Michael of Stockholm, where are you!!!!
Trip Start
Jul 02, 2008
1
23
31
Trip End
Jul 25, 2008
Stockholm,
Stockholm,
Sweden
Monday, July 21, 2008
We are discovering that we are fine with walking around, Michael and I, exploring on our own. Bob and Carol, however, want specific things to see thinking this could be the one and only time they visit here. Understandable. So, the toy museum I want to see is placed last, and the old town, palace and ship museum are moved to the top. I don't really mind, since I will be back myself, and Michael will most likely as well.
We decide to take a water bus service, and head off towards the old town. More clarification is made, and we are all on the same page now. We head into the old town to wander around, and to find the Nobel Museum. There had been a Nobel Museum in Oslo as well, that Bob and I had passed on at the end of our long day of sight seeing in the rain, but apparently, this is THE Nobel Museum
Going ahore! Bob at the aft of the Eurodam
. So we find it tucked into a main square, and Michael and I enter while Bob and Carol sit at a café for coffee.The Nobel Museum is awesome. Truly Awesome. The exhibits, voice recordings you can listen to, the history and how Alfred Nobel came to set up the foundation are all there. It is fascinating, and Michael and I could have stayed there twice or three times as long as we did (I will return next month myself) but Carol wants to go to the Palace. So off we head, in the rain I might add. We have not had the best luck with weather, but it is not too bad. We duck into a shop to buy postcards and end up with an umbrella too ( a colorful number with the Swedish flag on it) . Bob disappeared to look for a loo and discovered a cool underground restaurant that had some interesting stories for it had once been a dungeon or jail. Carol was not pleased, she was on a mission to get to the palace. But sometimes these little diversions are what make a trip memorable. But soon we were walking to the Palace, which was just a few hundred yards away!
In hindsight, we should have sent them on to the Palace while we were in the Nobel Museum, and set up a meeting place where we were to pick up the water taxi, but we hadn't. Michael and I were not going into the palace, so it would have been easier for them to go and us to meet up. But we hadn't. Carol and Bob headed off for a tour of the palace, Michael and I discovered a small café for coffee and a bit of early lunch, which took up most of the time we had before we were to rejoin the in-laws
St Andrew slays the dragon?
. We should have planned better, but I kinda like to wing it, which drives Carol crazy, so I will take full responsibility for Carol and Bob not getting to go into the Palace, which would have been cool for them. There had not been enough time for them to do the tour. I feel somewhat guilty about it, For not only were we in town, but the Royal family was in residence and our friend Greg from the Eurodam actually got to see him. It should have been Carol and Bob too! Ah well.Once we met up, we discovered there was to be an elaborate changing of the guard, even more so because the Royal family was in town. We watched a few minutes, mesmerized by the uniforms and pomp of it all, and taking some pictures as well of course. When I turned around, they were gone. No Michael, No Carol, No Bob! I looked around and figured they were taking pictures, so I hung with a couple of guys I had met aboard ship for a few minutes (they had done a roof top tour of Stockholm that sounded cool) before realizing the family had abandoned me.
AS I walked down the street towards the waterway, figuring they had headed there, my phone rang. It was Bob, of course, saying they were waiting for me at the water taxi stop. I hurried along, and we were off almost immediately once I walked aboard. Seeing Stockholm from the water is amazing. I had never done that before, and find it even more beautiful than I had in the past.
We chatted aboard, there was some drama but I cannot remember what it was
Outise the Nobel Musett
. I said something, or did something I am sure. Two stops later, we disembarked at the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a ship that was built in the early 1800's, set sail and sailed 1500 meters or so before sinking. It was rediscovered in the 60's, brought up piece by piece almost perfectly preserved and reconstructed. I have never been, and Michael had no desire to be inside (the rain had abated and the sun come out) so we walked with Carol and Bob towards the museum with plans to meet up in two hours. We would explore the park and surrounding area on our own.As we walked around the corner of the Museum, and saw the line. Miss Carol, in a temper tantrum, stomped her foot and said she wanted to go home! The line was long. Way long. Way, way long. She recovered almost instantly, and they were in the queue, which was moving quickly actually. She didn't want to miss the museum, and knew how much Bob wanted to see it.
