Liljevalchs, Waldermarsudde and Thielska. If that wasn't enough, then you have Skansen park & zoo, Aquaria as well as the amusement parks Gröna Lund and Junibacken. You don't have to go hungry while here... quite a few restaurants like Villa Godthem, Ulla Winbladh and Oaxen Krog. Several cafés are spread throughout the park... a personal favorite during the summer is the rose gardens at Rosendals Trädgård.

Sjöcafé, adjacent to center, with boats and bikes for rent!

So you can see why I am so happy that they have built a visitor center just for the island/park. A great idea! There is so much to see and do that you sometimes need some expert advice... besides me! The visitors center is located just on the island side of Djurgårdsbron (the bridge connecting the island with the mainland). The center is open daily, year-round, and is manned by experts on Djurgården and its sites. There are also free maps of the park as well as brochures of the different museums and art galleries to help you decide what to visit. The center is connected to the newly renovated café Sjöcafé, so you can stay for ahwile and have a coffee or glass of wine. The café also rents paddle boats, kayaks and bicycles.

Take a street car to Djurgården, or...

Getting to Djurgården is quite easy... either by bus, street car or ferry (especially good for Rival Hotel guests!). Or why not walk along the waterfront promenade of Strandvägen? If you want to plan ahead of your visit, their website (linked at the top of this article) is filled with great information and an interactive map!

...a ferry (with Gröna Lund in background).

Visit Djurgården!

Posted by zlatin

Entrance to the visitors' center

I braved the drizzly weather today to visit the visitors' center for Djurgården called Visit Djurgården. Djurgården is both the name of an island as well as a National City Park (which includes the island). In fact, it is the world's first National City Park. For the sake of comparison, you could say that it is Stockholm's version of Hyde or Central Park. In the past this was a royal game park and these days it is still owned by the Crown. It is a great park to take a nature walk.

Some beauty found on the island.

Besides acres and acres of beautiful parks, woodlands and fields... Djurgården also has the highest concentration of tourist sites (museums, art galleries, amusement parks, etc;) in Stockholm. So if you are planning a visit to Stockholm, chances are pretty high that you will spend a considerable amount of your visit on this island! Here you will find museums such as the Vasa, Nordic, ABBA, Biology, Technology, Spirits and Maritime History. There are also several great art galleries/museums including Liljevalchs, Waldermarsudde and Thielska. If that wasn't enough, then you have Skansen park & zoo, Aquaria as well as the amusement parks Gröna Lund and Junibacken. You don't have to go hungry while here... quite a few restaurants like Villa Godthem, Ulla Winbladh and Oaxen Krog. Several cafés are spread throughout the park... a personal favorite during the summer is the rose gardens at Rosendals Trädgård.

Sjöcafé, adjacent to center, with boats and bikes for rent!

So you can see why I am so happy that they have built a visitor center just for the island/park. A great idea! There is so much to see and do that you sometimes need some expert advice... besides me! The visitors center is located just on the island side of Djurgårdsbron (the bridge connecting the island with the mainland). The center is open daily, year-round, and is manned by experts on Djurgården and its sites. There are also free maps of the park as well as brochures of the different museums and art galleries to help you decide what to visit. The center is connected to the newly renovated café Sjöcafé, so you can stay for ahwile and have a coffee or glass of wine. The café also rents paddle boats, kayaks and bicycles.

Take a street car to Djurgården, or...

Getting to Djurgården is quite easy... either by bus, street car or ferry (especially good for Rival Hotel guests!). Or why not walk along the waterfront promenade of Strandvägen? If you want to plan ahead of your visit, their website (linked at the top of this article) is filled with great information and an interactive map!

...a ferry (with Gröna Lund in background).

Autumn Markets, Vintage Clothes and Beer & Whisky!

If you are coming to Stockholm this coming weekend (September 27th to 29th) then you chose a great time to visit Stockholm with lots going on in the city!

