I am writing this from my comfortable Dreamliner seat as we fly across the Atlantic to London for a quick overnight before heading to Oslo in the morning. I figured I’d try my hand at writing a trip report in real time and see how that goes. If I fail miserably, I’ll try to finish it up when we return. I will be typing on my phone so please excuse typos, weird autocorrects and other strange things I might miss.

My sister and I are taking my mother to Norway and Sweden for the next two weeks. She will turn 82 at the end of the trip and this is her first time to this part of the world. Her grandparents on both sides of her family emigrated to the US from Sweden so it is about time she checked out from whence she came. One of her cousins, flying from Chicago, will join us in Oslo for the trip.

This will be my third trip to Norway and second to Sweden and I’m excited to return. Last summer I traveled with my husband and two teens to Stockholm, Copenhagen and the lofoten islands. It was hotter than Hades so I’m excited to get a jump start on the crisp, cool fall weather this time. Our weather forecast for Norway looks spectacular. Warm—50s/60s and sunny. I’ve been checking out the live webcam at The Loen Skylift each morning for the last few weeks and most days have been rainy and last week I watched the snow fall and then sleet pelt the camera so we feel very fortunate.

Our itinerary will be to arrive in Oslo tomorrow and immediately take the Rauma railway train to Andalsnes. We will rent a car and do a 3 1/2 day clockwise loop to Geiranger and Alesund returning to Andalsnes and the train back to Oslo.

We’ll have a full day in Oslo and then a very early morning train ride to Stockholm. We will stay in Stockholm for 4 days—mon to fri—so will miss many of the tourist things that only occur on the weekends in the fall such as the boat to drottningholm or a tour around the archipelago. But we will take the subway/bus to the palace and the waxholm commuter ferry to Vaxholm so will still be able to enjoy it all.

After Stockholm, we will fly to Lulea in northern Sweden. Boden, 30 min north, is the hometown of my mom and cousin’s grandparents. So they are excited to be there. We will spend the night at the Tree Hotel which I hope lives up to its unique hype. Also hoping to see some northern lights, that would be the cherry on top.

We will fly back to NYC via a long layover at Arlanda Stockholm airport so will go have lunch and spend a couple hours in Sigtuna.

Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly, though it rarely does. This will be a very different trip than I am used to as my nuclear family moves quickly through things. We will be taking it slow so my mother can enjoy it. At 82, she is in great shape but definitely not whipping around like she used to. Our dad passed away 6 years ago and I was trying to remember the last time I traveled with just my mom, dad and sister and honestly think it had to have been when we were in college, so decades ago. I just hope we all get along!

What a nice trip! Look forward to following.

Your phone typing is excellent.

Thanks xcountry

i realize I forgot to tag this for Norway and Sweden. Anyone know how to do that?

Tue 9/24: LGW to OSL to Andalsnes

We flew the day flight yesterday on Norwegian from JFK to Gatwick. I didn’t want my mom to have to deal with the exhaustion of an overnight flight direct to Oslo. We stayed at the Yotel right inside south terminal, mere feet from arrivals and departures. It was wonderful to not have to deal with trains, shuttles, taxis or a long walk to get to a hotel. The long walk from the plane to passport control was plenty for my mom. US passports can now use the kiosk things which speeds up immigration, however the airport was a ghost town so there were no lines anywhere.

The Yotel room was small but well laid out and was perfect for our few hours of rest. We all thought the beds were very comfortable and slept well.

Due to heavy rain/tstorms in London, our flight to Oslo was about 45 min delayed. I took the risk when planning and booked the train that left 2 hours after our scheduled arrival. So the delay was a bit nerve-racking but in the end, we had plenty of time. Most people on the plane were European so there was no line at immigration. And our bags were already on the carrousel when we got there. We had an hour to kill before our train to grab some sandwiches for the ride and hang out. Oslo airport is really quite nice.

We took the train from the airport 3 1/2 hours to Dombas, a comfortable lovely ride with beautiful scenery along a long lake from just outside Oslo to Lillehammer, rolling green hills, and pine forests. The mountains got larger as we approached Dombas. I had thought the leaves would be further along in color change but the further north we got, the more we saw bright yellow trees interspersed with the pines.

