stockholm city bikes

Throughout Stockholm there are stands where someone who has registered with Stockholm City Bikes can borrow a bike. Just swipe your card and take a bike, ride it to your destination (where there will be another bike stand) and then drop your bike off. When it's time for you return trip, pick up another bike and do the same thing over again. Keith tried it yesterday. Some of the major city streets have bike lanes and many locals seem to bike either with their own bikes or with a Stockholm City Bike.

the observatory

The observatory is on a hill right across the street from us (behind the library). Here's a good picture of the library; behind it is our apartment -- the beige building with the black roof. As you can see, the weather has been nice and there were good views from Observatory Hill.

dining room

kitchen

kids

The fact that Sweden is so kid-friendly is evidenced by the fact that there are ... well ... children, babies and pregnant women everywhere. All of the kids in Sweden (plus some others) were, apparently, at Junibacken this morning. Junibacken is a museum devoted to the literature of Astrid Lindgren, author of the Pippi Longstocking series. The kids enjoyed the mock-ups of Pippi's house and environs. I preferred the grounds outside with its trees, ducks and views.

view

This is the view from our living room window. The orange building in the upper right is the City Library, which according to our guide book is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Stockholm.

gamla stan

Gamla Stan (Old Town), a short subway ride away for us, is an island with narrow, cobblestone streets. It's where the Royal Palace is and, of course, there are lots of trinket and souvenir shops.