Monday, August 31, 2009

Day 9 - Stockholm 8/17/09

We woke up to beautiful views as the ship maneuvered the 3 miles of waterways into the port of Stockholm, Sweden. Summer houses and light houses lined the forested rocky shores, like something out of a picture book!

Steve and I disembarked the ship at Frihamnen (Free Port) and waited for his aunt and cousins to arrive. Freda, Angela, Her husband Johan, and 1 ½ year old Norah came zooming in shortly after we arrived. We jumped in the car and drove about 2 minutes to park. We all then walked towards downtown Stockholm together. We took a scenic walk through parks and apartment buildings and arrived at Skansen, a little park with animals, historic structures, glass blowing, baking, cheese and butter making, and of course, the red horse that Steve remembered as a child. I’m not sure what the name of the horse is, as I try to decipher the Swedish on the brochure I kept (to no avail). Norah got to visit small animals like goats, piglets, and kittens while Freda kept and eye on her. Johan and Angela took Steve and I through the park all the while providing us with details and information on Sweden that rivaled the best tour guides in the country. The old houses we saw were built up on stilts because of the amount of snowfall in the winter… pretty interesting eh? And, did you know that Sweden is at the same latitude as Alaska… it put the climate in perspective for me.

After Skansen, we walked a short way to a lovely cafĂ©. Steve and I both enjoyed the pork and potatoes with gravy & bĂ©arnaise sauce (Yum!), as well as a refreshing Swedish beer (I’ve forgotten the name of it). Angela, Johan, Freda and even little Norah were great guides. I learned lots about Sweden (the taxes, healthcare, education)… Stockholm and the royal family, and can you believe the maternity leave is something like 14 months?! The day started out a bit chilly, but quickly warmed up, and except for a few minutes of rain it was the perfect day to be out and exploring Stockholm. We took a short ferry after our lunch to the main city (old town) which included sites of the Stockholm Cathedral, the royal palace, narrow shop lined streets, the square. Johan even treated us all to a delightful dessert – a sort of marshmallow meringue thing dipped in chocolate and covered with coconut. We also went to a large Swedish department store to get a quick souvenirs of Kosta Boda glass for Kirsten and James (who are watching Delilah) and a bag (as my purse broke that day!). Found so many amazing and cool glasses, vases, and tea light holders. (Angela, I really did prefer Swedish glass to Finnish glass – far superior stuff!)

The time went much too quickly & we had to head back to port to board the ship. We all took a bus and needed up right at the pier where we needed to be. Back on board the ship and I think this may be the first night that Steve is finally tired! Norah must have worn him out today! She really is such an easy going little girl. It was hard to say goodbye as we saw them all so briefly – but Steve and I promised to take them all out to dinner sometime, so we know we’ll have to come back for another visit.

We had a relaxing evening. Dinner was again formal, but Steve and I were so tired after so many full days that we just took it easy and skipped the show for this evening; opting instead for an early bedtime so we can be well rested for Finland in the morning.

Steve and I on the horse at Skansen














Steve and his new best friend Norah.



















Johan and Steve.



















A Moose.

No comments:

Post a Comment