Finland/Sweden 3/17/2023 |
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Friday 3/17/2023 - Flight to Stockholm, Gamla Stan, St. Patrick's DayWe awoke this morning to a deep creaking thudding noise. We remembered a little sign on our window sill which had informed us not to be alarmed if you hear the sound of ice creaking. Since our cabin and its walkway are suspended over a frozen river, the ice shifts and can cause these eerie but very cool sounds. We were happy to have gotten the chance to hear it.We took showers and finished getting packed up (we would be taking a flight today so we had to pack accordingly). The hoarfrost was out again this morning but not as extensively as yesterday. Still, I went outside to get a few pictures. We were a few minutes early for breakfast, which starts at 8, so we sat by the fire in the main building until they were ready to start serving. We had breakfast with Humberto and Max, just like yesterday. We had raspberry juice and coffee to drink. Then we were served a platter of meat, cheese, fruit, bread, jelly, and salmon. There was also a menu, and I ordered a waffle and Craig got an "arctic benedict" along with muesli and yogurt. Our luggage was collected from the room and loaded onto the bus. We left the hotel at 10:30, and Taru drove us about an hour to Luleå. We said goodbye and thank you to Taru as we grabbed our luggage from the bus and entered the small airport. We checked in and found our way to the downstairs gate where we sat with Cindy and Kevin. I went upstairs to find something to eat, since we probably wouldn't be eating dinner until around 7 p.m. or later in Stockholm. I returned with really delicious bagels with cream cheese, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce, and we had a hibiscus tea craft soda to drink. The SAS flight was supposed to depart at 1:10 p.m., but it was 20 minutes late. The flight took about an hour. We noticed the snow disappearing the further south that we went. We had heard that Sweden is 70% forested, and we could see a lot of this woodland from above. We arrived in Stockholm, and a porter picked up all of our luggage. As it was, we had to walk through two terminals to get to where our bus was waiting for us. This was difficult for Craig with his MS, and for Cindy, whose foot was bothering her. We finally made it to the bus parking area after walking what felt like miles. We boarded the bus, which took us the approximately 50 minute drive to the city center. On the way, Gosia told us some interesting facts about Sweden. One is that the country, which was the originator of paper money, is now trying to be the first country with a cashless economy. We had Euros from Finland, but didn't bother to get any Swedish krona, as we were told that everyone accepts credit cards. We also learned about famous Swede Alfred Nobel, namesake of the Nobel Prize and inventor of dynamite. We arrived at the Grand Hotel, which was as elegant as its name. We checked in and found our way to the elevator that led to the section of the building where our room was. We were in room #5512. It was quite spacious compared to the smaller rooms we have had in the past few hotels. There was a large foyer where we could stow our luggage, a large bedroom with a sitting area, and a large bathroom. We quickly got settled and then met Gosia in the lobby for a 6 p.m. walk to Gamla Stan (old town). Cindy's foot was bothering her and she thought better of going for a walk. We planned to return to the hotel after the walk to meet up with her and Kevin for St. Paddy's Day drinks. Cindy was craving some green beer. There was no snow on the ground here in Stockholm; the weather was warmer than up north but there was a cold wind from the ocean. The hotel was right across the street from the water. The architecture in Stockholm is gorgeous, and there was a lot to see as we walked from our hotel toward the island that comprises the charming Gamla Stan. We passed the edge of Kungsträdgården, a tree-lined park with picturesque lampposts. Then we came upon the majestic-looking Opera House, where "Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street" was playing. If we would be in town longer than two nights, we would definitely have been interested in seeing that! It was just starting to get dark and the lights of the city were coming on. Stockholm can be deceiving; you can see a building that looks nearby, only to find out that you can't really get there easily, as it is on a different island. Gamla Stan is on the island of Stadsholmen. We had to cross a bridge to get to it. We passed through the courtyard of the parliament building (Riksdagshuset), and there were many cool faces carved into the facade of the building. ![]() Gamla Stan dates back to the 13th century. Archways lead to narrow laneways packed with restaurants and gift shops. We walked down Västerlånggatan. The gift shops all had Dala horses (a symbol of Sweden) in the window. These small brightly colored wooden horses are something that my late mother collected, so I wanted to purchase one before we left Stockholm. Now was not the time, however, as Gosia was keeping a brisk pace trying to give us the lay of the land in a brief, hour-long walk. Many of the buildings had medieval looking doors and window shutters. At 81 Västerlånggatan, we were able to peek down Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, the narrowest laneway in Gamla Stan. At its narrowest point, it is just 35 inches wide. We walked up an alleyway and found ourselves in Stortorget (The Grand Square). This is a very picturesque square that we have since seen in movies and music videos shot in Stockholm. The Stock Exchange Building dates back to the 1770's, and today houses the Nobel Museum. Buildings Number 20 and 18 in Stortorget are particularly iconic, and are often depicted