At Dombas we transferred to the Rauma Railway, a little 2 car train that takes you through the Rauma Valley to Andalsnes. The views were breathtaking, you take a 180 degree turn inside a mountain tunnel as the train descends the mountain to the river. You cross the charming Kylling Bridge which is like a small Harry Potter bridge. The mountains get steeper and more craggy the closer you get to Rauma. They were reminiscent of the mountains in Lofoten. The conductor spent his time with each tourist group telling them what to look for and some sTories about the area. Pictures couldn’t do the ride justice, especially because as it got darker, closer to sunset, the glare from the lights inside prevented any decent photos. The nice thing about that is it forced you to just sit back and enjoy the view.

We arrived in Andalsnes at 7:30. The little town is on water surrounded by mountains. Very pretty. We walked the 1/4 mile uphill to the Grand Bellevue Hotel. Some reviews complain that it needs a refurbishment, and I can see what they mean, carpets are spotty, a cabinet in our room has a chunk taken out. But the beds are comfortable and the shower is good and you can open the window for some cool sleeping air. It was a long travel day but definitely worth it.

Tomorrow: Trollstigen, Geiranger, and ferry to/from Hellesylt

Thank you for doing a live report, will be following along.

Jpin, thanks for the information, that is great to know. I was waffling between Yotel and Bloc and I think I ended up with Yotel because they offered a single room and Bloc did not. I might be remembering it wrong, but we were 3 people then so just needed a double and single. Bloc looked “cooler” though.


Wed 9/25: Andalsnes to Geiranger

Finally done with the travel of “getting there”, today we enjoyed Norway’s breathtaking beauty.

We had a nice breakfast buffet at the hotel. Many of the guests are hikers since the area has a few famous hikes. The hotel nicely provides ‘to go’ bags at the buffet and I noticed some guests making sandwiches for later.

We rented a car from Avis which operates out of the hotel so we got the keys at the front desk which was extremely quick and efficient. We were upgraded to a very nice Volvo XC90 hybrid. It had a ski rack/car top carrier thing attached to the roof. In fact, because of that I had a hard time locating the car in the parking lot thinking that one had to be a personal car. And why do they insist on putting large AVIS, HERTZ and EUROPCAR stickers on the rentals? I know Norway is a safe country but I really don’t nt need to advertise “tourist” more than I already am.

My sister wanted to drive back to see some of the spectacular mountains at the end of our train journey. Even though we are taking the same trip back, she wanted to look at he scenery at leisure and take some nice pictures. We only backtracked maybe 10 miles and it was well worth it. Got some great pics of the craggy mountains alongside the river, there was a small classic church nestled at the base of the mountains and a few waterfalls. It was definitely worth the time. Though afterwards we drive straight back to the hotel to remove the ski rack. That thing whistled like you wouldn’t believe.

We then drove to Trollstigen under clear blue skies, just a gorgeous day. Trollstigen with all of its hairpin turns and observation deck overlooking the beautiful valley was great. Especially because we had the place almost to ourselves.

We made pit stops at a couple waterfalls before crossing on the ferry to Eidsdal. It was the first fjord they’d seen and they loved it.

We arrived in a Geiranger and checked into our hotel, Hotel Union Geiranger. We were upgraded to rooms with a view and our jaws dropped when we walked into the rooms. Absolutely stunning.

Since it is off season and cruise ships no longer dock here, town was very quiet. We rode the ferry to Hellesylt and back. I tried to work it so we would just do a one way trip with the car but it didn’t work well with our itinerary. We stayed up on deck to Hellesylt but the cold and wind drove us into the very cool retro lounge for the return trip.

My mom and her cousin booked the “senior package” room which included dinner. So they just finished a fabulous buffet dinner. They weren’t even hungry going in and ended up filling a number of plates it was that good.

Tomorrow, we will check out Dalsnibba, Gamle Strynefjellsvegen, Loen Skylift and will spend the night at the Hotel Union Oye, the “royal” historic hotel.

Jpie, those hotels are the best inventions ever.

Wekiva, isn’t it beautiful? Norway blows me away each time.

Thu 9/26: Geiranger to Øye

I am astounded at the varying terrain we saw today. 19 years ago I did NiN but after Flam we took a smaller ferry to Balestrand, spent the night at the Kvikne and then another ferry to Bergen. We didn’t drive around that trip so maybe the difference is that we didn’t drive away from the fjords, but I don’t recall the fjords being all that different from one to the next other than size. I can’t believe the difference in what we saw today in relatively short distance.