Photo by Anna Yu, Skansen

A personal favorite is the Autumn Fair at Skansen, which is located on the island of Djurgården. This is an annual event taking place during the last weekend of September... a traditional autumn market with a historical feel. The market takes place on both Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. Not only can you purchase this season's honey, marmalades, breads, cheeses and vegetables, you can also meet the farmers and other historical characters associated with farmer markets. Besides edible treats, you will find textiles, woodwork and other handicraft for sale. There will be traditional market games as well as live music. You can also try the oh-so-Swedish split pea soup. I mention this as I often get asked where one can try this traditional dish. So the answer is Skansen this weekend! After the market, make sure you don't miss having a walk around Skansen... both to see the village as well as the zoo with Scandinavian animals like moose, seals, reindeer, bears and more!

bakatframat.se

Another annual event this weekend is the Vintage Clothes Fair (Vintagemässan) taking place on both Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. The best vintage clothes stores from all over Sweden are represented at the fair, which takes place at Drottninggatan 81. Entrance to the fair costs 60 SEK. While their website, which I linked to above, is in Swedish, there are some great pictures (for inspiration) of clothes and accessories which will be on sale at the fair.

stockholmbeer.se

Finally... if marmalade and vintage dresses don't do it for you, then you can always stop by the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival! This a popular annual event attracting visitors in tens of thousands every year. As if beer & whisky wasn't enough... for the third year in a row there will be a sister festival going on next door called Taste Experience which concentrates on wine, champagne, rum, tequila and calvados! The entrance fee (250 SEK) gets you into both festivals. The festivals take place on Friday through Sunday. But if you can't make it this weekend, then you have another chance on October 3rd through 5th! Click here for specific opening hours, ticket prices as well as directions. At the festivals you will find tastings, classes, exhibitors, competitions, restaurants and bars. Please note that you need to be at least 20 years of age to enter the festival grounds. The festival takes place at Nackamässan in Nacka Strand. The easiest way to get there from the Rival Hotel is by taking bus 443 from Slussen (10 minute ride). Stop by and talk to me if you are staying at the hotel and I can give you more detailed directions.

Autumn Markets, Vintage Clothes and Beer & Whisky!

Posted by zlatin

If you are coming to Stockholm this coming weekend (September 27th to 29th) then you chose a great time to visit Stockholm with lots going on in the city!

Photo by Anna Yu, Skansen

A personal favorite is the Autumn Fair at Skansen, which is located on the island of Djurgården. This is an annual event taking place during the last weekend of September... a traditional autumn market with a historical feel. The market takes place on both Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. Not only can you purchase this season's honey, marmalades, breads, cheeses and vegetables, you can also meet the farmers and other historical characters associated with farmer markets. Besides edible treats, you will find textiles, woodwork and other handicraft for sale. There will be traditional market games as well as live music. You can also try the oh-so-Swedish split pea soup. I mention this as I often get asked where one can try this traditional dish. So the answer is Skansen this weekend! After the market, make sure you don't miss having a walk around Skansen... both to see the village as well as the zoo with Scandinavian animals like moose, seals, reindeer, bears and more!

bakatframat.se

Another annual event this weekend is the Vintage Clothes Fair (Vintagemässan) taking place on both Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. The best vintage clothes stores from all over Sweden are represented at the fair, which takes place at Drottninggatan 81. Entrance to the fair costs 60 SEK. While their website, which I linked to above, is in Swedish, there are some great pictures (for inspiration) of clothes and accessories which will be on sale at the fair.

stockholmbeer.se

Finally... if marmalade and vintage dresses don't do it for you, then you can always stop by the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival! This a popular annual event attracting visitors in tens of thousands every year. As if beer & whisky wasn't enough... for the third year in a row there will be a sister festival going on next door called Taste Experience which concentrates on wine, champagne, rum, tequila and calvados! The entrance fee (250 SEK) gets you into both festivals. The festivals take place on Friday through Sunday. But if you can't make it this weekend, then you have another chance on October 3rd through 5th! Click here for specific opening hours, ticket prices as well as directions. At the festivals you will find tastings, classes, exhibitors, competitions, restaurants and bars. Please note that you need to be at least 20 years of age to enter the festival grounds. The festival takes place at Nackamässan in Nacka Strand. The easiest way to get there from the Rival Hotel is by taking bus 443 from Slussen (10 minute ride). Stop by and talk to me if you are staying at the hotel and I can give you more detailed directions.

Good-bye Summer, Hello Autumn!

I thought I would do something a little different today...
I was cleaning out my camera, deleting pictures from the past few months, and I noticed that I had quite a few pictures of the Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset) in my camera roll. I have written about Stadshuset before, but now I thought I would post a collection of pictures of the city landmark as inspiration. The pictures are taken at different times of the day/night, over the past few months and from different locations in the city. If you are coming to Stockholm soon, I can almost guarantee that you will leave the city with at least one picture of this popular symbol of Stockholm in your camera roll. Here's to a great autumn at the Rival Hotel!

