Day 1: The Tour Begins in Stockholm
Arrival in Stockholm
We got up early today to fly from London to Stockholm. We got to our hotel before our rooms were ready, so we walked two blocks over to the local farmer’s market building. Inside were dozens of food places. We took our lunch to the adjacent park. It was a great start to the day! Once our rooms were ready, we freshened up for our group greeting, walk and supper. Our group meeting was in the breakfast area of the hotel. Our guide, Asa Danielsson, gave our group an overview of the tour, and we introduced ourselves to the group. We also confirmed our COVID vaccination status and had tea and a delicious little treat. One was a chocolate, carmel cake/pie and the other was a lemon filled donut. |
Orientation Tour
After our meeting and a few minutes to freshen up again, we met up across the street from the hotel at 5:40 and picked our buddy’s. I paired up with Marianne, an engineer. Then Asa took us on an orientation walk. We learned that all the old Catholic Churches were turned to Protestant during the reformation. We also saw the performing arts center where she had once choreographed and danced. Outside the building is a statue of Kroon which is heated like a radiator. Performers always hug the statue and rub the belly before a performance for good luck. Paul couldn't resist that tradition. As we got oriented to the city, we learned how to travel the three levels of the subway system. The subway is known as the longest art gallery because it is decorated with art by artists. It’s really cool in there. It was worth a subway ride just to see the art! Fun Fact: Stockholm’s archipelago is made up of 24,000 islands! Incredible! It’s always changing because Sweden is growing taller by 4 mm each year. We ate at a restaurant featured in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and saw the apartment that the character rented out in the book. We ate Swedish meatballs for supper with herring for a starter and a chocolate with truffles for a desert. On the walk home, it started to rain, and we saw a double rainbow and a brilliant sunset as we walked. What a nice way for Mother Nature to welcome us to the city. |