Mari-Anne and I took the train in to Stockholm this morning. Sweden has an excellent public transportation system in this area with frequent trains in and out of town. We got off in the city center, then headed to City Hall for a tour--and what a place it is. Every bit as interesting as the guide book says it is! Construction took 12 years, 8 million bricks, and 19 million gilded mosaic tiles. A process was used to make the bricks appear to be older than they actually are. The tour began in the Blue Room, which is where the dinner is served for Nobel Prize winners (except the Nobel Peace Prize which is awarded in Oslo), and continued throughout the building. The Gold Room was particularly impressive with its gold mosaic tiles.
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| Mari-Anne by Stockholm City Hall Below: The Blue Room  |
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| Gold Room |
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| Gold Room |
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| Sweden's Parliament Building |
We walked on through the streets of Old Town which is a charming area with many old buildings, narrow streets, interesting shops, and lots of languages being spoken. Mari-Anne knows the area well and picked out a nice place to enjoy lunch outdoors on this beautiful sunny day. I would never have found it myself--it really helps to have someone guide you who knows an area intimately! She also helped maneuver me through the local customs in a place such as this.
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| Ancient fountain in Gamla Stan |
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| Gamla Stan |
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Marten Trotzigs Alley--Narrowest Alley in Stockholm at 35.4" at its narrowest |
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| Marten Trotzigs Alley |
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| Western Store in Gamla Stan! |
We visited the Stockholm Cathedral (Lutheran denomination) which was commissioned in the mid-13th century--parts of the foundation under the vestry date from this period. The earliest written mention of the church is dated 1279 and the oldest parts of today's brick church were consecrated in 1306. Changes/additions were subsequently made and the church reached its current size as a five-aisled church in the 1480's. There are many old paintings and sculptures in it dating back to the 17th century, but the highlight was to look at the "St. George and the Dragon" sculpture commissioned in 1489 and carved out of oak with materials such as elk antlers and horsehair used for details.
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| Stockholm Cathedral |
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| St. George and the Dragon |
Stockholm (current population of about 2 million) was founded over 7 centuries ago and was built on 14 islands in Lake Malaren. It marks the beginning of an archipelago of over 24,000 islands that stretch to the Baltic Sea. The city became the official capital of Sweden in the mid-1600s. Sweden is about the size of California. All too soon it was time to draw this walking tour to an end for the day--but we will return.
Upon returning to the Stignas home, Mari-Anne set about preparing a delicious dinner. She had prepared a moose roast that was slow-cooked for many hours--and it was delicious. Undoubtedly, this was the best moose that I have ever eaten! Gunnar and Mari-Anne's daughter, Maria, and granddaughters, Emma and Anna, joined us and we had a nice visit. I had met Maria previously in AZ and it was nice to re-connect. It was also nice to meet Emma and Anna and hear about their activities. This ended a very full and satisfying day!
JULY 25 AND 26, 2012
We were up early and, after another of the Stignas' bountiful breakfasts, we set off on a driving tour of the Dalarna area of Sweden located northwest of Stockholm. We drove past many farms with large barns and numerous outbuildings. Crops consisted of small grain such as oats, wheat, rye, etc., but no corn. A lot of hay is baled and stored in white plastic wrap. The hay ferments in the plastic and is used for silage. Some cows and sheep were spotted on the trip, but no significant numbers in a herd. Gunnar said many of the farm buildings we passed were 200 or more years old. Buildings and yards were neat--it is clear the people take pride in their farms and homes.
We were up early and, after another of the Stignas' bountiful breakfasts, we set off on a driving tour of the Dalarna area of Sweden located northwest of Stockholm. We drove past many farms with large barns and numerous outbuildings. Crops consisted of small grain such as oats, wheat, rye, etc., but no corn. A lot of hay is baled and stored in white plastic wrap. The hay ferments in the plastic and is used for silage. Some cows and sheep were spotted on the trip, but no significant numbers in a herd. Gunnar said many of the farm buildings we passed were 200 or more years old. Buildings and yards were neat--it is clear the people take pride in their farms and homes.
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| Farm a short distance north of Stockholm |
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| Farm in Dalarna |
Typical buildings in Dalarna region
Maypoles in Dalarna Communities
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| It's time for a coffee break! |
Our first stop was near Avesta where we ate snacks and drank coffee that Mari-Anne had brought while observing the large "Dala" horse statute.