We also hit some snags today. The reason we did the RT ferry on Geiranger was to be able to drive on Gamle Strynefjellsvegen (GS). People rave about its beauty. I checked it out on google street view so I had an idea what it would look like but it never really does it justice. I checked the road closure dates while planning and it usually closes for winter in October but last year it closed on 9/25 to do some road work. I remember thinking “great, they got the road fixed up last year!” Can you guess where this story is headed?

So the plan was to drive up to Dalsnibba and then head to GS and drive it east to west toward Hjelle.

It was a beautiful but cold morning in Geiranger, around 32degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. We enjoyed the most wonderful and plentiful buffet breakfast seated next to the windows looking out at the fjord.

We loaded up the car and headed out. Stopped at Flydalsjuvet Rock for a pretty view further up the mountain. As we are driving up and up around too many hairpin turns to count, we notice the large mountain we are headed for has a thick cloud/fog enclosing the entire top of it. Oh oh.

We got to the turn off to head up the road and figured ‘let’s just see, maybe it will start to clear.’ Plus the road we planned to continue on was also quite foggy. The toll barrier was up and we debated if that meant we could go without paying. Since we were sure we wouldn’t see anything, we continued on and I hope we don’t get a fine in the mail. As we drive the 5k up the mountain, visibility drops to almost nothing, the car temp reading drops and ice and snow start to make the road slick. We get to the top and can barely see the parking lot. Womp womp. A couple tour buses were there, I think Asians. People were playing with the snow which measured a few inches from past snows.

A few other cars came up and some more buses. We hung out for about 20 min mainly to give time for the fog down below to start clearing. Then we took pics of the foggy “view” and drove back down.

The fog had indeed cleared below and we headed toward GS.

The topography changed completely. It was very rocky and there was some kind of scrub brush that was almost fluorescent yellow and orange having changed in autumn. So I was excited to see GS since the non tourist road was great.

We turn right on GS and, boom!, Road Closed! Road Work!

I was so bummed I didn’t check the status beforehand. I had thought to do it but really assumed that we were in the clear with the road construction last year. A quick google search revealed it closed on 9/24.

If I had checked when we arrived at Andalsnes, I would have changed up our plans, done Dalsnibba yesterday afternoon (thus actually seeing the view) and done the one way ferry with the car this morning. Then driven out to Loen from Hellesylt. Oh well, at least we got a taste of that really different kind of terrain.

We backtracked a bit and headed toward Hjelle on the main road which consisted of a lot of tunnels. We emerged on the other side to clear skies and no fog! And the scenery became what I remember it being like further south. Steep green mountains with little clusters of farms and houses at the bottom.

We made a quick pit stop in Hjelle looking for a WC (there was none) but what a lovely spot right on the water. The historic Hjelle Hotel was already closed for the season but would be a beautiful place to stay.

We drove on toward the Loen Skylift which was the absolute highlight of the day. It is relatively new, built in 15 or 16. You take a 5 min gondola ride up the mountain to the most spectacular view of the mountains and fjords. You can also climb via a Ferrata course if you like adventure. Google ‘Loen Skylift Live’ to check out their two webcams and the view. I had looked every day for the last few weeks and most days it was rainy and some days it was completely fogged in. But we had clear blue skies. I felt like I was looking at an IMAX screen, that it couldn’t possibly be real.

My sister texted our husbands so they could look at the webcam as we waved to them from across the ocean. While we were up there, we watched a parasailer jump off the mountain and glide down and around and around. It was stunning but terrifying.

We enjoyed a late lunch at the restaurant which was quite good, even better with the view.

We then headed for our next hotel, Hotel Union Øye. Now the scenery completely changed. We turned left onto RT 655 to take us up to Øye and I felt like I was in northern Donegal, Ireland or the Scottish highlands but with even larger mountains. You drove along the valley floor with towering mountains on either side and in front of you. It was crazy.

We arrived at the historic hotel on the fjord which is a destination in itself. It was built in 1891 and each room is unique. There is only one other couple staying here tonight so we were able to look at all the different rooms. Each one is named after a famous person who has stayed here and the furnishings and decor change from room to room. I reserved the only two twin rooms which I was thankful for because most of the beds didn’t look to be even queen sized.

The hostess said that for 3 months in winter you never see the sun here. The mountains are too high and sun is too low. The sky gets light for a few hours but no sun sighting.

