Ferry Boat to Stockholm

We sailed from Finland to Stockholm on this ship, and the $50 price tag included the two of us AND the car! The ship had live entertainment, three movie theaters, a swimming pool, several restaurants and cafes (meals were extra), and you could even rent a stateroom if you wanted to sleep away the crossing hours. We took in a special children's show. Since one of the actors gave us an English summary beforehand and much of the action was pantomime, we thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Most people snagged a deck chair and spent the ten hour trip sunbathing – summer is a short season with long days in Scandinavia. But everyone lined the decks when we entered the Stockholm archipelago of islands heading toward the harbor. Sail boats were everywhere, and the many small islands were dotted with summer homes. We can see why the Swedes love the Stockholm life – especially in the summer. What a beautiful way to arrive in Sweden again.

Getting Settled In

We found a deal at the Stockholm tourist office: a room in a modern city center hotel, that included a lavish buffet breakfast, a place to park our car (worth $24 a day) free public transportation on the subway, busses and boats, AND a pass to over 50 Stockholm museums, art galleries and attractions.

Many hotels catering to business travelers nine months of the year offer these specials to attract tourists during their slow season. After staying in hostels and camp grounds for the past six weeks, we thought we were living high on the hog. Bald Bill, however, didn't have a clue what the hair dryer was for; he thought it was for drying laundry.

The T-bana (or Tunnelbana) is Stockholm's efficient subway system. The art work on the schedules for each subway line was designed by school children. Five-year old Anton's art was selected for the Yellow Line, depicting a train, tracks, wheels and a giant "T" to light the way. We took Anton's line to the Old Town (Gamla Stan) where we unexpectedly stumbled upon the changing of the palace guard.

Old Town and the Palace

We wandered down many small alleys, avoiding the tourist streets as much as possible. We had no particular destination or agenda in mind; just a chance to wander and explore. We've found this kind of travel leaves us open to unexpected encounters, a simple meeting with the locals, or a unique art discovery – our intuition leads the way!

Sally spotted this sculpture – We called it Boxers with Heads. – and had to have a photo. We were really not photographers, and we are traveling with an old digital camera – one of the earliest models. A traveler on a Norwegian ferry accidently dropped the camera while taking our photo. We taped it together with masking tape, and it stilled works! Maybe we'll get a digital video camera for our next trip!

The Changing of the Guards

Continuing up the hill, we arrived at the royal palace ahead of the crowds. We wandered through the halls and rooms gawking. Sally had a few decorating ideas to offer, but kept them to herself.

We wondered if the royals really lived in this palace and if so, it must take them an hour to get from the bedroom to the dining room! Downstairs in the dungeon "vault" we viewed the royal jewels, crowns and scepters.

Outside, we noticed a gathering of mounted police. Something was up! We asked around and found out that the changing of the guards was about to happen in the central court yard and that it would be a mounted brigade, with a band.

These two women officers were happy to let us photograph them as they waited for the procession to arrive. They gave us inside information on the planned arrival route (of course, we could have looked in our guide book). We found a strategic spot and waited.

Sure enough, from across the bridge came the mounted guards. With all the pageantry of a royal wedding – trumpets, drums, glockenspiels, trombones and tubas – they paraded right past us, headed toward the inner courtyard.

Up Close with the Guards

The mounted police jumped into action to disperse the crowd, and clear a way for the guards. Once the brigade was inside the courtyard, the crowds were so thick we couldn't see a thing. Sally couldn't resist, and climbed a sign post to get a better look at the Captain of the Guard passing by.

But patience usually pays off. After the guard-changing performance, the brigade began to exit the courtyard, and we had front row seats. Once outside, the guards relaxed! This drummer was happy to pose when we told him that our Miami daughter had been in a drum corps as a teenager. He snapped to attention and grinned. "For her," he said.

Earlier we had spotted a great vegetarian buffet in a tiny cafe on the square, so we headed over there for lunch. As we sat in the sun, we watched these beautiful young people swing dance. A couple of them were very good, and obviously had dance training. They didn't seem to be doing it for money; just for fun. They often changed partners, or if no one was available, they danced solo. It's like Santa Cruz, find the best monument in town, bring your boom box, and Swing, Baby, Swing!

The Nobel Prize Museum

If you ever go to Stockholm, you must visit the Nobel Museum. Established to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, the exhibit, Cultures of Creativity, honors the more than 700 recipients of the Nobel Prize in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics. The exhibit focuses on the creative process necessary for great ideas to flourish.

What a magnificent tribute to the power of intuition. The brochure says, "Courage to think in entirely new directions, daring to question established theories, innovative combinations of insights from different fields – these are some of the characteristics of creative ability."

We listened to tapes of Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa, saw the balance scale used in 1903 by Madam Curie to determine the atomic weight of radium, and ran our hands around a Mobius strip in a never ending flow. "What do you mean, it only has one side?" Sally questioned.

Cafes are often the place where great ideas are sparked, literature and poetry are written and ideas are exchanged. To honor this creative venue, visiting Nobel recipients are invited to sign a chair in the cafe museum. When he visited the museum, Bill Clinton sat in this chair. Although he was not a Nobel winner, a waiter signed this name to commemorate the event. Bill (Taggart) sat on the same seat, but that's as close as he's ever gotten to Bill (Clinton).

Chilling Out at the Ice Bar

Winter comes early in Stockholm. Actually, this is an Ice Bar – the room, bar, even the drinking glasses are fashioned from ice! We couldn't stop laughing as we donned the silver, fur-lined capes, snow boots and gloves and entered the bar. It was FREEZING COLD! That didn't stop Bill from flirting with the bartender, though.

We drank loganberry juice out of an ice glass, took a couple of photos, and dashed out of there before we too froze solid! Peering through the window to see the ice sculpture, we observed a young family inside. The young child, spilled his loganberry juice onto the ice floor. ZAP! Instant frozen purple stain! How would you clean THAT up? Chip, chip . . . with an ice pick, we supposed.