Adventures with friends

Judy. A week before we went to Stockholm to visit Malou, Björn, and Mikaela, they called to find out what we wanted to see and do while staying there. We explained no excursions were necessary; we just enjoy talking, eating, and exploring good wines. All three are a given, as we never run out of subjects to talk about, and food and wine are important to all of us.

Of course they made plans. And plans about food. During the day we tried fabulous restaurants, and at night, Björn and Malou worked magic in their kitchen, matching each meal with lovely wines.

On our first full day, we visited Drottningholm, a garden estate where the king and family often reside. (He was home that day, but we weren't invited in!) The beauty of this spot is that, with the exception of areas marked off for the royal family, it is open to the public, and on this gorgeous Sunday, many families were strolling the grounds, taking in the sun. In a part of the forest, there is the "Chinese Pavilion", built in the mid-eighteenth century, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Much like the Petit Trianon at Versailles, it was a playhouse for the royals. The attention to detail is stunning, with each room decorated in a different color palate. We were lucky enough to find a guide who pointed out all kinds of interesting quirks--like that the "Chinese" figurines were mostly European copies, since the real Asian figurines were far too expensive!

The immaculate, but much loved and used Drottningholm grounds

The green room in the Chinese Pavilion

The lovely Chinese Pavilion

Björn captured the four of us enjoying the sunshine

There are over 260,000 islands in Sweden - who knew? So one day we took a ferry to explore the largest group which is called the Stockholm Archipelago. Our journey ended at the island of Vaxholm, a fishing village that at one time held an important military fort that protected Stockholm. We wandered the village, ate a traditional Swedish meal, then headed back. Much to our delight, the ferry home was an old steamship from 1908, refurbished and now listed as a National Treasure.

Map of our ferry journey

Lovely homes nestled on the island

The fortress still stands

Yum!

Our steam ferry home

Relaxing with Malou in a salon of the ferry

Björn enjoying the ride

Our last big outing was to the university town of Uppsala--actually where Mikaela attended university. We started at Gamla Uppsala, or "Ancient Uppsala", residence and burial place of kings of the Yngling Dynasty in the 3rd century, and later the location of the "Thing of All Swedes", or the General Assembly. Don't let the simple, grass-covered mounds fool you. This is a beautiful and important historical area. And, of course, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mounds said even to house Odin!

We drove into the city, where Mikaela showed us the student quarter, her old stomping grounds. After a short walk along the river, we ate riverside from the fanciest food hall I've ever visited! Before heading home, we ducked into the Cathedral of St. Lars. As tall and massive as other European cathedrals, it surprises with its light colors and paintings. We were enthralled with its simplicity and elegance. Coming around a corner, I was stopped by a sculpture called "Maria Returns", by artist Anders Widoff. His vision was of the return of Mary in modern times, and how she might see the world. Quite moving.

The lightness of the Cathedral is uplifting

The baptistry

Return of Maria

Ted and Malou were particularly excited to find the grave of Carl Linnaeus, 18th century physician and scientist who gave us the way of naming all living species. You no doubt learned his system in biology class. A physician as well, he used his own body as the type specimen for homo sapiens. 

Tomb of Linnaeus

Malou and Mikaela pose with an ancient stone outside the Cathedral

On our last day, Mikaela took Ted and me for a walk in the woods outside her apartment. What a surprise to find ourselves so quickly in a quiet forest! It's just another example of how important the outdoors is to the Swedish people.

10 minutes from the apartment

Would we have seen all this or learned all these things without our dear friends who love and are so proud of their country? Maybe, probably not. Even if we had, we'd not have understood how precious and important all these aspects of this beautiful country are. We'd not have known about the delicious authentic Swedish foods. And I'm not sure we'd ever have tried all the wines Björn pulled from his collection. We'd not have laughed so much, and deepened an already strong friendship. 

Malou, Björn, Mikaela, thank you. When can we come back?