Today,it was time to say goodbye to Stockholm and Sweden!

We started the day with a little walk through the neighborhood, and just as we decided that it was time to leave, the Royal Guards came marching around the corner – on their daily way to the changing of the guards.

We again travelled with the Arlanda Express at 200 km/h to the airport, had an uneventful flight back and now we’re back home.

Goodbye Sweden!

More pictures9 months ago

Yesterday, we took the sightseeing bus around the city – a 2h trip full of information – did you know a Swedish sailor was allowed 8 pints of beer a day in the older days?

Then we visited our museum – the Wasa museum, very impressive, the poor big ship sunk in the harbour and was lifted up in the 60ies.

After lunch we had a nice meetup with a 43T member from Stockholm over coffee – it as so nice to meet you!

And afterwards we went shopping to NK – very impressive and the prices are lower than at home :)

We finished the day in a sports bar so my husband could watch some football and walked back to the hotel in the rain under the hotel umbrella we borrowed… 9 months ago

So, yesterday the car was returned to the airport and we returned to Stockholm with a train going 205km/h – you’d never guess it riding it!

On we walked through the city without a plan, lunched at TGI Fridays :) and discovered the Hop-on bus stops at 6pm. We saw a great many things and will return today to find out what we saw..

We finished the day with lunch at the hotel – it was fabulous, I’ve never had that great dim sum before! And on for a drink in the hotels nightclub, but there was really nothing to see – except the club itself was photographed a great many times ;-)

9 months ago

Though we’re staying in Lidingö, we opted to use the last day we have a car to go and see the surroundings of Stockholm.

So we drove to Enköping and stopped at Stentinget Castle to have coffee and on to Skrokloster to have lunch.

And on to Castle Gripsholm and Mariefred – and finally to Vaxholm to see the castle and have lunch :)

Tomorrow the car is to be returned and on to the city we go! 9 months ago

Today, we said farewell to the Göta Canal and travelled on to Stockholm – for the moment to Lidingö!

We saw fine ships locking and enough lock gates for a long time, we travelled through peacefully countryside and saw fine cities and even a medieval faire.

Now it’s time to come back to the modern times and join Stockholm :-)

9 months ago

Today was the first day with rain – what a pity for Vadstena having a three day renaissance fair!

We drove to Berg to see the famous lock gates in action and then to Linköping to see Gamla Linköping, a walk-in village like in old times – very pretty and fun, with shops and gardens and people dressed up!

So, now we’ll return to Vadstena to have our 3-course dinner at the monastery – no free wifi at the hotel, still, so I’m sending this from Motala where we’re having coffee.

I hope to get my pictures up soon! 9 months ago

Today, we drove to Calsborg to visit the fortress – saw a lot of soldiers :)
Then on to Tilveden National Park – no walking today, but so very beautiful! And on to Motala and to Vadstena.

We are staying in the monastery hotel, but in the castle wing – which was a bibliotheca once and an asylum, too. It’s the tiniest room I’ve ever stayed in and so very pretty. But no free wifi, so I’m typing this at the restaurant. Pictures will have to wait until Stockholm…. 9 months ago

Today, we traveled to Sjötorp and Torsö, visited Mariestadt and did a 3.7km walk along the Göta Channel!

I’m quite tired now after my walk and now we’re resting at the hotel on a terrace directly on the channel…. 9 months ago

Today, we travelled to Lidköping and on to Läckö Castle and on to Norrqvarn, where we will stay two nights.

We did a (very short) hike in a natural reservation, saw Lidköping and has lunch there , visited Läckö Castle just from the outside and saw a few locks along the Göta channel. Mariestad will have to wait until tomorrow!

9 months ago

Today, we got our rental car at the Gothenburg airport – with a GPS called “Neverlost” – I hope it lives up to its name!

We travelled to Trollhättan to see the famous waterfalls and the opening of the flood gates, very impressive.

And then we travelled on to Vargön to our quaint country hotel that turned out to be a manor with several buildings used in movies and with thank-you notes from Lauren Bacall and Nicole Kidman on the walls. Oops.
We had a lovely three-course meal and now we’re enjoying our drinks – and I can’t post my photographs as the wifi won’t let me… 9 months ago

Today, we are leaving Gothenburg and travel to the countryside.

It was a great visit, we did sightseeing via boat and bus, we had lunch at the food hall and dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, we walked the old city (and had macarons!), we visited a wonderful garden and countless bridges, saw great modern art and old buildings and enjoyed it a lot.

9 months ago

We made it to Gothenburg!
Such a fun trip, many things to remember – we shared the trip to Frankfurt with the Wiener Sängerknaben – the Vienna Choirboys, a very famous choir – and the trip to Gothenburg with Team Canada, I assume here for the world championship in flag football!
Now we’re sitting in a sports bar at Central Station, watching an Olympic handball finale of Sweden vs France and its so fun :)
The hotel – also at the station – is smarter then anything I’ve been to before.
And wifi is free :)

It looks like a wonderful, magic, fun trip, surrounded (at the moment) by a score of yelling and excited Swedish sports fans!

9 months ago

I just managed to check in via the Internet for our flight to Sweden tomorrow.

Wohoo, we’re leaving on a jetplane :-) 9 months ago

So, we received our tickets and vouchers and hotel reservations!

We’re all ready to go – I just downloaded a few travel guides and maps!

From Gothenburg via Norrqvarn and Vadstena on to Stockholm!

We’ll have to let the bicycle reservations slip – or perhaps my husband will like to bike a bit on his own :)

I plan to walk from cafe to cafe :) and have fun!

And I might even meet locals :D. How exciting! 9 months ago

So, now we’re starting to make detailed plans for our vacations.

We have to make some slight changes for my leg – like get a bigger rental car – but not much.

Unfortunately, the bike trip along the canal is out of question, and the long walks, too.

But now we have more time for nice boat trips – which we can’t book from here and will do at the hotel when we’re there…

And more time to sit in cafes and enjoy the scenery.

And then we have Gothenburg and Stockholm – we’ve got a travel guide to find the main sights and plan to spend the rest of the time looking at the city and getting to know the cities.

And perhaps we’ll really visit the ice bar. The last two days we stay at a hotel that is in the center of the city and has a great bar…

Hooray ;-)

_{picture via visitstockholm.com}9 months ago

So, our plan was fixed this week.

We will be flying to Gothenburg. There we will stay a few days, travel on to Vargön, Norrkvarn and Vadstena. From there on to Lidingö and then we will stay in Stockholm for a few days.

Hooray!

Now on to organize the ship trips on the Götha canal and in Stockholm and the Ice bar and so on!

I’m hoping it will be a happy, leisurely and fun trip and we will get to see Sweden up close!

_{picture via the internet}10 months ago