Gammla Stan

Gammla Stan, or Stockholm’s Old Town, is a charming mix of the regal, the quaint, and the touristy kitsch. For me, starting in any European city’s Old Town is the place to start to get a sense of the city, its origins, and its heritage. So, day 1 of “Stockhlom vacation 2007” began here.

Gammla Stan is the home of Stockholm’s Royal Palace including the State Apartments, Slottsbacken (Palace Church) and Royal Treasury. Today, Sweden’s royal family lives outside the city (palace tour for another day, so stay tuned), so much of this palace is used only for ceremonial purposes, state affairs, museums of the Royal Family, and of course, a major sightseeing stop. Our first day included beautiful weather and a view of the changing of the guard. Subsequent trips back to Gamma Stan for further sightseeing resulted in the varying weather as seen in the photos.

The Royal Palace, also known as Kungliga Slottet.











All things “guard-like”…the changing of the guard, guard-houses, etc.









The palace and old town from a distance…





Storkyrkan, Stockholm’s 15th century Gothic cathedral where Swedish kings were crowned from the 15th century to as late as 1907. Today’s main attraction is the wooden status of St. George slaying the dragon.













Gammla Stan's square known as Stortorget containing its very old merchant houses.



The crooked streets and alleys of Gammla Stan.







The “narrowest” street in Stockholm.



Military band concert in Gammla Stan.



Budman and Hachie Gal enjoying the cafes of Gammla Stan.





On the fringe of Gammla Stan sits the baroque Operan, of opera House. Known probably as much as for its restaurants as for its music.

To my surprise, one of Stockholm’s greatest assets is Skargarden, an archipelago consisting of more than 25,000 islands. Many of these islands are uninhabited…some are closer in to Stockholm proper…others are more remote, turning into rugged, rocky islets. Thus, on every tourist’s top 5 list of things to see and do in Stockholm should include a tour through the archipelago.

Our first foray into the waters and islands of Skargarden was a bust. We made the unfortunate choice of picking a one-hour ferry boat trip to Vaxholm. If you are going to enjoy a leisurely troll through the blue waters and islands around Stockholm, you probably want to sit outside and enjoy the sun and views. Sadly, upon boarding the first boat, it was so crowded, we could not even turn around on the upper deck, let alone find a seat from which to enjoy a view of the area. Quickly boarding and then de-boarding, we re-selected a 2-hour circuitous route through the archipelago. Perfect!

So, the sights of Skargarden upon departure from the harbour at Nybrokajen, the Grand Hotel, and Grona Lund Tivoli.







Leaving the harbor proper....







Some of the more inhabited islands...notice the many houses painted in the traditional Swedish red.









Out in the archipelago....





Returning to the harbor....

Finally, the Sweden photos

Finally getting around to posting the Sweden photos…sorry for the delay for those who have been asking. They’re coming…a bit every day…

Our flight into Stockholm airport...amazing.

lost ticket

For those of you who have not read yesterday's blog entry, start there first and then pop up today's post. SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

Pursuant to last evening's help desk debacle, I received a lovely email overnight on my help desk question. Apparently, my trouble ticket was lost in the deep dark black forest. A evil spell appears to have been cast on this issue.

It is not always a fairy tale

Let's just say, I will not go into the details but the gest...well,I think you'll understand my frustration. And laugh a bit just like I did...after a fashion.

This evening I needed some PC/technical support. Won't tell you what I needed, the company I was calling, or the specifics of my request. I had, however, exhausted the limits of my technology skills and needed to call (literally) upon the expertise of a help desk.

Now, I am intimately familiar with the concepts of help desks and outsourcing so it came as no surprise that while I had dialed an in-country German help desk telephone number, my call was routed to an off-shore location. India, to be exact.

My question seemed simple enough - "How can I do X?" I'd estimated 15 minutes max to be talked through the steps so that I could handle my issue in the future. You know the expression, "Teach a man to fish, and you'll feed him for life."

How I had the patience to last the first 40 minutes, I haven't a clue. I realized early on that my help desk agent...her name, you ask? Cinderella...I kid you not...was missing more than just one glass slipper. Well, Cinderella wasn't going to snag her Prince Charming anytime soon. Let's just say, her fairy godmother needed to pop on over and waive her wand, "Ala-ca-dabra", and grant that girl some help desk training. I got nowhere...fast.

