Hi everyone! I'm writing a scene which takes place on Isles of Arsta in Stockholm (Arsta Holmar). If anyone here had visited this place, I would appreciate if you could share some basic info about them. Now, I know there are 3 separate small islands (Bergsholmen, Alholmen and Lillholmen), which are connected to each other by footbridges and can be reached from the mainland only by both. I also know there is a guesthouse from 1700's built on Alholmen. Now, I would like to know the following: are the islands uninhabited (except for the guesthouse), is there some other accomodation where people can stay, what kind of plants and animals live on the isles, are there a lot of tourists visiting them, is it easy to walk through the forests... Stuff like that. Based on photos, I imagine the place to be green, peaceful and filled with trees, birds and small animals. Are there any rivers or springs on the isles? Thank you for sharing your experiences!
The only input I have is that you should spell it Årsta. @Komposten is Swedish, but he doesn't live in Stockholm. Not sure if he'd know more or if he could find you more accurate info.
I may be Swedish through and through, but I've actually never been to Stockholm. I'll see what I can find, though.
From what I've found the only building on the islands is the guest house. And the islands are about to become nature reserves. Haven't found much more than that. Maybe @Tesoro can help with more info?
Thanks, @Komposten for directing me to this thread. Interesting. I'm actually from Stockholm, but believe it or not I've never been to these Isles, even though once living in Årsta. To answer the questions I can answer: I haven't found any info that there would be permanent residences there, even the boat trafic seem to be down during some parts of the year to not the disturb the wildlife for examples the birds at time for reproduction. There has been discussions about building bridges to these isles but most people seem to be against that because it's basically one of the few unexploited areas of stockholm and they want to preserve the wildlife there. I'm not entirely sure which animals you can find there, but I'll try to find some info if you want. I don't think there are any rivers or springs, it's realy not that big an area. I've seen there is some kind of hostel/hotel there, but only at certain times of the year I guess. Don't think many tourists visit them either. Peaceful yes, as in solitude, but two big bridges (one old and one quite new) for both commuting and regional trains pass there when taking the southern way out of stockholm, so maybe not THAT peaceful... That is all I know right now.
Thank you @Komposten and @Tesoro ! This is actually very useful piece of information for me. That's exactly what I was hoping for, Tesoro! Perfect for my story - the less people around, the better! Regarding the animals, I guess there are only frogs, snakes, birds and some small mammals over there... Since the isles are not really large. If you happen to come across something interesting, I'd appreciate the info, though. Oh one more thing: those bridges you mentioned, it seems to me that they pass trough Alholmen? Maybe now I've inspired you to take a boat trip to the Isles, Tesoro
Glad to be of any help. And yes, I realized I definitely need to go there sometime soon. Maybe this summer. I'll let you know what I find out. Yes, Alholmen is the one where the bridges pass.
Hey guys, one more thing... You mentioned that the name should be spelles Årsta. How exactly should I read that? Does it sound like "Orshta" (that's how Google Translate reads it)? Just moving my scene in there.
I've no idea how Sweden-Swedes pronounce it. Finns would say "Orsta" with a rolling, rhotic 'R'. But our Swedish (finlandssvenska) is apparently an atrocity for all the Swedes to hear... There's also, to my ears, a crazy difference between the Swedish in Stockholm and Skåne Swedish (in southern Sweden), which I seriously struggle to understand.
Thanks KaTrian! I hope @Tesoro or @Komposten will see this question as well. I'd also like to know if Årsta actually means something or it's just a name...
Have you tried Google maps to get an idea of what they're like? They look to be largely forested to the East of the two bridges, with some rocky outcrops on Tallholmen, and with a sunken boat at a beach on the East of the islands.
I agree with @KaTrian. I pronounce it along the lines of "Or-sta", with a rothic 'r' and a short 'a' at the end. As for the meaning of "Årsta", I'd say it's just a name without a real meaning. Nah, it's not that bad. It just sounds kinda funny and weird. Due to the Danish ownership of Skåne until sometime during the 17th century, "Skånska" is heavily influenced by Danish. Even to me (who grew up in south-western Sweden) Danish is rather unintelligible, and thus "Skånska" a bit cryptic as well. But, yeah, we have some really big differences in regional dialects for such a small country.
Å in swedish is pretty much like the french "Eau" (pronounced the french way, not the english-speaking way, like "oh" ). And in swedish r+s together are often not pronounced separtely but something like a sch with just a little hint of an R before it. Like komposten said, I don't think it means anything, it's just a name.
