Location: begin at the braid sculpture next to Linneplatz and walk south to the open green spaces
Duration: about 20 minutes

I’m at the north end of the park near to the braid sculpture and just below the natural history museum. Walk with me. I’m going to walk down the path to the open green space.

I notice many open visible markers here... Outdoor sculptures, trees that become focal points, and small bodies of water. I use these markers to help locate my position in the park.

I can see the natural history museum up on the hill. I enjoy the qualities of a museum like this. To look at the dioramas, the preserved animals, and the dusty old corners seldom seen — is to get lost in time.

The exhibition “I Love You” was here over the summer. This exhibit seemed to me a commentary on a kind of openness about the body and a gently scientific look at human sexuality. It was interesting to see an exhibit more progressive than I would expect to see in America.

It is hard not to notice the incredible number of strollers and pregnant women here. Pushing around my own stroller with our four year old, there is almost an invisible yet heartfelt fabric of support in the way people look and smile, give up seats for children, and move out of the way of strollers. Most American cities don’t provide any special treatment for children or families. I’m impressed with how well thought out everything is—right down to the stroller ramps on stairs and the special middle cars on trams.

I see many people enjoying picnics.  The park seems to be a popular destination for outings. The picnic place itself becomes secondary to the creation of a special kind of time, a time to be open, a time not to be elsewhere, not to be en route.

There are so many different parts to the park. The animals up on the hill, the bonfires, the concerts. There are secret places tucked away with a bench for resting and taking in a view.