May 23: Norrmalm 1

Suddenly, we were in Stockholm.

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It's Katarinahissen!

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And Riddarholmskyrkan!

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And Stadshuset!

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And...wait, what is this? It's the atrium of Cityterminalen, the central bus station. We stored some of our luggage here, I think, to have a lighter load while exploring.

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And this is the waiting hall of the adjacent Central (railway) Station.

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I count at least six levels of scale in the ceiling.

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Well wouldn't you know it, it's Klara Kyrkan.

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A closeup on one of the church's distinctive brick bands, contrasting in both color and gloss.

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A murder of starlings (or starling-like objects) by the church. Now in...

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Now out. Keep goin'!

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Some palimpsest on the apse end of Klara Kyrkan.

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Wow, um, dreary.

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We meet again, Lion. Guess we're on Drottninggatan.

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We meet again, Sergelstorg.

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So cute! Also, we meet again, Åhléns City.

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We meet again, inset letters.

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Then we ventured into an inviting courtyard/garden next to Drottninggatan, which turns out to be Centralbadet, a spa opened in 1904, one of Stockholm's most relaxing oases. This is a glimpse of the Art Nouveau main building.

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Springtime busted in out of nowhere!

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An oasis it surely is; the garden was already lush and full of flowers even in the May North.

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I can't handle the blooms!

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Across Drottninggatan from Centralbadet is the City Conference Center, in a building still known as Norra Latin (Northern Latin) from when it was a secondary school, between 1880 and 1982.

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We went inside and partway up the cool main stairwell. I really like stairwells partly open to other spaces like this.

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Vertiginous fishies.

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Looking a little wan there, Sun. Cheer up, there's a blowup chicken in the courtyard.

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In the same big courtyard on the west side of Norra Latin is this awesome fountain.

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SPHERE OF WATER, SPHERE OF FIRE