Stockholm
Välkomna till Skandinavia
Day 1, August 18 Tour travelers met at the Hotel Wellington in the Östermalm neighborhood of Stockholm at 4:00 pm, August 18. After introductions and a short orientation, we walked as a group through streets of Stockholm to the subway where we went to a restaurant for our first group meal, sampling several types of herring with various sauces. A wonderful start for our adventure! |
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Day 2, August 19
Our local guide, Håkan Fränden, served as a wonderful host for the city he obviously loves. We visited the Parliament building and learned about Sweden's government, ideals, and lifestyles. From there we walked across a bridge to the historic island of Gamla Stan, the original medieval walled city established in 1252. This now exclusive, upscale neighborhood of 3,000 residents was once an island of squalor, where all of Stockholm lived in crowded conditions until the 1600s. Today you can visit the Royal Palace, watch the daily Changing of the Guard and shop along Västerlånggatan, dining in cafes and soaking in the charm. |
After lunch and free time on Gamla Stan, the group met for a ferry ride to the island of Djurgården, once the king's hunting grounds, now a mecca for tourists and locals alike. There we visited the Vasa Museum - a monument to failed engineering! King Gustav Vasa, aspiring to control the Baltic Sea, had a great ship with 64 canon ports built to his specifications. The ship failed a stability test prior to launch, but the crew, unwilling to disappoint the king, set sail on August 10, 1628. Fifteen minutes into the Vasa's maiden voyage, she listed to one side, began to take in water and sank into the Stockholm Harbor where she lay for 333 years. In 1961, the wreck was carefully salvaged and the restoration began. The reconstructed vessel is now housed in the Vasa Museum. |
Stockholm from the Water |
Stockholm City Hall
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