The Dala horse is a traditional piece of artwork from this area and is frequently painted orange with white, turquoise, and blue floral designs. It is very colorful and representative of this part of Sweden--Mari-Anne had sent me one when we corresponded years earlier, which I still have. Oh, yes, there was a geocache nearby so we got in a stretch break as we looked for it--and found it.
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| The Dala Horse welcomes visitors to Dalarna |
 Mari-Anne, Elizabeth, & the 2 Gunnars |
We continued our drive northwest to see their friends, Gunnar and Elizabeth, at their summer home on a lake. It is a beautiful location and the property has been in the family for generations.
  Traditional Swedish fencing method used on Gunnar's property |
One building that Gunnar had beautifully restored dated back to the 1600s as evidenced by the way the logs were cut.
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| Gunnar's restoration project (Absolutely Beautiful!) |
Ljusbodarna Open Air Museum
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| Notice how short the bunk beds are! |
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| Traditional method of drying hay (still in use in Scandinavia) |
After good-byes were said, we continued our drive north to Mora (about 200 miles northwest of Stockholm), then southeast to Falun.
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| Farm deep in the heart of the Dalarna region |
Lake Silijan
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| Church Boat at Lake Silijan |
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| Dala Horse Factory |
A final stop in the evening was at an area where a meteorite hit many years ago forming some of the land forms in this area, including Lake Siljan. We enjoyed a walk along a creek that had an awesome waterfall as well as very unusual geologic formations.
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Map showing general land area impacted by meteorite about 360 million years ago   |
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| Scandic Lugnet hotel (note windows in shape of a ski jump) |
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| Winter sports complex at Falun |
We were up early on the 26th for another full day as we headed back towards Jakobsberg. We began with a tour into the underground shafts of the copper mine at Falun, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, dating back over 1,000 years. It is unknown exactly when ore began to be taken from the mine; however, by the 13th century its significance to the national economy was well established. Copper mining activity was shut down in 1992, but an Australian company is currently exploring to determine if enough gold is here to make mining it worthwhile.
Falu Kopparbergsgruva
(Copper Mountain Mine)
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| The pit was caused when mine shafts collapsed |
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| Ready to go exploring underground! |
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| Deep underground in one of the shafts |
From Falun, we continued southeast to Uppsala where we found ancient burial mounds at Gama Uppsala aka "Old Uppsala". Tradition has it that this used to be the chief cult site for the Svear and the seat of their kings. There are 2000-3000 graves in the area with about 250 above ground in the mounds. The three largest mounds contain graves dating from the 6th century and are believed to contain the pyres of three kings.
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| Burial Mounds at Gamla Uppsala |
A nearby stone church sits on a site that had a church on it from an unknown date. The current church dates from the 12th century and was the first cathedral in Uppsala as well as the residence of Sweden's first archbishop. Part of the original large church was destroyed by fire and a new cathedral was built in Uppsala. However, artifacts from the old church are still on display including the original crucifix from the 12th century and a baptismal font from the 13th century.
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| Church at Gamla Uppsala |
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| St. George at combat with the dragon (1455-1469) (The best preserved painting in the church) |
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| Modern gravesites at Gamla Uppsala |
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| Domkrykan (Uppsala Cathedral) |
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Mural in Domkrykan 
Above: Two street scenes from Uppsala
 
11th Century A.D. Rune Stone
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Before leaving Uppsala, and since we were in a shopping area, I had a mission to complete. It seems that there was a problem with one of my converters (used to convert 240 to 120 volts) last night and my battery charger no longer worked with electric power. This was serious since I use a LOT of AA battery power for the camera and the GPS unit. (We found out while driving to Uppsala that the 12V portion of the charger still worked in the car.) Even more serious, though, was the condition of my curling iron when I got out of the shower with the intent of using it to curl my hair. The unit had gotten so hot during the short time it was turned on that the plastic tip had melted where it was connected to the metal and the tip was hanging down at a 90 degree angle! This was not a good picture! So, before leaving Uppsala, we stopped in some stores to find a replacement. I found one that was too large, then found another in a different store that I thought might work and it was 50+ kronor cheaper. Bought it and was I ever in for a surprise when I opened the package that night! Instead of the metal plate to hold the hair on the rod, a glove was provided to hold the hair in place. Don't know if I will ever learn to use this contraption! (Note: After over a week of using the new unit, I still can't get a decent "do" with it. If anyone wants a slightly used 240V curling iron after this trip, let me know. <G> )
Uppsala was the last stop on this journey and we continued on to Jakobsberg. It was a very interesting two days filled with new sights, plus the added benefit of learning about the country while traveling with Mari-Anne and Gunnar.
