FAMILY ADVENTURES IN SWEDEN--PART 11

STOCKHOLM--DAY 1--JUNE 29, 2010

With Tina to guide us, we hurried along to the Kungsholmen Historical Canal Tour, one of many boat tours that depart frequently from the heart of the capital. To protect its sensitive natural scenery and examples of its cultural heritage, in 1910 Sweden was the first European country to establish national parks. In this way, part of Europe’s last wilderness was saved from exploitation. Numerous nature reserves and cultural heritage areas have also been established to protect environments regarded as important to preserve. Stockholm's charm lies in that the Middle Ages and the post-modern, the familiar and the foreign, exist as one.




Tourists might find Stockholm, a fourteen-island, causeway-connected city difficult to classify. Its diversity is reflected in its nicknames: "the Gateway to the Baltic," "the Venice of Scandinavia," "the Queen of Sweden" and "the City for All Senses," not to mention the battle with Copenhagen over the title "Capital of Scandinavia."

 The archipelago of Stockholm, over 24,000 islands and rocks create a majestic scenery that connects the Swedish capital with the Baltic Sea. About 80 kilometers separate the city centre from the Baltic. And in this whole area you find almost nothing but islands, rocks and water. Some islands are flat, others hilly. Some are covered with only a few bushes, others with forest. Some have beaches, others have rocks. The Stockholm archipelago was created at the end of the Ice Age and it stayed intact ever since.
 

Seeing the sights first by boat was the perfect introduction for our heart of the Swedish capital whirlwind day! Stockholm City Hall stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen Island, not far from the boat dock from which we left on our tour. It houses offices and conference rooms as well as ceremonial halls, and a luxury restaurant. The lavishly decorated Golden Hall was gilded from over 18 million pieces of gold-leaf mosaic. The Annual Nobel Prize banquet is held in the ‘Blue Hall’ of the building.

One of the other unique sights near the beginning of the tour was Karlberg Castle, built in 1630. It has a very long and complex history.

Another area along our tour route contained hundreds of houseboats which are the permanent residences of many people. Fortunately, on our tour boat we could listen through headphones to the tour in English, which was only one of many possible language choices.

After an ice cream break near the dock, we headed for the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Royal Palace in the Old Town.

Stockholm, as a city, is over 700 years old and the Gamla Stan (Old Town) is one of the most beautiful and historical sections in all of northern Europe. The narrow steets lined with old houses reflect the architecture of medieval Stockholm.

The Royal Palace in Stockholm was completed in 1760, 63 years after construction began...we hadn't even declared our independence by then! The palace has 1430 rooms (and we saw each and every one...well, maybe not quite!)...The fact of the matter is that we never even got inside.

It is the biggest palace in the world still used by a king. The King also has ten more castles, of which Drottningholm Palace is the Royal Family's private residence. Drottningholm is the most well-preserved royal castle built in the 1600s in Sweden, and at the same time is representative of all European architecture for the period.


While progressive and sleek, Stockholm respects its heritage. The Royal Guard (part of the Swedish Armed Forces) consists of around 30,000 guards. After the barking and goose-stepping formalities, the band showed off with an impressive 40-minute concert.

Changing of the Guard Ceremony

The Swedish people waited for what seemed to be forever for Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to say "yes". And she did...to husband Daniel, on June 19th, the very day we left to fly to Sweden. We knew instinctively that the good seats were already spoken for, so we waited for the large crowds to find their way home before we landed.

                                    
    Photos of the princess were in many windows throughout Sweden

The royal wedding took place in Gamla Stan at the Cathedral of Stockholm, called Storkyrkan, which was consecrated in 1306. All the royal weddings and coronations take place here, and over 2,000 people are buried under the church. We didn't see inside the church, but we did pass a nearby replica of the famous statue in the Cathedral of St. George slaying the dragon. Many Stockholm residents believe this statue symbolizes the Swedes' overcoming the evil Danes. Another interpretation is that it's an inspiration to take up the struggle against even non-Danish evil. "Regardless, it must be the gnarliest dragon's head in all of Europe," wrote Rick Steves in his guidebook on Sweden.

After our busy morning, we were delighted when Tina took us by bus to one of the many outdoor eateries overlooking the harbor. Hermans Vegetariska Restaurang was an exceptionally good buffet. Tripadvisor ranked it #26 of 876 restaurants in Stockholm. This was my favorite comment seen on the Internet..."It's simple and informal and has a young student/backpacker/crunchy kind of atmosphere." I think that kind of says it all!

A sign as you leave cautioned diners that "The birds have very bad table manners...put plates in the container." We found birds to be a widespread problem wherever there was outdoor eating.

For those of you who are familiar with the travel programs by Rick Steves, you should know what he says about Stockholm: "If I had to call one European city home, it could be Stockholm. One-third water, one-third parks, one-third city, on the sea, surrounded by woods, bubbling with energy and history, Sweden's stunning capital is green, clean and underrated."


Sweden seems to be experiencing a huge baby boom. You see more strollers than cars on the streets. Because Swedes learn English in school at an early age and subtitle American sitcoms rather than dub them, they share a universal language. Most people in Sweden have access to the Internet. Even though Sweden has been a member of the European Union since 1995, it still uses its kronor as currency.


We've told you about our dear friend, Birgit, who answered Judy's letter 45 years ago, and has made this reunion trip such a joy. Today we were invited to the Stockholm condo where her daughter, Johanna, her husband, Frank and their children, Ida and Hugo live. Birgit had come there from her home in Sala and was waiting there as Johanna walked with us to their condo from the bus stop. We were amazed at the location of their lovely condo, close to the water and very near to downtown Stockholm--"the country in the city" they say! Frank is an excellent chef, preparing a delicious meal for all of us with the meat cooked out on the grill.


Johanna and Ida

                                                                                                                    

                                                                          Frank and Dug

                                                       

Dug, Frank, Birgit, Johanna and Ida

Their deck looking out over the water

During dinner we shared impressions of our experiences so far during our time in Sweden and talked about times when we had been together before.  Both Bonnie (at 13) and Maia (at 14) had met Johanna, her brothers and her parents in their home. How special it has been to renew these long time relationships! It's great when all three generations from both Sweden and America can enjoy each others' company.

The get-together even included a chance for Dugan and Sage, along with six year old Ida and her dad, Frank, to go swimming off the nearby pier. They all had a great time enjoying the water. We elected to take a walk instead, but it was fun to watch them having such fun together.

The evening went by quickly, and soon we were walking back to the bus stop to ride back to our hotel for another night's rest.

We'll be back for more surprises tomorrow!