The Stockholm Stretch

We are REALLY enjoying our extended visit to Stockholm. What an amazingly beautiful city, and the weather could not be better. Almost too warm... bright sun and not a cloud in the sky. This has caused the attractive Swedish citizens to don skimpy sundresses, tank-tops and shorts and not much else. It makes for lots more "elbowing" from Ronna as I scan the landscape!

Yesterday, we cruised into Stockholm admiring the hundreds of small islands and elegant vacation homes that seem to be everywhere. At 10 a.m. we arrived at our dock, and it was not quite the same as St. Petersburg or Helsinki... we were moored three miles from the City Center in an industrial port area. But we had shuttle buses and cabs available, so we wasted no time checking out the Old Town area, the Palace with the changing of the guard, the shopping streets and big department stores. The architecture is astonishing and the fact that water is basically a part of almost every view you can have, makes Stockholm a magical place.

Stockholm was recented named the "Greenest" city in the world. Quite a contrast from the days when local lakes and waterways were used as refuse dumps and latrines, causing epidemic cholera and many other diseases. They certainly cleaned up their act during the late 19th century and these days the fresh-water Lake Malaren especially sparkles with crystal clarity.

We finally succumbed to our inner yearning for American food and had lunch at TGI Friday's in a beautiful park setting downtown. Ronna had a cheeseburger and I had baby back ribs, plus ice tea! Someone forgot to tell the Swedes that their money, the Kroner, should be revalued. Our lunch cost $75. Stockholm is clearly the most expensive city we've visited, but I guess that's what happens when your country is super prosperous and has not been in a war for 200+ years. They get to spend their money on free education for all, excellent health care, pensions and 6-week vacations, instead of an Army. (I actually looked it up: Sweden spends 1.3% of its GDP on defense; the US spends 4.3%.) But it still seems strange that they get to be members of the European Union but don't have to use the Euro. Similar to the UK, I guess.

We got back to the ship in time to take our final shore excursion: A delightful two-hour tour of the Waterways of Stockholm. What a great way to see this fabulous city. Our glass-sided boat zipped along the Baltic Sea, then went through a lock to bring the ship up to the level of Lake Malaren, then saw many more gorgeous neighborhoods of this water-wonderland city.

This morning we had coffee in our ship suite and breakfast in the Terrace dining room before bidding adieu to the Silver Whisper... a marvelous cruise ship and the perfect size, we decided.

Disembarkation was hassle-free with no lines or delays. We took a cab to the Berns Hotel where we will be staying for two more nights here in Stockholm. It's a stylish, trendy boutique hotel with an Asian restaurant, a French bistro, a nightclub and a concert hall. (Marianne Faithful will be performing here July 14.) All this overlooking a beautiful park with the Lake and boats in the background. There are hundreds of designer shops everywhere you walk, with prices to match yesterday's lunch. We had to kill a couple of hours before our hotel room was ready, so we meandered around this part of Stockholm and found at least 20 restaurants I want to eat at!

For lunch today it was Bistro Jarl a few blocks from our hotel. We got a nice table outside and there were NO SMOKERS nearby, which made for a great hour of eating and people-watching.
Bikes are a big deal here, with tons of them parked everywhere you go. It's also quite a site to see a leggy young Swedish blonde in a mini-skirt getting seated on her bike!

When people say "Hey," instead of "Hello" as a greeting in America, bet you didn't know they're speaking Swedish! "Hej" is Swedish for "Hello!"

One more day, then back to San Francisco.