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It requires the talent of Hugh and Colleen Gantzer
{http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/riding-the-river-wave-22857} to be a good
traveller writer. But thanks to Wikipedia, Lonely Planet and Travel Flyers (that
adorn many hotel reception desks), an amateur like me also can attempt.
Seriously.
We visited Stockholm and fell in love with the city. It is an expensive
destination in Europe but offers a variety of choices for the discerning traveller
even on a honeymoon. For an Asian on budget and who does not intend to
drive (left-right confusion) in a foreign country this travel blog may be helpful.
We took our flight from London which was our base for travel around Europe
and UK this summer of 2014. We pre-booked the hotel from India itself
without which we could not have got the Schengen Visa, anyway. (There are
useful tips available with us if anyone of you is trying to get long term
Schengen for future visits to Europe.) Rest of the tours, including bus and
train travelling within the city, we booked before we left London. Stockholm
card allows you to travel on all modes limitless without the hassle of currency
coinage. Most of this you can buy online. Internet has made travel very
convenient, indeed.







Stockholm the capital of Sweden
Sweden reminds us of Bjorn Borg (tennis legend), Ingrid Bergman (star of
Casablanca), Stieg Larasson (Crime writer author of the girl with dragon
tattoo the trilogy) - to mention a few. Though we did not have had the
opportunity to meet any of them!
Stockholm is located on Sweden's south-central east coast, where the
freshwater Lake Malaren - Sweden's third largest lake - flows out into the
Baltic Sea. The central parts of the city consist of fourteen islands that are
continuous with the Stockholm archipelago. The geographical city center is
situated on the water, into the bay. Over 30% of the city area is made up of
waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces.



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Stockholm Metro
No blog of the city of Stockholm can be complete without the mention of its
metro: Stockholms
tunnelbana. Means tunnel
train. T symbol on the road
means that you have a metro
rail connection nearby. There
are three lines (Green, Red
and Blue), going through the
Stockholm City Centre. The
Transport lines are dug
through rock which are
evident in the stations, as they
have kept without plastering, leaving the raw rocky structure intact as is
evident in the pictures. About 100 stations form the network of tunnel trains
Murals & frescos adorn the walls of these rocks at stations.












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Public Transport
Stockholm is well connected public transport apart from tunnelbana there
are trams and buses which are ideal means of transport for visitors who would
want to see the city while travelling. The tunnelbana does not allow such
luxury as it chugs underground. The Stockholm card allows this freedom of
transport.



Bicycling
Bicycling to work is such a
common mode of travel that you
find executives suited and
booted take to cycling. It is a
pleasant sight to behold.
And they follow traffic rules as
you can see at the signal the
commuters waiting for the green.
The young girl is reading text while waiting at the traffic signal on a bike!
Canal/Bay Travel
Taking a boat tour of the city is a must. The Stockholm card is valid for many
such tours.
Travelling through
narrow canals, past
leafy shorelines
and many
interesting
buildings, you will
learn all about the
history of this
beautiful city and its
development from
early industrial to
Theie is only one tiam line. In
the city of Stockholm anu the
numbei is 7, why coulun't it
be 1 .
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modern times. One can travel under fifteen bridges and pass through two
locks connecting the Baltic Sea with Lake Malaren. The merge of the lake into
the sea is interesting.
Nybroplan is the boat station from
where the Archipelago tours
conducted by many operators which
are outside the purview of the
Stockholm card.
(http://www.stromma.se/en/Stockholm
/The-Archipelago/). But if you have the
money, inclination and stamina it is
worth taking these tours. Especially
the nearest archipelago island
30mins boat-ride from the city. It costs
SEK (Swedish Kroners) 130 per adult. That is quite some though we did not
venture spending that kind of money
Sights to see
Sweden's national theatre is a beautiful building located on the waterfront,
near the tram station at the bay.
The guided tours of Swedens national theatre starts at the main entrance and
moves through the elegant marble foyer and the main stage. A fascinating
look behind the scenes, including a visit to the theatres extensive wardrobes.













The Royal
Biamatic Theatei
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!%6-7.-
Skansen is the world's first open-air museum, founded in 1891. Here you can
stroll through five centuries of Swedish history, from north to south, with a real
sense of the past all around in the histori-cal buildings and dwellings, peop-led
by characters in period dress. It is a bit tiring going through all the buildings
that basically tell us about the way people of Sweden live and lived. The
majority of houses and farmsteads are from the 18th, 19th and early 20th
centuries. Some photos of the making of cinnamon cake are worth seeing,
though.












Spieauing the kneaueu uough
Spieauing the buttei - copious
amounts
Spieauing the cinnamon
powuei - the biown coloi ,
anu iolleu
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Skansen aiea apait fiom the open-aii museum also has a chiluien's
amusement paik, ABBA Nuseum anu }unibacken, the Stoiy Tiain.










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ABBA was a Sweuish pop gioup foimeu in Stockholm in 1972. ABBA is an
acionym of the fiist letteis of the banu membeis' fiist names . ABBA have
solu ovei S8u million albums anu singles woiluwiue, which makes them
one of the best-selling music aitists of all time, anu the seconu best selling
music gioup of all time.




