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| Moored, Scandinavian style |
After more than a week at anchor or tied to rocks, we sailed around the suburb of Boo and motored into Stockholm. We tied Chinook up at the marina close to the city center so we could explore. The marina is well located - it is in the district of Östermalm and is surrounded by the National City Garden.
The many trails around the island had us off Chinook and seeing what Stockholm had to offer.
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| Walking/cycling trails lured us into the park |
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| Kate gets some aerobic fitness in while sightseeing |
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Being a national capital, the park is beautiful.
So much public art to look at, we couldn't help but snap a few pictures. |
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This sculpture was called Unknown and played on the Swede's strong beliefs of ties between
the natural and supernatural worlds. |
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| Barnacle geese enjoying a walk along the trail |
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| Opera singer Jenny Lind, know as the Swedish Nightingale |
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| In Sweden, it is illegal to leave your dog for more than six hours without human interaction. So pet-owning Swedes rely on doggie daycares (or hunddagis) or pet walkers. And it seems the Royal Djurgården is a favourite place for dog walkers! |
The island on which the Djurgårten (and marina) is located has served many purposes: it was the Royal farm and hunting grounds; there has been a military base and barracks here; there is a educational academies and of course the 19th century upper class recognized the beauty of the surroundings and built mansions and apartments for themselves. Many of these still remain. Some have been rented as national embassies.
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An art museum that used to be the Prince's Palace - surrounded by glorious gardens.
Gosh, we picked a good time to visit! |
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| The American Embassy furthest to the left and park paths along the water. |
Part of our reason for the revisit to Stockholm was that our dear friend Elizabeth was visiting her daughter, Sarah, who now lives in Stockholm. What a wonderful opportunity to get together. Lots of laughter and fun was had enjoying Aperol spritz at Strandvägskajen, champagne and dinner on Chinook and a shopping spree. After missing each other in Australia, it was fabulous to finally catch up.
And yes, Elizabeth, you've made the blog!
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| It's been a while! |
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| Double the number of Aussies onboard! |
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| ... and it wouldn't be a proper celebration without bubbles and nibbles. |
As Gord and Jenny had never been to Stockholm, we all went to explore Gamla Stan together. The old town is full of cobble-lined streets and Hansiatic League-era buildings.
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| Clean and well preserved |
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Eskader Model Shop - trains, cars, trucks, busses.
Not our thing, but still an impressive selection. |
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| Beautiful yarn, fabric, ribbons, needles |
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| A shelf full of Dala horses |
None of us are hardcore souvenir shoppers, but we did have fun poking into the stores to see what was on offer. There were more than a few kiosks and racks full of sweatshop-made fridge magnets and other bric-a-brac, but occasionally we found unique offerings: yarn and fabric shops; a model train/car shop; a toy store with authentic Swedish toys and games such as Dala Horses.
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| So we can now say, been there but even though it was cool, DIDN'T get the T-shirt. |
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