Blogs from Stockholm County, Sweden, Europe - page 65

Today was entirely free. So, we did the laundry, since we are only half way through the trip. Laundrymats are rare in Sweden, but we easily found the one in Rick Steve's guide book. Then off to the needlework shop I had spotted one evening. And the waffle cones. Boy, those smelled really good while baking, and I'm sure that it attracted many others like it did us. The metro here is easy to use, just like most European cities, and we got our money's worth from the one day pass. One of our group had her wallet stolen while she was at the counter in a souvenir shop. Taken after she had pulled out her credit card for the clerk. Dinner this evening with the group for our final night together. One of the highlights ... read more

On the 16th we took the ferry out the Gotland, an island in the Baltic off the southern coast of Sweden. The word ferry doesn't really adequately convey the sheer size of the ship. The one we took out to Gotland can hold up to 700 passengers and many, many cars. The inside is like a 757 airliner on steroids. It even has seats just like an airliner, the only difference is that between each seat, under the console, is a life jacket. There was a playroom for the small children to play in. They even showed a movie, just like on an airplane. Gotland as I said is an island. The biggest city on the island, Visby, is actually two completely separate things simultaneously. On the one hand it is a world heritage site because ... read more

Ah Sweden. Land of Ikea, Abba, Ace of Base and also it seems lots of trolls!! Have arrived here after a short time in sunny Denmark and have spent some time looking for evidence of my namesake in the Nobel Prize museum. Didn't find him exactly, not surprising really, but I did find his xray tube invention and also looked at a very interesting display about Albert Einstein. Very educational!! Oh and did I mention that the vodka here is very good too!!... read more

In 2005, Zak Keith was a restless and experienced backpacker, while Marion was a backpacker-virgin. We traveled thru S-E. Asia and loved it! Come 2006, we are both "moto-tour" virgins. It was toss up between going to Asia again, or trying something entirely new, like motorbiking thru Europe. There is just something romantic according to Zak, about riding a horse... uhmm I mean bike, coming and going as you please, pending the weather and road conditions of course, and exploring the world on 2 wheels, but without having to peddle to death. Well, we might change our minds about it when we ride for hours along Autobahns, but all things being new to us for now, I think we're unjaded enough to really enjoy it. Since we've never done this before, we're going to play it ... read more

After a good night's sleep we woke up feeling as though we had been reborn. The sky was bright blue, the temperature was warm, and there was a nice breeze blowing in off the water. After a huge breakfast we all set off for our first day of sightseeing. Our first stop, though, was the airline office to pick up my tardy baggage. We were able to visit Drottningholm, the royal palace and home of the Swedish royal family. This feels like what a royal palace should be--built on an immense scale with many gardens surrounding it. It is on the island of Lovön near Stockholm. According to the guide it was built four years before Versailles. We were able to take a tour with an English speaking guide and then wander the grounds by ... read more