Scoping Out Stockholm

So today was our main day in Stockholm. When we got up this morning, it was raining, and all of those people standing on that high wall behind us were carrying umbrellas! Clearly I forgot to add weather to my disclaimer list! We took a 2-hour tour in the downtown Stockholm area with a tour guide with a heavy Russian accent who insisted on holding his microphone too close to his mouth. Other than getting us oriented with the downtown area, everyone agreed it was a disappointing tour. After the tour, the bus stopped in Old Town and since it had stopped raining we opted to stay in Old Town and walk back to the ship. We just needed to be back by 2 pm because the ship was leaving at 2:30. I was grateful the weather cleared up because all of my earlier photos had huge water spots on them from being taken through rain-spattered windows. Here’s a little of what we saw around the Old Town area.

This stately old sailing vessel was in the picturesque waterway directly across from our ship.

The royal palace.

The guards at the royal palace are a little more laid back than those at Buckingham Palace. This one turned and looked at us and smiled.

These royal pots are posted on the wall around the royal palace. Very elegant. Be sure to notice the cute handles. All of the pots had strings which went through holes on both sides of the ledge which appear to be some sort of security system, although as security systems go, it doesn’t seem very robust.

Because of all the waterways throughout Stockholm, there are also lots of tunnels. This one was a little frenetic with all the red reflection going on..

This government building was undergoing renovations and had some of those “phony” pillar tarps to disguise the construction.

Serious fountain.

The Opera House.

Beautiful old lamps in front of the Opera House.

I don’t know what this building is but we both thought it was very distinctive.

We discovered a huge park in the middle of Old Town where a young man and woman on a raised stage were leading singing and dancing for many groups of pre-schoolers and their teachers. The kids were adorable and enthralled..

Each group of pre-schoolers had vests of a different color. These teachers had come up with an additional clever system for keeping their orange-vested kids in tow.