Mon. 10-1-18
Picked up at 9:30 and brought to airport. Arrived about 3:30 into Stockholm. First impression ? Just like Amsterdam , bikes everywhere ! Our hotel is smack in the middle of Old Town which is a perfect location for exploring. After settling in, we headed off to check out the area of Solderman. It is mostly residential, with a Main Street lined with shops and restaurants, and little cafes are tucked in to side streets everywhere. It was dark walking home and we ended up on a cliff side path that was a spectacular view over Gamla Stan. Note to self though, bring picket flashlight. Jon and I bought. 3 day Stocholm pass that includes admission to about 30 museums, boat tours bus tours and the Hop on Hop off bus. Tomorrow we head out and start exploring in earnest.
Picked up at 9:30 and brought to airport. Arrived about 3:30 into Stockholm. First impression ? Just like Amsterdam , bikes everywhere ! Our hotel is smack in the middle of Old Town which is a perfect location for exploring. After settling in, we headed off to check out the area of Solderman. It is mostly residential, with a Main Street lined with shops and restaurants, and little cafes are tucked in to side streets everywhere. It was dark walking home and we ended up on a cliff side path that was a spectacular view over Gamla Stan. Note to self though, bring picket flashlight. Jon and I bought. 3 day Stocholm pass that includes admission to about 30 museums, boat tours bus tours and the Hop on Hop off bus. Tomorrow we head out and start exploring in earnest.
Tues 10-2-18
First stop of the day was a two hour boat tour that provided an amazing perspective of Stockholm from the water. We had an hour and a half so we walked around Gustav square, then ate lunch at a quaint cafe. We then jumped on a double decker bus for a two hour panoramic tour of all of the neighborhoods in Stockholm. Between the boat and the bus, we have a pretty good read on Stockholm now. After the bus tour we scouted around Gamla Stan, which is Old Town and where we are staying. We toured the Nobel Peace prize museum and learned a lot about the history of the five awards given every year, medicine, physics, world peace, science and literature. We also learned about the process of how winners are chosen. We came back to hotel for cocktails, then went out to a great tapas bar, The pig. It was tiny, and in an old cellar of a building. Tomorrow we set off to visit at least 3 museums. The problem is the official tourist season ended 9-31, so everything is only open from 10 to 4:00, only allows us 6 hours so it will be hustle and bustle.......
First stop of the day was a two hour boat tour that provided an amazing perspective of Stockholm from the water. We had an hour and a half so we walked around Gustav square, then ate lunch at a quaint cafe. We then jumped on a double decker bus for a two hour panoramic tour of all of the neighborhoods in Stockholm. Between the boat and the bus, we have a pretty good read on Stockholm now. After the bus tour we scouted around Gamla Stan, which is Old Town and where we are staying. We toured the Nobel Peace prize museum and learned a lot about the history of the five awards given every year, medicine, physics, world peace, science and literature. We also learned about the process of how winners are chosen. We came back to hotel for cocktails, then went out to a great tapas bar, The pig. It was tiny, and in an old cellar of a building. Tomorrow we set off to visit at least 3 museums. The problem is the official tourist season ended 9-31, so everything is only open from 10 to 4:00, only allows us 6 hours so it will be hustle and bustle.......
Wed. 10-3-18
We set out on foot before 9:00 am and walked along the water front to out first stop, The Vasa Museum. We loved the walk as we strolled by all the live a boards and it was interesting looking at all the different types of boats. We then toured the Vasa Museum. It was a fantastic renovation od The Vasa in 1628 that sank before it even reached the open water. The carvings on it were all prices of art, we could stayed there all day. The next stop was the Spirits Museum. It was fun and quirky and gave the history of champagne, and of Sewdish vodka, the best known of course, Absolut. Next stop wax the Vikingaliv museum. It was small but fun, and had a Disney like ride at the end. The majority of our day was at the Skansen Museum which is a Sewdish version of Sturbridge Village. It was really cold, and as we are off season, very quiet. We walked for hours through trails, a parl with animals, an aquarium, and lots of craftsman working on typical crafts of the era. Afterward, we jumped on th hoho bus and did a bit of a tour, then got back around 5 and 20,000 steps later. Jon and I ate dinner at a poshy little gourmet restaurant, then called it a night.
We set out on foot before 9:00 am and walked along the water front to out first stop, The Vasa Museum. We loved the walk as we strolled by all the live a boards and it was interesting looking at all the different types of boats. We then toured the Vasa Museum. It was a fantastic renovation od The Vasa in 1628 that sank before it even reached the open water. The carvings on it were all prices of art, we could stayed there all day. The next stop was the Spirits Museum. It was fun and quirky and gave the history of champagne, and of Sewdish vodka, the best known of course, Absolut. Next stop wax the Vikingaliv museum. It was small but fun, and had a Disney like ride at the end. The majority of our day was at the Skansen Museum which is a Sewdish version of Sturbridge Village. It was really cold, and as we are off season, very quiet. We walked for hours through trails, a parl with animals, an aquarium, and lots of craftsman working on typical crafts of the era. Afterward, we jumped on th hoho bus and did a bit of a tour, then got back around 5 and 20,000 steps later. Jon and I ate dinner at a poshy little gourmet restaurant, then called it a night.
Thurs 10-4-18
Our last day in Stockholm. Jon and I decided to limit ourselves to just 2 museums today, so we chose the Abba museum, and the museum of Nordic history. The ABBA museum was fabulous ! They gave the history of Fender Quitars nod a a great display of a lot is musicians actual Quitars. The ABba museum traced the history and demise of the group, along with the backstory to some of their songs. They had several interactive activities where you could sing and dance, and they are available onthe museum website for us to download. Jon only knew part of one Abba song, Dancing Queen, so our videos should be quite entertaining. The Nordic history museum was as in its name, Nordic history. We then did the hoho boat circuit, then got a snack at a waterfront cafe. We spent the rest of the day wandering around Old Town. It was fabulous. Lots of antique shops with maritime antiques, and lots of shops with handcrafted items. It was amazing strolling down narrow cobblestone streets. We got a beer at an outdoor cafe where we sat under a heater, and huddled in blankets provided. We joined up with Jim and Danette for our last dinner together. Tomorrow we split up and they head to Norway, and we head back to Hamburg to spend our last week with the kids.
Our last day in Stockholm. Jon and I decided to limit ourselves to just 2 museums today, so we chose the Abba museum, and the museum of Nordic history. The ABBA museum was fabulous ! They gave the history of Fender Quitars nod a a great display of a lot is musicians actual Quitars. The ABba museum traced the history and demise of the group, along with the backstory to some of their songs. They had several interactive activities where you could sing and dance, and they are available onthe museum website for us to download. Jon only knew part of one Abba song, Dancing Queen, so our videos should be quite entertaining. The Nordic history museum was as in its name, Nordic history. We then did the hoho boat circuit, then got a snack at a waterfront cafe. We spent the rest of the day wandering around Old Town. It was fabulous. Lots of antique shops with maritime antiques, and lots of shops with handcrafted items. It was amazing strolling down narrow cobblestone streets. We got a beer at an outdoor cafe where we sat under a heater, and huddled in blankets provided. We joined up with Jim and Danette for our last dinner together. Tomorrow we split up and they head to Norway, and we head back to Hamburg to spend our last week with the kids.
