Stockholm Syndrome

We can't believe we are back in this time zone again! We got to Stockholm yesterday and explored the city with Lexis and Mark Blitstein. We found the main synagogue which is not far from our hotel and had a light dinner nearby at a restaurant in the park. It was a beautiful night, with bright sun until at least 10 pm. We were exhausted from our trip and literally fell into bed way before the sun set.

Saturday morning, the sun was up early, before 4 am! Fortunately we both slept way past sunrise. After a great breakfast, the four of us set out to conquer Stockholm. We took the On-Off boat, which is essentially a water taxi that makes stops on the different islands. First stop, the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a 300+ year old warship that took 3 years to build and 20 minutes to sink. It never made it out of the harbor. Look it up on Google for more info. It was rediscovered in the harbor by a shipwreck enthusiast about 50 years ago and was eventually brought to the surface and painstakingly restored. Fascinating story and amazing museum.

We hopped back on the On-Off boat and went to Sodermalm, which is the Soho of Stockholm. For you Dragon Tattoo fans, it is also where Lisbeth Salander and company live and work. We had an amazing lunch at the Nygoret UrbanDeli (Stockholm’s Fox and Obell, sort of) and then walked around, finding the 7-11 and other places mentioned in the book. We went up the Gondola, an elevator to a platform high above the city and took pictures.

Next stop, Gamla Stan, or the Old City across the bridge on an island that sits between Sodermalm and the main part of the city. This was the original city of Stockholm. The narrow streets were full of restaurants, souvenir shops and nice stores selling Swedish crystal and artwork. Of course, Lexis and I had a hard time resisting. Glenn and Barbara arrived and Joel went back to the hotel to bring them to meet up with us. We had dinner in an Italian restaurant and topped it off with Gelato on the way back to the hotel.

Sunday morning we took a bike tour of the city and the Djurgarden which sits on yet another island, and is a beautiful park and home to a Royal Residence. The tour guide taught us much about Swedish history and the sordid exploits of the Royals. There is also an intense competitiveness with the Danes, who are always blamed for anything wrong in Sweden. (Apparently, the nationality blame game is mutual.)

After returning from the bike ride, it was time to board the ship. More to come….