After disembarking, we were somewhat surprised and a little disappointed that we didn't have to go through passport control or customs—I want my stamps, damn it! We walked out of the terminal, luggage in tow, through the rain looking for the subway station. We thought it prudent to follow the rest of the crowd from the terminal as there had to be somebody in the group that knew where they were going. Eventually, after a rather unpleasant uphill schlep, we found the Tunnelbana, or T-bana. We activated the Stockholm cards that we had purchased on board and headed down to the trains. It was clear very quickly that Sweden would be a little different.
Whereas Helsinki signs and maps typically offered Finnish, Swedish and English, Stockholm pretty much only gives you Swedish with the occasional smattering of English where they feel it's really important (like train safety). Also, the currency is rather different here. The Euro is on par with the US Dollar in terms of conversion—usually a factor of 1 EUR to 1.3 USD—but the Swedish Krona (SEK) differs by an order of magnitude: 1 EUR is approximately 10 SEK.
The old city is quite a sight. Liz pointed out that this was my first REAL taste of Old Europe: cobbled streets, narrow alleys, strange small doors and curious shops (possibly even shoppes) were literally everywhere you could look. We didn't really have any set agenda for the afternoon, so we just kind of wandered through the streets looking at whatever there was to see. As we approached the noon hour, we both started to think about lunch and started a specific search for restaurants, and we didn't have to look for long.
Just a few steps into Gamla stan, we found the self-proclaimed only vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the old town, (Hermitage Vegetarian Restaurant, the only veggie restaurant on Gamla Stan. w00t!!) so naturally we had to stop there for lunch. Their lunch buffet was small, but good: vegetable korma, kasha salad with corn, pasta salad with olives, hummus, mixed greens, and some kind of veggie latke thing (large veggie cakes that looked like overgrown falafel, but tasted like stuffing). I noticed during lunch that the restaurant had several fleece blankets in baskets or hung over the backs of chairs, available to anyone who felt cold sitting there. It seemed like a nice, homey gesture, and turned out to be very prevalent throughout Scandinavia.
After lunch we were headed toward the Royal Palace when we heard lots of noise and marching; we reached the edge of the main Palace courtyard just in time for the elaborate changing of the guard ceremony! It never even entered my mind that we might see something like this here, so I was thrilled. In the courtyard, they had the Royal Guards and the Mounted Band (one of the last in the world, apparently) performing a ceremony that only takes place in summer. I was riveted; I stood agape at the spectacle of these soldiers performing on horseback—one hand on the instrument, one hand on the reins—with the Flip video camera we'd borrowed from Mom for nearly a half-hour. I've seen marching bands before, but this was a whole new level (it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen).
After the performance was over, we walked through the courtyard only to find that the Royal Apartments were closed due to the impending Royal Wedding—a theme that would dog us throughout our visit. We took a few pictures and walked down the south face to the Palace Chapel, which was lovely and comparatively understated (the Palace was constructed during the “France is the standard by which all things are measured” period of history, so it has a mini-Versailles quality to it), and down into the Royal Treasury, which contained the Swedish Crown Jewels in all of their sickening splendor. I say sickening not to imply that I wasn't impressed or didn't enjoy seeing them, but rather to impress just how far beyond “jewelry” these things really are. Lastly, we went through the Armory which has been converted to a museum containing everything from regalia and coaches to arms and armor and even an exhibit on royal pets throughout the years. Seeing all of this really drove home the point that this was my first visit to a sovereign state.
After seeing what there was to see in the Palace, we crossed back through the square to visit the cathedral (Storkyrkan). Although not as jaw-dropping as the big Gothic cathedrals, this was still damn awesome. The style was called Brick Gothic, and the “skeleton” of the vaulted ceiling was visible in red brick on the plastered ceiling. The altar was a massive piece in carved ebony with silver, and the royal pews were beautifully decorated. Storkyrkan was the site of the ever-present royal wedding, which took place on July 19.
While in Storkyrkan, Liz and I both lit candles for loved ones that we miss, mine specifically for my grandparents who both passed last August. We continued back down the hill, feet aching, through Stortorget (the city square) and down to Tyska Kyrkan (the German church) which, admittedly, was much grander outside than in. Some of the features, though, were still pretty amazing, like the golden pipe organ and the strange glassed-in room just to the left of the altar. What we later found out was that we had intended to go to the Riddarholmskyrkan, the oldest church in Stockholm, rather than the Tyska Kyrkan, but we weren't disappointed having seen the latter.
Gamla stan was so quaint with its narrow cobbled streets – I think I took a picture at every intersection! We found the fuss over the royal wedding really entertaining, as they have paraphernalia in every shop. They have commemorative plates, spoons, tins, magnets, pins, and the really amusing stuff like “official royal wedding chocolate” and special tea towels! I was holding out for the royal wedding commemorative shot glass or cigarette lighter, but apparently the Swedes are too classy for that.
Now completely exhausted, we re-boarded the T-bana and went back to the hotel, where we could finally check in. Our room, like our room in Helsinki, is simple but not ghetto. It's not exactly luxury, but it's not the Super 8 either. After a shower for me and a quick nap for Liz (I promptly passed out for a solid 45 minutes), we set out in search of dinner. We strolled around the island of Kungsholmen reading menus on the many restaurants we found before finally deciding on Dolce Vita, not far from our hotel. Simply wow. I had freshly-made fettucine with olives, feta, peppers, and a spicy tomato sauce. I ate myself senseless. I even got to try one of the local Swedish beers, Åbro, which wasn't bad. I had spinach-ricotta tortellonis (the three largest tortelloni I had ever seen) with a mild gorgonzola sauce. All was quite delicious, as was the assorted gelato I had for desert, which included a coconut flavor, a fresh strawberry variety, and a tasty mystery flavor…the gelato was kind of yellow-orange in color, and Scott noted a fruity taste while I picked up a decidedly nutty flavor…perhaps marzipan mango?).
Poor Scott had been up since 6:45am (we had planned to hit the breakfast buffet on the ship before the crowds got bad, but I refused to get up), so we went to bed fairly early in anticipation of a very full day exploring more of Stockholm.
Addendum: As we were preparing for bed, we saw the spot where Liz misjudged the seat in Heathrow and she now has an EPIC bruise on her thigh. There will be pictures!
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