It is a beautiful day in Stockholm! We had a lovely drive yesterday through Sweden’s lake country while we tried to remember the names of the four largest lakes in Sweden. We stopped for lunch at a lovely monument celebrating the peace between Sweden and Norway in 1814, built in 1914 and will be celebrated in a special way in 2014. We decided that we will all come back for that! A highlight of the day was the Mariefred castle with its unique and beautiful theater. After we sang a song, guides and others requested we sing another – so we did. Anna spotted a moose on the way, verified by several others, but we’re not sure Ron believed her. Skansen all seemed uphill, even though we did eventually get down to the bus. We enjoyed eating Swedish meatballs and ice cream with strawberries – Jim was especially satisfied as he has a need for ice cream.
Today we went through the City Hall, a beautiful old building still used for many special occasions. Our guide was a lovely young woman bedecked in a real flower laurel to celebrate Midsummer, which is a big celebration here. Traffic was streaming out of Stockholm yesterday as folks went to their “huts” or lake cottages, etc. The Old City Town was lovely. Then, we had time on our own – the shoppers shopped, the hungry ate, the weary rested and repacked for the flight tomorrow. A good day and everyone is well. We said goodbye to Daniel and great bus driver and hope we meet him again. He said he wished every group was like ours!
~ John & Naomi Lederach
