Hello from Stockholm!! It is about 8:45 a.m. here on Sunday, approximately 2:45 a.m. for you back in Indy.
After taking a high-speed train from the airport to Stockholm City, we walked a few blocks to our hotel, luggage in tow. It was fairly commonplace to see people hauling their stuff the few blocks and unlike dear Maestro, there were no parades, limited bus service or hauling baggage 5+ miles to get to our destination.
We checked in but our room wasn't available so we stowed our luggage and headed to Gamala Stan (Old Town) in Stockholm. It was right across the bridge from our hotel and is known as a shopping place for locals and tourists alike, although I truly felt it to be more 'touristy' than local. One lane streets, built in the 1300s-1400s, with tall buildings on each side. I am unable to upload photos here but trust that there will be a photo upload when I get home.
On our way to Gamala Stan, we walked through the courtyard of the Rikstag (Sweden's parliament) and a rather large gathering of Hare Krishnas, all of whom seemed to be protesting the treatment of the Chinese people.
Following our tour through Gamala Stan, we returned to the hotel, checked in and immediately began a rotation of showers/naps. We got up around 8 p.m. and headed back out, in search of food.
The hotel obviously has a restaurant, but the idea was we'd use our guidebook to find a local establishment and eat there. Great idea in theory, in practice, a hike to nowhere.
We walked probably a couple miles to the site of this restaurant only to find that it had apparently closed down some time before. So we meandered back down the street next to the water and walked 3/4 the way back to the site of the restaurant we had spotted earlier. We ended up at the restaurant across the street, a Greek place, that is similar to Santorini's in style, price and overall deliciousness :) We were given menus in Swedish initially and after explaining that we needed English menus, our waitress was quite floored.
That is to say ... apparently I look Swedish. Looking around here, it is like looking in a mirror with the light eyes and pale skin ... the difference being there aren't a whole lot of Swedish brunettes I've seen so far, but thanks to Evolution, I have lighter hair than I might otherwise. Thus, I fit in perfectly. Same for Mom. Sister, however, looks like the anomaly. They (the natives) all assume she is the foreigner and perhaps Mom and I are her guides.
Oh yes, and Mom and I have been mistaken for sisters here too. I do resemble my Mom a great deal and I can see that but I'd like to think the 20 years difference in our ages would eliminate the feeling that we are sisters, but so be it.
The Greek place was lovely and some pretty interesting customs to be noted. You cannot drink outside on a patio past 10 p.m. Yes, we had to gather our beers (a 'dark' beer the waitress told us, although it was far more lager than anything) and head inside at 10 p.m.
We walked back and there were many, many people on the streets. Far more bicycles and people than cars. There are many bicycle rental places in the city and we may take advantage of that for a day.
Today should be all about tours. I believe we'll take a bus tour and a water taxi tour. For those that don't know, Stockholm is a city of islands and the easiest way to see quite a few of them is by water taxi. Apparently there are over 25,000 islands surrounding Stockholm. Yes, 25,000, not all inhabited, not all big enough to be so.
Oh, and as a very interesting note, the 'hello' here is 'hej' pronounced 'hey.' It feels rather informal to my ears to say 'hey' to people. I am beginning to pick up various words, much easier than any of the tapes I'd listened to before arriving. Language in action is key for me.
Be well, be safe. All is good here. Having a ridiculous amount of fun:)
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