Tag Archives: Boats

Walking Stockholm. On the Water.

August 2, 2018 Tiny 85 Comments

The inner city of Stockholm, Sweden, is a collection of islets connected by bridges. Soon after Stock(log)holm(islet) was founded in 1252 more and more islets were connected together by log-bridges. So even today water is a dominant feature in the city and its surroundings. Please come along on a 7-mile tour by foot, guided by my sister’s dog Pebbe, and then a short trip by boat to learn some of what summer Stockholm has to offer in terms of waterways.

We’ll start our walk along the Canal of Karlberg. This canal runs in the western central Stockholm and connects two lakes. On its shores we find lots of greenery, water lilies and other wild flowers.

Along the canal we spot fishing boats, hostel boats, houseboats and, of course people kayaking and paddle boarding. Pebbe is a great guide and keeps up the pace. Photo stops are carefully timed.

We also find some familiar birds and cute wild rabbits, who live under one of the bridges.

We pass some beautifully planned new developments right on the water.

And walking back we spot the Karlberg Palace that now hosts the Military Academy.

By this time we have walked about four miles and stop to rest along the canal before heading home through Solna – another three mile walk.

Once in Solna, we marvel about the 2014 building of the year, Aula Medica of the Karolinska Institute, a Medical University, by Wingårdh Architects. It houses a 1000-seat auditorium/lecture hall and catches the eye with its unconventional, modern architecture.

We walk home through the little forest surrounding these new, and old, buildings. I hope you’re doing fine after this seven mile walk. The fact that this July turned out to be the warmest in 265 years in Sweden should not make you sweat. But I am exhausted and Pebbe wants to sit for a bit too.

After resting for a couple of days, we’ll embark on a short boat tour in the very heart of Stockholm, now on the eastern side.

We go out right along the most exclusive neighborhood in the city, the gorgeous old buildings on Strandvägen.

And far away we spot a landmark, the Kaknäs observation tower.

We pass the Nordic Museum and the Wasa Museum that houses the only 1700-ship ever salvaged (mainly) intact, the 64-gun warship Wasa that sunk on her maiden voyage in 1628.

Next we pass the largest amusement park in Stockholm, Gröna Lund. We used to visit this park frequently when our son was small. It now boasts several new rides that I wouldn’t even imagine trying out … and still a few old ones that look more familiar.

Then we glide past more peaceful sights, like the Fåfänga park …

… and continue a bit deeper into the archipelago, in good company.

I leave you with a hint of my next post about a nostalgic trip to Finland on a ship like the one below.

I hope you enjoyed Stockholm on the water as much as I did. Thank you for coming along.

Just Life, Nature

Birthday Birds and Engine Roar.

September 30, 2014 Tiny 42 Comments

Last Sunday was my birthday. Not that I need to be reminded of the years piling up, but it was a great day. A balanced affair of spectacle and peace. The spectacle was provided by the annual Clearwater Speed Boat Race, and the peace by the birds … and other good friends and family.

After a night of torrential rains, the morning was beautiful.

Willet shore bird — A little Willet patrolling the beach…

rock pigeon — A Rock Pigeon, a rare sight on the beach…

royal tern flying — A Royal Tern returning from a swing on the ocean…

I took a long walk on the beach, where the birds were getting breakfast and people of all ages were preparing to watch the boating event of the year.

little boy on the beach — A little boy exploring the beach…

Some were more interested in other explorations, of course.

On the ocean, thousands of boats were lining up along the 2.5 miles long race track. And helicopters were circling overhead. Quite a spectacle!

speed boat race an overview — Boats lining up along the race route where boats are already practicing…

I decided to seek my peace in the nature reserve. On my way there I saw something remarkable. Papa Osprey was flying in after a swim in the ocean. When he approached the nest, he shook himself in mid-air, almost like a dog would do, to get rid of excess water. I had read that ospreys do this, but never seen it before. Unfortunately my camera was in its bag as I tried to negotiate a path to the park that wouldn’t require a swim suit.

wet papa osprey — Wet Papa Osprey saying birthday greetings…

When I reached the nest, Papa Osprey was there. All spread out under the natural hair dryer. He was still wet and held his wings up to dry his underpants. He gave me a friendly birthday nod, but it’s difficult to say if he smiled.

