Excursion to Vaxholm

Photos from fancy archipelago idyll Vaxholm, taken on a later summer excursion with grandma!

Summer in Stockholm?

Can look also like this - photos from an August hailstorm in downtown Stockholm.

Building site

A peek at our own building site, destined to be a southward-looking balcony!

Middle East blogging

You can find some analyst's blogs in the left column (I've also highlighted some of them before, here) and here is one more: Reidar Visser on Iraq!

Siberian apples

Well not in Siberian Siberia, but in down-town Stockholm Siberia district, we found these apple trees about 2 weeks ago!

Late summer evening in Stockholm

A rainy mid-August evening in a Stockholm suburb produced this suggestive light over the lake.

Reading UAE

Have during the summer read the below titles by Chris Davidson, for once outlining all the bits and pieces on the UAE that are known but rarely compiled and analyzed. Recommended to those interested in the history and development of the UAE!

Anti-trafficking

The Stockholm Ethnographic museum sells artefacts against trafficking, quite nice actually!

Sad memorial

The 11th of September is a sad day for the world. For what happened and for the consequences. In Sweden it was made even sadder by the murder of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, to the day 2 years after the disaster in New York and Washington. I really wanted to erase the date from the calender.

The dhows waiting

for the goods heaped on the quay.

Boxes of stuff to load...

...on to the waiting dhows!

Exports

We've seen this before, the loads of stuff being loaded on to dhows in Sharjah.

Sharjah!

The skyline of Sharjah has a modern coastal look from afar, but looks more like old Dubai up close.

Modern graphic calligraphy

The creed of Islam in a supercool modern graphic format, by Mamoun Sakkal, exhibited at the museum.

Re-make

My fantastic husband helped me figure out the blog layout the other day, as you may have noticed. More minor changes may still come as I go along, but this will be the basic design - I wanted 3 columns - and will now use my delicious account to share links - hopefully more often and more regularly. Link postings may still come in thematic forms, but not as often, I plan.

Am slowly posting the links I've collected during my recent vacation and the delicious account can be expected to be more up to date in 2-3 days...

Sharjah Islamic museum

Definitely worth a visit!

Sharjah corniche

Konflikt on Afghanistan

Today's Konflikt on Swedish radio centred on developments in Afghanistan, with interviews and analysis.

More on the Swedish presence here also.

Ski Dubai!

You've seen it before!

Sultanahmet rooftops

Views from our hotel window.

Turkish lamps

Another Istanbul favourite!

A meeting of times

One of the traders in the Grand Bazaaar proudly showed us his IKEA chest of drawers!

Afghan elections update

Some photos from the Afghan elections yesterday, results seem contested at first, mixed participation results, but still relatively orderly (I certainly had worse fears at least).

Update: I don't think I linked before to Johanne Hildebrandt's blog from Afghanistan during her trip for Aftonbladet.

Favourite "fika"

Always in the Grand Bazaar!

Ramadan Kareem

Wishing blessed Ramadan to fasting friends and readers.

Major Swedish media have updates here and here and here.

Church by Taksim Square

Elections in Afghanistan

Elections are going on today - read here and here and here.

More links to come. I certainly hope for an election performed well enough, under circumstances where those who wish can vote freely.

Update: more discussion in Sweden about our presence in Afghanistan here. This debate runs high these days, with massive media attention probably culminating with the election today - I do now profess to even try to mirror all sides and arguments.

On realities for Swedish troops: here and here and here and here

An Afghan on the Swedish presence (there has been more of similar both for and against, this specific article is by an Afghan, but lots of known and unknown Swedes have professed their opinions recently also).