Day 3: Modern Stockholm & Cozy Kalmar
- The Day Distilled: Today was all about impressive public spaces, starting with the glittering grandeur of Stockholm’s City Hall and finishing with a stroll along the broad streets of 17th century Kalmar.
- Women of the Day: More than half of Sweden’s government ministers, and almost half of its elected representatives in the national parliament, are women.
- Ship’s Log: One in 8 Swedish adults owns a boat, and one-third of all Swedes take an annual vacation on a leisure boat.
Time for a Scandinavian civics class
After breakfast, everyone rolled their luggage out to meet our driver, Pinge, who drove us to Stockholm’s City Hall, and then Ylva guided us through this grand, colorful building. The first room was the huge red-bricked hall where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each year. From this vast space, Ylva led us into the strikingly decorated City Council Chamber. Its walls are boldly patterned in red and gold, and the ceiling is fashioned after a Viking longhouse. Council members meet one evening a week. Why so little time? Because they all have day jobs!
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Learning history in the Golden Hall
We followed Ylva through hallways with colorful frescoes, past large windows with great views, and finally entered the Golden Hall. Every square inch (or, I should say, every square centimeter) was covered by shimmering mosaics depicting Swedish historical events.
Ylva walked us around the room, wearing a huge smile and telling us her country’s story. It was clear how much she enjoys sharing her beloved home with visitors. |
Let's get rolling!
After our tour of City Hall, we drove out of Stockholm and headed south to Kalmar. One of the things I like about Rick Steves tours is that the groups are small enough that you can have your own row on the bus! Ylva sat up front, where she could speak into a microphone or play music. About half the time on the bus, she gave us overviews of Scandinavian history, politics, economics, cultural trends, etc., tutored us in basic phrases, or played Scandinavian music. The rest of the time, we enjoyed the scenery, read books, took naps, or got to know each other.
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Welcome to Kalmar
We arrived in Kalmar in the late afternoon and took an orientation walk. As we strolled along the huge city wall and down surprisingly broad, straight streets lined with modern boutique shops, Ylva described how the town had been moved in the mid-17th century to be out of the line of fire from forces attacking royal Kalmar Castle. It was a planned city, fortified against future attacks and boasting streets and buildings fit for aristocracy. Kalmar was super quiet and practically empty when we were there. Ylva told us that in a month or so, it would be hopping with a summer festival and hordes of tourists.
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Pro tip: Eat picnics!
After Ylva's brief orientation walk, Mom and I continued exploring Kalmar, from its spacious central square to its placid moat. It was nice to have so many hours of daylight.
Dinner was on our own, and like several others in the group, we chose to walk to the local supermarket and assemble a picnic in place of a shockingly expensive restaurant meal. We did this for several lunches and dinners on the trip and highly recommend it. The light outside was beautiful, but it was cold, so we opted for a cozy in-room picnic. We enjoyed sampling different breads and cheeses, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and trying Swedish candies. For more photos from Day 3, see the slideshow below. |
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