Taking Stock of Stockholm

 Friday, September 4, 2026

We had a full day of touring Stockholm and learned so much about the country of Sweden and the city of Stockholm.  Sweden is the 5th largest country in Europe, about the size of California, and 68% of the country is forest.  Another thing that really surprised me is that Stockholm is made up of 14 islands and 37 bridges! It sits between the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren

There is water everywhere!

It was very busy in the city--there were several cruise ships in town.

We learned that Minecraft and Candy Crush were both invented in Stockholm!  Also, Stockholm was the site for several crime novels, including the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson.  Also noticed Sales force is in Stockholm too!

A main mode of transportation is a bicycle or scooter.  There were tons of them. They have the right of way...priority over pedestrians!  Look out!

We visited the Vasa Museum which houses a 17th century ship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. 

It is an intriguing story about how the ship was finally discovered and raised after nearly 300 years under water.  It is the largest fully intact ship ever salvaged.  98% is original.  

They are currently working to stabilize the structure from further deterioration due to age.

The depth and cold water helped preserve artifacts which have been able to provide a lot of information about the ship and its occupants.  

They think it was a design error...the ship was too tall and not wide enough to be stable.  The tragedy left us with history that we may not have had otherwise.

Following a yummy traditional lunch of Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam, we visited City Hall, a beautiful building (a bit "over the top" compared to most city halls) built in 1911-1923, during a time when the country was struggling.  

The top is adorned with 3 crowns, the national emblem of Sweden (and also the ice hockey team). 

City Hall is also the site of the banquet following the Nobel Prize award ceremony.  The ceremony is held at the Stockholm Concert Hall on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.  The banquet in the huge City Hall atrium has about 1300 guests, and the king and queen attend, with a grand entrance down the stairway.   (All Nobel Prizes (chemistry, physics, medicine, literature and economics) are awarded in Stockholm, but the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo.)  We also learned that Alfred Nobel discovered Nitroglycerin, and most of his wealth came from the invention of dynamite.

The city council meets the 3rd Monday of each month in a grand meeting room in City Hall. 

 City Hall has an ornate "gold room" with mosaics of gold leaf on all of the walls. A city entrepreneur (a relative of Saks, of Saks 5th Ave) provided funds to complete it.

Of particular interest was the section that included an American flag and the statue of liberty!

We did a quick walk through Old Town, seeing a lot of different things, including the Nobel Prize Museum, and a statue of George slaying the dragon.

We also saw the royal palace, complete with a guard on duty.

The cutest thing we saw was "Iron Boy", a small sculpture less than a foot tall in a courtyard.  Our guide helped us find him.  The boy is said to bring good luck, so people leave coins or mementos, and if you pat him, you will be sure to return to Stockholm!