A Day At The Museums

Riddarholm Church

My dad and I spent the morning wandering around Riddarholm Church which was built in the 13th century. This picture does not do justice to the building, so I suggest you google it and look at all the people who are clearly better photographers than I am with my iPhone 4S (yes I realize it's time for an upgrade!)

Royal Robe which I probably wasn't supposed to photograph

Then we walked through the streets of Gamla Stan so we could be at the royal palace before it opened. We toured through the treasury, located in the vault of the castle, which houses many of the royal crowns, swords and this beautiful robe worn by one of the queens on her coronation.

Tre Kronor Museum

We also walked through the Tre Kronor Museum which is located in the belly of the castle and tells the history of both castles that have sat on that site.

The Queen's throne

Then we headed upstairs to see the royal chapel before our guided tour of the royal apartments. Our guide led us through many of the ornate rooms of the castle and educated us on the history of the Swedish monarchy. The guided tour is about 45 minutes long and is included in the price of admission to the castle. I highly recommend it! One of the great things about the ticket to the castle is it grants you access to the Treasury, the Tre Kronor Museum, the Royal Apartments and Gustav III's Museum. There are free guided tours offered at designated times at each of the exhibits, and your ticket is good for 7 days, so you don't have to see it all at once. 

After we walked through the castle we headed across the street to the Royal Coin Cabinet, a museum that houses coins from all over the world. The funniest thing about this museum is that entrance is free, but you have to pay to use the washroom. The only thing unfortunate about the exhibits was that about 80% of the information was written only in Swedish. English explanations were few and far between. If you're a coin collector, or interested in the history of money in Europe than check it out.

Viking Helmet

Our next stop was the Swedish History Museum. It houses a Viking exhibit, some great hands-on exhibits for kids, a few long and vague films regarding Swedish history, as well as an exhibit about Christianity's influence on Sweden through the years. There's something fro the whole family here, from your kids, to that artsy aunt of yours who would probably scoff at my amateur iPhone photography.

After all that we had a very late lunch in the train station and went back to the hotel room to rest our feet. We came back out for a walk and found that it had rained while we were in our room. We walked through the freshly washed streets and found ourselves at the very Scandinavian Kebab House for dinner.  

Sightseeing in Stockholm

 Dad & I were awake early this morning. We headed upstairs and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the free breakfast. They even have a fresh squeezed orange juice machine! After breakfast we headed over to Gamla Stan (old town) and wandered through the cobblestone streets. We walked around the outside of the royal castle and down to the water and then back over to the hotel, because apparently nothing is open before 10 am, and it was barely 9. Back to the breakfast bar for another glass of OJ and another latte.

            

The cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan

Looking up to the palace from the water

 We decided that the best way to get around town was aboard one of the many double-decker tour buses that can be seen circling around the city. There are at least 3 different hop-on hop-off bus tour companies that operate in the city and they all seem to have free Wi-Fi. We picked Red Sightseeing Stockholm, because they have a combination ticket that allows you to hop on & off their buses and boats for 72 hrs.
 As we headed for the bus stop I ran into an old friend and his girlfriend from back in Vancouver. I knew he was going to be in Stockholm for work while I was here, which was a huge coincidence. An even bigger coincidence is that his hotel is only 2 blocks down from us! You know the saying, it really is a small world after all!

 After a 20 minute wait at the first stop we squeezed onto a fully loaded bus and scored the last two seats up top. We popped our free but ill-fitting ear bud headphones into our ears and dialed into the English channel. We heard all about the different buildings and bits of history along the way through Gamla Stan, Djurgarden, and all the way up to the cruise ship terminal at Frihamnen. We got off the bus, hopped on a boat and toured around the different islands that make up the city. We got off the boat at Djurgarden so we could check out the Vasa museum. Unfortunately for us, it seemed as though all the passengers that had come from the 4 large cruise ships in the port had all decided to head there too. After seeing the line up snake through the courtyard out front, we decided to check out the Nordic museum instead. The building of the Nordic museum is stunning, the exhibits inside are a little underwhelming. Lunch at the Nordic museum was good, and afterwards we headed back over to Vasa museum and walked right in. The Vasa museum houses the war ship Vasa that sailed, and sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship is impressive, and the lengths they've gone to to salvage and restore her is even more impressive! After that we got back on the bus and looped around to the train station, and got off just 2 blocks from our hotel.

The Nordic Museum Buiding

Vasa as viewed from the stern

 After a quick rest, dad & I headed out for a traditional Swedish dinner: Chinese food from Hong Kong Restaurant.
 Most museums and attractions seem to open around 10am, but Vasa museum opens at 8:30am (which we discovered too late to do us any good)

Hej from Stockholm!

Hej (hello) from Stockholm!

 This morning my dad and I hopped on the tram to the Götenburg central train station and boarded the high speed train to Stockholm. There is something special about train stations, they have more soul than airports, or maybe even a tiny bit of magic. The train itself was roomy inside, with plenty of leg room. The ride was smooth and almost silent, just a very faint hum from the engine. We enjoyed the sights of the lakes, trees and farmlands that lined our path. The trip took 3 hours, which seemed to go by quickly. I read my book and we visited the bistro car for a snack.

Once we arrived in Stockholm it took us a little while (and some wandering around in circles) to get our bearings. But once we found our hotel we had a decent handle on the lay of the land. We took the train to Djurgården and walked around. Stockholm is stunning!

Tomorrow we are going to take a sight seeing tour around the city, so tonight we are taking it easy in out tiny little hotel room. OUr room is 1 level below the ground. It has no windows and it's a bit of a shoebox, but hopefully no daylight means a good night's rest.

