Bob and Ann in Scandinavia 2007

We were up at 3:00 this morning. At least I was up then. Ann decided that she needed to mentally review her packing and house preparation during the night so she was up and down a few times before 3:00. Both the alarm and clock radio went off on time, so we were assured that we would make our Bay Porter Express pickup at 4:00. We ate some fruit and muffins and powered down some strong Peet's coffee to get us going.

The 4:00 pickup was only 5 minutes late. We got to SFO a 1/2 hour later. We left at 6:50 on US Air to Philadelphia. We changed planes there for Stockholm. We tried napping a little. Ann was more successful then I, but I got to watch 3 movies and read a little of my book. We had to pay for food on the domestic leg. It was free on the international leg but we had to pay for wine. Quality was so-so.

We got to Stockholm around 8:00, went through immigration, got our bags, used the ATM and bought our senior tickets for the Arlanda Express Train to the Stockholm central train station. The train was very clean and efficient. It took us only 30 minutes to get to the station. Then it was into a taxi to the Hotel Wellington. Of course it was way too early to check into our room. Our plan was to leave our bags there and do some sightseeing. While checking into the hotel, Ann discovered that she had left her purse on the train with her passport, credit cars and cash. The hotel clerk quickly called the Arlanda Express and asked if anyone had turned it in. Apparently after everyone disembarks the trains are searched for left items. It hadn't been turned in when she called, but they promised to call her back. About an hour later, they called and said that they had found it. So we taxied back to the station and picked up her purse with nothing missing. Hooray for the honest, efficient Swedes! After that we decided to walk to the old town and do the sightseeing that we had originally planned.

Our Room at the Wellington Hotel

Our main focus was to get some lunch and exercise. We had coffee and quiche in a small cafe in one of the alleys. Then we wandered uphill to the royal apartments. It was just before noon and there were hundreds of people milling around. We decided to hang out there to see what was going to happen. We found out that it was time for the changing of the guards. The Swedes really do this well. First, two columns of troopers march into the courtyard and spread themselves along its perimeter. Then a mounted trooper band appear down the street and clop into the courtyard playing their music. It was quite a spectacle.

We walked back to the hotel and were able to get into our room. It was a medium-sized room with a small balcony looking over a terrace one story below. The weather was a little too drippy and cool today to sit out there, but it is going to clear tomorrow. We both showered and cleaned up. We fought sleep for another few hours before we could eat dinner and go to bed.

A light buffet dinner was included in out room rate, so we ate in the dining area near the hotel's lobby. We had several kinds of salads, sausages, bread, cheese, etc. As we continue to take advantage of our "free" dinner, we will have to eat a large lunch or have snacks in mid-afternoon.

We didn't last very long after dinner. Ann was asleep a little after 8:00. I followed soon after. I woke up once and looked at the clock. It said 9:00 and the sky was light. I thought that it was 9:00 AM so I almost got up. I thought about it though and realized that I couldn't have slept for 12+ hours without waking at least once. It stays light very late here.

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August 4 - Free Day in Stockholm

We were up by 6:30 after getting plenty of sleep. That was a relief after our long day yesterday. The breakfast buffet was a surprise. Along with all of the standard fare, we had Swedish pancakes! And that's not all. Ann sampled the breakfast herring. She said that it was good. I wouldn't know. Herring for breakfast is too bazaar for me.

Farm House in Skansen

We left the hotel and walked along the harbor across the Djurgården bridge and onto Djurgårdsvägen. We wandered around a little until we found the west entrance to Skansen. This is Europe's first and best open-air folk museum. We visited farms that were relocated from various geographical area of Sweden. We also saw artisan workshops, churches and schools. We ate lunch in the main square and had smoked reindeer and a lingonberry drink. On the way out, we bought some pastries from the bakery. Because this was Saturday, there were lots a families there with their young kids.

Nordic Museum

The Nordic Museum was very close to Skansen, so we decided to make a tour of it. The exhibits that we saw are listed on the museum's web site. Some of them were worth seeing, but I zoned out in the shoes and doilies sections. After we were done, we sat outside for a few minutes and polished off most of the pastries that we bought in Skansen.

While hiking back to the hotel, we stopped at a couple of grocery stores for bananas and beer. The bananas looked good but the beer was 3.2%. It seems that you can't buy strong beer in stores but you can drink it in bars. So we bought a couple of dark Swedish beers at the hotel bar and drank them in our room. The clerk at the hotel by law had to uncap them for us.

Bed time was before 10:00.

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