Because of our late lunch, we didn’t have the 3 course dinner but we did enjoy drinks by the fire in the parlor which was cozy. They did offer to make us sandwiches or munchies if we wanted.

Tomorrow:Alesund

Fri 9/27: Øye to Alesund

Today was a more relaxing day. Traveling has worn out my mom a bit so she needed to slow down.*

We started with breakfast at the hotel which was small but still quite varied. Of course, with only 6 guests, I wouldn’t expect a massive spread.*

We didn’t race out and had a more relaxing morning and it was drizzling a bit as a we drove 8km down the road and caught the ferry from Leknes to Sæbo. They only have a crossing every 2 hours or so and we couldn’t miss it.* We then headed across the valley to Ørsta which was the most populated place we’ve been to thus far. Then we drove along to coast to the Festøy to Solavagen ferry to Alesund. The scenery was nice, classic fjord views.*

The ferry crossings are so efficient. You get to the dock, line up starting in line 1, when that fills, the next car starts line 2 and so forth. You pay for the ferry via credit card to either someone who comes to your car once on board or, as in the last one today, to someone as you board. Every ferry has left exactly on time.*

By the time we got to Alesund, the skies had cleared and it was quite warm. We drove immediately up to the Aksla Viewpoint overlooking the city. They have about 40 parking spaces up there and I think there were only 4 other cars. If it had been crowded, I would have dropped everyone off, parked down in the garage by the park in town and hoofed it up the stairs. So luckily we, once again, felt like we had the place to ourselves.*

The view is spectacular.*

We headed back down the hill, I dropped everyone at our hotel, Hotel Brosundet on the canal and I parked the car in a public garage around the corner. Luckily our rooms were ready so everyone dropped off their stuff and we headed out to a late lunch.*

We had planned on walking over to Lyst Cafe but as we passed Anno at the base of the canal, everyone looked lovingly upon the outdoor patio with the tables in the sun overlooking the canal. So I ushered them in and we enjoyed lunch by the water.*

No one really cared about going to the museum in the restored pharmacy or to the aquarium or even to walk around the city. My sister wanted to drive the 30 min out to see the Alnes lighthouse but mom said no. So we walked over to check out the antique store by the lighthouse pier, the old wooden houses that didn’t burn in the fire, then out to the little red lighthouse. As we were walking back down the pier, a woman led two men with rolling suitcases to the lighthouse and let them in. You can book the lighthouse to stay in thru our hotel. It has a bathroom on first floor and queen bed in second.*

By now it was about 4:30 and my mom, cousin, and sister all said they were done and just wanted to relax at the hotel. So I headed out for a wander around town, taking photos of the art nouveau buildings and enjoyed the sunny afternoon. Now I’m sitting in the lobby by a roaring fire. A perfect end to the day.*

Tomorrow: return to Andalsnes via Stranda

Sat 9/28: Alesund to Stranda to Andalsnes to Oslo

Another hotel breakfast started the day. My sister and I agreed that Hotel Union Geiranger had the best and most varied spread of the 4 we’ve had thus far. I slept the best at Hotel Union Øye.

It was another gorgeous blue sky day. Looking at the forecast, they expect rain tomorrow and chance of snow and freezing mix for Mon, Tue and Wed so we feel extra fortunate to have had the warm and beautiful weather we’ve enjoyed.

We drove to the Stranda Gondola, about an hour and one ferry ride from Alesund. We arrived right at 11 when it opened and were the first group up the mountain. Another gorgeous panorama of mountains, fjords and valleys. This one overlooks the Sunmore Alps.

We watched different Norwegian families come up and head off to hike or picnic. One guy came up with a full huge backpack and we noticed he was preparing to parasail as we headed down.

We stayed about an hour enjoying the view.

I did feel like I was cheating the system somewhat. While I’m thrilled there is an easy way to be able to get to these amazing viewpoints, especially for people who are unable to hike, it is quite strange to feel like you are plucked from the bottom and placed on top. In the Lofoten Islands, we did a few hikes and always felt like the view was the just reward. However, I’m not complaining that I don’t have to hike uphill for a couple hours to get there.

We continued on into Stranda and took the ferry across the fjord we were just admiring from above. The ferry system is so efficient. Always well run and it always departed exactly on time. It is such a lovely ride to be able to stand up on deck and take in the surroundings.