Midnight sun (June) from Södermalm.

Taken from Långholmen island.

Sunset!

Swedish colors!

Last boat from Drottningholm coming to dock.

Lit up at night!

Fireworks celebrating the Rival's 10th anniversary.

From the Western Bridge (Västerbron).

This picture was actually taken last summer! :)

Good-bye Summer, Hello Autumn!

Posted by zlatin

I thought I would do something a little different today...
I was cleaning out my camera, deleting pictures from the past few months, and I noticed that I had quite a few pictures of the Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset) in my camera roll. I have written about Stadshuset before, but now I thought I would post a collection of pictures of the city landmark as inspiration. The pictures are taken at different times of the day/night, over the past few months and from different locations in the city. If you are coming to Stockholm soon, I can almost guarantee that you will leave the city with at least one picture of this popular symbol of Stockholm in your camera roll. Here's to a great autumn at the Rival Hotel!

Midnight sun (June) from Södermalm.

Taken from Långholmen island.

Sunset!

Swedish colors!

Last boat from Drottningholm coming to dock.

Lit up at night!

Fireworks celebrating the Rival's 10th anniversary.

From the Western Bridge (Västerbron).

This picture was actually taken last summer! :)

Pieter Hugo at Fotografiska

Last week I stopped by Fotografiska, the photography museum, to say good-bye to the Helmut Newton exhibition (last day is September 29th) and took the opportunity to see one of the museum's new exhibitions: Pieter Hugo: This Must Be The Place.

Pieter Hugo is a relatively young photographer from Cape Town, South Africa. His work reflects his upbringing in the age of apartheid... with many of the photographs depicting people who have been marginalized in some way. Not only in South Africa, but throughout the continent. Victims of genocide, poverty, the AIDS epidemic and environmental disasters. The photographs do not glorify at all, instead they often look at the subjects in their day to day life.

While the subject matter is heavy, the pictures are beautiful, haunting and very thought provoking. In fact, I felt that I learned quite a lot during my visit to the exhibit. Do you know what happens to a computer when you throw it away? See the exhibit and find out. This exhibition will be going on through December 1st. Too heavy for you? Then you always have the museum's main autumn exhibition coming soon: fashion photographer Paolo Roversi (starting October 4th). Fotografiska is located on the waterfront at Stadsgårdkajen... just a 15-20 minute walk from the Rival Hotel.

Pieter Hugo at Fotografiska

Posted by zlatin

Last week I stopped by Fotografiska, the photography museum, to say good-bye to the Helmut Newton exhibition (last day is September 29th) and took the opportunity to see one of the museum's new exhibitions: Pieter Hugo: This Must Be The Place.

Pieter Hugo is a relatively young photographer from Cape Town, South Africa. His work reflects his upbringing in the age of apartheid... with many of the photographs depicting people who have been marginalized in some way. Not only in South Africa, but throughout the continent. Victims of genocide, poverty, the AIDS epidemic and environmental disasters. The photographs do not glorify at all, instead they often look at the subjects in their day to day life.

While the subject matter is heavy, the pictures are beautiful, haunting and very thought provoking. In fact, I felt that I learned quite a lot during my visit to the exhibit. Do you know what happens to a computer when you throw it away? See the exhibit and find out. This exhibition will be going on through December 1st. Too heavy for you? Then you always have the museum's main autumn exhibition coming soon: fashion photographer Paolo Roversi (starting October 4th). Fotografiska is located on the waterfront at Stadsgårdkajen... just a 15-20 minute walk from the Rival Hotel.

Royal Celebrations, Half Marathons and More This Weekend!

DN Stockholm Half Marathon, photo by Bengt Aronsson

Another busy weekend in Stockholm! To start off with... The annual DN Stockholm Half Marathon will be held on Saturday, September 14th. Over 17,000 runners from all over the world will be running a course set in the streets of the city. The race starts at 3:30pm at Gustav Adolfs Torg and will take runners on 21.1 kilometers through the western parts of Stockholm, including Södermalm where the Rival Hotel is located. In fact, the course runs along the street St Paulsgatan which is adjacent to the hotel. Nice with a little life in the neighbourhood... but this can mean some traffic troubles: no parking and hard for taxis to get to the door. Stick with walking, ferries and subways and you will be fine! This advice goes for the rest of the city as many streets will be closed off. The finish line is the same as the starting point... Gustav Adolfs Torg.

