Where and When to Go

If you're interested in Folk Music &/or Folk Dancing, and happen to be visiting Sweden in its Winter time (not necessarily the best of seasons, but for those who enjoy cold, quiet, darkness -or- beautifully scenic views, why not?)...

I'd like to recomment attending Folk Music House's (Folkmusikhusets) weekly folk music/dance evenings at Skeppsholmen, a school for the maritime sailors in one of Stockholm's tourist centers (very near the East Asiatic Museum).

Like a mini folk festival (but on a weekly basis) of Acoustic Folk Music, with opportunities to dance, learn/teach tunes, sing, enjoy the various spontaneous musical events (tiny groups of players/learners/listeners spring up all over the place), this is one of the world's best "sessions"... well worth emulating IMHO!

It's also a good place to hear touring folk musicians (or to play if you *are* touring musicians) & enjoy a modestly priced smorgasbord.

It seemed more-or-less non-commercial in character, but effective in facilitating the passing of folk culture to the next generations.

http://come.to/folkmusikhuset/ (Sunday evenings from Sep to May) Enjoy!

I cann't help but feel that you have not emphasised the Wasa Museum. I would recommend it highly, it should be a part of the Stockholm 3 day schedule. Even if you're not a big fan of museums this is a must see. A fully preserved man-o-war from the 1600's that suck within minutes of its launch but was raised in the 1960's... truely amazing.

The Wasa museum is truly amazing. Think about it. Their king gets the idear to build a hugh warship, one that will make others tremble at mare sight. They spend enormous amounts of money building it, put it in the sea and it sinks like a rock. Total failiur. And what do the Swedes do? They spend a lot of money lifting it up again and building a museum for it and show it to foreigners: "look what we build, it didn't work, but isn't it nice?" They are self confident and relaxed like few others.

Its Vasa firstly, not to be pedantic, its pronounced Wasa though.

On other matters, I think that its easier to stay at a Youth Hostel (STF in Sweden) rather than a Hotel. You get to meet far more interesting people, some of whom may pass on some interesting knowledge about the area.

Oh and being a Student I found Uppsala very nice and almost like home. Quite photogenic too, maybe spend 1 or 2 days there (im spending over a week cos of free accomodation)

The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago in the world. It have between 300 K and 3000 ilands, dependent on what size to count. It is possible to go island hopping in it. You will find that it is really used days. The main spots is: Waxholm, Sandhanm, Kymmendö, Dalarö, Utö and Landsort. But try to got a boat out to Bullerön, the iland where the painter Bruna Liljefors did live on the summers and was wisited by Anders Zorn. It is located in the middle of the archipelago, and that is very scenic. On Kymmendö can you visit the cottage the Strindberg used when he wrote some books of the life in the archipelago. Most of teh boats are going from the middle of Stockholm, "Nybrokajen" or you can gop from Saltsjöbaden or Dalarö, they are all contected by boatlines. It is possible to by ticket for a week go island hopping, or for shorter times. Some ilands have B&B possebilities.

Kyrkogårdsförvaltning, or woodland cemetery, from the interwar time

I stayed 3 days, out of which 2 were spent attending the EuroScience Open Forum, held in Stockholm end August 2004, and had only the Sunday for visiting, in which I managed to get around Gamla Stan, Drottningholm and also a site not mentioned in your guide, although it is UNESCO World Heritage listed, namely the Woodland cemetery. I am sorry to have missed the UNESCO site on the heritage ot the Vikings, but this would have required one more day ...

If you like macro photography there are a couple of places I'd recommend, there is a flowergarden called Bergianska Tradgarden that's lying next to the museum of national history (Nationalhistoriska museumet).
The garden grows pretty much everything during the summer period.

Also I would say visiting the Butterfly House in Haga Parken, Solna would be worth the effort. They have a large indoor area where the butterflies fly freely.
(Quick warning thou, its _very_ damp in there so bring something to wipe your lenses with).

I think everybody forgot the beauty of the Swedish countryside. In Europe it is only surpassed by Norwegian countryside, IMHO. Norwegian landscapes are absolutely awesome, but that is another story...

For anyone who wants to make shots of green 'lawns' squared by 35m (100 ft) high pines and birches or the same in winter's white, take a drive on the small earth-paved roads outside the larger towns, it's quite safe and not as steep as Switzerland (no offence to the Swiss... ;-) ).

In Sweden there is a law, called 'allemanns-r?en' (everyman's-law) that states (approximately) that you are free to trespass anywhere, as long as you do not destroy cultures/harvests, bother animals (domestic AND wild) or people nor pry on anyone's privacy.

So this country is the best for nature-shooting - in Europe, at least. Especially in the hills and mountains of northern and northwestern Sweden there are landscapes of astounding beauty, and exceedingly 'photographable'