We have a lot of historic places to check out here in Karlskrona in Sweden. In fact, in 1998 The Naval City of Karlskrona was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A list where amazing sites like The Great Wall, Taj Mahal, Venice and The Great Barrier Reef are included. But despite this quite cool fact I have not yet explored Karlskrona nearly enough. So a few days ago I decided to take a walk with my dog Lisen on one of the oldest islands in Karlskrona, Stumholmen. And though there was a lot to explore on this island, I am going to focus on the historic Bastion Kungshall on Stumholmen in this post.
Now the city of Karlskrona was founded in 1680. In 1683's year of fortification plan Stumholmen was given the role of production and provisioning area with shops and stores. And there are several military buildings from the 1700s to the 1950s on the island. Actually, Stumholmen was a large military workplace until the 1970s. But when residential buildings and a naval museum was built on the island in the 1990s, Stumholmen became a civilian area. Which is why anyone can walk around there today.
This bridge connects Karlskrona's main island Trossö to Stumholmen, photo was taken on Stumholmen.
Walking towards Bastion Kungshall.
Bastion Kungshall, which was included in the 1680 Act of Consolidation Plan for Karlskrona.
Between 1787-92 this pickle freight warehouse was built on top of the bastion and the large Kungshall warehouse with its slaughterhouse and storage of salted meat and groceries.
These salute guns on the bastion are part of one of Sweden's three fixed batteries where national celebration salutes are fired.
Pow!
Naw, they were empty.
So Lisen and I could relax next to the uncharged salute guns in the sun. :-)
View from the bastion towards Karlskrona's main island Trossö.
After a while by the salute guns we continued our walk around the bastion.
Behind the old Kungshall warehouse.
Time to exit the bastion area.
Bastion Kungshall.
Bastion Kungshall and salut guns.
Watch out.
While I was busy snapping shots, Lisen's eye also caught something interesting - another doggy. :-)
Such a cutie!
But after about one hour on Stumholmen it was time to head back to the car.
Almost there.
Come oooon, Aleeex!!! At least that is what I think Lisen was thinking, hehe.
Even though Lisen was very tired after our adventure on Stumholmen, I am very sure she had a great time there. As did I of course. :p
Yesterday I took my dog Lisen for a Sunday stroll in the lovely Wamo Park here in Karlskrona in Sweden. But before we got to the Wamo Park we walked up to the nearby Wamo Lookout Point, where I had actually never been before, to check out the view. So below are some photos from our visit to Wamo Lookout Point yesterday.
Wamo Lookout Point and the stele: ”Göternes camp 1811”, this way.
Almost there.
Wamo Lookout Point.
The first thing Lisen did was to check out the little house up there.
Then she started to inspect the surrounding area.
And it did not take long before she spotted something that captured her attention the whole time we were up there, another doggy of course! Lol!
So while Lisen was keeping a close eye on the dog, I stepped into the lookout house and snapped some shots of the surroundings.
Farthest away there is the ocean. On the big field on the other side of the road a big ice arena was located for many years, but it was torn down a few years ago. The same field is also, and has always been as long as I can remember, a popular place for circuses to set up when they come to town. The apartment buildings to the left are located in a neighbourhood called Annebo.
On the big field on this side of the road there used to be tennis courses, but they were also torn down a few years ago. Now it is just a big parking lot.
Behind all the trees and up the hill straight ahead lies the big hospital here in Karlskrona.
But Lisen did not care at all about any of those sights, all she had her eyes on was the dog down there...
The lookout house ceiling.
After about ten minutes we headed back down again.
But we made one more stop, at the stele: ”Göternes camp 1811”. This stele was erected in memory of the troops from Kalmar and Kronoberg regiments as well as the Gota artillery, which were stationed to Wamo back then.
Lisen by the stele, looking very serious.
Finally (well, it was not a long way to walk up there - maybe five minutes) back down from the lookout point, next stop - the Wamo Park.
It has not been easy these past few weeks to fully enjoy the few hours of daylight we have during this season here in Sweden, because almost every day has been embraced by a big hug of haze. I mean, I cannot even remember the last time I saw a blue sky or felt the warmth of the sun on my face... But, of course even hazy days have their charm. :-) So below are some photos of Hazy Days In Karlskrona.
