Exploring Stockholm by Boat

 (A multi-part recap of my recent Scandinavia trip.)

The city of Stockholm, Sweden is surrounded by water.  Lake Mälaren, Sweden's third largest lake, flows through the city into the nearby Baltic Sea.  The city itself is situated on 14 islands that are part of the Stockholm archipelago.  Over 30% of Stockholm is made up of waterways.  It appeared to my friends and I that the best way to see this city was by boat.  So on our third day in Stockholm, we booked a harbor cruise.

Our ride for the morning

I discovered dawn comes early in this part of the world.  Being so far north, in early June the sunrise here was at 4 am.  Light started peeping through gaps in my hotel room's curtains by 3:30.  This combined with a bit of jet lag kept me wide awake in bed for a couple of hours.

The gang, all ready to go!

Early morning light affected my friends too.  Up well before 7 am, Kim and I joined Debbie and Alicia for breakfast.  There was plenty of time to get to the harbor for our 10 am boat tour.  When we arrived at the designated dock, I eyed our boat suspiciously - it looked awfully small!  Before boarding, a nice bystander took a group photo of my friends and I.  (Somehow we all independently decided to wear black that day!)  

Heading out of the harbor

The four of us walked onto our tour boat, and immediately headed for the outdoor viewing area on the second level.  The place was pretty full, but lucky for us, there were still a few spaces left.  Kim and Alicia got the last two seats, but Debbie and I were content to stand.  I planned on taking photos anyway, and was happy with my spot facing an outer corner of the top deck.

The Vasa and Nordic Musuems

Departure time came, and our boat slowly motored away from its slip, into the main channel.  We passed several other boats, all tied up at the along the harbor wall.  I enjoyed views of the colorful hotels and offices fronting the waterway, and then of the Vasa and Nordic Museum buildings as we passed by.  It was nice to see them from this different vantage.

Kastellet citadel

Our tour took us by a small castle-like building perched high atop a nearby island.  This I later learned was the Kastellet citadel.  The original building was constructed in the 1600s for defensive purposes.  It exploded in 1845, and was rebuilt.  During World War II the citadel was equipped with anti-aircraft guns as part of Stockholm's air defense.  Even though no longer used for military purposes, the Swedish flag is still raised and lowered from the top of the Kastellet every day, indicating the nation is at peace.

City views from the boat's bow

Being out on the water, my friends and I thought it might be chilly and dressed accordingly, donning fleece jackets and knit caps.  But the sun warmed things considerably and we were never cold.  As a matter of fact, it wasn't long before everyone began shedding layers.  I even got a wee bit hot towards the end of our tour.

Time for a boat selfie!

But sunglasses were a must against the day's cloudless sky!  No complaints here - it was sure better than cold and rainy weather.

Colorful buildings line the waterfront

After passing by all the museums, our boat turned and did a short loop in the harbor adjacent to Gamla Stan, Stockholm's colorful "old town."  

Lovely pink (church?) building

Located on the island of Stadsholmen, this area of Stockholm consisted of many notable buildings, some dating back to the 13th century.

Sightseeing boats in all shapes and sizes

We passed by a impressive brick building that I later discovered was Sweden's Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace

A bright orangy colored building with green-domed clock tower stood out amongst the other buildings.

Colorful clock tower

Another notable building our boat tour passed by was the National Museum.  It was another stately brick structure.

The National Museum

So many cool buildings to see!  And the light was perfect.  My shutter became very, very busy for awhile.

More impressive buildings

We also motored by a magnificent sailing vessel with three tall masts.  It looked to be an old ship that had been lovingly restored to its former glory.

Beautiful ship docked in the harbor

I kept so busy taking photos, Kim got the job of babysitting Lotti (or should I call it cow-sitting?)

Kim is babysitting Lotti

Turning out of the Gamla Stan harbor, we passed back by the Kastellet citadel.  I was fine with seeing it a second time.

More views of the Kastellet citadel

We also motored by the Gröna Lund Amusement Park, giving everyone a good look at all their wild rides.

Gröna Lund Amusement Park

More fantastic views of Stockholm

Heading eastward now past Gröna Lund, we were treated to more pretty views of Stockholm.  Shortly, the urban buildings gave way to green, park-like settings.

The boat passed by Waldemarsuddes, the former home of a prince

The first forested area our boat floated by was called Frisens Park.  Developed in the 17th century, it was one of Sweden's first English parks.  It now encompassed an estate of a former prince, called Waldemarsuddes, that had been turned into an art museum.  An old windmill without the blades was also preserved and sat prominently at the water's edge.

