by LOUISE GOLDSBURY, Brisbane Times, January 12, 2014

Rooftop tour in Stockholm
Photo: Louise Goldsbury
Source: www.brisbanetimes.com.au
Nobody else seems to have noticed the surprising lack of handrails seven storeys from the ground.
On the roof of a courthouse, this tour seems soft on laws of safety, as well as gravity. Although we are hard-hatted, harnessed and attached by a cable, it still feels precarious at times. Our guide, Lotta, assures us there is only one section where we could actually fall and “dangle over the edge”.
Fortunately, she mentions this after we have made it. “When I trained for this job, the first time I did that part, I cried,” she says. “I thought, what have I done?”
The rest of the track, atop Stockholm’s former Parliament House, is better protected, but includes stairs and ladders, which we almost crawl up. Similar to the Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb, participants must kick along the gadget connecting their cable to the rail, while holding the other end, so taking photos is a one-handed, one-footed balancing act.
Every few metres, we stop to absorb spellbinding views of harbourside Stockholm. A flawless blue sky pierced by mediaeval towers frames a waterfront of multi-coloured houses. Meanwhile, our cheerier guide, Gabriela, tells stories of sex, religion and politics, which may not be dinner-party appropriate, but distract and educate the small group.



