Beautiful Stockholm

by Steve W

Having now spent several months in Europe and in some of the major cities, I have to say that Stockholm is the most beautiful and welcoming city we have been in so far. Aside from the fact that the people are extremely friendly (and most speak English), the architecture of this Old World city is stunning. This is due somewhat to the fact that Stockholm was not bombed and/or leveled during World War II, so the old buildings are really old and not just recreations of what stood there before the war.

The city is easy to get around, due to an excellent public transportation system that ranges from shuttles from the airport into the center of town to a subway system that is easy to navigate, as well as buses and trams that go all over town on the same ticket, so transferring between them is easy. Tickets for individual trips can be purchased at every subway station and on the buses and trams, or a transit card can be loaded with a certain amount of money and just scanned. Even though expensive relative to other cities we have been in, the transit system offers a senior discount, which made it more affordable for us.

The city is an archipelago, a series of islands, small and large, bound together by roads and bridges, and the presence of rivers and lakes gives it a beauty that is hard to believe until seen in person. The views from land across the water and from the water to land show how the two elements have merged into a landscape that is both functional and gorgeous.

A hotel on the archipelago

Mixing old with new.

We took a three-hour boat trip (a three-hour tour?) on the waterways from the center of town to Vaxholm, a resort town on the water, which can be reached by boat or by land. Across a small channel is an armory that was used to defend Stockholm from intruders.

We saw many beautiful houses along the water, some of which may be in danger if water levels continue to rise.

Too close if the water rises?

Stockholm has a number of museums and attractions that kept us busy during our week in the city. No, we did not visit the ABBA Museum, but we still saw many interesting sites. One of the museums is dedicated to the warship ship "Vasa", which sank in the Stockholm harbor 20 minutes into its maiden voyage in 1628 due to design flaws that made it too narrow and top heavy so that a light breeze filled the sails and literally blew it over. Submerged over 100 feet down, salvage efforts began in the 1950s, bringing to the surface cargo, artifacts and skeletal remains of some of the 30-50 people who died in the wreckage. Based on examinations of the skeletons, the museum forensic curators have fashioned ideas about each person whose skeleton was found, including their ages, heights and whether they were workers or just visitors to the ship.

After the salvage efforts, the process began to to raise the ship from the harbor, requiring tunnels dug under the ship so that supports could be inserted underneath to be able to lift the ship from the water. Remarkably, due to the brackish water caused by fresh water from rivers mingling with the salt water from the Black Sea, the ship is in surprisingly good condition. Years have been spent in preservation efforts, such as treating the wood with paraffin wax and chemicals to maintain its structural integrity.

A comparison of a scale model of the ship with the actual ship itself shows that the designs and decorative carvings on the ship's hull are accurate, even with the colors having faded over time while the ship was submerged. The museum has a short film that documents the recovery efforts and is well worth the 20 minutes spent to watch it.

It also features statues of Swedish warriors and sailors.

Channeling my inner "Sven"

During the week, we took a break from sightseeing and met with friends Anders Mörén and his wife Raila, who graciously invited us to their home for dinner. Meeting us at the train station, we proceeded to walk through a beautiful park on the way to their home. In their yard, they are growing many fruits and vegetables, some of which were served with grilled fish for dinner. Having a delicious home cooked meal is quite the treat for us road warriors, who have been eating in hotels and restaurants for months now. Good food, good conversation and good friends - who could ask for more?

We spent a day at Skansen, the world's oldest open air museum. Built in 1891, it contains replications of various "craft" shops, like blacksmiths, weavers, glass blowers, etc. as well as buildings transported from other regions of Sweden to show how life in Sweden looked in days past.

In keeping with some traditions, the food choices were unique (to say the least).

Skansen also had a small zoo, featuring animals from the Nordic territories.

Whooo the hell are you looking at?

A real wolverine, not Hugh Jackman.

I say, I say, go away boy, you bother me!

Pix and videos of a wolf with pups, and a lynx. (In some cases, videos may not be playable in email or on certain mobile devices.)

Mama Wolf

We found it funny that, because the city is so close to water, we saw seabirds perched on the heads of many of the statues in town.

We saw several statues of St. George slaying a dragon.

Here are some more pictures of this beautiful city.

The Grand Hotel. When Pres. Obama stayed there, the US took up the entire hotel.

A modern house on the archipelago.

Entrance to the Royal Gardens

Don't do this.

One of the interesting things about visiting Stockholm in the summer is that the sun rises about 4 AM and doesn't set until about 10 PM. On the flip side, during winter, there are only about 5-6 hours of sunlight each day. We may go back in the winter to see how affects us. Come join us!