in souvenirs of the city. Gosia taught us that this square was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath in November 1520 when 82 people were executed after the coronation of Christian II as the new king of Sweden. According to Wikipedia: The Stockholm Bloodbath was a consequence of conflict between Swedish pro-unionists (in favour of the Kalmar Union, then dominated by Denmark) and anti-unionists (supporters of Swedish independence), and also between the anti-unionists and the Danish aristocracy, which in other aspects was opposed to King Christian. The anti-unionist party was headed by Sten Sture the Younger, and the pro-unionist party by the Archbishop Gustavus Trolle...The massacre became the catalyst that permanently separated Sweden from Denmark.We walked a big loop which brought us back to the hotel. People in our group dispersed, going to their respective dinner plans. As we approached the hotel (and reached its wi-fi coverage), my phone lit up with a message from Cindy. Although we had expected to meet up with her and Kevin for dinner/drinks, they had sent us a message saying that they were wiped out and had decided to stay in and do room service instead. Fair enough. If I had had cell service, I could have gotten their text while we were still out, but as it was, I only had access via wi-fi. So we were on our own, and didn't know quite what we wanted to do. We needed to find a place to eat. Some people in the group had made reservations at fancy places in advance, but we just wanted something casual. Especially after having 2 avant-garde 6-course-dinners in a row at our prior hotel. So we turned around and retraced our steps to Gamla Stan. We had seen many restaurants of varying types in the Old Town. We remembered having seen a kebab place, and that sounded good to us. But when we got there, we found that it was mostly take-away, and they didn't serve alcohol. We wanted to sit, and we wanted to have a St. Paddy's Day drink along with our food. So we looked further. We passed a few groups of genial drunks who raised a hand and wished us a slurred Happy St. Patrick's Day. We knew we must be in the right area to find someplace to celebrate. We found a very cool basement-level Viking-themed restaurant that had live music. We walked down the staircase which led to the entrance. There were candles on the stairs, adding to the medieval vibe. We chatted with the man working the door. They didn't have any availability for dinner, just drinks at the bar. As cool as that sounded, I really needed food. We told him that we were sorry, but we needed to find food, and if you can't eat at the bar, we would have to go someplace else. He was apologetic and even offered to help Craig (with his cane) back up the staircase to street level, which was quite sweet of him, but we politely declined. We checked a few more places, but most places were either too fancy, too overbooked, or both. We certainly didn't want to eat at TGI Fridays or Burger King. There had to be someplace...but we hadn't taken into account the fact that it was Friday night in the city. However, our persistence paid off! We walked down a side street and came upon the Temple Bar, flying an LGBTQ banner outside. The place was lit up green inside for St. Paddy's Day. They served burgers and pub food in addition to drinks, and we saw three free tables through the window. I asked if they had availability for dinner and the guy told me to just pick up a menu at the bar. Perfect! We got settled at a table (two other parties quickly arrived and snatched up the other two tables, so our timing couldn't have been better), and then I went up the the bar to order. There was a gnome doll behind the bar wearing an "I Love Rock n Roll" hat and holding an LGBTQ flag. The bar was decked out in green lights, and the bartender was wearing a St. Paddy's Day viking hat. Irish music was playing on the stereo. The vibe was perfect - exactly what we had been looking for. (Though the beer wasn't green, so it would have been disappointing to Cindy, LOL). I placed our order and was given a number to place on our table. Before we knew it, our piping hot food was delivered to us. Craig got a chicken burger and I got a haloumi (fried cheese) burger. (I don't know why haloumi is not a big thing in the USA...it is all over the place in Australia and here in Stockholm I even saw a haloumi burger advertised on a Burger King sign!). Craig had a Southern Bulldog IPA and a Shipfull of IPA on tap. I got a bottle of Briska Rosé Cider. We had a great time. The people at the table next to us needed some extra chairs. Since we had two that we weren't using, we let them use them. We chatted with the mom of the group. She is originally from Dublin but now lives in Sweden. Her family had been looking for a place to celebrate St. Paddy's Day and had found Temple Bar as well. As that family left, we noticed that they had left a shopping bag under their table. We called their attention to it and they were quite grateful. By the time we left the bar shortly before 10 o'clock, it was standing room only. Definitely a happening place and we were lucky to have found a seat when we did. We saw the changing of the guards along the walk back to the Grand Hotel. We got back to the hotel at 10:30. I did some posts and then we went to bed at 11. We wanted to get some good sleep before our 5 hour bus-led city tour tomorrow. Grand Hotel, Stockholm Gamla Stan |
Grand Hotel, Stockholm Stockholm Parliament Buildings, Gamla Stan (Old Town) Gamla Stan (Old Town) Numbers 20 and 18 Stortorget Narrowest lane in Gamla Stan: Mårten Trotzigs Gränd Temple Bar LGBTQIA+ friendly gnome at the Temple Bar St. Paddy's Day drinks at the Temple Bar St. Paddy's Day drinks at the Temple Bar See all photos from March 17 |
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