Scandinavia

It was back to the frozen north the second week of November for Alex's final module in his company's academy. On the way to Oslo, Norway we were able to make a brief visit to Stockholm, Sweden.

The weather was just about as you would expect in late fall for Scandinavia, cold and wet. Our hotel was centrally located which allowed us to be able to walk to most of the old town. In addition, we were close to the hub for the city's public transit.

Stockholm really is a beautiful city. The old part of the city is set on a network of small islands all connected by numerous bridges. Gamla Stan is the heart of the old city and is home to the royal family's palace. We were there just as the area was beggining to decorate for the holidays, there must be few places in the world that just have such a Christmas feel to them.

The streets are narrow and filled with numerous shops on each side. We strolled through winding streets making our way up to the royal palace and in time to see the changing of the guard.

After a great lunch, including some traditional Swedish pastries it was time to brave the bus network to get to our next stop....turns out not the easiest task when the language looks nothing like English! After getting ourselves turned around and heading the correct direction we eventually made it to Skansen.

Skansen is effectively a large park in the city that strives to preserve and exhibit the traditional Scandinavian way of life. What was unique was that the life size mock ups of what Swedish villages would have looked like during certain time periods also included the artisans, bakers, and craftsman. It was interesting to be able to watch the traditional ways of creating glass, baking as well as wood working.

After Skansen we were able to make a quick visit to the Vasa museum. The Vasa was 17th century vessel that on her maiden voyage in 1628 out of Stockholm harbor keeled over and sank. While a tremendous loss both militarily and financially for the area it became a treasure trove once discovered in the 1950s. Due to the extremely cold water, the vessel was almost perfectly preserved. The vessel was raised in its entirety and a museum built around it.

What trip would be complete to Sweden without a visit to the original Ice Bar? This bar is entirely made of ice.....cups, chairs, tables, bar, walls....everything and as you can probably guess, its kept at a chilly 25 degrees.

Stockholm is certainly a place that we would like to visit again.....maybe when its a little warmer.