To get back to Andalsnes, we could have backtracked on 63 going on the Trollstigen again or drive the coastal route. We chose the latter. I feel like my traveling partners had started to become desensitized to the beauty around them. They were chatting away while I continued to marvel at the little communities of red, white, and black homes nestled among bright green grass with towering mountains behind them and the sparkling water in front of them. Quintessential Norway to me. This will probably be my last trip to Norway and I wanted to sear it into my brain.

I also want to mention that driving was incredibly easy. We felt like we were alone in the road a majority of the time. Signage was perfect. Even if you don’t have navigation, it is very easy to get where you want to go. The roads are in excellent condition. In fact, I did not see one pothole or patched pothole anywhere. How is this possible? They have the same freeze/thaw cycles we have in Eastern Pennsylvania right? We have potholes everywhere and PennDOT takes forever to fill them.

We took the Rauma Railway back to Dombas and even though I had seen the views from the train on the way up AND enjoyed them from the car, I found my head was still whipping around marveling at it all It is that breathtaking.

We are now on the train to Oslo S and arrive at 10pm. We are staying at Thon Hotel Opera right across from the train station so we have a quick walk on arrival.

Tomorrow: Oslo

Thank you, GinnyJo

Sun 9/29: A Day in Oslo

Since we were arriving at 10pm and then departing on the 05:56 train to Stockholm on Monday, I was thrilled to find the Thon Hotel Opera was right across the street from the station and had excellent reviews. The hotel was very nice, good service and we found the rooms to be comfortable. Though smaller than the rooms we’ve had previously, we still had ample room for our suitcases and to move around.

The breakfast, however, was a bit of a disappointment. The hot food-eggs, frittatas, oatmeal-was all fairly cold. You could see the warming lights and they were cooking the food right there in the middle of it all, yet the food was cold. But we still managed to eat our fill. The nice thing about traveling with 3 older women is you don’t have to worry about always having access to food like it seems to be with my teens. We’ve pretty much filled up at the hotel breakfast and then had a big late lunch around 2 or 3.

We purchased the Oslo Pass on its app which gave us one QR code for the four of us. It covers all public transportation in zones 1&2, including the boat to Bygdøy and entrance to most attractions. You don’t need to tag in when you get on a tram or bus, you just need to be sure to have a ticket if inspected.

We took a tram from the train station to Aker Brygge which is right next to the city hall pier to catch the boat to Bygdøy. The boat makes two stops, one closer to the Viking Ship Museum and Folk Museum, and one next to the Fram Musuem.

We started at the Viking Ship marveling at how well preserved the boats were and, more incredulously, how the Vikings crossed the rough seas in them. It is a simple yet fascinating museum.

We took the 5 minute walk next door to the outdoor Folk Museum which is so well done. Much better than Skansen in Stockholm, IMO. It would have been nice to see a stave church in the wild but it would have been more driving than I wanted for my mom. Luckily, the one at the museum is beautiful (and of course there is always the one at Epcot-ha!) I thought the Oslo apartment block showing apartments from different time periods over the last 100 years to be a really interesting way to showcase the changing times.

Afterwards we caught the bus to the Fram museum next to the second boat stop. Yet another extremely well done and fascinating museum. You can go on to the ship and they have it set up like it would have been when Amundsen had sailed it, complete with mannequins. One actually startled me when I peeked into one of the berths. I didn’t expect a “man” to be sitting there.

The back wall of the museum showcased the timeline of the race to the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott which was very interesting.

Mom was starting to fade so we took the boat back to the Aker Brygge area and enjoyed a nice long lunch at Døgnvill Burger which had excellent fries and milkshakes. The meat/fish is all pastured raised, organic, wild caught and delicious.

It was yet another gorgeous, warm blue sky day and people were out and about enjoying their Sunday. We took the tram from Aker Brygge to Frogner Park to see the Vigeland statues. With the fall color in the trees, the blue skies and crisp air, it was a perfect place to sit for a bit and appreciate the surroundings.

By now it was about 4pm and we took the tram back to the hotel. Mom had been such a trooper, but was exhausted and fell asleep on the tram.

We relaxed at the hotel for a couple hours and then went out to the Opera House to watch the sunset.

Tomorrow: Oslo to Stockholm

Mon 9/30: Morning Train Oslo to Stockholm, Day 1

Our direct train to Stockholm departed at 05:56 this morning. I hate early departures like this because I feel like I’m waking up every hour to check the time, convinced I’m going to miss the alarm.