Cut into shape - latei it is put
into the oven to bake
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Those of you who may have watcheu the movie
Namma Nia staiiing Neiily Stieep can
iecollect theii songs. Namma Nia as a musical
uiama is featuiing at Novella theatie in Lonuon
with houseful shows uay aftei uay. It is a must
visit foi any Lonuon Touiist.
NANNA NIA! is a feel-goou stoiy of love anu
iuentity, cleveily tolu thiough the timeless
songs anu gieatest hits of ABBA.
We misseu this museum as we uiu not have
time.



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This stoiy tiain takes you on an amazing jouiney thiough the magical faiiy
tale woilu of Sweuish caitoon chaiacteis - familiai to Sweuish chiluien.
We may not connect with these chaiacteis though. But the uesign of the
museum with the tiain iunning thiough tunnels with the stoiy being
unfolueu makes a gieat viewing.









D676 :,7.,(
The visit to Stockholm is not complete until one visits vasa Nuseum. It is actually
not a museum but a wieckeu ship iestoieu.
The vasa is the only pieseiveu seventeenth-centuiy ship in the woilu, anu a
unique ait tieasuie. Noie than 9S peicent of the ship is oiiginal, anu it is
uecoiateu with hunuieus of caiveu sculptuies.

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The 69 metei-long waiship vasa sank on its
maiuen voyage in the miuule of Stockholm in
1628, anu was salvageu SSS yeais latei in
1961. Foi neaily half a centuiy the ship has
been slowly, uelibeiately anu painstakingly
iestoieu to a state appioaching its oiiginal
gloiy. The thiee masts on the ioof outsiue the
specially built museum show the height of the
ship's oiiginal masts.















The Authoi at the vASA
The long shot of the Ship
The insiues of the iestoieu
ship, Seivants quaiteis, as
explaineu by the guiue seen
heie.
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A Biief Bistoiy of vASA
In 169S, King uustav II Auolf signeu a contiact to builu the ship. 0n the 1uth of
August, vasa commenceu hei maiuen voyage but heels ovei anu sinks in the
miuule of Stockholm haiboui aftei sailing baiely 1Suu meteis. Captain is
absolveu of the blame. No one is officially blameu foi the catastiophe. Attempts
to iaise the ship began immeuiately aftei anu continue but without success, until
19S6. By 1961 the final lift takes place anu vasa bieaks the suiface again aftei
SSS yeais. Aftei the inteiioi is excavateu, the ship is moveu into the piovisional
museum.




In 1988 a new vasa Nuseum is
constiucteu anu the iestoieu ship is
moveu. It officially opens to public in
199u.



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The Eiicsson ulobe
(oiiginally known as
the Stockholm ulobe
Aiena, The Eiicsson
ulobe is cuiiently the
laigest hemispheiical
builuing in the woilu
anu took two anu a
half yeais to builu.


The Replica of the Ship -
with piesumeu colois
when built.
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Shapeu like a laige white ball, it has a uiametei of 11u meties anu an innei
height of 8S meties. It has a seating capacity of 16,uuu spectatois foi shows anu
conceits.

Sky view is an exteiioi inclineu elevatoi which tianspoit passengeis onto the top
of the aiena. It has two spheiical gonuolas, each able to accommouate up to 16
passengeis, which tiavel along paiallel tiacks on the exteiioi of the south siue of
the globe.
You can watch visitois of one spheie to the othei spheie watching each othei
anu waving.
The puipose is of couise to give an aeiial view of the city of Stockholm.











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The City of Stockholm fiom the uL0BE
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The Stockholm Palace oi the Royal Palace (is the official iesiuence anu majoi
ioyal palace of the Sweuish monaich. Stockholm Palace is locateu in uamla Stan
(the olu town) in Stockholm.





The offices of the King, the othei membeis of the Sweuish Royal Family, anu the
offices of the Royal Couit of Sweuen aie locateu heie. The palace is useu foi
iepiesentative puiposes by the King whilst peifoiming his uuties as the heau of
state.







The City of Stockholm fiom the uL0BE
The palace fiom the Bus
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The changing of guaius-ceiemony is also helu heie though not with the same
pomp anu uiscipline of Buckingham Palace.







J,= K#".'
The blog is not complete if we uon't talk about the hotel we stayeu. This place
Fiiuhemsplan Botel anu Bostel as the name suggests is a buuget hotel anu
accommouates piivacy-neeueu couples with attacheu toilets, anu also bachelois
oi shoe-stiing buuget tiavelleis.











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It has a common
kitchen wheie one
can cook also, neaiby
stoies (711)
pioviues the
necessaiy gioceiies.
The kitchen is well
stockeu with the
cooking utensils anu
cutleiy to enable easy
usage. This is a boon
foi those who aie vegetaiians oi fussy with foou anu also with those who can't
affoiu the costly iestauiants.
But foi Inuians theie aie foui Inuian iestauiants about Suu-Suumtis walking
uistance fiom the hotel, so one neeu not cook.
---------------------------------------------------The Enu----------------------------------------









Some Stieet views
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