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Published: December 21st 2018
The Vasa
It's so large you can't ever get the whole thing in one shot.Friday, 25 March, 2016
Stockholm, Sweden
We overslept till 11 again, but woke up to Uncle Bill’s tea and coffee. He even made us some of his perfect scrambled eggs. Yes, they are perfect. He drove us into town where we met with Stefan, Maria’s brother. Stefan is friendly and extremely knowledgeable of the city. In addition, he is incredibly funny making him the perfect tour guide.
Our first stop was the Vasa Museum which houses the Vasa, a 17th century ship that sunk about a mile from land on its maiden voyage. Beautifully constructed but poorly designed, the ship sat at the bottom of the Baltic for 333 years until it was recovered and restored. It is an awesome museum and worth checking out.
Next, Stefan took us west to Gamla Stan, one of Stockholm’s older historic districts. It is colorful and full of narrow alleyways, cobblestone streets, and boutique shops. Near Gamla Stan is Riddarholmen, an island that is home to a church holding the tombs of many of Sweden’s past monarchs. We also saw the Stockholm Palace, City Hall, and a curious statue just outside the Dramaten. The statue is of Margaretha Krook, a popular
20th century actress and is always heated. Children like to hug the statue for its warmth and resulting from years of affection, her stomach is shiny from wear.
After touring the city (totaling about 6mi) Stefan walked us to his apartment where he drove us back to the summer home. Awaiting our arrival was a perfectly crafted, homemade meal prepared by Bill and Maria. What better way to end a perfect day?
Saturday, 26 March, 2016
Stockholm, Sweden
We woke much earlier than the previous days. This day is known as Easter Saturday and many families spend the day hanging out, preparing, and eating traditional Swedish Easter meals. The weather was exceptional so we decided to eat outside. We had boiled eggs, smoked salmon and salmon prepared as gravlax, pickled herring in different sauces (such as mustard), salmon pate, boiled potatoes, shrimp salad and a delicious pie even though we were told an ingredient was left out. During the meal, the family would lead us in some traditional songs and afterward, we’d sip some acquavit or schnapps. Never have we had such an amazing Easter meal with such great company!
After the late lunch, we hiked
Water
Plaque at the base of the statue. around the archipelago with Maria and Stefan. We found some badger holes and Curtis tasted some roots that very minimally resembled licorice. A father and son were attempting to roll a boulder that had fallen onto a path over the winter. Curtis and Stefan jumped in and helped them push it out of the way while Jen took pictures of their labor. As the sun was setting, we went back to the house and tried to play the Swedish version of Trivial Pursuit. Maria and Patrik’s team won after a brutal three hours. We really worked one over on the family with Bill and Patrik taking turns to translate every question. Talk about a mental workout.
Sunday, 27 March, 2016
Stockholm, Sweden
Our last full day in Sweden and with the family. Patrick had sent Curtis a text on Friday reminding him of National Waffle Day. After days of searching around the city we were unable to find or acquired any Swedish waffles. So Bill, being the perfect host, made some that morning. After breakfast, Maria and Stefan took us back into town to visit a couple museums.
We started off at the Thielska Gallery which had
a nice collection of Scandinavian art complete with a small sampling of Edward Munch paintings. From there we went to NK, a high end department store, where Jen and Maria looked at all they had to offer. Curtis and Stefan parked the car back at his apartment and walked back to the mall where Patrick met us. The group then walked over to the Modern Art Museum through some EXTREMELY strong winds. The art was … interesting. Works from Warhol, Klimt, and Pollack adorned the museum. After the museum we walked to a bar where we had drinks while Patrik went to get his car so he could drive us back to the summer house. At that time, we made our goodbyes with Stefan. That evening, Patrick told us about the burger joint called Max. The chain is supposed to be better than McDonalds while being equal in price. The talk of burgers got us thinking of patties for dinner. We had awesome traditional Swedish beef patties, mashed potatoes, peas, and a lingonberry sauce for dinner.
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