 

Our fellow boat-riders

This huge building was a home for the elderly

So much to see from the water!  Lots of buildings rose from the high bluffs.  One was a gigantic brick building that our boat's guide said was used as a home for the elderly.

Täcka Udden, this landmark building is now a tourist attraction

Another landmark estate was called Täcka Udden.  The large home looked to be impeccably restored, with beautiful landscaping surrounding its grounds.  Apparently this was another residence turned public park.

God, our Father, on the Rainbow sculpture

Another interesting sight from our boat tour, we passed by a tall arched sculpture with water flowing out of it's apex.  This magnificent work of art was called "God, our Father, on the Rainbow."  I loved the concept that the flowing water created the other half of the arch, and thought it was the most interesting sculpture I'd seen.

We passed this gorgeous sailing vessel 

It being a sunny weather Sunday, there were all kinds of watercraft out and about enjoying the nice day.  Our boat passed by another gorgeous sailing vessel, this one also immaculately restored.  The people on board waved as our tour motored by.

Sveriges Holme, a tiny island

Our tour's turn-around point was at a tiny island named Sveriges Holme.  Our boat guide mentioned there was something remarkable about this small, rocky isle but now two months later, I can't remember what it was.  And a Google search turned up nothing.....  But anyway, here's a photo of it!

Not many folks were taking photos, or even paying attention

As our boat retraced its route back to to harbor, Debbie and I observed our fellow passengers sitting nearby.  Debbie commented that most looked bored out of their minds.  Hardly anyone was taking photos and I spotted a few looking at their phones.  With such great weather and spectacular scenery, how could a person not be enjoying themselves?

A lovely swan

I know I certainly was.....our boat rounded another island, and there was a beautiful white swan swimming by.

Resort on Fjäderholmarnas Gästhamn island

Passing by Fjäderholmarnas Gästhamn island a second time, this cute little resort was on my side of the boat, and I was able to get some photos of it. Looked kind of like a summer camp for adults!

City buildings on our return trip

I'd been enjoying our boat tour so much, I didn't mind at all seeing the same sights a second time.  If nothing else, it gave me another opportunity to photograph them all again - sometimes in better light.

Passing by the windmill again

Such as the windmill at Waldemarsuddes.  This time the boat was much closer to shore and I was able to get a better view.

One of many of tour boats in the harbor

I couldn't believe the large number of ferries and tour boats operating on Stockholm's waterways.  It seemed our boat was always meeting or being overtaken by another watercraft.  Apparently harbor tours were big business here!

This crane was painted like a giraffe

On the island of Beckholmen, the sight of a former shipyard, we passed by a large crane that was painted to look like a giraffe.  Apparently this giraffe-crane was a local landmark, beloved by Stockholmers.

Gamla Stan harbor

A close pass by the amusement park

And then our boat did a very close pass-by of Gröna Lund Amusement park.  I enjoyed watching the twirling swing ride, but wouldn't ever have the nerve to try any of their rides that consisted of being dropped from a very tall height.

The chair is dropping in the middle tower

Finally, our boat motored through the final channel, and I recognized several now-familiar landmarks.  We docked back at the slip where we'd begun, an hour and a half later.  I'd really enjoyed the tour.  My friends and I all agreed it had been a great way to see a large area of Stockholm in a short amount of time.  (It helped, of course, that we had perfect weather!)

Almost back to our dock

Now we were all ready for coffee and a snack.  It was fika time!  Google to the rescue - with it's assistance my friends and I quickly located the closest coffee shop.

Time for a fika break!

The coffee shop had the most delicious looking twisted cinnamon buns.  And their coffee was pretty good too.  I could get used to this daily coffee and cinnamon bun tradition!  (But my waistline probably wouldn't be too happy...)

Enjoying coffee and delicious cinnamon buns

Now fortified, my friends and I were ready for more Stockholm exploration.  We passed by the opera house, and I admired the statues gracing each corner.  I especially liked these in the photo below.  It appears the upper statue is looking unfavorably upon the statue below.

Sculptures at Opera House corner

We also discovered a metal chicken statue in one of the nearby plazas.  Don't know the story of how this particular statue came to be, but I thought it was whimsical and fun.

Debbie photographs a chicken statue

The architecture of the adjacent buildings was impressive.  I loved the stone and brick facades, the intricate carved railings, and ironwork on some windows.  Some even had a clock on top.

Such beautiful buildings!

We walked through one of the major shopping streets, which happened to be a pedestrian mall.  One block had colorful sails anchored high above the street.

