Södermalm, Stockholm

Favorite thing: This is S?der's oldest surviving church, completed in the early years of the 17th century during the reign of Sweden's great Gustavus Adolphus. Later contributions to the Maria Magadalena Church (and the surrounding neighborhood) were made in the late 17th and early 18th centuries by Stockholm's great father-son architectural duo, Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and Nicodemus Tessin the Younger . Stockholm feels like an exceptionally well-ordered and organized city -- and a great deal of the credit is owed to Baroque masters like the Tessins who created a "fabric" of design which still defines the place.

Favorite thing: I confess - I was a bit of a lazy tourist while I was in Stockholm. I missed some of the biggest, most obvious attractions - most notably, the Gustavus Vasa ship museum. Instead, it was better for me to "while away" my time strolling through Stockholm's urban neighborhoods. Sometimes, it's just better to visit local galleries and see interesting if incomprehensible modern art than trudging through famous museums to see old stuff. Of course, there's a lot of excellent work being done by artists in Stockholm now - there seems to be something about the air and light here which attracts painters interested in color.

Favorite thing: I found it very easy to spend time in S?dermalm - just wandering the streets, checking out neighborhoods, playing the urban "flaneur." It's an "up and down" area, with many hills and valleys and houses that stand proud and high above their streets. If you are a fan of the color orange - especially in its pastel varieties - you'll be greatly attracted to S?dermalm.

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Favorite thing: If in need to wash your already soiled underware and shirts there is a place at the Soderlmam area where you can do it. I was told that there are only two places in Stockholm this is one of them.

The place:
Elit Tvätten (laundro-mat)
Gotlandsdgatan 59
Stockholm
Tel 08-642 69 41

Favorite thing: South of Gamla Stan, is Södermalm, or Söder, the southern part of Stockholm. This part of town used to be the home of artists and workers, but not so long ago the area started to become a fashionable and popular place to live, and now it is as expensive, if not more, as the other parts. Many people consider Söder to have a special atmosphere. Especially in eastern part of Söder you can find a lot of really cute neighbourhoods.

Favorite thing: This area of Södermalm (southern Stockholm) is the only place where these wooden houses - dating back to the first half of the 18th century - can be found. As a result of several fires burning down large portions of Stockholm, these wooden houses were banned around 1730.

Favorite thing: This view is of Sodermalm and includes the floating boat hostel, Den Roda Baten on Soder Malarstrand. The previous picture was taken from the cliffs to the right. Here you get a better look at the 3 boat hostel/restaurant.

Favorite thing: Cross the Centralbron into the mostly residential suburb of Sodermalm. This view of the Centrolbron and Gamla Stan is from the northern cliffs of Sodermalm. It was only a short distance from the hostel I stayed in, which you can see in the bottom right of the pic. I stayed in the white boat. Next to that is the restaurant and behind the trees is the original hostel boat which is red.