Södermalm - Stockholm's hipster ville . . .

Södermalm while it is now hipster town, in the 1600s it was the poorest part of Stockholm. You can get some of the best views of the city from this part though I only took ones that overlook the island with the best museums which sadly I did not have time to visit.

While most of the tour is modern parts of the city, there were two stops that was an older part - though a bit dark. The first part where were they rounded up witches which apparently became a thing when children lied that their parents were practicing the black arts.

The other is near Katarina Church which was originally constructed from 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s.

The street the photos were taken from is the other dark part - the executioner's house. 

The tour ends at Mariatorget square which I think is most famous because ABBA owns a couple of restaurants on the square - didn't see them though.

After two walking tours, it was time for a rest. Since I was staying in hipster ville, it was a short trip.

Checking out Stockholm - Gamla Stan

Instead of spending Reunification in Berlin, I took off to Sweden for a long weekend. I packed in a number of things including two city walking tours in one day! Stockholm is divided into a number of areas (and 16 islands!), each with its own uniqueness. 

I started with the Old Town tour which is known as Gamla Stan. While the tour doesn't start here, it is where it really begins - Gustav Adolfs Torg square. This is considered the centre of Stockholm thus all distances are measured from this point.

The statue in the middle of the square is of Gustav II Adolfs who ruled Sweden from 1611 to 1632. He is considered one of the greatest military commanders of all time and is given credit for making Sweden a Great Power - particularly during the Thirty Years war. The square also houses the Opera House and a number of government ministries. 

Across the street is the Royal Palace which was our next stop. The palace is undergoing renovations so the photos are not very comprehensive.

Mostly the tour guide focused on the current royal family and that they all married commoners - best way is too be super rich. The one historical story he covered was that of Princess Margaret of Connaught, first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf. Crown Princess Margareta had trouble  with her ears and during this time, while expecting her sixth child, she passed away from what is believed to be a stroke on 1 May 1920.  Prime Minister Hjalmar Branting who was holding his 1 May speech on Gärdet, and announced to the crowd: “Our Crown Princess is dead”. There are numerous stories about her haunting the area, including from the church instead the compound, and possibly something related to her husband never having children again but it seems these are just stories.

Past the castle in a small courtyard near the Finnish Church there is the smallest statue in Stockholm. Järnpojke or Iron Boy is sitting so he looks at the moon and apparently if you rub his head and leave something for him while making a wish, your wish will come true. In the winter they even put a scarf and toque on him.

Next stop on the tour was Stortorget square. It is the oldest square in Stockholm and probably he most famous. One of the buildings in the square has a cannonball in it which rumour has it dates back to the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520, when it was fired at the Danish king Christian Tyrant. 

From there we winded our way through the smaller streets of the area to see some older homes which still keep their original looks and styles. We even went down the narrowest street in the city!

With not stop in between, it was off to Söder . . .

A weekend in Toronto

Yes I flew to TO for the weekend – even the customs agent thought I was a bit insane but it was for a good cause, the Chan Wedding! Chan 1 and Chan 2 finally tied the knot. 

Without even knowing I prepped on the plane by watching  the new Beauty and the Beast movie – turned out it was the theme of the wedding ;)

I also got to hang out with some awesome people while I celebrated this happy occasion.

There was also some chicken and waffles so all and all a success!

Rome for a quick business trip

Instead of G20, I was off to Rome for G7. I was only there for one day of meetings but arrived early enough to check out some of the sites. I had been to Rome a couple of times but it had been 18 years since I was there last. There are definitely a lot more people than I remember but otherwise the sites still looked as they did way back then!

Our hotel was at the top of the Spanish steps with a nice view of the Villa Borghese Park.

Our mini tour took us to the Spanish Steps, the Fountain of Trevi (which is my persona favourite!), the Victor Emmanuel Monument and then past the ruins to the Coliseum.

And of course we had to stop for a refreshment in between!

The Waterfront of Straslund

Since the weather wasn't terrible I took a stroll along the waterfront . . .

 

Of course I had to stop and refuel . . .

Before I continued my tour . . .

When it rained, I took shelter in one of the top rated museums in Europe - the Ozeaneum. It's a cross between a museum and an aquarium. These were the penguins but I liked the view so thought it was cool shot.

Next up - one of the oldest parts of the city the Heilgeist area which includes a church and a street of traditional buildings.

Last stop was the Frankenteich . . .