Karlskrona today around noon, perhaps a bit more gloomy than hazy here though.
But the haze was lurking in the distance.
People (and dog) trying to keep up their energy levels.
As were these ducks.
Quack, quack.
Hm... Looking elegant.
But it sure was not easy to see out there today.
View over a hazy hugged Karlskrona around noon today.
There have been some predictions that we might actually get our first snow of this winter season this weekend here in Karlskrona, I hope so. At least if it is the kind of snow that stays and brighten up the days a bit. So - snow, snow please come on by and preform your show. I welcome you with open arms. ;p
The annual Sail Festival took place here in Karlskrona in Sweden this weekend. The Sail, or Sailet - as we call it in Swedish (SweEnglish), is a local tradition dating back to 1980. Originally it was an event where sailboats from around the world made their way to Karlskrona harbour. However, the last couple of years it has mostly consisted of food stands, beer tents and music. But I still think it is a lovely occasion and it is a festival I attend every year.
Now this year my favourite part was the new International Food Corner, where foods from around the world were showcased and sold. But also the rest of the walk along the harbour was very nice indeed. And below are some more moments from Sail Karlskrona 2012 that I managed to capture on camera. :-)
The big sail boat attraction this year was the ship The Brig Tre Kronor af Stockholm.
Which you could actually board and sail with during the festival.
There were also many naval boats and showcases along the harbour.
As well as lots of different market stands and people.
You could buy wigs.
And listen to lovely flute music for instance.
You could also take the little sightseeing train around Karlskrona.
Or run beside it...
And as always at markets (in Southern Sweden anyway), there were plenty of Langos carts at the Sail.
Sail Karlskrona 2012 along the harbour.
Sail Karlskrona 2012 along the harbour continues.
Many people decided to eat and relax along the way.
This old English ice cream bus is a new addition to Karlskrona this summer, it usually stands at The Fish Square but during the Sail Festival they had moved it up here to the harbour. The funny thing about this ice cream bus is that they sell Italian ice cream in there - in an English bus - in Sweden. Hehe.
The International Food Corner! Yay!!
Lots to choose from!
French food.
Belgian waffles.
German pretzels (brezels).
Australian barbecue... Now this was an...ehum...unusual food stand to see in Sweden indeed. Lol!
This one was a surprise too, but in a more mouth watering kind of way. Yum!!
English truffles! Big truffles!! And plenty of them too! Hehe. ;p Very popular indeed!
After all those food tents, time for another break.
Aww. :-)
The big beer tent and stage at the end of the harbour Sail Festival area.
Inside the beer tent area. I was there in the middle of the day, so it was quite calm then.
And in case you felt like paddling along the harbour instead of walking, there were of course also opportunities to do so as well. :p
Now usually the Sail Festival marks the end of summer and vacation for me, but this year I feel like we have not really had a proper summer which could come to an end - because it has been a quite cold summer season. Nevertheless, the Sail is the last big event of the summer here in Karlskrona and therefore I guess summer has sort of ended now. Though I think I will linger on to the hope that a little tiny, tiny heat wave might still finds its way to Karlskrona before August ends. But either way, the Sail Festival this year was a successful one in my opinion. :-)
Finally, to end this post I am going to move on to a completely different topic. Recently I was asked to be interviewed by a nice and talanted fellow named Jay. Now Jay runs the website comicbookandmoviereviews.com where the interview went online yesterday, and it turned out great by the way! Jay truly did a wonderful job putting it all together, so I am very grateful and appreciative for this opportunity - Thank You Jay! :-)
Today it was time for my favourite traditional market in Karlskrona, the Leaf Market. A market that has been around in Karlskrona for more than 200 years. It is also a market that I have attended almost every year of my life. So this morning I woke up eager to go in to town and continue this lovely tradition. And naturally I brought my camera with me and took lots of photos! Below are some of them.
Now the Leaf Market is one of the first big markets of the summer season in and around Karlskrona, so every year lots of people make their way in to town to stroll around there for a while.
