Barnett Vicarious Adventures: August 23, 2013 – Baltic Cruise

We arrive in Stockholm on another clear, sunny day with a high temperature of 70 degrees. Are we getting lucky with weather or what. It could just as easily have been below 50 this time of year. The people are delighted with the late summer weather.

Above, a replica Viking ship anchored in the harbor. Another very clean seaside city, but we also found it to be very expensive.

Above, the Swedish Parliament building with a Swedish Guard outside the entrance below.

Above, Elaine at one of the many bridges. Stockholm, like Venice is a city built upon a number of islands, but the islands making up this city are much larger than the islands in Venice.

Swedish Opera House.

Below, views of the Old Town section of Stockholm.

Royal Palace of Sweden.

Street Performer in the green costume appears to be in the air above the one on the street

Changing of the guard at the Swedish Palace.

Below, more views of Old Town.

Elaine liked this hanging sign outside a Jazz club since this old bird was playing saxophone.

Not sure about this sculpture of these two pudgy boxers with the heads lying behind them. Perhaps the caption should be something about knocking ones block off!

The National Museum of Sweden.

An ABBA Museum was opened in Stockholm four months before our arrival so being huge ABBA fans, we had to visit it. Great story of how the group met and much memorabilia.

Above, the vehicles used by the “Hep Stars” and the “Hootenanny Singers” as their tour buses. These were the two groups to which Benny and Bjorn belonged. The groups played at the same venue one night and that is how the two boys in the group met.

Early ABBA costumes.

Various instruments used by the group.

Room at the seaside cabin where the four went to get away and to write music.

Above, all the album covers from the albums ABBA recorded.

The ABBA Museum is also the home of the Swedish Music Hall of Fame. Of course, we did not know any of the other signers or musicians enshrined in the hall.

Edward with the ABBA billboard add and the ABBA photo below that he wanted to take with him.

We return to the ship in time for the “Sailaway Party” for the frequent Royal Caribbean cruisers. Drinks served on the helicopter pad as we sail out of Stockholm.

Steve the cruise director is from Milwaukee and lives not far from where we lived in Milwaukee.

Below are all views of Stockholm taken from the ship as we sailed out of the harbor. The pictures need almost no explanation. Stockholm is located a long way up a navigable river from the Baltic Sea and views of the islands and the homes built on some of the islands on the trip out were unforgettable.

Below, it got a little cool out so we adjourned to the Colony Bar located on the end of the ship and watched the scenery and the ships following us out of the harbor.