  We explore the Higgs-Gauge configuration space in the standard electroweak
theory. We outline a general prescription that uses the non-trivial topology
associated with the gauge group of the theory, to find known solutions of the
Euclidean classical equations of motion and motivate the existence of novel
ones. In Minkowski spacetime we present evidence for the existence of
approximate breathers -- long-lived, spatially localized, temporally periodic
configurations. We consider heavy fermion quantum fluctuations about static
Higgs-Gauge configurations, and argue for the existence of stable fermionic
solitons. These could resolve the fermion decoupling puzzle in chiral gauge
theories. We describe our search for a fermionic soliton within a spherical
ansatz, and discuss the quantum corrected sphaleron and the emergence of new
barriers suppressing the decay of heavy fermions. Finally, we consider
electroweak strings and how they could give rise to stable multi-quark objects.
