Tuesday 4 September 2001

We get up at 5.30 am. It is raining cats and dogs in Rotterdam. We take a taxi to the Central Railway Station, where we take the train to Amsterdam Airport. Our flight leaves for Stockholm at 10.10am and goes smoothly. At Arlanda, Stockholm's airport, where we land at 12:15 every goes very fast. We take the Arlanda Express train, which takes us downtown within  20 minutes. From the central station we take the underground to  Pensionat Oden, a Guest House on the island of Södermalm. We have booked a room here, without ensuite toilet and bath. The ensuite rooms were sold out months ago, because of a huge congress of cardiologists that on this week in Stockholm. The room rate of over € 100 is a bit steep. We have lunch at a restaurant nearby. And that is quite inexpensive. For SEK 55,00 (€ 5,75) you get a warm dish, salad, drink and coffee. That is something that has not changed since I was here last.  In 1985 and 1986 I was here for three months on two occasions in Stockholm and Uppsala respectively. I was back here once in 1995. For me this trip will be a renewed acquaintence, while for Erik everything will be totally new.

We have bough a Stockholm card (SEK 540 or € 56,50 for 3 days). With this card we are entitled to 72 hours of limitless travel on public transport and free access to a large number of museums and tourist attractions.  . We take the underground back to the central station. From there we walk to the  Stadshuset (City Hall) on the island of Kungsholmen. The city hall was built from 1911 through 1923 in the national romantic style of the early 20th century. Ten years later Architect Ragnar Östberg's work inspired the Rotterdam city architect Van der Steur for his design of the Rotterdam Art Museum Boymans Van Beuningen.  The City Hal can be visited on a guided tour, but we are too late for that. We do climb the 106 metres tall tower. An elevator takes us up about 2/3 of that. On that level we find an exhibition explaining about the statues on display in the City Hall courtyard and garden. Most of the depicting Swedish celebrities like the playwright Strindberg.  That a slowly climbing twisted slope takes us up to the top and the panoramic view of the old city. The view is quite enjoyable. The city hall has become a true landmark, if not trade mark for the city of Stockholm. Especially the three crowns on the steeple are very typical. 

We walk to the Royal Palace of Stockholm, but that has already closed. A drizzle has started and we head for Stortorget  (= Main Market Square) on the island of Gamla Stan (= old town). In a beautiful old building we find the  gay coffee and tea room Chokladkoppen, where we have capuccino and a delicious cake. We return to our guest house, where we take a break. The evening is spent at Martin and Katarina's home, Swedish friends of ours, who live here in Stockholm.

Wednesday 5 September 2001

We take the bus into town and start a walking tour past the sights of the old town. We start on Gustav Adolf Square, named after the heroic king, who defeated the Danes in the 17th century and involved Sweden in the 30 year war. He is standing proudly in the centre of the square on horseback. Next to the square is the Stockholm opera. The building from 1887 is architecturally linked to the royal palace on the other side of the water. The opera building also houses a very posh restaurant. We cross the Norrströmmen canal and walk past the Riksdag building (parliament). At the Royal Palace (we save that for later) we turn right and walk past the office of the Swedish Prime Minister and the Riddarhus (Knights House). The Riddarhus was once the assembly room for the first chamber (nobility) of parliament. Until 1866 Sweden had a four chamber parliament, in which each of the four estates (nobility, clergy, commons and farmers) had their own representation. Up to the present day the Swedish nobility meets here every third year for a spring meeting. The assembly does no longer debate government policy, but rather the issues concerning the nobility itself like managing an estate or manor. We cross the bridge to Riddarholmen. Here is the Riddarholm Church. This church is the burrial ground for many Swedish kings. The church dates back to the 13th century, but has been emblished through the centuries. The twisted iron cast spire was added in the 19th century. Unfortunately the church does not open until noon. We walk around Riddarholmen, which also holds the Birger Jarl tower, the oldest building of Stockholm (13th c.).

We walk back to Gamla Stan. On Stortorget, we indulge ourselves again at Chokladkoppen with coffee and cake. Delicious, but a bit heavy. We walk past the royal palace and visit the  Storkyrkan (= Main Church). The church originally dates back to the 13th century, but the present building was erected in the 18th century. In the church is a huge statue of St George and the Dragon  (Sankt Göran in Swedish). A scene often repeated in Stockholm. We wander around the many narrow alleys and streets of the old town. These are lined with small shops selling all kinds of valuable stuff like Swedish Design jewerly. On the other hand, mainly on Västerlånggatan there quite a few souvenir shops too catering to tourists.

At noon it is time for the Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace. That is quite a show. The commander of the regiment himself explains the background of the incoming and outgoing regiments and about the ceremony itself.. A military band marches in and plays a couple of marching tunes and some other classical pieces. The ceremony takes about an hour in all. In principle every regiment takes its turn guarding the palace. The Swedish army is still largely made up out of conscripts, who at least have one stay at the palace during their conscription. This explains the high turn out of parents and other relatives of the soldiers during the parade. After the ceremony the band marches on to Stortorget for a musical encore. It is  Supertrouper by ABBA!! We stay on Stortorget for lunch. Again good food for little cash. After that we want to visit the  Royal Palace. Unfortunately that is only partly possible. Only the Three Crowns Museum is open. That tells the history of the fortifications and castles that preceeded the present palace on this spot. The State Rooms are closed for the preparations for a State Visit by the President of Germany later this week. We continue our tour through the alleys of the old town and take a look at the  Utrikespolitiska Institutet (Swedish Institute for International Affairs), where I spent 3 months as a trainee back in  1986. We also take a peek in a branch of the state liquor company  (Systembolaget). In Sweden only the state has the privillage of selling liquor. This is done in special shops with the looks of a pharmacy. The booze is lined up on warehouse shelves behind a counter. You have to take a number before you are served.

