Stockholm Trip, 16th February 2011

The following day was extremely tiring due to the amount of mileage that our wee legs clocked up along the frozen waterfront that divides the island of Kungsholmen and Soddermalm. The depth of snow was substantial above the water and even on the sidewalks. From a technical landscape architectural perspective, having such a deep snow base didn’t exactly help at all though I did gain an insightful understanding into the unique social qualities of Stockholms people during the cold winter months. Seeing families walk their children to school in ski outerwear and big woollen beanies and mittens, dogs playing in the snow and even a few cross country skiers heading to work brought a few distinctive emotions forward, ones that I have never felt before because it felt like Stockholm was the furthest place from home.

I remember thinking to myself that this place was quite literally a winter wonderland, sometimes I was reminded of the somewhat similar atmosphere that was experienced in Whistler, Canada during my travels a couple of years back. Because of the tremendous difference between Stockholm and London based on these conditions it was impossible to compare the two, though it was interesting to see how much of the snow was left in its natural state after snowfall rather than being gritted or ploughed to make way for pedestrians and vehicular use, from this action alone you could immediately tell that the people of Stockholm are far more complacent than that of London’s population if similar conditions were to take place. Streets were incredibly quiet and it was rare to hear a loud conversation or shouting between people, instead you could also tell that much more respect is given between its population. I managed to take a couple of pictures that best conveys my experience walking along the waterfront (below).