Race course from www.stockholmhalvmarathon.se 

If that wasn't enough... King Carl XVI Gustaf is celebrating 40 years on the Swedish throne this year and this weekend (September 13th to 15th) is the official jubilee celebrations. On Friday an exhibition on the king's 40 years on the throne will open in the Hall of State in the Royal Palace, located in Gamla Stan. The exhibition will run until February 2nd next year, so plenty of opportunities to visit the exhibit if you are coming to Stockholm later this year. Two official events will be held on Saturday evening. First a celebratory dinner, hosted by the government, will be held at the Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet), located on the island of Djurgården, followed by a concert in the Concert Hall (Konserthuset) in the downtown area. What this means for visitors is that the traffic snarls caused by the half marathon in the afternoon will be followed by some minor ones in the evening. But it is not all doom and gloom for visitors... on Sunday the king and City of Stockholm invites the general public to the Royal Palace to celebrate with dance. The festivities start at 3pm and run until 11pm. Music and dancing from around the world (big band, salsa, tango, jazz, folk and more) is the theme with many performances. No entrance fee! There will be a toast for the king at 3pm from the balcony at Lejonsbacken. Click here for a schedule (there is a Google translate option). Otherwise, if you are staying at the Rival Hotel, come talk to me or the Reception for further information.

www.kungahuset.se

And finally... a political demonstration and march planned on Saturday, starting at 1:30pm. They will gather in the park Humlegården and then march to Observatorielunden. Counter demonstrations are planned as well, so it would be best to avoid that area of the city (Norrmalm) during Saturday afternoon.

Royal Celebrations, Half Marathons and More This Weekend!

Posted by zlatin

DN Stockholm Half Marathon, photo by Bengt Aronsson

Another busy weekend in Stockholm! To start off with... The annual DN Stockholm Half Marathon will be held on Saturday, September 14th. Over 17,000 runners from all over the world will be running a course set in the streets of the city. The race starts at 3:30pm at Gustav Adolfs Torg and will take runners on 21.1 kilometers through the western parts of Stockholm, including Södermalm where the Rival Hotel is located. In fact, the course runs along the street St Paulsgatan which is adjacent to the hotel. Nice with a little life in the neighbourhood... but this can mean some traffic troubles: no parking and hard for taxis to get to the door. Stick with walking, ferries and subways and you will be fine! This advice goes for the rest of the city as many streets will be closed off. The finish line is the same as the starting point... Gustav Adolfs Torg.

Race course from www.stockholmhalvmarathon.se 

If that wasn't enough... King Carl XVI Gustaf is celebrating 40 years on the Swedish throne this year and this weekend (September 13th to 15th) is the official jubilee celebrations. On Friday an exhibition on the king's 40 years on the throne will open in the Hall of State in the Royal Palace, located in Gamla Stan. The exhibition will run until February 2nd next year, so plenty of opportunities to visit the exhibit if you are coming to Stockholm later this year. Two official events will be held on Saturday evening. First a celebratory dinner, hosted by the government, will be held at the Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet), located on the island of Djurgården, followed by a concert in the Concert Hall (Konserthuset) in the downtown area. What this means for visitors is that the traffic snarls caused by the half marathon in the afternoon will be followed by some minor ones in the evening. But it is not all doom and gloom for visitors... on Sunday the king and City of Stockholm invites the general public to the Royal Palace to celebrate with dance. The festivities start at 3pm and run until 11pm. Music and dancing from around the world (big band, salsa, tango, jazz, folk and more) is the theme with many performances. No entrance fee! There will be a toast for the king at 3pm from the balcony at Lejonsbacken. Click here for a schedule (there is a Google translate option). Otherwise, if you are staying at the Rival Hotel, come talk to me or the Reception for further information.

www.kungahuset.se

And finally... a political demonstration and march planned on Saturday, starting at 1:30pm. They will gather in the park Humlegården and then march to Observatorielunden. Counter demonstrations are planned as well, so it would be best to avoid that area of the city (Norrmalm) during Saturday afternoon.