My Thoughts on Flying Solo

I have been flying by myself since I was sixteen & my mom sent me over to visit my cousins in England. I was excited about venturing out on my own, and I've kept that attitude for the last 17 years. This is the 5th time I've taken a solo trip; after England, I flew to India & back by myself (but traveled with my husband's family once I got there) San Francisco, and Jamaica. Some people hate traveling alone, and I get that, but I find it way easier. You only have to worry about yourself and you get to set the pace of your travel day. I also find that flight attendants are that much kinder to you - if there's an open seat or two, I usually get to move over and stretch out. This trip was no different, I was seated in a row of four, and my lovely flight attendant asked if I wanted to move over to an empty row of two with a window seat, score! All was great, until some woman decided that she was going to switch seats and sit right next to me, bummer! Oh well, I still got the window seat, I just couldn't put my feet up & fall asleep. My flight from Paris to Gothenburg was over sold, and they were asking people to take the later flight instead. I took comfort in thinking they wouldn't bump me, since what good is only one seat to them. I was right, or someone else took the compensation willingly & flew out later, either way I got on the plane and settled in next to a friendly older man from Philadelphia. Your bags seem to come out faster when you only have to wait for one! So off I was in Gothemburg with my baggage and was met in the greeting area by my dad. Another successful solo trip! Sure there are a few downsides; I find it hard to fall asleep in the airport by myself, but I have my little method of stacking my bags and using my purse as a pillow, so I can rest. I guess the most important thing about traveling solo or in a big group is your attitude. If you can laugh at the bad stuff, and smile to everyone around you, you will have a great trip; if you're stressed and irritated, then things aren't going to go you way. Have a plan in place, but be prepared for some additional adventures along the way!

Departing YVR

Well after a tearful goodbye to my little guys (and my big guy) I was dropped off at YVR. I checked in, cleared security and started to wander around the International Departures terminal. It dawned on me that I usually connect through Toronto, or fly out of the U.S. departures terminal, and I haven't been over to this side in a really really long time! I treated myself to breakfast at Milestones, bought Tina Fey's book at the newsstand, topped up my travel insurance policy (I'm covered for 8 day trips annually, but had to purchase my extra 3 days,) checked out the big fish tank, and got a cartoon drawn of myself riding a bear. The cartoonist is here every Friday, and is hilarious, and free! He's paid by YVR for their Fly Away Friday promos, along with different discounts on lounge fees and sales at the duty free shop. Apparently YVR is the place to be on a Friday!

                

Sam's Packing List

Hi everyone!

Well I checked the weather forecast and it looks like I'm in for a mix of sun and rain, which translates to even more outfit options! My suitcase is a mixed bag of shorts, linen pants (a must have for almost any of my trips!) jeans, 2 sun dresses, 2 bathing suits and a plethora of different tops, as well as a raincoat I just picked up at Costco (only $28.00!). I'll also be bringing along my runners, flip flops, and a pair of flats. This will be the first trip I can recall that I'm not packing at least 1 pair of heels, but I don't think I'll be going out dancing, since I'll be with my Pops!

          

 In my toiletry bag I have my Consonant sunscreen, my PRTTY Peaushun miracle lotion (does everything from moisturize & tighten, to repel pesky mosquitoes, all while  adding a little sparkle & glow!) some other creams & bathroom essentials, as well as the all important body glide anti-chaffing, anti-blister stick. That little blue stick was my savior whilst in Jamaica, and at home. Rub it on your feet and you avoid blisters, rub it on your thighs and no more thigh chaffing (not all of us were blessed with the thigh gap.)

 And then there's my carry-on. I always bring my biggest purse, as well as a carry-on suitcase. That way I have plenty of room for snacks, a water bottle (that I fill up after security) some trashy magazines, my laptop, a travel pillow & blanket or pashmina shawl, some warm socks, eye mask, and my new favorite travel accessory - my noise cancelling headphones. They work awesome and they come in a handy little case too!

You can get the sunscreen and PRTTY Peashun here, as well as a re-usable water bottle: Sam's favorite store ever
The headphones can be found here:noise cancelling headphones

Sam's Swedish Adventure - the prolougue

Hello All!

Sam here.

My dad recently took a 6 month job posting in Sweden, so naturally, being the loving and supportive daughter I am, jumped at the opportunity to hop on a plane and spend some quality father-daughter time while exploring Scandinavia. I think the trip will be a little more National Lampoon European Vacation, rather than a Norman Rockwell painting, so I figured why not let you follow along and enjoy some laughs along the way!

My first step was to buy my ticket. I book tickets for you guys on a daily basis, but I forgot about the tiny moment of terror/ excitement that happens when you click the 'confirm' button. I found some decent flights with good connection times (4 hrs in Paris on the way there, and 2 hrs in Amsterdam on the way home) and so I booked them! As soon as I clicked confirm, the terror & excitement buzzed through my body. That gave way to two conflicting feelings, the traveler in  me was ready to pack my bags, grab my passport & go, but the mom in me started to fret over the little details of leaving my husband and 2 boys, aged 4 and 6 for 11 days (the longest I've been gone from them.) I made mental notes about stockpiling their favorite snacks, cleaning their Tae Kwon Do uniforms, and making sure my husband knows where their CareCards are kept. I think my list is getting shorter (although I seem to be completing one task and adding another) and the time is ticking down.

I'll be packing my bags tomorrow, and sharing my can't live without items, as well as my penchant for over packing (you can never have too many options, right?!) So I guess I'll talk to you guys tomorrow.

Sweet dreams xoxo

Sam