November 21, 2008 - Stockholm

UGA bye weekend means travel. Delta has a new direct route from ATL=>ARN (Stockholm-Arlanda) with introductory fares, so we had to try it out.
We depart on a Thursday after work.
After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we head west to Gustav Adolfs Torg, the roundabout with the namesake statue of one of Sweden's founding fathers.

Stockholm is the Venice of the North.
There are rivers and canals everywhere!

Jill picked out a great restaurant for us.
Stockholm is EXPENSIVE. This lunch was over 1,000 SEK (Swedish Krona, about $150 US).
It was great, but we learned how to order more cost-effectively later. We got our dinners down to about 450SEK (~$60 US) with drinks and tip.

The architecture here is very unusual.
They weren't in WWI and sided with the Nazis to start WWI, then moved to the Allies' side toward the end. They've basically never been bombed since wars with Poland and Russia in the 1400s-1500s.

They've started to decorate the town for the holidays.

...but they Christmas Markets in downtown Stockholm aren't open.

Jill and I stop and watch the ice skaters for a while.
(It is that cold.)

Stockholm's churches and spires are so cool...

I like the fenders on this boat.

The National Museum has a striking billboard in front.
I thought this was awesome!

It is probably about 3pm and the sun has set below the skyline.

Quintessential old European buildings,

a uniform four stories tall.

So picturesque.

This is the 'af Chapman.'
This "tall ship" once sailed as a vessel of three different navies before being converted to a youth hostel in 1949.

Typical Swedish word. You can see the German influence in its sheer length.
It's really cold out, so I'm going to stop taking pictures for a while and just check out the scenery.

At dinner, Jill tries traditional Swedish "meatballs of game" with lingonberries and potatoes.
They use thyme and dill as seasoning - a bit odd.
The oddest thing is that the lingonberries are really, really good with the rich, creamy sauce on the meatballs!

We go to bed the first night, having had a nice cold, but fortunately dry day in Stockholm.
So you know, the forecast calls for flurries tonight, stopping in the afternoon, then clear and cold for the rest of the weekend.
So, we're hoping for some snow tonight.


Tomorrow: Skansen and the Vasa Museum.