11. Aug 28: Stockholm - 2 of 3

Aug 28: Stockholm, Sweden – 2 of 3

Today we hopped on the HOHOSOSO, and alit near the Royal Palace. Having seen Catherine's Palace, we decided not to go inside this one. We did, however, see the changing of the guard, mounted folk in blue uniforms with very shiny silver-colored helmets, clippety-cloppety on the cobblestones; there were quite a few women among the guards, surprisingly. They were followed by a formation of similarly-clad folk on foot, whose boot heels made as much noise on the cobbles as the horses' hooves had. And some of the latter group looked to be adolescent young men. This changing of the guard happens once a day, and we were lucky to be there at the exact moment.

Then we wandered around the Old Town (been there since the 1300's). Had a marvelous time walking around, which we did for hours, it seemes. We stopped for lunch at one of the outdoor cafes in a large square, and had a delicious artichoke soup and some little prawns.

A very old cathedral, dating back to 1279, was our next point of interest. Pictures below.

Nice Menorah...wait!  A Menorah?  In a Catholic cathedral?

Silver and ebony behind the altar

Above the pulpit, in Hebrew, the yod-heh-vav-heh. 

 

Note the Hebrew yod-heh-vav-heh

When we entered, there had been a sign cautioning us to be wary of pickpockets. We saw a couple of people whom I knew were such; we sat many rows behind one who sat in a front row, near where the tourists wandered, reading a pamphlet so assiduously one would have thought he was memorizing the Encyclopedia Brittanica. He looked up from it periodically, sizing up, I believe, the prospects or possible victims walking by. I'm grateful he didn't jump up and do anything – I would have been tempted to cry out some warning, and I might have gotten myself hurt or killed.  It upset me greatly to see them there.  I'd been dealing with fears of being victims of pickpockets the whole time we were abroad, having read about their proliferation in recent years in the cities we visited.  It was almost impossible for me to maintain my objectivity witnessing them in action.

We looked then for something Nan had seen in one of her guidebooks, the narrowest street in Stockholm, 3 feet wide, and we found it! Picture below. It's at its narrowest at the top of that long set of stairs, up which we did not venture.

Next, we got back on the HOHOSOSO, and after one stop, the sound quit altogether, we were told the bus was broken, and we had to get onto another one. We did so, having to change seats a few times to find sound jacks that were working. We had to take a really long ride to get back to the hotel, because the replacement bus was heading in the wrong direction.

At dinner this evening, we sat next to a couple who were celebrating their 5^th wedding anniversary – Susannah and Anders Olzen. She is a journalist, working for a place that disseminates health information, and information specifically on cancer, in part; Anders is a teacher, working with young people and adults, teaching History and Swedish. We had a lovely conversation with them over dinner – for me, this was the high point of our stay in Stockholm. The things to see are great, but meeting people and talking with them as we did is...IT! Great way to end a fascinating and enjoyable day.