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Sweden: 2024

Spent about ten days in Sweden, including two days in Malmö, three days in Gothenburg, and four days in Stockholm.  It was a wonderful tour through southern Sweden, with interesting old/new cities, lots of history, cool architecture, and even a few outdoor and nature adventures.



Sweden, one of three Scandinavian countries (the others are Norway and Denmark), is a country with about 10.5 million people in an area about the size of California or Spain.  It is the largest Nordic country by size, and the fifth largest country in Europe. It has the world's 14th highest median income and ranks very highly in quality of life, health, education, protection of civil liberties, economic competitiveness, income equality, gender equality and prosperity (from Wikipedia).  Top global brands headquartered in Sweden include Spotify, Volvo, Electrolux, Ericsson, and IKEA.



The Swedish flag



MALMO is Sweden's third largest city (pop ~350,000) and is across the Öresund Strait from Copenhagen.  I started my tour of Sweden here.




Malmo has canals through the downtown.  Here's my first view of one of them at night







Classic architecture:  Malmö City Hall, built around 1550



Modern architecture:  Malmö Live, the city's new Concert Hall, built around 2015



The Turning Torso; an award-winning residential skyscraper in Sweden; 54 stories of mostly condos, designed by Santiago Calatrava, opened in 2005



Historic places:  Malmö Castle, built in the 1530s.  This castle has been repurposed and adapted to house an aquarium, a museum of natural history, and an art museum.  A few original sections of the castle, including an execution chamber (!) have been preserved




This windmill is near the Malmö Castle; it was used to provide power for the castle.



Malmö street scene:  Colorful houses in an old part of town


GOTHENBURG is Sweden's second largest city and is on the southwest coast, roughly halfway between Malmö and Oslo.  Its population is about 600,000; the Volvo group is the largest employer in town.




"Poseidon" by Carl Milles, at Götaplatsen, in front of the Art Museum.  Three museums and the sculpture were all clustered together, built for the World Exposition in 1923, during Gothenburg's 300th anniversary as a city




Gothenburg city view from Skansen Kronen, an old military fortress and the highest point in the city




The World of Volvo Exhibition Center and World Headquarters.  There are a LOT of Volvos in Sweden.  The center opened in 2024; a fun place to visit!




The Giraffe:  A shipping crane, no longer used, is maintained as a reminder of the shipping and trading roots of Gothenburg



Feskekörka (tr:  Fish church):  Not actually a church, but this fish market has been around for a long time.  When it was renovated, the churchy appearance was an intentional nod to the importance of fishing in this town.  Built in 1874

Buildings and Architecture in Gothenburg:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/Smquq9uUzPae5xFe7



Rented a kayak to paddle around the island of Donso in the Gothenburg archipelago.  A nice break from city life!

Paddling and hiking in Donso:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/dmqknxJE6SvWgvKM7



Boathouse row in the Donso harbor


STOCKHOLM is Sweden's largest city (pop about one million people; another million people live in the greater metro area) and the capital city of the country.  I was fortunate enough to snag a BnB in the middle of Gamla Stan (Old Town), near pretty much everything in downtown Stockholm



The colored houses in Stortorget, Stockholm's oldest square and the center around which Gamla Stan (Old Town) grew.  Also the site of an important set of public executions.  More at:





The Nobel Prize Museum:  This is where the committee meetings happen and where prize winners are announced




Gamla Stan waterfront.  Got this view from a ferry




Gällnö is one of about 30,000 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago, and one of about 150 islands that is inhabited year round.  I met up with friends Matt and Nadine to hike about 5 miles / 8 km on Gällnö





The Vasa Museum (left) and the Nordic Museum (right).  They are both located on Djurgården, an island that once was a royal hunting ground, and now houses these fabulous museums as well as Sweden's only National Urban Park. The Vasa houses a 
17th century sailing battleship that sailed less than a mile / 1.3 km before a gust of wind flipped the ship over.  It sank in the Stockholm harbor (it was top-heavy) and was recovered after being submerged for about 350 years.  It was kind of a vanity project to then King Gustavus Adolphus as a symbol of strength in his war against Poland and Lithuania.  Apparently none of his advisors dared to tell him the boat had a bad design!  A fun story, but it is an impressive boat with lots of interesting statues carved into its wooden structure.  Also a very interesting place to visit.





Through the gates of parliament and into Gamla Stan (Old Town). 



Had the time to visit the National Park that is closest to Stockholm.  Tyresta National Park is about 17 miles / 25 km south of the city.  It was designated a national park to protect the largest tract of virgin forest in southern Sweden, and to provide easy access to recreation for Stockholmers.  After consulting with a ranger there, I hiked a set of three trails that linked walks through old forests on varying terrain and that had two small lakes as destinations along the way.  Very nice!



A wonderful visit to a fabulous country.   And when my time was up in Sweden, I boarded a ferry and headed over to Finland!


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