We went off for Ice cream, and started to walk around the park. Stockholm is old, with beautiful scenery and architecture. I wanted to see the Strand, a grand tree lined avenue with trollys, boats on one side, beautiful buildings on the other, with some of the most expensive real estate in the city (according to the water taxi "guide") where rock stars and millionaires live. I wanted to see it anyways, it looked lovely.
Michael and I walked through the park, for a long way, taking pictures and seeing the sites. Then back towards where we had come from towards the Strand, over a bridge to the boulevard, and there it was beckoning to us
Michael Listens
. A hot dog stand! As we ordered one each (to use up the last of our Swedish Crowns, or Kroner) along came a regiment of mounted soldiers, all decked out in their blue uniforms. Obviously a part of the days festivities and obligations since the Royal family was in residence. It was cool to see them ride by, and I got a couple of good pictures. And the hot dog was delicious, too, even if it did leave me thirsty!Back across the bridge (the Strand is actually lovelier when view from afar), and I finally convinced Michael we needed to stop and people watch. Like I said, after the dog, I was thirsty and a Beer stand was at hand! As we ordered, Michael asked about cider. He loves his cider! They had several, and he opted for a pear and a berry (yes two!) and we headed down to a floating platform to sip or beverages and watch the world go by.
There has not been enough of that on this trip. Just sitting back and watching the world go by. It seems as though all I have done is go, go, go, so the stop was a nice diversion. Like I said, Michael and I can just hang sometimes. And the beer was tasty. And Michael was in heaven with his ciders! We sat there a long while (45 minutes or more) laughing and talking, watching the ducks and swans, as well as the people go by. It was relaxing. Time was drawing to a close though, and we were to meet Carol and Bob to head back to the ship. Well, Michael and Carol were going to the ship, Bob and I were going to head up to the Toy museum.
Bob and Carol were all smiles and laughter as we met up with them by the water taxi pier
Palace guard! Was I too close?
. They really are great people. We may not always see eye to eye, or have different agenda's, but we do have mutual respect, or at least I hope so. We sat in the sun laughing and hearing about the Vasa from Bob, and I checked out several other ships (antiques, part of the museum) that were moored near where we were waiting.Back on the water taxi, the sky darkened and the water got rough, and believe it or not, it began to downpour. As we got off the taxi by the ship, umbrellas were in order and Bob and I opted to head back to the ship as well rather than trudge through the rain to the toy museum. Another quick duck into an over priced gift shop on the pier netted a winter cap for Michael with the Swedish flag on it (he likes the England one I bought a few years back and he adopted as his own) and a magnet or some such trinket before heading back on ship.
The good thing is we were all back aboard in time for trivia, so after getting settled putting away the days "finds", I headed up to the Crows Nest Lounge and the daily trivia contest. We have been playing, the four of us and another couple Ken and Wanda, since we first boarded on the 5th. I have not played everyday, but someone has represented us each day. For every person in your team that shows, you get a Dam Dollar, redeemable at the end of the cruise for HAL merchandise. And it is fun, even if we are too competitive sometimes. It poured as we played, and we came in second once again! (Damn those EuroCzars or Dammers! Each team has a name, we are the Endeavors, as we endeavor to win)
Palace guards!
. But sail out was here, and Frank, the scenic cruising commentator, was about to start his ramblings as we pushed off the pier. And as quickly as the rain had poured, it had stopped. The sail out was lovely weather. And the Archapeligo that we sail through is amazing, kind of like the San Juan Islands, but more spectacular! Much, much more spectacular! I went out on Deck 5 (the forward deck) with Michael and we were soon joined by happenstance by Carol and Bob. It was fun, even if it was a bit cool, the four of us pointing out the sights and watching this massive cruise ship ply the narrow waters. From the time we set sail at 6, it was to be 4 hours before we reached the open sea! And it was stunning!
Bob and I were actually on deck around 10 when we finally reached the Baltic. Dinner had just ended (lovely as usual), and we had stepped on deck to watch the last of the rocky outcrops of the archapeligo slip by as we headed out to sea. And we got to meet a lovely lady from Ohio on deck! The perfect end to a perfect day!
