Sweden June 19-22, 2014 Stockholm

Check out photos here https://flic.kr/s/aHsjYXeLgW

Wednesday June 18 Blue Ridge - Decatur
The rhododendron bush by the dining room window is in full bloom.  Phil and I went for a walk behind the cabin before final packing for Sweden.  We went to Ellijay to the Dollar Tree for toothpaste and to Walmart for a few last minute things.  We stopped at Ballground for a geocache and ate lunch at the BijUns Barbeque and it was really good! Phil left and Gwyneth made me drive her car to meet Chloe to give her her swim suit.  I found the geocache by the Burnt Fork Restaurant and then we went to the Decatur Farmers Market.  Phelix was incredibly well-behaved. We got bread, flavored butter and peaches. Camille made a yummy veggie pasta sauce and Chloe made Greek salad – Yummy.



Thursday June 19 Decatur – in air
We got out and on the train in good order.  It was a good think because when we went to the United desk we found our flight to Chicago had been cancelled!  A nice United desk person helped us get rebooked on a much better schedule.  Delta to Newark and United direct to Stockholm.  We got seats together on both flights!  We hung out a bit in the Admirals Club in Atlanta but it was too complicated to do so in Newark.  We did have lunch in Newark – Camille gave me part of her sandwich and I shared my fruit with her.  I watched Monuments Men on the flight over.  I had chicken with a great half bottle of Meomi Pinot Noir.

Friday June 20 in air – Stockholm

Passport control in Stockholm was the fastest I have ever experienced in any country!  We bought 2 day Stockholm cards at the airport.  I managed to drop our bus ticket printout in the toilet but retrieved it and it worked for the bus to town!

Camille fell asleep on the ride into town, but we were alert enough to walk to the old town (Gamla Stad) and enjoy finding our hostel – the ship Birger Jarl, aka the Anedin Hotel.  We were allowed to check in early and have a great room – bunks with a harbor view of Skeppsholmen, the island with the museum of modern art.  It has a toilet, sink and shower which drains on the floor, but is very clean.  I bought breakfast for us for tomorrow at 80Kr each.

Camille showered while I checked on internet which is only available in the lounge/bar room but plenty of electricity and good bandwidth.

We headed out shortly after.  It was cold and even rained a bit. We searched unsuccessfully for a geocache on Stora Hopegrand Street, but enjoyed the walk.  We saw a wedding photo shoot and then enjoyed listening to a little kids brass band in front of the closed for the day Nobel Museum.  We went into an old German church and then Camille searched for her two stores – sci fi and comic.  But the sci fi was closed for midsommar and the comic one not to be found.  We had very expensive coffee and a raspberry confection at a quaint café. We then listened to some girls sing about midsommar but all with enter type coats!

We walked through the palace toward the next island. As we crossed the bridge to Skeppsholen, it began to rain.  Not for long, but we did manage to find the Museum of Modern Art – closed for midsommar. Then we went back to walk along the Strandvagan to the island with Djurgaren.  We stopped for blueberry ice cream for Camille and a hot dog with two huge dollops of yummy mashed potatoes.  I dropped one of the dollops on the ground.

We then had enough energy to go to the Vasa Museum which was incredible.  It was even better than I remembered.  We looked at all the exhibits and then watched a movie and Camille fell asleep again!  We got revived by a visit to an interactive history exhibit there, and a geocache outside up a slippery hill.  Camille wanted to explore the cemetery behind which was pretty and sad to her.  We found the bus back, and hopped off to take a boat ride around the island and back past our hostel.  Again we took the bus back to the hostel.  Her Stockholm card seems to work for the venues but not the bus!  They let her on anyway.  Camille was hungry so we sought out food.  Pizza and a salad shared and a glass of wine for me at Michelangelo’s in Gamla Stad for 350Kr.

Back at the hotel by 7:30 and Camille fell asleep immediately. I finished my Bible for the day and then called Phil on Skype.