Budapest

by Rosemary

Metro stations in Budapest are reached by long, steep, high-speed escalators that run twice as fast as any escalator I've ever seen before. Usually the ceilings are so low that, from the top, it's impossible to see the bottom. The first time we encountered one, I couldn't get on it. Steve was already on the way down (and out of sight) before he realized I wasn't with him. I took a deep breath and made a second (and third and fourth) pass at the thing, but I just couldn't bring myself to set foot on it. The station supervisor saw my dilemma. He locked his office, took my arm, and got on the escalator with me. It was still scary, but it worked. In the meantime, Steve was on the way back up, so we passed each other going in opposite directions. I never really got used to those escalators, but I was able to manage them by hanging on to Steve whenever we descended into the Metro.

The river cruise was a much better ride.

A sculpture under the Margaret Bridge.

Buda and Pest (pronounced "Pesht") were once separate cities on opposite sides of the Danube River. In 1873, they were united (along with a third city, Obuda). Today, each side still has its own character. Like the majority of tourists, we spent most of our time in Pest, but went to Buda to visit Castle Hill.

Looking from Pest toward Buda.

Looking from Buda toward Pest.

Matthias Church (on Castle Hill) was built in the 13th century.

St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary, is remembered with this huge equestrian statue near the church.

The interior of the church is elaborately decorated.

The oldest capital in the church was built in 1260. It is Hungary's oldest stone carving still in its original location.

This larger than life Hussar stands guard outside the former castle.

There were some real guards on duty, but this one was a mannequin.

Back in Pest, we visited St. Stephen's Basilica. This church houses my new favorite relic, the moldering right hand of St. Stephen. It occupies a place of honor in an elaborate reliquary. To get a good look at the hand, someone must put a coin in a nearby slot to make the light come on for a couple of minutes. Everyone gathers around to take pictures.

St. Stephen's right hand (or what's left of it).

Interior of the church, completed in 1905.

Inside the Black Madonna Chapel.

Budapest has many grand buildings. One of the most impressive is the Parliament building, completed in 1904 after nearly 20 years of construction.

In front of Parliament is this huge sculpture group honoring the leaders of the 1848 revolution against the Austrian Empire. Unfortunately for them, the revolution failed; that is probably why they look so downcast.

Walking around town made us hungry, so we went to the Great Market Hall, where we had some delicious apple strudel. For groceries and snacks (as well as cheap souvenirs), this is the place to go. They have every possible kind of paprika.

Monuments, memorials, and works of art are everywhere in Budapest. Heroes Square is home to the Millennium Monument, where gigantic sculptures celebrate Hungarian history. Sadly, when we were there, the square was full of scaffolding and bleachers in preparation for a special event, and it was off-limits to foot traffic, so we could see only a few statues, from a distance.

Árpád is followed by six other Magyar chieftans.

The angel Gabriel holds St. Stephen's crown.

A symbolic chariot.

In another part of town, this statue commemorates the 19th century poet Mihaly Vörösmarty.

Of course, some sculptures are just for fun, like this whimsical jester near the river.

The Fat Policeman is popular with both tourists and locals.

All over town, there are plaques on the sides of buildings, honoring writers, artists, musicians, politicians, religious leaders, and historical figures. They often have hooks below them where people can leave wreaths and bouquets. I don't know who this guy is, but his plaque is certainly creative.

We visited the city's Great Synagogue. It was built in the mid 1880s, and Franz List played the organ at the building's inauguration. After the Holocaust, the building fell into neglect. It was repaired and refurbished during the 1990s and is now an active place of worship. Upstairs is the Hungarian Jewish Museum. Outside is a cemetery where over 2000 Jews who died of starvation and disease during the Nazi occupation of 1944-45 were buried in a mass grave. The "Tree of Life" sculpture by Imre Varga has over 4000 leaves, each one inscribed with the name of a Holocaust victim. New leaves are added regularly.

The most moving memorial in Budapest is "Shoes on the Danube." In 1944, under Nazi occupation, thousands of Jews were deported to death camps. It wasn't happening fast enough for the Arrow Cross, the puppet government, so many people were murdered on the banks of the Danube, where their bodies fell into the water. These empty iron shoes represent those who died here.

Although I knew these shoes are symbolic, I couldn't help but imagine them as having been worn by real people, some of whom might have stepped out of them in that final moment, in the vain hope of somehow floating to safety.

Across the river is the Liberty Statue, erected in 1947 to celebrate liberation from Nazi rule.