Monja's Adventures: Stockholm Part 2

Began a new day in Stockholm wandering Old Town again. This part of the city keeps drawing me back with its history and charm. I finally went into a cafe that I passed a few times before for breakfast. Unfortunately all they had was cake... Or fortunately, it was all that appealed to me... And it seemed appropriate before visiting the Royal Palace to enjoy a piece of Princess cake.

Waiting for the church and palace to open, I found new spots in the narrow streets. Sweden's St. George slaying the dragon is a frequent subject in art.

Storkyrkan is the Royal Cathederal and portions of it date back to the 13th century. A very interesting painting hangs here, called the Parhelion. It depicts six sparkling luminous rings of light seen over Stockholm in 1535. They were interpreted to be a revelation of impending collapse of worldly power.

It also has a massive statue to St. George from 1489, carved from oak, with details made of horsehair and elks antlers.

A candelabra made of bronze from 15th century Germany has been in the cathederal for over 600 years.

And a modern Peace Globe, where one can light a candle for prayer.

The strangest part of visiting these "old" churches in Europe is walking on top of all the burial chambers. Some are so worn, you have no idea who is there or how long it has been there.

Off to the palace where I toured the treasury, state rooms, apartments, chapel, armory, and carriage house.

The beautiful ceilings and chandeliers were my favorite in the apartments.

The oldest shield and armor, from the 15th century.

With more interest in kings and queens, I went to find Riddarholmskyrkan, the burial site for Swedish monarchs since the 13th century.

A rather interesting floor burial cover from 1618.

Complete family burial chapels and chambers are all around the church, all from nobility and Knights. The church is now is a dedicated museum and no longer holds mass. The last king to be buried here was in 1950.

A historical canal tour brought me around the fresh water side of Stockholm on Lake Mälaren. Along the route we passed by the house of the distiller of Absolut Vodka and ABBA's recording studio. And we were reminded of all the other wonderful Swedish products we enjoy around the globe such as Ericsson, IKEA, H&M, and Volvo.

Finally, the last tour of the day and my Stockholm City Card - Globe SkyView. A unique experience riding a glass gondola up along the spherical Globe about 130 meters. Amazing 360 degree views of Stockholm.

And my Royal day ended at a ball...

My 4th morning in Stockholm and I needed to do laundry and pack. I also spent the time updating my blog and hanging about my hostel. One of the girls in my room, just out of high school in Canada was touring Scandinavia, but she was spending too much time in bed. I attempted some words of wisdom about enjoying it now and who knows what comes next, blah, blah... Youth is wasted on the young! In one of my museum tours, there was a quote that went something like...

An 80 year old has been every age that came before - 8, 18, 38, 68 etc and knows them all. An 8 year old or an 18 year old knows only this one age.

And then taking my own advice, I checked out and took advantage of the few hours before my cruise to Helsinki. Climbing one last tower, I took in the views of the city.

And way out at the end is "my" ship!!