Stockholm was the next stop on our Baltic adventure. I had no idea that the city was comprised of so many beautiful islands. We started our day by taking a taxi to Skansen, which advertises itself as the world’s largest outdoor museum. The lovely, hilly site features authentic traditional Swedish buildings, gardens, handicrafts, foods, and wonderful views.
Next, we took a ferry to Gamla Stan, the well-preserved, cobblestoned old town. Wandering the streets is a pleasure! There are loads of opportunities for street photography underneath charming arches and next to medieval buildings. After lunch in one of the town squares, we ended up at the Royal Palace. Of course I had to shoot the only female guard I’ve seen at the royal palaces that I’ve visited. The entrance to the Royal Chapel was most impressive.
One of the most unique and charming features I noticed at Stockholm Storkyrkan “The Great Church” Cathedral was the blue votive ship hanging from the ceiling. Apparently votive ships, sometimes called church ships is a ship model displayed in a church. They are traditionally constructed and given as gifts to the church by seamen and ship builders in the Scandinavian countries. The practice originates from Medieval times, in both Catholic and Lutheran countries.
While visiting, we lit a candle in honor of my dear sister-in-law Joanna. She passed away last year and lived in Sweden while growing up. It added a nice spiritual component to an otherwise very touristy, busy sightseeing day in this lovely Scandinavian capital. I would be happy to return here any day!