I also spotted a Great Egret perched on a tree near the osprey nest. After posing politely for a photo, she flew away over the water.

It was getting hot and the Great Blue Heron, whom I’ve named the Mayor of the Marsh, was seeking shade hunched down in the bushes.

great blue heron enjoying shadow — The Mayor, Mr. Blue Heron…

I stayed in the park for a while receiving calls from family abroad, and snapped another picture of him little later.

great blue heron 2 920 — …all tall and handsome.

Herons were out in force that morning. I saw a Yellow Crowned Night Heron and a Green Heron too. While the latter is most often perched on a tree looking like he’s dreaming of some faraway place, now he was hunting and all stretched out.

yellow crowned night heron closeup 2 — A Yellow Crowned Night Heron…

And what would a birthday be without a Tri-colored Heron showing off his beautiful colors. This time I saw him hunting, diving right into the water.

tricolored heron diving — A Tri-colored Heron diving…

tricolored heron after a dive — …and then shaking off the water.

And then shaking his feathers. The gracious little bird was all buffed up.

So after getting my peace in the morning, I came home and we watched the speed boat race from our terrace. Luckily they raced at some distance. No water spray on our lunch, but the engine roar was clearly audible. I’ll put a few pictures here for the boat enthusiasts in the readership.

speed boat 4 3 — A speed boat and spectators in thousands of boats…

speed boat 6 — Another racing speed boat…

speed boat and spactators — A speed boat almost flying on water…spectators on Pier 60

The rest of the day was lots of fun, culminating in a sumptuous seafood dinner with friends and family. Bang Bang Shrimp, Rainbow Trout, and chocolate… I could do it again. Any day.

I will probably be posting/reading a little less than usual in October as I’ve a few travels planned before NaNoWriMo hits in November. I hope your week is going well.

Just Life, Poems

Fast Lane

September 30, 2013 Tiny 13 Comments

summer speed boat race edited

Life in the fast lane

constant race against the clock

hazy memories.

Just Life

A Summer Broadcast

August 24, 2013 Tiny 25 Comments

For weekend reading this Saturday, I thought I would share with you some “documentaries” of natural and human activities as seen from our terrace.

There is a lot going on in our East-North-West field of view at any given time. A visiting friend once told us “You don’t need any TV because you have a live broadcast going on for free”. That is of course an exaggeration.

This summer, which is the rainy season in Florida, we have witnessed majestic storms with dramatic skies on many occasions both on the bay and on the ocean side. Here is a small sampling (hover mouse over the pictures for text).

A few times we’ve experienced tropical storms, like Debby in 2012, which flooded the beach and the nearby nature reserve. We were able to scan the situation from the terrace. Keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll not see one this year.

Then, of course, there are plenty of sunny days in the summer as well. They are not as dramatic to document, but there is lots of activity going on, like sailing schools and racing boat competitions. Believe me, we can hear the roaring speed boats…

Occasionally we also spot pirates on the ocean. And now that I got the hand-me-down Canon from my hubby, I can get closer to them, still keeping at the safe distance on the terrace.

And on weekends and holidays, there is a lot of activity going on in the water and on the beach.

And at the neighboring watering hole. When it’s hot, lots of liquids are required.

And then the day turns to evening. The sun plays in beautiful hues and colors the bay and the city behind it.

And offers delicious light to complement the dinner on the cruise boats on the ocean side as well.

And finally the sun takes a deep dive into the ocean with a different “tune” each night, sometimes soft pastels and other times passionate reds. And anything in between.

At night, the lights of the city reflect on the water to the North and to the East. Occasional boat blinks on the ocean.

Unless there are fireworks on the beach around July 4th or for special occasions. The terrace provides for first row seating.

Right now, some clouds are gathering again. We’ll see what kind of excitement we’ll get. Although I will not be documenting any of it, planning to be in a concert tonight, indoors.

I wish you all a blessed weekend.