Since we were leaving before breakfast, the hotel gave each of us a “to go” bag with a yogurt, a surprisingly delicious ham and cheese sandwich, a pear and a carton of orange juice. We were all set.

Our train ride was foggy making the landscape feel dreamy and surreal. As the SJ train travelled across Sweden, I laughed every time the train stopped in the middle of nowhere. The conductor came on the intercom and said “we are stopping momentarily to wait for another train to pass” and all the Swedes around us grumbled something along the lines of “of course you are stopping”. I wonder if Odin is on this train 😉.

One of our few scheduled stops was at Arvika, the town where my mom’s grandparents on her dad’s side were from. So she enjoyed a glimpse at the town.

We arrived at Central Station 30 minutes late at noon and the station was packed with hustle and bustle. We bought our travel cards at the Pressbryan and took the bus to a block from our hotel, the Hotel Diplomat. One of our two rooms was ready so we were able to stow our luggage there and regroup.

Our rooms are on the side of the building so we can look out and to the left for a view of the water. We’ve been able to open our hotel windows each night which has been wonderful. I hate sleeping hot. All 3 casement windows in this room open wide. The room is a quite a good size and it has the best shower, hands down, of the trip. The Hotel Union Øye was the worst-it barely dribbled out of the handheld spigot.

In Norway, travel was easy. We were corralled in a car, driving from place to place. Now that we are in the city portion of our trip, I’m realizing that we are going to have trouble getting around. And it isn’t my mom, she doesn’t move too fast, but, like the energizer bunny, she keeps going. It is my sister and mom’s cousin who are struggling. So I need to rethink some plans and we’ll be relying on buses to go one stop and that sort of thing.

We headed out to find lunch. Struck out at Bakfickan (filled with a wait) and the Bistro at the Grand Hotel (closed-but mom enjoyed seeing the hotel. She had read a book about a little old lady who got up to some shenanigans there)

Everyone is staring at me, tired of walking and hungry. I could never be a tour guide-ha! So I took them a block over, we jumped on the bus one stop into Gamla Stan to look at Tradition and Stockholm Gastabud. The latter had no free tables so we ate at the former.

Refreshed, we took a small wander across Old Town, through the main Square and to the T station. I had to stop at Fabrique for a cinnamon roll. They opened one in NYC a few months ago and I keep asking my husband, who works in the city, to get me one. But he doesn’t go to that neighborhood so I’ve had to wait to come back to Stockholm to enjoy it again.

We took the red line to Zinkensdamm and walked to the Skinnarsvikberget overlook for views of the city. We came back to the station and found seats for mom and cousin and I made my sister walk the 1/2 mile to the Monteliiusvagen overlook because I think the views are better and she loves taking pics.

We took the T back to near our hotel to put our feet up.

Tomorrow: Museum Day

Tue 10/1: Stockholm Day 2

Another hotel breakfast to start the day. They had a waffle iron to make your own waffles which were delicious. I remember an old thread on Fodor’s asking what food from America do non Americans miss or want to try. And real maple syrup was the top answer. I had no idea that was unique to North America. When we were in western Norway, the fall color was predominantly yellow, some orange. No red leaves at all and I definitely missed the contrast. We looked it up and sugar maples turn red so it all made sense. Anyway, all that to say that they offered a bottle of maple syrup from Canada with the waffles.

We took the tram over to Djurgarden island and went to the Vasa Museum first. Always fascinating. We caught the re-enactment movie which is a great overview of the story and restoration. They have an audioguide on their website and free WiFi. We brought our earbuds and listened to the guide on our phones. Since mom is hard of hearing, this was better than joining the guided tour.

Next we went to the relatively new Viking Museum. It is quite interactive so great if you have kids. But also very informative for adults. They also offer an audioguide to listen to on your phone. I learned a lot about the how the Vikings actually lived as well as how the Norwegians and Swedes began to romanticize their Viking history in the early 1800s as a way to show their might to the world.

The museum has a ride on the first floor that takes you through the story of a Viking family.

Next, we took the tram to the end of the line and walked through the park to Rosendals Tradgarden for lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day, though the wind was quite strong, and we ate lunch in the greenhouse though many people were eating outside. It was mommy central. Based on the number of strollers we’ve seen, it feels like Stockholm had a baby boom in the last year!

Next, we did a quick stop at the Nordiska Museum which has free entry Tue afternoons sep-May. It was fine but we were getting tired.

