Mamma mia, …. My, my, how can I resist you? Stockholm

Stockholm, city view from the water

Hasta manana, ’til we meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when. Darling, our love was much too strong to die.
We’ll find a way to face a new tomorrow.
-ABBA

Stockholm is unique in that it's built on islands and surrounded by water, so you get this enormous sense of freedom. It's got everything you could possibly need - everything a big city has to offer but without all the people and traffic.

The Noble Prize museum

The city is home to some of Europe's top ranking universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. It hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall.

Stockholm Waterfront Congress Center

Stockholm Waterfront, also known as Klara Hotell och Konferens is a building for offices, conferences and hotels. This is a modern complex built for offices, hotel, and congresses.

ABBA Museum

ABBA was a Swedish pop quartet that became a global phenomenon thanks to hits like "Mamma Mia," "Dancing Queen," "Waterloo" and "Take A Chance On Me." As it turned out, group members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad were not just talented musicians, but shrewd marketers as well, figuring out a way to appeal to a worldwide audience without losing their Swedishness.

I grew up with their music so a stop here was a requirement.

Gamla Stan

Gamla Stan, is a small concentrated area where the city began in the middle of the 13th century. Much of the medieval enclave remains, although in typical Scandinavian style, it is freshly brushed and painted regularly. Its charm is in the architecture along its narrow stone-paved lanes and cobbled streets around its squares, especially the main one, Stortorget, surrounded by old merchants' houses.

In this neighborhood, along with plenty of shops, restaurants, and cafés, you'll find the Nobel Museum, the Post Museum, the Royal Coin Cabinet, and several churches. We stayed within walking distance of this area but spent many enjoyable hours in this area.

Vasa Museum Ship Model

One of the city's most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia. Vasa or Wasa is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship foundered after sailing about 1,300 m into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. The ship is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions and has been seen by over 35 million visitors since 1961. Since her recovery, Vasa has become a widely recognized symbol of the "Swedish Empire".

We took the ferry to get here little realizing that we could have actually walked across a bridge from the city center.

Stockholm Royal Palace

Royal Palace Interior

Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace (Swedish: Stockholms slott or Kungliga slottet) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (the actual residence of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia is at Drottningholm Palace which we did not get to visit on this trip). The offices of the King, the other members of the Swedish Royal Family, and the Royal Court of Sweden are here. It has a beautiful Rococo interior and we were privileged to watch the changing of the guard here as well.

In comparison the many palaces in Europe this one is quite austere.

Grona Lund

Gröna Lund is one of the oldest amusement parks in Stockholm. Coming from Southern California home to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain and various other smaller amusement parks we decided that we’d rather spend our time wandering around the city, tasting and shopping our way through it.

We often debate between a planned itinerary and an unplanned just wing it and soak in the atmosphere. We had two days after we disembarked from a Baltic Cruise and there were five of us who decided to wing it. We enjoyed our time randomly wandering and taking in the sights or sitting at a cafe enjoying coffee and fika but consequently we did miss some of the sights in and around Stockholm.

Saint George and The Dragon

Saint George and the Dragon is a late medieval wooden sculpture It was commissioned in the 1400s. I just loved the juxtaposition of the old and the new in this fascinating city.