 

I really liked the colorful artwork strung over this street

My friends walking ahead

Another street also had colorful artwork strung above the roadway.  So creative!

More interesting artwork hanging high

We walked by an area that appeared to be an intersection of several major roads.  A large round pool with several fountains had been placed in the middle.  It thought it was a very creative way to add beauty to what otherwise could've been an ugly, congested area.

Large pool and fountain in the middle of a road

By now the coffee had worked its way through our systems, so my friends and I ducked inside a local shopping mall, hoping to find a "WC."  

We visited a mall - this shop was intriguing

Along the way to the restroom, several interesting shops caught our eyes - one called "Tasty America" supposedly featured American snacks. However, I didn't see a lot of products actually from the US on their shelves.

Interesting finds in a health & beauty store

We also walked through a health and beauty chain store called "Normal."  They had a lot of interesting (ahem!) stuff - some of which I won't show on this family-friendly blog.  :)

And of course - IKEA!

And, lo and behold, this mall even had an IKEA!  I'm such a nerd, my friends laughed at me for running over and taking a photo of it.

Very bold colored church

After locating the pay-toilets and "emptying our tanks," we left the mall and continued our Stockholm exploration walk.

Lunchtime - Swedish style

It didn't take long, however for our tummies to start growling.  We passed by a few restaurants before settling on one.  It didn't disappoint!  I had the shrimp salad on toast, apparently a favorite Swedish dish, and it was quite tasty.  Debbie ordered a huge pot of mussels and they looked good too.

Nina, our awesome tour guide, led us on an afternoon walk

Our Rick Steves tour officially began at 4 pm that afternoon, so my friends and I made sure to return from our city wanderings in plenty of time.  Everyone gathered at the appointed hour in our hotel's breakfast room.  This being Kim and I's third RS tour, we were now quite familiar with the format.  Our guide, Nina introduced herself and then went round the room and had us each do the same.  There were 27 total travelers, and they all seemed like wonderful folks.  Now the challenge would be to remember everyone's names!

Unusual window decor!

After initial introductions, it was time for Nina to give us a walking tour of the nearby neighborhood.  I liked Nina right away - she was a very experienced RS guide who had grown up in Copenhagen.  This lady knew her stuff, which became quite apparent as she led us through the streets of Stockholm, pointing out many interesting things.

 

I liked this sculpture

Our tour group wandered through a part of Stockholm I'd yet to explore and it was all very interesting.  Then Nina had us all board a local transit bus to our restaurant for the evening's group dinner.

Pickled herring appetizers 

Dinner was a bit - um - interesting.  After everyone had seated themselves in the restaurant we were served a plate of four different kinds of pickled herring for an appetizer.  When I travel to different countries, I always try the local food, so no problem.  However, I've never been a fan of pickled anything.  This time it wasn't the taste, it was the herring's texture that I didn't like - it was mushy, like raw fish.  (Let's just say I failed at cleaning my plate.)  I wasn't the only one - not many folks in our tour group consumed much of their pickled herring.

After dinner walk past another amazing church building

The main course was - Swedish meatballs!  After already having them twice, Kim and I weren't very excited about this.  But I was hungry, so I ate most of my meal - although they weren't as good as the ones at the restaurant near our hotel.  

At dinner I was seated next to tour-mates Bill and Sue, and discovered they had lived in Oregon for many years before retiring to Arizona.  Small world!  The best part of this meal was the conversation I had with them.

Up a steep cobblestone street

After dinner, Nina invited us all for an after-dinner walk through a nearby neighborhood.  Never one to pass up an opportunity to see more of Stockholm, my friends and I happily followed our guide as she led us through more interesting areas of the city.

Past a neighborhood with colorful buildings

We walked past a huge, colorful church building.  Nina said although there are many beautiful cathedrals here, most Scandinavians don't regularly attend weekly religious services.

Pretty street scene

Our group walked over rough cobblestone streets, past a neighborhood of colorful homes, to an overlook perched high on a bluff above one of Stockholm's harbors.  The evening light was fading, but I was able to capture a nice aerial view of Gröna Lund Amusement park from this vantage.  Then Nina directed us to the subway, which we rode for several stops before arriving a few short blocks from the hotel.

Amusement park view in evening light

It had been a very busy day once again.  Kim and I rolled into our beds well past 10 pm, plum tuckered out and ready for some shut-eye.  Tomorrow would be our first full day of the tour, and seeing more of Stockholm was on the agenda.

Join me as I visit the Gamla Stan neighborhood and world-renowned Vasa Museum - coming in my next post!