23 Oct. 2010
Landed at the Skavsta Airport airport, caught a bus for 90 Kroner and 80 minutes later we were at the Stockholm Bus Terminal. Due to the late departure of our flight, we arrived at 03:30. The Bus Terminal was closed and our pick-up was not there. We were all tired and the boys had to go pee. We wandered to the pick up area, and to the opposite end of the Bus Terminal looking for our host and did not see anyone. Crossing the street we tried the Central Train Station and it closed. The boys had to pee. They found a spot. My cell phone with the British sim card did not work at the station.
We approached a taxi and asked if we could borrow his cell phone. We called our host and he gave us a ride to our hosts location. The host had shown up earlier to pick us up, but the flight delay had not shown up on the internet schedule, so they went home.
Finally to bed at 04:30.
Up at 09:00 and time to visit relatives and go for a quick driving tour of Stockholm.
Then off to the Tunnel we went, taking the train/subway/tube to Central Station. We switched trains which took us to the downtown core near a German church. We walked to a shopping district and by the Arts Centre.
Our hosts were surprised to find that the bus to the Vasa, a 400 year old ship that sank intact, was rescued from under the sea and placed in a museum devoted to it, was no longer a bus but a Tram. Off on the Tram to the Vasa. Very, very impressive. The boys snapped many photos and videos of the ship.
After the Vasa we walked in the rain around the island enjoying the cool weather and sights of the closed amusement park.
The last time I had been to Stockholm was over 35 Years ago. What a difference.
We caught a ferry from the island to… We walked into a square and ate a delicious herring dish called Strömming from a Strömming stand in the square…. It is fried herring served on a piece of crisp bread with pickled thinly sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced red onion, and fresh dill. The boys really liked the Strömming, Brendan gobbling it down before the rest of us had finished.
From the Strömming we went to a look out, via elevator, to view Stockholm as the sun was setting. A beautiful view. Exiting out the back way we meandered down narrow cobblestone streets winding our way down hill, where I snapped a picture of parents not allowed to hold hands of children (Someones joke). We ended back in the square below the look out and took the Subway/Tunnel back to our hosts place.