Nancy asked for my top ten favorite things about visiting Stockholm.
Five favorites tied for number one: Gordon, Nancy, Gabby, Audra and Sofia. Gordon met me at the airport, it was wonderful not having to learn how to navigate Stockholm’s transportation system on the day of my arrival. Actually I never did learn to use it since Nancy has the transportation system down, can tell you several ways to get where you want to go and was a wonderful tour guide.
When I got to the Castle apartment I was greeted with welcome signs made by my granddaughters with the one Swedish word I had learned - Hej! (I didn’t realize Swedish people said it twice though.) I got to spend my birthday with family this year. I even got a Princess Cake which is the best cake I’ve ever eaten and three Dala Horses painted by my talented granddaughters. The Dala Horse is a popular Swedish handicraft and souvenir. The name comes from its home province, Dalarna, in central Sweden.
Note to self: Probably not a good idea to update the operating system on phone the day before a trip. Gabby rescued me. She knew the IOS 7 way to shut down Apps on my phone. Gabby was awesome in the kitchen too. She navigates the kitchen almost as fast as the navigates her MackBook Air.
Audra shared a room with Sofia while I was in Stockholm so I could have her room. Audra and I talked about how she looked forward to getting her room back. We discussed both of us liking to know where stuff is in our own rooms. Audra was very diplomatic. She said she would be happy to have her own room back but not happy to see me go. Audra also made me a latte every day while I visited. One day I thought I would make myself a latte while the girls were in school. Lesson learned. Do not try to multitask while using a new kitchen appliance. There are consequences when you don’t remember to lift the spout that puts the milk in the cup.
It was great to be with Sofia on her seventh birthday. The photo is from the party at school. Sofia also had a bowling party during which the boys from her class insisted on carrying their bowling balls when they weren’t bowling. The worrier that I am could see us needing to check out the health care system in Sweden during the party but that did not happen. I hung out with Gabby and Audra and was thankful Sofia’s parents were on bowling ball watch. Note to people who walk home from school with Sofia. Check to see if she has her bunny before you leave school. You may remember the 78 steps leading up to her new school. Forgetting the bunny halfway down the steps requires going up the steps again. On our way back up, Sofia was worried about retrieving bunny. I was thinking about crying for other reasons. Audra assured both Sofia and I that “all would be well”.
So, I’ve talked about my top 5 favorite reasons to visit Stockholm which are of course in a flat out tie: Gordon, Nancy, Gabby, Audra and Sofia. Now for 6-10.
Number 6 - 8: I love water. This photo is from a leisurely walk to meet Nancy and her serious walking friends at a great restaurant in Djurgården. Water and fall colors. How good is that? My feet were ready for a leisurely walk after trying to keep up with the Castle family for several days. Note to future visitors: do not skip the gym before your Stockholm trip. It was actually fun to find this beautiful setting in Djurgården on a walk on my own one day. OK, the truth(!): I had Audra’s iPhone with Google Maps, a paper map and clear directions from Nancy. Nevertheless, being directionally challenged, I was proud of myself for finding Nancy and her friends. Restaurants in Sweden provide blankets to customers to extend the outdoor dining experience as long as possible.
The Sunday before I left we took a ferry ride to Nacka Strand which is the island where the Carl Milles sculpture and fountain “God, our Father, on the Rainbow” is located. The ferry ride, which was delightful, is part of the transportation system in Stockholm. Seeing the fountain version of the ‘God, our Father’ sculpture at the museum on Nacka Strand was amazing. On my last evening, Gordon and I walked along the water in Östermalm near their apartment. We passed one of the sites where the summer Olympics were held in 1912.
Number 9-10: Going to the Nobel Museum was another highlight of my trip. It was on my wish list to see. Nancy has already told you about the museum and the exhibit on Peace. I spent time in between most exhibits wiping tears from my eyes since a peaceful world is what I wish for my children and grandchildren. I am thankful for all the women and men who have worked for peace though the centuries. I saw five museums which equals 6% of the museums in Stockholm. My two favorites were the Nobel Museum and the Millesgarden Museum and display of outdoor sculptures by Carl Milles. Nancy included several photos from Millesgarden in a previous blog.
Walking around the beautiful streets in Gamla Stan where the Nobel Museum is located was also on my wish list. It was as delightful as indicated in the travel guides.
Walking: The Castles walk a lot. At the end of the day they go up 2.5 flights of stairs to their apartment. They get one elevator pass a day (self -imposed because they don’t want to be responsible for an elevator breakdown!). One day when I was huffing and puffing up the stairs Sofia told me I was not limited to one pass per day because I was old. I thanked her profusely and took the elevator.
Walking and Weight loss: I assumed since I was spending more time walking than reading a book, I would come home and find a lower number on the scales. Word to future visitors: participating in events like the Chocolate Festival and Cinnamon Bun day appear to more than compensate for any burning of calories while walking.
I got to see a lot of Stockholm during my visit. I loved every experience. I had a wonderful time and look forwarding to visiting again. I expect my top five attractions to remain the same.
Grandma Lorene
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