More people heading towards the Great Square, where most of the over 500 market stalls are placed. And which is actually one of the largest squares in Europe's northern regions.
View over the Great Square and Leaf Market in Karlskrona.
View from the opposite side of the square.
Originally the Leaf Market was when farmers went into town to sell shrubs and flowers, which were used as decorations around farms.
Flowers are still popular to buy at the market today.
Even bumble bees check them out. (I think it is a bumble bee?)
Another popular flower decoration at the Leaf Market is the Swedish traditional Midsummer Crown.
Because the Leaf Market is held the day before Midsummer's Eve, many people buy them here.
Actually, many people wear them here as well. ;p
Some people even wear old traditional Swedish outfits at the market. (Though I do think these folks were part of a Swedish traditional Midsummer dance performance earlier, or later.)
Strawberries are a crucial part of the Midsummer's Eve celebration, therefore they too are very popular to buy at the Leaf Market. The reason strawberries are so important is because we Swedes must have our traditional Strawberry Cake on Midsummer's Eve, or else it will be ruined - seriously!
And in the left corner here are another popular berry at the market, in Swedish they are called Bigarrå - which is a sort of Cherry.
This was a new one. Lol! Looked quite yummy though. :p
Of course strolling around at the Leaf Market makes you hungry. And one popular sandwich to eat here is the Herring Sandwich. I have actually not tried it, so I am not sure about everything that is on it. But it is pan fried fresh herring on dark bread though, that I know.
Lines to the Herring Sandwich stall.
I, however, prefer to eat this when I am at markets - Langos! :p A Hungarian dish which consists of fried bread with different toppings.
Yum!!! (I know I include this in every market post I publish - but it is so gooood!!). Hehe.
There were of course a ton of other things to see, try and buy here.
Home made cheesecake.
Crisp Bread.
Different sausages, like moose, wild boar, eel and reindeer sausage...
Home made Apple Juice from Karlskrona.
And candy in all shapes and sizes of course.
There were also lots of handcrafts here, like these typical Swedish wooden butter knives.
Not so typical Swedish wooden butter knives. Lol!
Cute wooden trolls.
And Swedish wooden Midsummer Poles.
Although I did not bring my dog Lisen to the Leaf Market, I do always buy her a treat from this dog stall.
They have lots of dog treats to choose from.
I usually buy a giant pig's ear, but they did not have those this year. So I bought her a pig's tail instead.
Though Lisen looked a bit suspicious, she did enjoy her treat nevertheless. Lol!
And I enjoyed my visit to this year's Leaf Market - ahh! Great weather, a delicious Lango and lots of fun things to do and see. A very succesfull day indeed.
:-) Now I look forward to a yummy and lovely day tomorrow, Midsummer's Eve. Unfortunately we are predicted to have rain though, all through the weekend as well. Hopefully that is an incorrect prognosis... Either way, I do want to wish everyone a very happy Midsummer's Eve! Regardless of the weather. ;p
Something I can certainly vouch for. In fact, I read in the news recently that in Sweden we eat about 11.5 liters of ice cream per person per year. Only Finns eat more ice cream than us in Europe. On the other hand, we only eat half as much ice cream as the Americans. Either way, I must admit that I can indeed relate to these statistics, because I do love ice cream! Especially during warm lovely summer days, like today. Which is why I, instead of lunch today, went into town here in Karlskrona and got in line to buy ice cream from our most popular ice cream shop here in Karlskrona in Sweden, Glassiären.
Here I am in line to buy ice cream at Glassiären today.
Now the ice cream shop Glassiären is only open during the summer season and is popular mainly because of the HUGE ice cream's they serve. One scoop there is actually about four scoops. Which is why you don't order "one scoop" but "one flavor" of ice cream.
The ice cream menu at Glassiären.
The ice cream flavors at Galssiären.
And my ice cream!!! Flavors I chose: salt licorice, caramel/marshmallow and pistachio, topped with soft ice cream. However, I did not eat that monster ice cream myself though. I shared it with my lovely mum. :p
I also thought I share a few other facts about Sweden and ice cream:
-
Sweden's first ice cream factory was founded in 1934 by the Milk Central in Stockholm. However, the big breakthrough for ice cream on a stick in Sweden came during the hot summer of 1955.
