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28°F / -2°C
(Clear. Chilly.)
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The Royal Castle and the Old Town
We meet outside the Royal Castle after a walk from the Central Station over Norrbro bridge. To the right is the old Government House. You cannot be here without noticing Stockholm's Middle Age Museum; it is newly built and exhibits a lot about medieval Stockholm. The entrance is under Norrbro bridge. We turn our back to this now but promise to come back here soon.
The Old Town (Gamla Stan) is exactly what it sounds like, a very old town. One does not really know exactly how the town of Stockholm developed here more than seven hundred years ago. One thing is sure though: the water. During the twelfth century, this was the only connection to lake Mälaren from the Baltic Sea. The Old Town in those days was a reloading place for the ships from different countries. We start our walk through the Old Town at Lejonbacken in front of the Royal Castle. The King does not live here nowadays, but the castle is used for state visits and royal dinners. The royal castles in Stockholm permit visitors. Start walking to the left of the castle. The castle has been here since the 1200s. Before, it was called "Tre Kronor", (Three Crowns); unfortunately it burned down in 1697. The present castle and the obelisk you can see on the other side of the castle were built shortly after the fire. The obelisk is a thank you to the people from the king for helping to protect the city during the war against Russia in 1788-1790.
On Slottsbacken is the museum Livrustkammaren and on this street we find also the Royal Mint. The Old Town has many very narrow alleys. Now we walk down one of them, Källargränd, to the market Stortorget. The famous restaurant Stortorgskällaren is located here. You can have lunch in deep cellar caves dating back to around 1500. The composer and singer Carl Mikael Bellman's spirit rests heavy here. We now pass the cathedral, Storkyrkan. It is hard to imagine that it has been here since at least 1279! Inside the church you can see the wooden sculpture St. Göran och Draket (St George and the Dragon). Many medieval streets lead out from this marketplace—Köpmangatan, Svartmangatan, Skomakargatan and Lilla Solgränd.
When you go through the Old Town, observe its streetlights. They are replicas of the old models. We continue our walk south on Skomakargatan. Along the way, you will see doorways carved and sculpted from oak trees. Johan Feder was the name of a shoemaker that gave the street its name.
We now enter Tyska Brinken and Tyska Kyrkan (the German Church). If the time is 8am, 12 noon, 4pm or 8pm you can hear the church bells chime. Next you come to Västerlånggatan. It is absolutely full of small and large shops on both sides of the street. You will find anything and everything for souvenirs and gifts. You may also hear street musicians along the way. When Västerlånggatan ends in the south, you find Järntorget market. The name dates back to 1400, when iron (järn) was exported from this area.
Now you walk along Österlånggatan north until you come to Köpmantorget. The statue depicts the same scene as the one in Storkyrkan, St George and the dragon. Any of the narrow alleys to the right go down to Skeppsbron. Go down any of them to see a big white ship; that is the hostel Af Chapman where you can hire a room. There are many wonderful restaurants in the Old Town. You could try for instance Restaurant Diana on Brunnsgatan with its wonderful atmosphere.
If you now walk just a little north you will be back at the Royal Castle again, and our tour of the Old Town is finished.
Södermalm and Mariaberget
We now take the subway (red line) to Mariatorget. When you come up through the exit to Mariatorget you will see Maria Magdalena church. The churchyard is a calm oasis in the city, and the Swedes' beloved musician Evert Taube´s grave is here. An older church was here already in the 1300s. You will see Hornsgatan now. It is long and goes between Slussen and Hornstull. You will see a variety of different shops in all sizes and descriptions. Have fun exploring these!
We now cross Hornsgatan and go up through Blecktornsgränd until we reach Bastugatan. It is like entering an ancient world. You will see small houses with gardens and a panoramic view of Stockholm that is breathtaking. Bastugatan (Sauna Street) got its name from all the little bathing cottages that were here in the Middle Ages.
To see Stockholm from up here you must walk along to Ivar Los Park on Mariaberget. There is a walkway and benches to sit on while enjoying this spectacular viewpoint. Looking straight across the water you see the main Town Hall with its three crowns on top (Stockholms stadshus). A little to the right you see the Old Town with its alleys. Far away to the right you see Skansen and Gröna Lund. The water in front of you is Lake Mälaren, but at Slussen it changes from sweet water to the salt water of the Baltic Sea.
One very good thing to know is that all street numbers in Stockholm start at Slussen. So wherever you are in town, all streets are numbered away from Slussen.
Take a walk up to Mariahissen. You can have a cup of coffee here before going down the lift to Ryssgården. Located here is Stockholm's Stadsmuseum. Mariahissen is one of two lifts that take you up and down to Södermalm. The other one is Katarinahissen located on the other side of Slussen. Another time we will go there and look at the wonderful view.
