Stockholm Continued

Last night, I got to do a walking tour of the Old City of Stockholm. There are buildings there that date from the time of the Hanseatic League. It was something to wander the cobblestone streets. The Old City is filled with shops and restaurants. Our guide took us to one that has a 13th century wine cellar. There, we enjoyed a glass of wine, a bowl of onion soup, reindeer stew (or fish) with mash potatoes and linden berries and a slice of apple tart. The food was fantastic and with the tour of the Old City made for a wonderful night.

This morning, we had the tour of the city proper with an optional tour of the Wasa Museum. Our guide was a city guide. She knew the ins and outs of Stockholm and was a delight. She had a very funny personality. With her guiding us, we got to see the city hall where the Nobel awards banquet is held. It's a beautiful building reminiscent of an Italian piazza. After that, we visited a spot where we could get a good shot of the hall. Then, we were off to where we could get good views of the harbor. We also drove around with her giving us a narrative of the city.

After the city tour, those who didn't sign up for the Wasa tour either returned to the hotel or were dropped off by harbor where they could take a harbor tour or do some shopping. Then, it was on to the Wasa Museum.

The Wasa Museum holds the 16th century warship Wasa. It was commissioned by Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus the II. It was the first double deck warship. Unfortunately, it was top heavy and sank on its maiden voyage. It remained on the bottom of Stockholm harbor until 1961 when it was raised. The warship is a striking ship because it is so well preserved. It also has over 700 statues adorning it. The museum shows a 25 minute movie clip that tells of the history of the ship and how it was raised. The museum is fascinating and worth doing if you like history or sailing ships.

After the Wasa Museum, everyone had a free afternoon. I chose to go in search of the Hard Rock Cafe so I could get some Stockholm t-shirts. I got one heck of a shock when I finally found it. It isn't close at all to the harbor. I had a long walk getting there and a long walk getting back. Still, I got my t-shirts.

I'm a little pooped so I plan to check out a sports bar and restaurant that is close to the hotel. I'm hoping they'll have some Victoria Bitter. If not, they'll hopefully have a good burger. For some reason, I'm really in the mood for a good hamburger. We'll see. That's all for now. Cheers all!