Taking out my suitcase to pack for Spain brought back so many great memories of my last trip through the Baltic. One of the port stops on the cruise was in Stockholm. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with this city on water. Here are my top 5 favorite moments from our short stay.
1. The Vasa Museum- it was incredible to see this almost perfectly preserved 300 year old ship. We learned that it sank on its maiden voyage and was made for Swedish royalty. This is why it was so elaborately decorated. With limited time in the city, matching our attention spans, we took in as much as we could before we were off to the next big sight.
2. Skansen- I’m pretty sure this was geared more to families and little kids but we had read/heard there was a giant wooden horse painted like the traditional toys found throughout this region, so we were on a quest. It reminded me of a much larger Plimoth Plantation or Sturbridge Village from home. There were homes and people dressed in costume from different time periods of Swedish History. Our horse search brought us straight to the zoo section of the park. And there in all its glory was indeed two large replicas of the wooden hoses we would go on to buy later. After snapping a few thousand photos of the hose, sitting on the house, two of us on the horse and so on, it was a quick walk through the park and we were off.
3. Hop on Hop off Boat- Best part of the day hands down! As soon as we disembarked from the cruise ship we made a bee line for the tour boat and ended up with our first and last private boat ride for the trip. It was a great way to see the city and just relax and kick back.
4. The Royal Palace- We may have missed the changing of the guard but we did get to see the guard patrolling around the square outside the palace. Marching in straight rows keeping time with a chant, they passed by us and we followed them for a bit down the crowded, narrow side street by the palace. Tourists simply stepped aside as the guard marched through the streets before they got back to popping into souvenir shops. At the end of our own shopping time, and before we had to get back on our boat, we did go to see the guard that is posted outside the backside of the palace keeping watch.
5. Shopping- I’m not afraid to admit it, I bought a few things during my travels. After we did as much sightseeing as one person can handle for a day we strolled down the narrow pedestrian streets that housed shop after shop of little trinkets to find just the right thing to remember my time. I even managed to find time to pause my shopping to enjoy a deliciously creamy blueberry ice cream to cool down.
I can’t wait to go back this summer! Even if it will only be for a short side trip from Finland.
TravelTeachLove,
Katy
