September was the month life returned to pre-pandemic normal; the last of our restrictions were lifted apart from the non EU/EEA entry ban. Coffee shops and restaurants were busy, organised tours snaked through the streets of Gamla Stan, there were fewer queues outside shops and rush hour became more noticeable as people went back to work in offices.
We found a fantastic farmer’s market on Södermalm. It had mountains of kale and other fresh vegetables, eggs, pickles, cheese, fårskinn (sheel pelts), wild mushrooms, honey, berries, and flowers. The only trouble is, we always seems to pass through when we already have a full fridge or can’t carry things around all day.
This lady carrying her kale around like a bouquet made me smile. I’ve also seen lots of people cycling around with it stuffed in their front bike baskets.
Jetties were lined with swimmers enjoying the last of the warmer water. People were still swimming in November last year though, then the big freeze came and the hardcore ice bathers came out to play.
This is a floating sauna! Windows on the other side look out over the water. We’ve seen quite a few of these but haven’t been in one yet.
We happened to be out in the city when the Stockholm Marathon took place. They appeared to divide people into groups with staggered start times — preumably to comply with pandemic restrictions on public gathering numbers. We saw an old man jogging very slowly, quite far back from the others in his group, he was my favourite runner.
This pop-up återbruk scheme is brilliant. It’s a recycling container that tours the city, accepting re-use donations and certain waste. We disposed of paint tins and donated a few things we’d collected in a clear out. Reusable items are put in this container and the public can take any of the items for free! Many people are carless so it’s a great way to ensure waste gets disposed of properly, without the need to travel miles to a recycling centre.
Autumn in Sweden always feels very homely and familiar to me — we’ve always visited Scandinavia around this time of year. I love the cosiness and Autumn sun with cooler weather.
That’s all for September!
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