Collage of First Day in Stockholm

 
Saturday June 21
I got up about 7 and showered and worked on catching up on my diary (and blog).  I drank coffee from the machine in the hall and finally woke Camille at 9:45 in order to eat the breakfast we had paid for when breakfast closes at 10.  And we did eat a huge one, as well as take away sandwiches and boiled eggs for a picnic later.  We went to Gamla Stad again, not finding one geocache but Camille spotted another because the word graffiti was written on a wall near it.  She then went into Comic Heaven, a store she had wanted to visit.  We went to the Royal Palace and watched a fancy changing of the guard parade and then went into several great museum in the palace.  The first was Tre Kronor, a history of the castle about three stories underground.  Really fantastic.  Then we went into the Hall of States the guest apartment for heads of state, coffee and a very sweet princess cake for Camille, the royal apartments, the treasury and the chapel.  We went back to the hostel and got ready for the next adventure.

We took a bus to the Nordiska Museet where we only had a half hour before closing but saw a lot of cool stuff including a doll house display, a furniture display, a Sami display and an exhibit curated from the museum’s storage called “stripes”!  We took another bus to Grona Lund (like Tivoli Gardens) and enjoyed the crowds and revelry.  We ate out lunch from Breakfast and took a train to Skansen. Most displays were closed but we went in a couple and Camille bought a pen at a gift shop.  We went in a farm house and a church.  But we also went in the zoo displays of wolves, wolverines and a huge owl of which there were at least 5.We found out way out but not where we entered and walked along the water near really nice old homes.

We took the tram back part way and then the bus we wanted didn’t run in Saturdays, so we got back on the next tram, and walked through a park and back to the hotel.  We actually watched a TV program from Grona Lund with the group after the ones we saw performing!

We took a bus to the Nordiska Museet where we only had a half hour before closing but saw a lot of cool stuff including a doll house display, a furniture display, a Sami display and an exhibit curated from the museum’s storage called “stripes”!  We took another bus to Grona Lund (like Tivoli Gardens) and enjoyed the crowds and revelry.  We ate out lunch from breakfast and took a train to Skansen. Most displays were closed but we went in a couple and Camille bought a pen at a gift shop.  We went in a farm house and a church.  But we also went in the zoo displays of wolves, wolverines and a huge owl of which there were at least 5.We found out way out but not where we entered and walked along the water near really nice old homes.

We took the tram back part way and then the bus we wanted didn’t run in Saturdays, so we got back on the next tram, and walked through a park and back to the hotel.  We actually watched a TV program from Grona Lund with the group after the ones we saw performing!

Took a tram one stop (or first tram) to Skansen.  Thee was hardly anyone there which was interesting since Grona Lund was packed.  We went through part of the zoo and into the old regions where very few places were open.  We did go in a manor house and a church.  Camille bought a pin at the one souvenir shop that was open.  We watched the wolf and the wolverines in the zoo and were entranced by a bunch of owls. We were kind of lost when we left Skansen and exited a bit away from where we intended but enjoyed the walk along the water and fancy old houses.  We took a tram and got off at the wrong spot because our bus didn’t run late on Saturdays.

  The Anedine Hostel, Skansen and Old Town

Stockholm Day 2

Back at the hostel we regrouped and headed off further south along the water and then into old town.  We got a great felafel from a take away vendor and went back to the hostel.  Bed for both around 11:30.

Sunday June 22 -- Stockholm to Uppsala

We packed up and ate breakfast, once again making sandwiches from the breakfast bar for our lunch.  We used the wifi for a while and then checked out and stored out suitcases.  We went out, hoping to go to the Medieval Museum, but it was closed for Midsommar.  We looked for a cache we didn’t find and got caught in a downpour.  Camille didn’t find anything to buy at the SciFi bookstore but did make a few purchases at the Comic Heaven store.  We went back to the hostel, used the web and took off for Central Station.  We had thought to take the bus, but opted to walk and enjoyed the shopping street.  We just missed a train to Uppsala and got tickets for the next one.  We ate out lunch but I refused to pay $6 for a bottle of water – no tap water in the station!

Once on the train I recognized a SIGCSE friend and we talked.