Onsdag 3/18/15
We are staying on a boat! It is the af Chapman and was made in 1888. It was renovated in the mid 1900s into a hostel. On the way to our hostel Tuesday night we saw the northern lights above the city! It was spectacular. I'll miss my dorm room in Mora but it is nice to move on. Wednesday was our first full day in the Sweden's capital.
After getting our city passes we split up for free time. The city passes gave us entrance to 80 museums and access to all public transportation. The sun was shinning and the day was filled with possibilities! We headed off to Gamla Stan (Old Town) while admiring the architecture. Outside the palace we stopped to use the pay public restroom. I put in my coin and opened the door…turned out it was occupied. Great start to the day!
The main street in Gamla Stan was filled with souvenir shops and cafes. It was so quaint. Then we went up to the Katarina Elevator. From there we had a great view of the city. There was an elevator but we took some neat stairs up. It was a little tricky finding our way up but that was half the fun.
Next, the boys had read about the highest natural point in Stockholm. Since there is a city ordinance that prohibits really tall skyscrapers, the view was spectacular. It was all exposed rock, probably gneiss. Local Swedes were picnicking.
After lunch we went to the Medieval Museum. It was located underneath the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament). The museum is built around the only exposed section of city wall that protected Stockholm during the Middle Ages. The rest is buried beneath the current city. Stockholm grew slowly starting in the 1250s. During the Middle Ages it had about 5000 people while Paris had 100,000. By 4:30 pm we had walked 9.54 miles around the city. What a day!
There are so many bicyclists in the city. You have to be careful not to get in their way. Paget almost got ran over by a man on his bike. He squealed to a quick stop! Since we are in a touristy part of town it was difficult finding a grocery store. It took me three trips to locate one and get there during open hours. After dinner I went for a nice run on the little island where our boat is located. It was beautiful running along the water with the view of the city lights. There are so many ducks and swans everywhere!
Saw the Northern Lights in Stockholm our first night on our way to our hostel!
The Chapman
Statue of King Gustav Adolph II
The Riksdag, Swedish Parliament
Hannah, Kenzie, Sidney, Me outside the Riksdag
Outside the Palace
Me and Kenzie with fee bathroom in the background :)
Hannah in Gamla Stan (Old Town)
Me, Hannah and Sidney in Gamla Stan
Zach, Paget, Sid, Me, Pat, Hannah, Kenzie, Lindsey at the Katarina Elevator
Zach, Me, Sid, Lindsey, Paget, Hannah, Kenzie on the walk up to the elevator
Our shadows on the natural highest point. I'm on the right.
Panorama view from the natural highest point.
Paget and I at the high point
Lindsey, Zach, Pat, Kenzie, Hannah in a Medieval recreation house in the Medieval Museum
What a gorgeous day! and what beautiful pictures! I love the sailing ship, the paving stone streets of the old town, the bedrock and rock walls of the stairway, the bronze statue, the panorama, oh, and you. That is weird that you were able to activate the restroom door while it was occupied. Mom wants to know if it was a male or female.
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