billbauer

We solved the lack of decaffeinated coffee in the hotel issue this morning as Beverly walked the one-half mile to Starbucks and back for her latte. Our first visit today is to the Town Hall of Stockholm. This is the chamber where the 101 members of town council meet.  The ceiling is designed to look like an upside down Viking ship. The Town Hall has many rooms designed to be used for official functions.  This hall is done with millions of gold leaf mosaics. The Blue Hall holds 1,300 for the Nobel banquet dinner. Then we take a boat ... to Drottningholm Palace, the summer home of the Swedish royal family.  The flags indicate that the royal family is in Sweden today but it is not known if they are in attendance at the Palace. But before going inside, we need to stop for lunch. Veal burger, mashed potatoes and lingonberries ... Inside the Palace is a leather tapestry and many chandeliers. The library ...  Beverly...

This morning I was up early again going for a photography walk around Gamla Stan while the light was good and before the tourists got in my way. I got to the Royal Palace early enough to watch the changing of the Swedish guard from the night guard in camp to the day guard in dress gear. We asked for "decaf coffee" at the hotel today for breakfast.  After we were assured that they had it, this is what they brought: instant coffee and hot water.  Hotel fail. Our first stop out today is at the Vasa Museum, a museum housing the preserved remains of a Swedish warship that sank in Stockholm Harbor on its inaugural voyage and remained unlocated for over 300 years. The ship is amazingly huge and I cannot get far enough away to take the whole ship into the frame even though I have a 28mm lens.  The ship was too top heavy and capsized. Then, of course, we need to stop for nourishment and have the traditional Swedish smorgasbord (a Swedish origin word...