Day 13 - Thursday 4th May 2023

Today we would be staying in Stockholm all day. We're going to have to rug up because the forecast maximum temperature was only 8C. At 6am, my phone told me that it was only -2C outside and the feel like temperature was -6C.

We had breakfast at about 7:30 and the bus departed at 8:30 with a local guide, Holken. As we drove through the streets of Stockholm, he gave us informative and amusing commentary.  He told us that the word for morning is moron and people often greet each other by just saying moron. He told us not to be offended.

At times he seemed poetic - he talked about cycling being the main way to get to work and referred to a pearl necklace of cyclists.

The first stop was the city hall. I'd come prepared for the cold weather. I had three layers: my light jumper, puffer jacket and heavy fleece plus gloves and beanie (except that I lost one glove when getting off the bus - I found it again when we got back to the bus). It was still cold when standing outside in the breeze off the water.

The city hall is an impressive building. In fact, a grand building with large spaces for grand events like Nobel Prize evenings.

Our guide explained that Nobel made a fortune because he invented dynamite but had no children to inherit his fortune. Instead his legacy was invested to create the five Nobel Prizes each year.

He took us up the grand marble staircase to the middle level which houses the municipal offices and the council chamber - another grand room.

On the top level, there was another huge room with artwork painted into the walls.

By the time we got back to the bus, the temperature had risen to 5C but the feel like temperature was much lower.

We stopped for a photo opportunity near the river before moving on to the old town. Here he guided us through narrow cobblestone streets while continuing his excellent commentary. Apparently cars are not allowed in these streets apart from the occasional delivery vehicle. He showed us where he lives.

The bus then took us to the Vasa maritime museum. I had been expecting something mundane like most museums. This was very different. It is based around the story of a huge battle ship, Vasa, that sank here more than 300 years ago and was found and recovered about 60 years ago.

A lot of work has been done to restore the vessel. It sits in the museum. It's big. Really big. The museum is built around it and consists of five or six levels - each providing a view of the ship. There are different exhibits at each level such the one that shows what life would have been like onboard.

Soon after arriving, we went to a large auditorium where we watched an excellent video giving the history of the building of the ship and its recovery and restoration. A very professional film in English with Swedish subtitles.

At the end of his guided tour, we had 30 minutes to explore the museum on our own. Naturally, there was a gift shop at the exit.

 

On the way back to the bus, we took the opportunity to take photos of the large cherry tree which was in bloom.

Next the bus dropped most people back at the old town - including Suzy, Chris and Janet. I decided to take the bus back to the hotel because I didn't want to risk doing too much more walking today. 

Along the way, our guide answered a question one of our group had about parental leave. Earlier he had pointed out men pushing baby strollers. Mother and father get a combined paid leave of 18 months. He said it is common for the mother to take the first 9 months and the father to take the second nine months.

He said he had twins and so got 27 months. Some people have children regularly and get paid leave that lasts years. The parental leave is paid by the government (taxpayer). There is also a generous child allowance payment.

I had lunch at the hotel restaurant at about 2pm. It was an excellent meal - much better than I normally have for lunch. I was just about the only person in the restaurant.

We still had wine and beer left  over from Gothenburg and so Chris and Janet joined us in our room for predinner drinks at about 7:30.

For dinner, Suzy, Chris and I went around the corner to a restaurant that Gennady had recommended, BLA Dorren. (Janet decided to rest back in the hotel). It was popular and had a good atmosphere in an old building. The waitress was friendly but the waiter was grumpy (almost rude). Although the food was adequate, it would be hard to recommend it. We were back in our room by 8:45pm.