The subway takes you back to Central Station anytime to finish your walk.
Djurgården, Vasamuseet, Gröna Lund and Skansen
For this walking tour, you will first take bus 56 from Central Station to bus stop Biologiska Museet. This house, a museum since 1893, is one of Stockholm's most famous buildings. It looks like an ancient Norwegian wooden church. Inside you can see "the animals of the north seen in nature". Artist Bruno Liljefors, and taxidermist Gustaf Kolthoff have done fantastic work. In daylight they show the silent animals in the forest, on the mountain, and in the sea.
Opposite the museum is a long brick wall. Behind the wall is a graveyard for people who have some connection with the sea. It is very beautiful and has a wonderful view over the water. Down from the graveyard, you can see one of Sweden's most visited museums, Vasamuseet. There you can see the ancient ship Vasa, which sank outside the beach on its maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. She is unusually well preserved and the sight is incredible.
You cannot go out on Djurgåden without a visit to Gröna Lund, Stockholm's lively amusement park. Fun for all ages and all types is found here, with amusements such as one-armed bandits, cotton candy, rides, the funny house, restaurants and bars. One special feature is the free-fall ride. Cowards can also try from a much lower height. The roller-coaster ride has had some new turns added and the merry-go-rounds are full of happy children. On the big stage many artists perform throughout the summer.
A little further out on Djurgården to the left is Skansen. This is Stockholm's fantastic open-air museum and zoo. Here there are ancient farms, brought here and rebuilt from different parts of Sweden. Demonstrations of old-fashioned machines and activities, such as carting, spinning and weaving are here. They show how people lived and worked on the ancient farms. There is also Small Skansen for children to enjoy, with baby animals. It is hard to leave here but we go on anyway.
On top of Skansen is Soliden restaurant with a wonderful view over Stockholm. Many couples have chosen to be married in the old church called Seglora. If you have strength enough left, we continue to Waldemarsudde. This is Prince Eugene's Castle and is open for the public as a museum and art gallery. The Prince was a skilled artist, and it is worth the walk here to see the park, the castle and his masterpieces. Don't miss the painting Vitsippor, it is quite wonderful.
Now our tour on Djurgården is over. Here at the waterside we rest a little before we go back to Gröna Lund, where we can take a ferry over to Slussen and the subway to take us home again.
Sergels torg, Hötorget, Kungsträdgården and Nybroplan
We gather at Sergels Torg. Here is the Culture House (Kulturhuset) - go in and have a look at the Designtorget; there you find new ideas and designs for articles that you didn't know you needed. Kulturhuset is made up of several large floors with a lot happenings, such as dance, theatre, music, and exhibitions. Take a look at its programme.
We walk up some stairs and turn north (right) to Drottninggatan. This is the most outstanding shopping street in Stockholm. Street musicians are often here to entertain you when you pass. Åhléns's large department store is here and along Drottninggatan you will find numerous interesting and varied shops for shoes, clothes and everything else. Butterick's is the place to go to buy things for practical jokes, parties, masquerades, and so on: you will never come out empty-handed from this shop. Take one street to the right and you will end up at Hötorget. The name comes from the hay (hö) market held here in old times. It is wonderful to see all the flowers, fruit, and little market stands everywhere. On one side of Hötorget is a blue building that houses Stockholm's Concert Hall, whose programme you should check during your stay.
There is a fantastic fresh food market under Hötorget. One of the entrances you will find at the cinema, saying "Hötorgshallen" on the door. Down here you can enjoy a bowl of fish soup or fresh bread or pastries and rest your feet before continuing. This place smells fantastic. You can buy something from anywhere around the world here.
Upstairs again, you can walk to the right past the blue Concert Hall. This takes you back to Sergels Torg with its high glass obelisk, which is lit up in the winter. Turn to the left on Hamngatan down to NK. This is another large department store known for its quality merchandise. Opposite NK is the Kungsträdgården. It was earlier the King's vegetable garden. Today it is a park with many activities going on daily. The big fountain sounds refreshing and the ice-cream sellers are kept busy. There is a permanent boules lane here, and in the summer music of various kinds is performed on the stage next to it. In the wintertime you can skate to music on the skating rink.
Further along in the park there is a statue of Karl XII. He is known as the great warrior King of Sweden and he lived between 1697 and 1718. Still today the Swedish government starts every year with a parade and the soldiers are dressed in the same type of yellow moose-skin trousers.
Only a few blocks north of Kungstädgården is Nybroplan, with the Royal Dramatic Theatre in white and gold. It has many stages with many different plays. At the water's edge, many white boats are waiting to take you out into the archipelago of Stockholm. This is another wonderful experience to try.
We hope you have enjoyed your city walk in Stockholm. Nearby is the subway station Östermalmstorg from where the train will take you to your home.
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