"Log Island City" a Stockholm Travel Page by yooperprof

This flower stall really brightens up the gray of a winter day. It's at the Slussen transportation hub, and was right outside my hotel. I was very impressed: every day, before dawn, workers would assemble it from scratch. Special heated trucks delivered the flowers which would be on sale through the daylight hours. Then, at five, the truck would return and take away the unsold flowers, and workmen would disassemble the stall for the night. You don't really appreciate flowers until you lived through a northern winter!

The Swedes themselves don't agree on the etymology of their capital city, but one convincing explanation connects it to the logs (stockar) which were used to fortify the small island (holme) on which the great medieval chieftain Birger Jarl created the castle known as "Tre Kronor," the Three Crowns. Birger Jarl first used the name "Stockholm" in two letters which he wrote (!) in 1252, thus enabling the well-fortified Stockholmers of today to celebrate the 750th anniversary of their city in 2002.

There are several places from which to gain a topographical sense of this archipelageous city, but one of the best vantage points is certainly the winding and intricate walking path that skirts the clifftop on Södermalm. It goes by the name of Monteliusvägen, and has several "lookouts" giving great views of the waters and landmasses beyond.