Blogs from Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden, Europe

Last day in Stockholm - if you don’t count going to the airport tomorrow. Did the city hall today. Massive building with big and small areas, old and new and very different architecture throughout the whole building. Worth the wait to see. Then onto the hop on hop off bus. Did most of the lap but got off at the Vasa museum where they have the 1627 Viking ship housed. Built to fight the Danes, the king had to have the biggest and best. He wanted 2 decks of cannons. Problem was this made the ship top heavy. On its maiden voyage it sailed 1300 meters and got a gust of wind which proceeded to fill the ship with water through the gun holes. Sank with 20 or 30 killed. Not a great start. They eventually ... read more

Left our Lake cabin this morning. A very peaceful and enjoyable 3 nights here. Back to Stockholm today. Only a 4.75 hour drive. All on expressways so speed was mostly 100 or 110 kmh. Stopped for a break in Noorköping - around the half way mark. They say the town was an industrial Centre back in the 1800’s but things went bad for the textile industry and the town went into a state of disrepair. Eventually they renovated and turned many of the warehouses into flash apartments. There is also a very busy university in the area as well. Found a pub and had a charcuterie board which was yummo. Back on the road and into the Stockholm traffic. Most going out but we eventually copped traffic jams as well. Dropped Chris off near the hotel ... read more

Bags packed, up and away. Our train to Stockholm didn’t leave until 1421 so we had a bit of time on our hands. Didn’t have to check out until 1200 but left earlier as we were up and about. Dropped the bags into the luggage room at the hotel so we could wander without the bags being a hassle. Stopped at a place we had passed every day. They made fresh sandwiches which looked pretty good. There was an American couple outside eating one and showed us what they looked like. In and waiting. Order up and out they came. We sat at the tables on the street and people watched. They were huge, and nice - sandwiches not tables. We both decided that half was enough now so asked for a bag for the other ... read more

Today is a quiet travel day as we make our way to Stockholm for the next two days. The itinerary shows us arriving in Stockholm around 4:00PM, dropping our stuff at the hotel, and hopping on a boat to head out to dinner. Maja decided that it would be too hectic to try to head on out to dinner after a long day on the bus, so the dinner was postponed until tomorrow night after we had rested. Good plan! So, this morning we hit the road at 8:00AM and left the metropolis of Gothenburg behind to head northeast the 300 miles cross country to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Along the way we plan to make a couple of stops and still make it into Stockholm by 4:00PM. The first stop is at the Grannabergets ... read more

At long last, a location which is brand new for me and two days to indulge myself to the max, in this “beauty on water” (as Stockholmers call their city) - now, where to begin? Despite the well-preserved historic core (Gamla Stan), Stockholm is the last thing from a museum piece: it’s modern, dynamic, and ever evolving. When it comes to cultural assets, this city is scandalously rich. Take Gamla Stan for instance - the city’s oldest district is the stuff of storybooks. In just this one “Old Town” you receive all free visitor gifts including a Royal palace, gabled buildings, and endless cobblestone streets. And, just for good measure, throw in world-class museums and galleries which harbor everything from glittering Viking treasures; an ill-fated warship; ABBA props and subversive contemporary art pieces. It’s hands down ... read more