Stockholm Bibliotek

Still in Stockholm. Its the fourth full day.
Museums do not open until 11:00 and some close by 15:00.
The mission on day four was to visit the Kings Library, the City Library, and the Royal Apartments.
The libraries were accomplished. The Royals will have to wait for another day.

The Kings Library requires all packs and outdoor clothing too be left in lockers.
See thru plastic bags are provided for those things you want to bring into the premises. I thought originally the bag was to protect your coat from the bottom of the locker.

An exhibition of posters was missed.
A small representation of the 60,000 posters donated by Paul Lipschutz was found at the bottom of an impressive staircase.

The book with a large number of the posters sorted according to topic was just too heavy to send by mail and impossible to carry ... boohoo ... too bad ... saved $38.

Many patrons were at workstations using laptops.
In one room small glass cases with locks and numbers held the chosen books for people's research ... contemporary music, architecture in the city, puppet theatres and environmental biology. Again people were sitting at desks with very comfortable chairs working mostly on laptops.

The old part of the library with its pillars was the place I found an Atlas of the worlds languages. Hungarian and Finn are related.... I always thought it was related Turkish .. have been re-educated!

Found some interesting magazines the titles of which I have recorded ... like the Hudson Review and the Hispanic American Historical Review. Could have been in this section alone for the rest of the day or week.


While in the area of the Kings Library I also had a chance to look in to some store windows and enter some shops. There are a lot of wonderful things to buy ... house wares, clothes, rugs , furniture ... the goodies for the Christmas season are beginning to be put, in colours of red and white, at the front of the shops and into the display windows.


On the bus again ... good thing I have a weeks pass ... and headed for the City Library. This place is even more impressive.
The main entrance comes up into a huge three tiered round space.
The round walls are covered with books. In the fiction section i found some novels from 1913. No cleansing or removal of politically incorrect books here. I wonder how many times the old books are taken out ... certainly cannot be a criteria for keeping or tossing the book.

The Children's section of the City Library was a definite eye opener. Every language I know is represented on the shelves with the name of language and quite a stack of books. I liked how the name of the language is predominantly shown by using a distinctive sign.

After consulting the map I decide to walk to the City Museum. It is easier to take pictures and passing the show windows slowly allows for a better look-see. The Indisky stores are big here ... something like Pier Imports but with goods mostly with an Indian flavour.

Inadvertantly land up walking down a street that proves to be a major construction site. Have to walk all the way around the security fence past apartments and eventually on a major traffic artery.

Climb the steps to the park looking for the museum. Finally cross the part and disturb a man in a bookstore eating his lunch. There is no Stockholm City Museum here.... but .... there is one here ... know the place I say and off I go.

Miss bus number 4 so take bus number 70 ... WAAAAY out of the city .... to the SAS headquarters looks like...see a lot of apartments and new housing developments ... no individual houses but pleasant blocks of apartments interspersed with park space and small shops.

Get off the bus when it returns and reaches a place I recognize... Gustav's Church. Go in and have a sit down ... I stand on the bus so I can see more .... and put on my fleece ... the wind without the sun makes it chilly.

A school group is being instructed about the church so I listen in ... too bad its in Sweedish and I only understand six to seven words of that ... the first four I told you already ...saab, volvo, abba and ikea ... the others are ... tack - thanks, iji trafik -out of service, mat - food, drick - drink, och - and, and so on ... when reading the headlines or posters it is surprising how many words are recognizable.

Once out of the church, I do decide to walk so as to be able to take pictures of the fancy turrets on the imposing buildings. Walk down a street that seems to be dedicated to the antique collections of Stockholm. One store has definitely gone Gustavian with a lot of white furniture, many offer china and crystal, one has lamps from all eras and all have their share of kitsch.

As I walk downhill the wind is becoming more and more chilling. Find another church to warm up in. In this one a group is having religious sing songs and introducing south american believers.

Once outside the church I go for a wander in one of the bigger department stores ...Ahlen's.

Christmas decorations have been put out and people are in a buying mood ... even I bought myself a calendar for 2010.

After looking at ALL the coats and finding only one I liked at $500 and seeing no boots that would fit my calves, I took the 53 bus, bought soup and sausages and went to the Hotel/Hostel.

Two girls will be in the room with me. Three people were in the kitchen preparing food. Even in November the Hotel/hostel has many visitors.

The two Swiss Fraulines have gone to the Casino. I will shower and go to bed early. Hve to be out for day five by at least 09:00.

I am a serious traveller but eight hours a day is about all I can put in ... am looking for a movie theatre. Two hours at a movie would make it a ten hour day.

I put in a twelve hour day going to Falun and then Sundborn to visit the house of the artist Carl Larson. on day three ... But that's another story.

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