We awoke by 6am this morning, had breakfast and coffee, and got an early start on seeing more of the city. We began by walking to the Stockholm’s historic core, Gamala Stan, where we began the self-guided walk provided by Rick Steves: “Welcome to Stockholm’s Old Town.” This took us past the Royal Palace, obelisk, Iron Boy (the smallest public statue in Stockholm), Stortorget (the oldest square and heart of medieval Stockholm), the Cathedral, the German Lutheran Church (1st in the world… ironically outside of Germany), through numerous narrow, cobblestone streets, and eventually to the Slussen locks (which separate the Baltic Sea from Lake Malaren).
View of Stockholm
Next, we took a boat across the harbor to Djurgarden (another island / national park). Here, we visited Skansen, which is Europe’s first open-air folk museum. The grounds are fairly enormous and contain (among other things) over 150 buildings of all manners that have been moved there from all around Sweden. Personally, I didn’t find Skansen quite as charming as Tivoli (not sure why), but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Some scenes were quite bucolic, and it’s a very kid-friendly place to visit—including for toddlers, as Emerson seemed to have a great time.
Emerson @ Skansen
After Skansen, we roamed around Djurgarden a while longer and eventually walked back to our hotel by late afternoon, which was about a couple of miles away. This provided an opportunity to enjoy more of the city and absorb the environment.
Dinner tonight was take-away, which seems easier with the little one. Since Emerson’s nap was abbreviated, she fell asleep earlier than usual tonight. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing…
Tomorrow’s our last day in Stockholm. We’ll have the morning to sightsee. Then we’ll be off to the airport for our flight to London-Heathrow, where we’ll be flying back to the USA from (TPA, connecting in JFK) on Tuesday.
Dear Paul and Libby,
I have been enjoying your commentary with its insights and comic reliefs. (I think when traveling in unfamiliar territory comic perspective and wisdom go hand in hand.) Thanks for the observations because they answer concerns that most want addressed.
How is my Guacamole Gal? Bettye and I miss her, and we miss you. Have a safe trip home.
Love,
Dad
[…] world’s first (and one of its best) open air museums. You can read more about it from our prior visit. Also, on that page, you’ll note a photo of Emerson at 17 […]