Having been introduced to some things Royal via the changing of the guards, we added another installment on Sunday. We walked to a different boat harbor and took a day trip to Drottningholm, the Queen's summer palace on Lake Malaren. We cruised for an hour before arriving. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and there were lots of boats out on the lake--sailboats, powerboats, even a jet ski or two.
Drottningholm is a very pretty residence. It not only has its nice setting on the lake, but also has extensive formal gardens.
It is also rather stunning inside. One rather mundane thing we found particularly interesting was the vast number of tile stoves. Every room has one, and each is different.
We had lunch at the cafe on the grounds and then wandered through the gardens. They are formal and more sculptural than colorful. Still, they make a rather impressive display.
We cruised back to the city, enjoying being on the water. We got back by around 5pm and rested up before going out to dinner. We went to Kryp In, the place Rick Steves recommends for a special meal. It is a very charming place, and we had a lot less excitement getting to our destination!
By Monday, Jerry was really getting hit with a cold. He ran a low fever off and on for a couple days, but we tried to keep moving as best we could. We took a walk through Gamla Stan, seeing things we hadn't discovered yet. This section of the city is hilly, with rugged cobblestones and narrow passageways. This is the medieval heart of this big modern city.
We discovered a charming little street with small squares, cafes, galleries, and shops. Though I don't like to spend much time shopping, I must say this was a very nice place to do it.
We decided to add yet another notch in our Royal "belt." We walked to the Royal Palace and purchased tickets to see its various rooms/museums.
While the palace itself was not as striking as pretty Drottningholm, it was very interesting to see. Our favorite types of museums are ones that show room settings, so you can see how people lived, not just random objects in glass cases.
Our highest priority was seeing the Royal Apartments, so that was where we started. There was a special exhibit of clocks that forced a few oohs and aahs from us. But, oh my goodness, it was the chandeliers that caused audible gasps. They were many, and they were big, and they were spectacular. I've never considered myself much of a chandelier person--and I'm pretty sure Jerry would claim the same--but both of us were quite impressed with these beauties.
Tuesday was our day to move on to Oslo. However, our train wasn't until late afternoon, so we had time to take in some more of the palace offerings. Our multi-day tickets offered up four different options. We had time to visit the Treasury, with its crowns, scepters, and ermine-edged robes. With a bit more time available, we also went through the Tre Kronor Museum. Tre Kronor is the original ancient and medieval castle on this site. We went down many, many stairs and were able to see some of the original brick and stone. It was a very pretty castle, but was built of wood and, like so many old wooden structures, it burned down. Its replacement is not particularly attractive, so it was good to see its predecessor.
As we were making our way back to our hotel (the Tre Kronor, rather than making us climb back up the stairs, had us exit from the bottom; we found ourselves down along the water and the Parliament building), we heard the military band music, signaling the start of this day's changing of the guard. Unlike the ceremony we observed, I could hear horses bringing in the guards. I had confessed a disappointment to Jerry that we'd seen two "changings" and nary a horse to be had. So I scampered up to the spot where the guard enter into the palace parade grounds. I didn't get a great view, but it did feel like a special little farewell from Stockholm.
We had lopped off a number of things we had hoped to do (damnable colds!), but we ended with a little flourish before making our way to Central Station and heading west to Norway.
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