Romantic Stockholm - June 11

It was another early call this morning.  My flight to  Stockholm leaves at 8:35, so I need to be on my way by 6am to catch the bus to the airport. I head out, catch the bus and the trip to Stockholm is smooth.  My seat mate on the plane is Finnish.  He is on his way to a hand ball tournament in southern Sweden.  I no nothing about hand ball, but it is a popular sport here and is played in the Olympics.  He use to play, then referee and now I guess he is responsible for the event.

I land safely. The trick now was to catch the Alanda Express to downtown, hail a cab and hope my room is ready.  As with the rest of my experiences, everything was clearly marked.  The cabs,  carry little money.  It is common to pay by credit cards.

My hotel location is great.  The room is clean but compact.  It is amazing what they can engineer into one small box. This is where packing light pays huge dividends.  I am excited as I will be touring with friends of friends today....so basically a tour through the eyes of a local.  You will meet Peppe and Elisabeth in the photos.  Peppe is Swed and lived in Newport for I believe 10 years.  Elisabeth is Fin, but has lived in Sweden since the age of 9.

I learn that the Nordic countries are considered Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.  But Scandanavian countries are only Norway Sweden and Denmark.  I sense from my adventures today, that Finland is somewhat of an outcast.

It was a full day once again.  First stop was Milles Gardens. Carl Milles, (June 23, 1875–September 19, 1955) was a renowned sculptor.  He and his wife, Olga purchased property on Herserud Cliff on Lidingö, a large island near Stockholm. Millesgarden was built there between 1906 and 1908 as the sculptor's private residence and workspace. Milles sailed to the US in the early 40's.  His commisioned work can be observed throughout the US in cities such as Bloomfield, Dallas, St. Louis, and Harrisburg.   My suggestion is google Carl Milles or the Milles Garden.

Poseidon @  Milles Garden

After lunch we head to Drottningholm Palace.  The name Drottningholm (literally "Queen's Island") originated in the late 16th century, when King Johan III built the first Palace on this site, for his Consort, Queen Katarina Jagellonika.  The Palace was built in the 1600s and has been the home of The Royal Family since 1981. If you remember the movie "The Shining", the photo below was taken in the garden maze. 

Meet Elisabeth & Peppe

Drottningholm Palace

Enjoy

Click for pictures