The Stockholm Archipelago covers an area of 1700 sq.km and has 30-35 000 islands I love the juxtaposition of the rock and the sea. Photo by: Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se
Everywhere you look in Stockholm and the archipelago, there is rock.
It co-exists with the grass in the parks. It forms the islands in the archipelago. Buildings are built around it in the Central part of the city. It’s smooth rock which means it’s old, probably worn by glaciers millions of years ago. I know next to nothing about geology, can you tell?
I tried to research what kind of rock it is that I see everywhere around Stockholm but I couldn’t come up with the answer. I even asked an expat friend who studied geology for 3 years in Australia before changing to engineering and all she could tell me is that it’s igneous rock- volcanic, glacial, and very, very old. Hopefully one of you wise readers can enlighten me as to whether it’s quartz or ?
I like the way the rock here in Eastern Sweden is not ignored, removed, nor covered up but rather landscapers just work around it, blending their work into what nature has provided. Everywhere you see homes that have giant rocks in their front and backyards. The parks have rocks. The playgrounds have rocks. Swedish kids must grow up just naturally learning how to clamber over rocks.
Stockholm archipelago. Photo by: Henrik Trygg/imagebank.sweden.se
The countless boats in the archipelago moor at the rocks, sloping down into the waves. When I sailed around the archipelago with friends a number of years ago, I loved hopping from the boat onto those rocks.
I like the strength of the rock. It reminds me of the Swedish people. They can be hard to get to know and well, stone-faced, but once you’ve made a friend, you’ve made a friend for life and you can count on them, count on their solidity, count on them being there.
This is a viking boat grave. Except that it isn’t. It was formed by modern day Öland citizens, ca. 2000. Photo by K.Lund
Joke Rocks
Swedish people can even joke using rocks. This summer I was walking with some friends on an unpaved, back road on the island of Öland. We came across what appeared to be a Viking era boat grave—rocks arranged on the ground in the outline of a boat. Then we read the sign that said (thanks to Emil for the help in translating the pseudo-old Swedish):
“This stone ship, of the type spurius, oriented southward, probably originates from the early 2000′s. Brought into existence by Ch. Sachs and T. Birath.”
Sign next to the fake viking grave, explaining things. Photo by: K.Lund
More pictures of rocks in the Stockholm area…
Photo by: K.Lund
Photo by: K.Lund
