Stockholm walk

Today marked the last country we visited on our Baltic Sea cruise, but more impressively, it also marks the 50th country that DawnO has visited.  I have only been to a measly 39.  Technically we have both been to more, but we don’t count it if it’s only an airport stop.  So number 50 for DawnO was Sweden.  We docked at Stockholm and, as we do, we left the other tourists to board their packed buses while we used the local city transit system.  We decided to begin our day in a neighbourhood called Södermalm, just south of the city centre.

This trendy spot offers cool coffee shops, a hipster vibe and breathtaking views of Gamla Stan (city centre), which can be seen after you climb to the top of the Södermalm heights.

We made our way across the bay on foot into the city centre and were greeted by this sign at the halfway point:

Once we reached Gamla Stan we did our usual walkabout of local churches and statues via winding cobblestone streets.

We didn’t have much of an itinerary but there was one place we made sure we visited, the Nobel Prize Museum.

The prizes themselves are actually awarded in Oslo, Norway, the museum is located in the heart of Stockholm.  It details the history and accomplishments of all prize winners and features a collection of prize winning memorabilia.  Currently they are featuring a Martin Luther King exhibit.

When we entered the building, DawnO immediately went over to the café area and started flipping the chairs over. I had no idea what the hell she thought she was doing, but apparently prize winners are asked to sign the bottoms of the chairs they sit on in the museum cafe. Once she explained that I became her mother flipping accomplice.  And look who we found…

Probably one of my favourite Nobel Prize winning POTUSes, even though his Peace prize was controversial at the time. My grandma from rural Saskatchewan went to the grave believing his name was Baracko Bama.  Suffice it to say, Grandma never received a Nobel Prize.