Stockholm, Sweden - June 29, 2014

Today we arrived in Stockholm after a beautiful sail through the Fiords. We'll be spending an overnight here on the ship and tomorrow we will go to our hotel for 2 nights.








































At the mouth of Lake Malaren lie the 14 islands of Stockholm. And that's nothing ......the harbor opens up to 24,000 islands, making for a truly scenic arrival into the capital of Sweden. The Vikings passed through in 1252 when the fort was first built. A town grew around it and boomed when Sweden became a major Baltic power. Under Gustav III, the city began to flourish culturally...and has never stopped since. This is the city of opera, cutting edge crystal design, and of Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies. It's also one of the most visited Scandinavian destinations.

Named in this century as both Europe's Cultural Capital and also the continent's first Green Capital, Stockholm is the largest city in Scandinavia, with about 1.8 million residents in the metropolitan area -- about one-fifth of Sweden's total population. The city, founded in 1252, comprises 14 islands, and is a popular port of call and turnaround port on Northern Europe cruises.

Stockholm's premier tourist attraction is Gamla Stan (literally, Old Town), one of the largest neighborhoods of 16th-century buildings in Europe. Block after block of these four- and five-story structures are painted in vivid colors typical of Mediterranean villages and occasionally feature wrought-iron signs symbolizing ancient craftworkers' guilds or faces of religious figures. Cobblestone streets and arms-width alleys criss-cross Gamla Stan. There, you'll also find the 18th-century Royal Palace atop the crown of the hill upon which Gamla Stan is located. (Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and has a one-house parliament).

Boulevards defining Stockholm's busy waterfront are also lined with photogenic architecture -- turrets, spires, stucco patterns -- mostly dating from before the turn of the 20th century.

Offsetting the city's bustle and buildings are large swatches of green space. The Ekoparken, or eco-park, curves for six miles through a couple of the busiest islands and along one side of the downtown business district.

Today we decided not to go into town since I woke up with a nasty sore throat and head cold. Since we'd be here for a few days, we laid low today and packed up to disembark the ship tomorrow morning.




After 11 nights on the Vision of the Seas, Rich is still lost! :) LOL

Some things never change! :) LOL

Location:Stockholm, Sweden