I got up really early this morning
for the picturesque sail into Stockholm as we snaked our way through countless
islands….. Later in the morning, we were met by our Alla Tour Guide, Will
for our introduction to Stockholm with a City driving tour. This tour
gave us an overview of the most significant Stockholm landmarks: Parliament
building, The Royal Opera, The Royal Palace and Royal Dramatic theatre. We made
two stops on Riddarholmen Island and Fjlallgatan for panoramic photo views of
Stockholm. Next, we did a tour of the Vasa Museum, home of the Royal
warship Vasa...The Vasa is the only preserved seventeenth-century ship in the
world and a unique art treasure decorated with hundreds of carved sculptures.
The 69-meter-long warship Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was
salvaged 333 years later in 1961 and has been restored to its original
state. After leaving Vasa, we had a tour of historic Stockholm passing
the Open Air and ABBA Museums on our way to the Old Town known as Gamla
Stan. On arrival in Gamla Stan we walked to the down an alley behind the
palace to see the Jarnpojke Iron Boy, the smallest public statue in Stockholm
only 6 inches high. We arrived back at the Royal Palace just in time to see the
Royal Guards Mounted Unit pass by for the start of Changing of the Guard
ceremony. We left our guide at the Gamla Stan Square and decided to tour and
return to the ship on our own. We made our we through the picture book
narrow cobblestone streets and alley ways of this amazingly well preserved 13th
century old town. Another objective today was to visit the Stockholm City Hall
and viewing Tower, with its spire featuring the golden Three Crowns, is one of
the most famous silhouettes and magnificent facades in Stockholm. I made the 360
step climb up inside the tower for a fantastic view over the city. Also,
the great Nobel banquet and ball is held at City Hall. At the top I was greeted
with a fantastic view over the city. On our next visit to Stockholm, we
are planning on taking a boat cruise amongst the 14 islands and waterways
that make up Stockholm...a beautiful city and looking forward to our return
visit. This blog is in 3 parts….
The first part is the sail into Stockholm, through it’s myriad of
islands. The other two parts give a
photo tour of our excellent day touring Stockholm for the first time…. What a spectacular day!!!
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