From Gamla Stan we take a ferry to the island of Djurgården. It is a short trip (less than 10 minutes). Once Djurgården was the hunting ground for the Swedish king.   It is very green. Here is also the Zoo and open air museum of Skansen and the amusement park of Gröna Lund. We are on our way to Waldemarsudde. It is an ithmus on the southern coast of the island, where Prince Eugen (1865-1947), a brother to king Oscar II, once had a villa and studio. He stayed during the summer to paint and entertain guests. The villa and the studio are now a museum. Besides that there is a separate exhibition room. It is a sunny day and we enjoy the lovely weather and the fine view over the water and the city. We walk on from Waldemarsudde to the Djurgårdsterras. A gay summer café. Beautiful location in the woods with a fine view over the water. The café is open throughout September. You can resist the cold (if necessary) with the blankets provided and the gas heaters.

We take the bus and the underground back to our guest house. Next to our guest house is cocktail bar called  Tonic 66. We take a nice cocktail on the side walk terrace. At night we have dinner at  FBK (Folkoperan Bar och Kök). A good brasserie. After dinner we walk to Side Track a traditional gay cellar bar without the attitude Slightly older crowd.

Thursday 6 Septemer 2001

After breakfast we have coffee at  Hava Java, a coffee place on the same street as our guest house.(Hornsgatan). We then take the bus to Gustav Adolf Square. We walk past the Opera through  Kungsträdgården, a public garden. Once a royal garden. There are a couple of pavilions and café's and a band stand. In summer it is busy with people walking in their lunch break. We go on to the Grand Hotel, the city's most prestigious hotel . As we walk past we see Kofi Anan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations step into a car. A police motorcade escorts him through the morning traffic. Later we read in the newspapers that he was in Uppsala to lay a wreath on the grave of his Swedish predecessor  Dag Hammarskjöld, who was killed 40 years ago in Congo during an UN mission there. We take a short peek into the lobby, after which we walk on along the quay past the national museum. We cross the Skeppsholm bridge. This bridge is adorned with two gold plated crowns. From the bridge we have a magnificent view on the royal palace and on the other side Strandvägen, one of the most prestigious boulevards of the city. We continue onto the island of Skeppsholmen. Here the tall ship Af Chapman, has been mored, serving as a youth hostel. Always fully booked and no reservations are taken. We cross the island and continue to yet another one: Kastellholmen. A forgotten island. Very quiet and lovely views. We enjoy the sun and the view. We take the bus back to the Central Station. 

From the quay near the City Hall we take a boat tour to  Drottningholm. That is the royal palace where the royal family actually lives. The boat tour takes us upstream for about 45 minutes. From the boat the view of the palace is magnificent. The centre and the West Wing are open to visitors The rooms are very beautifully decorated. The palace dates back to the 18th century and was commissioned by Queen  Hedvig Eleonora. The name of the palace means Queen's Island. The gardens, too are worth a visit, laid out after French baroque designs. Futher on on the palace grounds is the so called  Chinese palace. A pavilion with chinese inspired architecture and furnished with imported chinese furniture and artifacts. Next to the palace is the palace theatre. Once built on the orders of a Prussian princess,  Louise Ulrika . The princess had the theatre built because she missed the cultural climate of Berlin after her marriage to the Swedish Crown prince. She had international theatre groups perform here in her own theatre. After some decades the theatre fell victim to neglect and decay until it was rediscovered in the early 20th century.  Today the theatre functions again as an 18th century theatre. It is being conservated, not restored. Perfomances are given during the summer months on a regular basis. 

We take the  bus and underground back into town. We head for  Östermalmstorg. On this square is the Saluhall, a market hall, with lots of fresh fish and meat on offer. To take away or to eat on the spot in this fine 19th century surroundings. We eat delicious salmon accompanied with Swedish sparkling water. We take the underground to the city centre, where go on a shopping tour starting at NK. The most prestigious department store of Stockholm and Sweden. The building is a sight in its own right, on a par with Lafayette in Paris or Harrod's in London.

We go back to the guest house for a break. After the break we walk to the Katarina elevator. Next to underground station Slussen the elevator bridges the the distance between the quay and the hill top overlooking the water. On top there is a beautiful view of the old town and the waters around. Under the platform is a restaurant called  Gondolen, where we sip a cocktail at the bar whilst taking in the view as well. Do not look at the bar prices!!!  After that we head for a restaurant recommended for its Swedish specialities, called Bakfickan. It turns out that the restaurant has changed ownership and is now definitely French. The owners, two young French brothers, manage to present relatively simple yet refined dishes. After dinner we take a bus to the old town. We have a drink in  Torget, a trendy gay bar.