JULY 27, 2012
Mari-Anne and I headed out mid-morning walking to the train station for the short ride into Stockholm where we boarded a sightseeing boat for a trip on Lake Malaren to Drottningholm. Along the way we passed many small islands with landmarks, businesses, and homes on them--a really beautiful trip on a wonderfully warm, sunny day. Mari-Anne is very familiar with all of this area and was able to "fill in the blanks" when I had questions that weren't answered by the onboard narrative.
After about two hours we docked at Drottningholm, which is included in UNESCO's World Heritage List, and which also serves as the official home of the Swedish royal family. Building of the current palace began in 1662 after the previous palace burned to the ground. It is a magnificent baroque building located in a beautiful setting!
The surrounding gardens and parks are open to the public and are very nice. We watched the changing of the guard at the palace before entering the gardens.
One unique building on the grounds is the Chinese Pavilion which was a birthday gift from the king in 1753 to his queen. The original pavilion didn't last and ten years later a new Chinese Pavilion was designed. During this period, there was a lot of interest in everything "Chinese" which had developed from the emerging East India trade.
Again, Mari-Anne knew exactly the perfect place for lunch in a secluded eatery next to the pavilion.
We strolled back through the gardens after lunch and Gunnar picked us up for the trip home. This ended another wonderful day of seeing different aspects of the country. But I know there will be much more to come!
Mari-Anne and I headed out mid-morning walking to the train station for the short ride into Stockholm where we boarded a sightseeing boat for a trip on Lake Malaren to Drottningholm. Along the way we passed many small islands with landmarks, businesses, and homes on them--a really beautiful trip on a wonderfully warm, sunny day. Mari-Anne is very familiar with all of this area and was able to "fill in the blanks" when I had questions that weren't answered by the onboard narrative.
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Stockholm City Hall from the water |
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| Drottningholm |
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Changing of the Guard      |
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| Chinese Pavilion |
Again, Mari-Anne knew exactly the perfect place for lunch in a secluded eatery next to the pavilion.
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| Our lunchtime entertainment! |
SATURDAY, JULY 28, 2012
We were all up early and ready to depart for our respective destinations. Mari-Anne and Gunnar were going to join their family on the coast northeast of Jakobsberg after dropping me off at the airport. I took a Norwegian Air flight to Oslo, Norway where it was raining when I landed. I had not set up a hotel transfer in advance, but our tour guide spotted me and I was able to ride into town in the bus she had arranged for others in our group. A note about the airport in Stockholm: everything is automated there. You print out your boarding passes and baggage tags at kiosks--and no one is there to help or to answer questions. Thank goodness Mari-Anne went in to show me the ropes! (I wouldn't be too surprised to see this lack of service personnel coming to the U.S. soon. I notice every time I fly that there are fewer ground personnel to assist passengers.) Then, going through customs and immigration in Oslo was also interesting. Since I had arrived from the "shaded area", i.e. Sweden, there was no inspection.
We were all up early and ready to depart for our respective destinations. Mari-Anne and Gunnar were going to join their family on the coast northeast of Jakobsberg after dropping me off at the airport. I took a Norwegian Air flight to Oslo, Norway where it was raining when I landed. I had not set up a hotel transfer in advance, but our tour guide spotted me and I was able to ride into town in the bus she had arranged for others in our group. A note about the airport in Stockholm: everything is automated there. You print out your boarding passes and baggage tags at kiosks--and no one is there to help or to answer questions. Thank goodness Mari-Anne went in to show me the ropes! (I wouldn't be too surprised to see this lack of service personnel coming to the U.S. soon. I notice every time I fly that there are fewer ground personnel to assist passengers.) Then, going through customs and immigration in Oslo was also interesting. Since I had arrived from the "shaded area", i.e. Sweden, there was no inspection.
I checked in to the hotel and took a short walk to get a bite to eat since it was early afternoon by this time. The afternoon was spent doing some more exploring in the local area before it was time to get ready for the tour meeting. The group met in the early evening where we were briefed on what to expect, met other members, and finished the paperwork for the trip (not much). It is quite a varied group and everyone seemed quite nice. We are 44 total with 36 from the U.S., 6 from Australia, and 2 from New Zealand. There are 3 family groups along with 7 children. Everyone is eagerly anticipating the week ahead.
