Rick and Marie's Travels: Scandinavia—Stockholm

Stockholm, September 14th to 15th

Saturday we caught a train from the Copenhagen central station to Malmo, Sweden where we boarded the train to Stockholm. Three and a half hours later we had a city map, tickets to Oslo (we're always planning ahead), and caught a cab to our hotel.

Breakfast at Malmo train station.

Love the design of these lamps at the Malmo station.

Train to Stockholm.

The Generator is a hostel, unlike how most Americans would think about hostels. This place is really modern with a kitchen that prepares real food in real time and offers private rooms with bathrooms. Our room is large and comfortable and not far from Old Town Stockholm, City Hall, and the ferries to the other islands to major sites like the Vasa Museum. At breakfast this morning we noticed a variety of guests—families, back packers, professionals, and people our age (and older). But what is really fun about this place is displayed at the end of this entry.

Today, we took the two hour Stockholm: Old Town Historical Walking Tour. The best part was that there were only three of us on it so it was relaxing. Kiki (our guide) was laid back and informative. I'm not going to try and recreate her anecdotes and historical commentary. As usual, I'll add a few captions, but mostly, the pictures will provide a sense of what 16th century Stockholm looked like. The old town is one of the best in-tact medieval towns, because Stockholms wasn't bombed during WWII.

At breakfast. This is the juice and coffee station. The kitchen is around
the corner where guests pick up their hot or cold meal prepared fresh
by cooks in real time. It's a brilliant system. You pick up your meal
when the restaurant-style buzzer buzzer goes off. Hand the cook the
buzzer and they hand you your order.

Parliament from Vasabron Bridge.

We cross this bridge to Gamla Stan (1252), island where Stockholm's
old town was established.

The Church of St. Nicholas, better

known as the Pink Church. We're

going inside tomorrow, Monday.

Stortoget Square, read all at the link. This is the well for the
old town. Today it's connected to city system and is potable.

Stortoget Square, read all about it here.

The cannon ball is explained in the

same website on Wikipedia.

Note the emblem above the door.

This is a close up of it. It's a phoenix and ensured one of the world's
first fire brigades would arrive at this home. It was a kind of
insurance policy.

Imagine moving into this four story home.

A pulley system at the rooftop, as in Amsterdam,
made moving in possible.

This Viking rune being used as a foundation support was discovered

by archeologist in th 1960's.

The rune wasn't painted when the builders placed it at the corner.

Turns out, the rune was about this guy, the inventor of bluetooth. ;-)

More Old Town lanes.

This is the narrowest lane in the Old Town.
The narrowest section at the far end is 36"
wide, and legend says if you place your
hands on the walls and make a wish it will
be granted.

Evert Taube (1890–1976) is Sweden's much-loved balladeer.

Den Glyden Freden is one of the oldest

restaurants in continuous use.

This is the smallest sculpture in Europe and if you rub the boy's head,
you are assured to return. (click on the link to read about
"Iron Boy Watching the Moon")