We took Ferry 80 back to our hotel area from Gröna Lund for a change of pace.

After a few hours rest, and a drink at the bar, I led them on a subway art tour. My favorite stations are Stadion rainbow, Centralen blue and white, Solna Centrum red and the kid art at Hallonbergen.

Tomorrow: guided tours

Wed 10/2: Stockholm Day 3

Our weather luck ran out today and we have had steady rain since noon.

We started our day with a private guided tour of Old Town with Simona from Tours by Locals. And it was wonderful. With my mom’s poor hearing, I figured a group tour wouldn’t work because she’d have a hard time hearing the guide.

Simona met us at our hotel and regaled us with stories and information about Sweden, it’s history, it’s culture, etc as we walked over to Gamla Stan. Then she took us to key places in the old town. We walked by where we had lunch on Monday, Tradition, and she said we must eat there. She also said the other restaurant we considered that day, Stockholm Gastabud, was excellent. She also highly recommended the cafe at the Nobel Museum. She said many of the restaurants in Old Town were just tourist traps.

We ended our tour right before the changing of the guards. After summer, they just do it on Wed and weekends. So we watched them march in with the full band playing and line up in formation. The rain had just started so we didn’t stick around to watch the ceremony.

We shopped a bit and then jumped on the T to meet up with our next tour in Sodermalm with Food Tours Stockholm. They offer a few different tours. I wasn’t interested in the “Nordic Experience” because I really don’t care for herring, meatballs and reindeer. So we did the Sodermalm Culinary Tour which was international food. We made 7 stops in about 3 1/2 hours and had plenty of great food and drink plus gelato and chocolate. When I signed up, they didn’t have the tour on offer for this afternoon so I emailed inquiring about a private tour which would have cost more. Instead they just added the tour to the calendar so we signed up paying the normal price. We were joined by a young German couple and two older women from Stockholm and it was lovely to get to know them as well.

We have now returned to the hotel to escape the rain. I found a fireplace in one of the common rooms and am enjoying the warmth as I write this.

Tomorrow: Drottningholm Palace and ferry to Vaxholm

Thu Oct 3: Stockholm Day 3

This morning we headed to check out Drottningholm Palace. It is such a beautiful palace in a beautiful setting that I can see why the royal family chose to make it their full time residence. Our guide the other day said that they moved out there after their children were born so the kids could easily play in nature.

In the summer and on weekends in the fall, you can take an hour long boat ride to reach the palace. Since we were there on a weekday, we took the subway to Brommaplan and a bus to the palace. Last summer, my family took the boat ride over, and it was a much more enjoyable way to get a first glimpse and approach the palace.

The part of the palace you get to see isn’t large. Other than a couple smallish Chinese tours (~30 people each), we had the place to ourselves. While the staircase is quite grand, I like that most of the chairs are slipcovered and each kakelugn, the white and blue tiled fireplace, is different in each room. It feels more casual to me.

The gardens are very grand. The rain the day before had ushered in colder temperatures, we were in the low 40s, so didn’t wander too far.

We took the bus/subway back and had a great lunch of pizza and pasta at Taverna Brillo. I think 70% of the clientele, all locals, were wearing black. It was quite the sight.

My 3 companions went back to the hotel to rest. I wanted to spend more time wandering the streets of Old Town. We all met up at 3pm at Stromkajen, the dock in front of the Grand Hotel for the Waxholm Ferry to Vaxholm. I wanted them to get a taste of what the archipelago was like.

It was an hour ferry ride. You purchase the ticket on board which they then collect as you get off the boat. The second half of the ride out is great. With the fall color, the little islands with their little cottages were so picturesque. I think you need to go at least as far as Vaxholm to get any feel for the archipelago. I almost wish we had gone further.

We had an hour in Vaxholm before the return ferry to Stockholm. Mom was tired so she and her cousin plopped themselves down in a bakery for a good fika. My sister and I wandered around the quaint little town. It had some really nice shops.

The ferry ride back was at sunset so extra gorgeous with the golden light.

When we returned to the dock, my mom and cousin went back to the hotel and my sister and I went back to Old Town to take some nighttime shots of the alleys lit with lanterns. It was sprinkling a bit so the lights shining on the wet cobblestones made for great photos. The souvenir shops were open late so my sister was able to finish buying some things for her kids.

Tomorrow: Travel north to Luleå and the Tree Hotel