These were the sheds for the allotments!
A stroll in Eriksdalbadet, Stockholm was perfect for relaxing after a hectic week.
The kids had a waterpolo tournament at Eriksdalbadet, the biggest swim complex in Stockholm.
It was a beautifully sunny day, the likes of which we’d been seriously deprived of recently, so when we dropped our older 2 off, we decided to go exploring with the Littlest for a little bit. Nowhere touristy mind, just taking a stroll from the Eriksdalbadet swimming pool along the shores of the island of Södermalm.
The Södermalm (“suthraemalm”) is first mentioned in 1288 in a letter from Bishop Anund of Strängnäs. Until the early 17th century Södermalm was mainly a rural, agricultural area. Its first urban areas were planned and built in the mid 17th century and comprised a mixture of working class housing, such as the little red cottages of which a few can still be seen in northeastern Södermalm, and the summer houses and pavilions of wealthier families, such as Emanuel Swedenborg’s pavilion, which is now in the outdoor museum Skansen. During this time, it was also the location of perhaps the first theatre in Scandinavia, Björngårdsteatern. Södermalm is often poetically named “Söders höjder”, which reflects its topography of sheer cliffs and rocky hills. Indeed, the hills of Södermalm provide remarkable views of Stockholm’s skyline.
In the 18th century, the working-class cottages that clung to Mariaberget, the steep cliffs facing Riddarfjärden, were replaced by the large buildings that are still present today. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that urbanisation grasped the entire width of Södermalm, and even today parts of Södermalm have a rural feeling to them, as for instance the landscape of tiny allotments that climb the slopes of Eriksdal. (from Wikipedia)
Walking along the water’s edge from Eriksdalbadet, we walked past lots of joggers and an outdoor gym, where the equipment was fully exploited.
Up ahead we saw a hive of activity and wondered what it was. Then we realise that the first sailing club we happened upon had a club working day: this is so Swedish! And I love it!
Clubs, all sorts of sports and cultural clubs, get together once – or a couple of times- a year for communal work to tackle things like litter picking, gardening and repairs. (Our sailing club in Uppsala had the communal day a couple of weeks ago and we did a lot of hedge trimming.) This club was a hive of activity, everyone seemed to be pitching in painting, sawing, tidying… and not on their own boats, as one might expect on such a perfect spring day, but all around the club grounds and the moorings. It was tempting to sit down and people watch.
the hive of activity with everyone doing their bit
painting, pruning, litter picking
Tempting to just sit and enjoy the sight in the sunshine…but the Littlest wasn’t having any of the sitting around!
😀
Soon after the sailing club the road narrowed and the hillside was dotted with boutique little summerhouses. A sign a bit further along told the history of the area being allotments since the 1900s…. These were the sheds for the allotments!
The UK and the Netherlands have beach huts- generally cute tiny houses on the beach, with barely any facilities- to get away to for a day or more.
The rest of Europe has tiny summer houses on the edge of urban development. These are allotments, originally divided up into small plots for apartment dwellers to cultivate fruit and vegetables. Nowadays, the sheds have been beautified and expanded for comfort. Stockholm, as we discovered on the weekend, has these cute little houses really centrally in one of the most sought-after neighbourhoods, in Södermalm. They are so cute!
Loving these cute “sheds” in Eriksdalbadet!
With the bright blue sky and the bright, almost yellow, of the new green buds of the trees looking up was like looking at blue and yellow of the Swedish flag!
Just look at the colour of the sky and the fresh shoots of the tree!
We walked about 2.5km to Tantolunden, soaking in the atmosphere of Stockholmers relaxing, enjoying the sun, making the most of the water- watching it, boating, rowing and some even swimming (!)… despite it snowing just under a week ago. This is Sweden!
Picnic anyone?
Feeding ducks- my brood were in their winter coats, some were already swimming and sunbathing.
The beach in Stockholm
pop up food stalls
Most signs we’ve come across in Sweden, even in the depth of forests have a short English translation too
Not very pretty, but majestic none-the-less
Spot the chap on the pontoon changing after a swim! Brrr!
ALSO READ: About adventures of moving to Sweden
We couldn’t decide whether living on this boat would appeal or not.
Mummy, mummy take a picture!
This is slow travel at its best: exploring hidden neighbourhoods, like Eriksdalbadet in Södermalm, soaking in the local atmosphere, peeping into the everyday lives of locals.
What’s your favourite slow adventure recently?
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Looks like an amazing place for a weekend getaway.