After realizing that Cindy was not going to be the ticket to the Prince's ball, I asked to be referred to one of her colleagues or a supervisor who might have a bit more insight. Well, I was passed along to ...Goldi...yes, in true fairy tale fashion. Could Goldi (a.k.a Goldilocks) solve the mystery of the help desk question before the three bears arrived home?

Answer...no. The good news is that I opened a trouble ticket and someone will call me back with an answer. I am hoping the seven dwarves are available, and "whistling while they work", can solve my dilemma.

I'd be embarassed, too!

These are the things I miss about living in Asia. Only in Asia (this time, Thailand specifically), do these things occur.

New punishment is in force for Thai police officers who act "waywardly", (i.e. bring shame upon the profession of law enforcement). Examples of this could be parking in the wrong spot, coming into work late, or throwing a piece of litter on the ground. So, rather than getting a citation in the personnel folder, a fine or ticket, or even "extra duty" of some sort, police officers face the shame and guilt by ...wearing pink armbands with the "hello kitty" logo. Wow, now that is indeed discipline at its finest!

Apparently, macho police officers find it a bit embarassing. I must confess, even I'd be embarassed to don the "hello kitty" insignia on any of my apparel.

Pink armbands for misdemeanors; stronger measures could be next for corruption and extrajudicial killings. What could be the punishment for these crimes? Mickey Mouse hats with ears?

It just occurred to me...

After 2 1/2 years of European train travel, I can now say this is the first time I have ever been asked to show my passport when travelling across national borders via rail. In this day and age of global travel, it is not surprising that these checks are really "spot checks" and no longer contain the rigor of the immigration contols and border crossing requirements that many of us experienced prior to the formation of the EU. So, I was kinda surprised when the very polite NL police official even asked to see my passport!

What did surprise me is that he questioned my passport photo. Not in words so much, as in his demeanor. As he scrutinized my photo, looked at me, scrutinized my photo again, and then looked at me again, I began to wonder "What else can I show him to prove I am who I say I am". He then held up my passport to the side of my face and compared the photo to my face. So, showing my drivers license was not going to help as that photo shows still a different hairstyle and color.

Observation: either, he is not married (or his significant other does not change her look very often). I mean, one is apt to change her hair style and hair color in 8 years. Ladies, am I wrong here? I don't think so.

What was even more baffling was the fact that the young Canadian college student sitting next to me had left her passport in Germany. Now, how can that happen when you are travelling internationally and are taking a train to another country, such as The Netherlands? Anyway, it apparently does happen. So, after the questioning looks re: my passport photo (yes, remember, I was the compliant one and was at least carrying my passport!), Mr. Police Man says, "I will let it go this time, and let you on through, rather than sending you back to Germany".

Not to get on my soapbox, but I get the evil eye while Suzy-Q gets a free pass to Amsterdam. On the words of Monopoly, please pass GO - please collect 200 dollars. OK, the fact that she was 18-22 years old, a single female, and batted her eyelids at him and said, "please, Officer, please let me pass" probably made a bit of a difference. I am clearly no longer able to utilize that ploy....

Bern

OK, this is a town that I’d could return to and putzed through the many streets and shops, nooks and crannies, and antique shops. It was lucky the stores were closed on Sunday, which was the day we visited, that is all I can say. Besides being a charming city, Bern is also the home of Switzerland’s national government/parliament.

A river runs through it…Bern, that is. Could the water look any more surreal?









The many fountains and statues of Bern.













A view of Bern from the hills…man, it was a humid day that day, but the walk to the top was well worth it.



Hachie Gal takes a break…



THE church in Bern.



Martin’s boyhood home.



The streets of Bern.



One of the many squares in Bern.



Bern clock tower.

Zurich Part Deux

Having been to Zurich once before, we took the pace a bit slower, given that we’d already completed "Zurich 101". It was a gorgeous weekend, with lots of shopping, food and beverage breaks, and touring about. In no apparent order…

A little bit of sightseeing,









(PS – this church is the home of the Chagall stained glass windows).



a few beverage breaks,



and shopping.

Weekend in Zurich

Well, I am way overdue on posting of photos and stories from travels. We've seen some great things, visited with friends and family, and just plain had fun. First, and in order of occurrence, there was the weekend in Zurich, orchestrated by the fabulous hosts, Martin and Stefan. Lovely meals, a FAB Natalie Cole concert, summer sales, and a trip to the charming city of Bern.

Highlights of the weekend:

Dinner and sunset in Zurich.







"this will be, an everlasting love"...a.k.a. Natalie Cole.







Zurich and Bern photos to follow.