2009 - Scandinavia - Day 7 - Stockholm, Sweden

We began our day taking a bus tour of the city. We stopped at a scenic overlook over the harbor of the Baltic Sea and took some pictures. We then went to City Hall. It is here where all the Nobel prizes are given out. There are 2 great halls, called a blue hall and a gold hall. The blue hall is all marble and brick and a gorgeous marble staircase. The gold hall is exactly that. The walls are completely covered in gold mosaics. Wow, it was amazing. We then went to the royal gardens and saw a gorgeous Asian-type palace, given as a birthday present to one of the queens. It was just for day use, there are no sleeping quarters there. We walked further through the grounds another 10 minutes until we came to one of the royal palaces. It was gorgeous, with amazing grounds and a really neat old theater. After leaving that palace, we went into Old Town and to see another Royal Palace. While there, we saw the changing of the guards, a big band and a soldier procession through the streets. Our guide showed us the locals’ favorite statue. It was a little miniature guy, about 6 inches high, sitting with his knees up. If you rub his head, you are supposed to have good luck. There is a local lady that knits little caps for it. We were then given free time to wander around Old Town. We went in shops, and I bought a T-shirt for me and my 2 boys, and some chocolate and gummy candy and lollipops for the family. I also bought a pretty fairy and a key chain. Mom also got a couple fairies and a piggy bank. Our next stop was really cool. We went to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is an old battle ship, built for the king in 1603. It sunk just 900 feet from shore on its maiden voyage. It was raised, intact, in 1961 and now lives in this museum. It was huge! As we walked in the building and saw this amazing wooden real 1600’s battleship, we all said wow! It was kept pretty dark in there, to help preserve it, and I hope I got some decent pictures. But no pictures could give it justice. The carvings were beautiful, it was a beautiful ship. Our last stop for the day was at the harbor to board our ferry that we will spend the night on, and take us to Finland. It is a huge boat though, more like a cruise ship. We have our own cabin with a pretty big window; we are on the 10th deck, so we have a great view. We have 2 twin size beds and our own bathroom with a shower. It’s a nice ship. We went to see how much a buffet dinner would cost. It was 35 Euro, so around $50 each. So we opted for our snacks for dinner instead. We went to the sundeck for awhile, and then came back to our cabin. We have been reading, taking pictures of the islands outside my window, and now we are getting ready for bed. Good bye Sweden.