A summer day in our neighborhood

Let me take you a long our neighborhood. Yesterday was a nice day. I woke up to a beautiful morning and decided to go for a run. C was not going to be home until early afternoon and I had the whole morning to myself. The weather was just perfect outside. It felt great to start off with a fresh start like this.

As I was out running I decided to go for a walk after breakfast and this time to take my camera with me. I love the proximity of the water and the way this area is built. You can understand why it is named "Sjöstaden" (lake city) as you walk around here. Small boats are lined up and parked just outside . It is almost as if each home does not just have a parking spot but also a spot at the dock.

This is one of my favorite stores in the neighborhood. It's a small gourmet shop with the perfect name"Fine Foods". It is all about love and food as printed on the big storefront window. Besides the shop they also have a small sitting area where you can sit down and have a lunch or a coffee. They sell fruits and veggies as well as freshly baked bread, good cuts of meat and nice cheeses.

It is common to see people here just enjoying a good book at one of the docks, or lying in the sun working on their tans in bikinis.

Small boats parked just right up front. It is as easy or as natural to have a boat here as a car.

This bridge is kind of cool. As you cross it you come to a small island with more another set of condos and apartments.

There are these neat board walks all around the area. You can run or take walks following the shore. You can feel the scent of the fresh water as you walk here.

More people enjoying their Sunday in leisurely way, tanning, reading or just relaxing .

This is one of the newer outdoor bars that just opened. It looks very nice so I hope me and C get the chance to go here and check it out soon.

The entire area is almost completed by now. The last buildings will be done next year. This area has been in progress for the past ten years. Before that this was an old industrial area that was considered kind of a rough neighborhood. What has been done here has turned out really neat. It is a great area to live in. It's location close to the main city center is also great.

Thai food is something that you see all over Stockholm. Thailand has really become a popular vacation destination for so many Swedes that it has become natural that Thai food has been brought to Sweden. The most common flag besides the Swedish flag is probably the Thai flag that you can see at all the Thai restaurants.

I decided to take the boat back. I had walked along the shore line over to the other side. It is a nice walk but also nice to take the boat over from the opposite shore. The boat is free and takes only five minutes.

So this is Hammarby Sjostad where we live. This is a great area in many ways. I am glad we got the chance to get to know it and live here. Again I realize how lucky we were to get this apartment. Life by the water front just gives that extra dimension of quality in life. Besides the great location to the city this area also is close to many great natural and outdoor areas.

In Birmingham, Alabama we did not have any larger bodies of water close by. We loved going to the beach and ocean but the drive down to the coast was at least a four hour drive so it was not too often that it was possible to go down there. I think that is an aspect that makes us appreciate living by the water front like this even more.