- The total Swedish ice cream sales were estimated to reach 97.9 million liters in 2010, according to Swedish Board of Agriculture.
- And below are stats over how much ice cream some other European countries eat every year. The stats are in terms of liters per capita per year (2009):
Now, it is a good thing for me that I have only started to work on my estimated ice cream quota per year. Because that means that I have many more delicious cold treats to look forward to devour this summer. Yuuuummm!!! I can't wait to continue to represent these statistics. :p
A few weeks back I took my dog Lisen for a walk to, and in, the Wämö Park here in Karlskrona in Sweden. Now the Wämö Park is more than 100 years old and has a lot of fun things and animals in it, like goats. And although Lisen does not really care that much about other animals, except if she can chase them perhaps, she, after some consideration, did decide to take a closer look at the cute goat in the park.
And below are some photos from our visit to the Wämö Park here in Karlskrona in Sweden.
The entrance to the Wämö Park.
A map and info about the park at the entrance.
Where you can read a bit about the park and its history.
In we went.
All the way to this little guy.
The coolest goat ever! Lol.
Now Lisen was not entirely sure about whether or not she wanted to say hello to Mr. Goat though, hm..? (The white dots on her is snow by the way, this was about one month ago.)
But after some consideration, she decided to give it a go.
Unfortunately Mr. Goat and Lisen did not get much closer to each other than this. Because just as we were approaching Mr. Goat, a little boy and his dad came up to the goat as well. Actually, the dad seemed more intrigued by the goat than his son did. Lol! Anyway, Lisen did not seem to mind the interruption however, so on with our walk through the Wämö Park we went.
Where there were lots of other little animals to check out.
My dog Lisen and I went for a walk in Rödeby today and on our walk we stopped by the lovely sculpture "Rings On Water", which is placed in the middle of Rödeby Square here in Sweden.
"Rings On Water".
Even though I have lived in Karlskrona pretty much all my life I actually had no idea this sculpture existed until a few months ago. I discovered it when I did a some research for my post "Fish Market Square in Karlskrona" and Karlskronas most photographed works of art, the statue “Fisherman's Wife”. It turned out that Erik Höglund, who also created “Fisherman's wife”, had made several other sculptures placed around Karlskrona, whereof one was "Rings On Water".
Although Höglund's most famous artwork is "Fisherman´s wife", my favourite sculpture by him, ever since I found a photo of it online, is "Rings On Water". A sculpture I must have seen before, because I have been on Rödeby Square many times, nevertheless I cannot remember having ever really looked at it. So today on my walk with Lisen I decided to drop by Rödeby Square to take a closer look.
"Rings On Water" on Rödeby Square in Sweden by Swedish artist Erik Höglund in 1976-77.
We had quite the storm here in Karlskrona in Sweden yesterday. Especially during the evening and night. I actually thought my windows were going to blow away few times, that was how hard the wind shook them. Trees fell and blocked roads in several places around here, roofs were blown off houses and over 80 000 households in Southern Sweden lost their power (I had mine though).
But the big incident of the evening in my family was that while my sister was visiting a friend, the wind got hold of a trampoline (one of those things children jump up up and down on) from her friend's neighbour's garden. This trampoline flew all the way across the road and hit my sister's parked car. Yikes! Luckily though my sister was not in the car at the time, which was really the most important thing. However her car did get quite a few dents and a broken front window.
Now despite the fact that a storm was in full motion less than 24 hours ago, the sunset I encountered in Nättraby in Karlskrona earlier today could not have been more still and beautiful. Definitely a typical "calm after the storm" moment. And I think that because yesterday was such a stormy one, this sunset felt to me like a reassurance of the fact that all moments do truly pass. Even stormy nights. So with that in mind, I indeed took the opportunity to fully enjoy this lovely moment.
The first sunset after the storm. Location; Nättraby, 10 kilometers outside of Karlskrona in Sweden.
