Friday 7 September 2001

We have coffee at Hava Java on Hornsgatan. We walk on to the Katarina lift to take some pictures of the view. Yesterday evening we did not have our cameras with us. After that we move on to the Central Station by underground. From there we take a train to Uppsala. Within 40 minutes we arrive in Uppsala, an old University town. I am sort of retracing my steps here. In 1985 I attended lectures here for three months at the university. We walk from the railway station into the old town and cross the river Fyrisån. We get into oldest part of town. We pass the Skytteanum, for centuries home tot the Political Science department. A bit further on is the  cathedral. The church is the largest in Scandinavia. Construction started around 1260, and the church was consacrated in  1435 after 175 years of work. The gothic architecture shows what people were capable of in those days. From the middle ages until the 18th century Swedish kings were crowned here and many famous Swedes lie burried here, like founding father king Gustav Vasa  (1521-1560) (tomb!) and biologist Linaeus (1707-1778). The church serves as cathedral and parish church.

After a visit to the cathedral we head for the Saluhall (market hall), where we have lunch. We walk on through the old centre. Next to the cathedral is the  Gustavianum, which houses the University Museum  (oldest in Sweden). The building was built in 1620 as the main University building and remained that until the 18th century. It holds an anatomic theatre and props like Celcius' own thermometer. A bit further uphill in a park is the Universitetshuset, since 1887 the main building of the university. It holds the university's art collection. We walk in the direction of the palace. The palace got its present form in the 18th century, but was first built in the 16th century. It houses the art museum and is the official residence of the provincial governor. Across the palace is the  university library Carolina Rediviva from 1620. It holds more than 5 milion books. All publishers in Sweden are obliged to send one copy of each publication to this library, from advertising brochures to novels. Also the Silver Bible (Codex Argenteus) is kept here.

We walk back to the centre past the Upplandsmuseum, beautifully set on the river bank. After that we take a drink on a side walk café before we take a train back into Stockholm. There we do some shopping in the shops around Drottninggatan, Hötorg and Sergelstorg like PUB-department store and the Akademibokhandel bookshop.

At night we eat at a Greek restaurant (Dyonisos, Bondegatan 56) somewhere on Södermalm. After that we meet our Swedish friends Mats, Stefan and Kjettil in Häktet, the gay bar of Södermalm. It is nice and busy. Unfortunately the drizzle outside chases us away from the outside tables in the  courtyard. We then move on to  Athletic a gay event at the Chiario club. It is a big club, becoming increasingly crowded as the night progresses, attracting a smart looking and youngish crowd. We do not stay long enough to witness the anounced Mr Gay chest competition. At 2 am we call it a night and take a taxi home.

Saturday 8 September 2001

We sleep in. After breakfast we have coffee at a (gay) coffee shop Java on Hornsgatan. We take the underground to Kungsträdgården and walk to the Norrkaj. From there we take a boat to Vaxholm an island in the archipellago of Stockholm. Vaxholm is one of the larger islands in the northern archipelligo. With a ferry of the  Waxholmsbolaget company we travel almost 90 minutes through the archipellago and stop at some islands along the way. It is a nice trip through magnificent area. Some of the islands are quite small with only one house on them. In Vaxholm we have lunch on the waterfront and walk around the main village. The style of the houses is quintessentially Swedish and it seems as if nothing has really changed in the past 100 years or so. Vaxholm is relatively well visited and is, because of its good connections with the main land a popular day trip destination.  From Vaxholm ferries leave further into the archipellago.  After we have seen enough of the town we take the bus back into Stockholm, as Vaxholm is connected by bridge to the main land. Back in Stockholm we arrive at the Eastern Railway Station. Close to this station is the house where I stayed back in 1986 when lived here for 3 months. We cannot pass up on the opportunity to have a quick look. Then we take the underground into town and do some shopping in Birger Jarls gatan, Sturegatan and Kungsgatan, where some more upmarket shops can be found. We also have a look at the Ahléns department store. Big too, but less prestigious than NK.

At nigth we have a very nice dinner at Martin and Katarina's.

Sunday 9 September 2001

We take the underground to the Central Station. We leave our suitcase in the baggage lockers. We have a coffee and walk to the quay next to the city hall. Here we are to meet Martin. He has borrowed a motor boat from a friend and will take us on a boat tour around Stockholm. We first tour around the island of Kungsholmen and then continue south of Södermalm towards the locks. The locks separate the salty sea from the fresh water of Lake Mälaren. The locks also bridge a level of about 50cm. We head for Fjäderholmen. An island not too far from central Stockholm, more or less the closest island of the archipellago. Also a popular day trip destination. Just as we arrive there a heavy rain storm comes down on us. We have smoked prawns for lunch (speciality) and have a look around. Lots of cottages with workshops for old handicrafts. When the weather brightens up we continue in the direction of  the city. We take the canal south of  Djurgården and pass along Strandvägen, one of the most prestigious boulevards with much sought after appartments. Through the Nybroviken and Strömmen we reach Saltsjö. It start to become a bit stormy and our crossing of the Saltsjö back to the locks gets a bit rough. When get to the Dannviks canal it gets better. We pass south of Södermalm through the Årstaviken on to the Mariebergsfjärden. Then south of the island of  Långholmen towards the Riddarfjärden. Here we see a lot of yachts mored along the banks, belonging to the inhabitants of these inner city islands. We seek shelter from yet another rain shower. Then we cross the Riddarfjärden towards City Hall. In the middle of that lake we caught again by a rain storm and a bit wet we get ashore and say goodbye to Martin. We walk to the station, from where we take the Arlanda Express train to the airport.

Our flight to Amsterdam is delayed because of bad weather in the Netherlands earlier on the day. It never becomes more than half an  hour. Once at Schiphol airport everything goes quite smooth and we soon are on our way home to Rotterdam.