Day 11 Stockholm, Sweden - Saturday, September 8, 2012

(Blogger's Note:  Since it took 10 minutes to load one &*^%$#@ photo, that's it for this post!!!)

Well, Karen has returned once again to the home of her ancestors, Sweden. Karen's mother's side of the family came from Gotland, an island east of the mainland that we are probably passing in the night as I write this, and her father's side of the family was from Malmo, at the southern tip of Sweden, which we will be passing tomorrow during the day on our way to Copenhagen. (I am quoting Karen's heritage from my memory without reference to Karen's excellent records back home. If I got any of it wrong, her brother Ken will correct me.)

The Drottningholm Palace

Since both Karen and I have seen the old city (Gamla Stan), I decided to choose a tour of something we haven't seen, the Drottningholm Palace in the countryside west of the city. It is the permanent home of the royal family since 1981, despite a much larger palace in Stockholm. It was originally built in the sixteenth century, but after a fire (of suspicious nature) it was rebuilt in grand fashion at the direction of Queen Hedvig to be in the style of Versailles. Although not as grand, it is impressive in its own right and I felt good about my choice of a tour.

We began the tour at a remote part of the grounds where a “Chinese Pavilion” had been built as a surprise birthday present for the queen at the time (I think Luvisa -it gets confusing). Then we walked about a half mile through beautifully landscaped formal gardens to the palace. The style of the decorations in the palace was rococo or baroque, so no part of a wall, ceiling, or floor was without some kind of elaborate decoration, often in a Greek or Roman theme. Since the Swedish royalty didn't have a lot of money at the time, they cleverly painted the halls to look like marble, the ceilings to look like stucco work, and then loaded the walls with paintings, mostly of themselves or other European royalty, since they are all related one way or another.

One of the more interesting buildings was a theater constructed in 1766, again by Luvisa, if my sad state of memory serves me. She didn't have any money to build it, so she negotiated a loan from the architect. When it was done and the architect asked to be repaid, she said, “Sorry, we don't have any money left.” So he never got his money back, or his commission, but they gave him a permanent bedroom in the theater! After a period of dormancy in the 19^th century, it was restored to full use with the original sets, sound effects, seating, and décor in the 20^th century. It is the only known theater that has remained unchanged for over 200 years. The theater, the Chinese Pavilion, and the palace itself are designated as World Heritage Sites.

The time in Stockholm was way too short. I would have liked a couple days to explore, but we had to be back on ship by 2:00, because the water passage out of Stockholm through its “archipelago” is 80 miles long and takes about 4 hours to navigate before getting out into the open waters of the Baltic Sea. Sweden requires cruise ships to be out of the archipelago before dark for safety reasons. There are literally thousands of islands in this area, most of which are inhabited. I enjoyed sitting on our balcony watching the sights go by, even though the temperature was about 60 degrees. At one point we went through a hailstorm! I was just barely smart enough to retreat from the balcony during the storm. But after the storm we were treated to a gorgeous sunset over the islands.

I haven't mentioned the food on board so far. The dining is nothing short of exquisite. We have had a four course gourmet dinner every night with excellent service. It is a gourmand's paradise! Last night lobster, the night before scallops and orange roughy, the night before, beef Wellington, and so it goes. And it's all free! Well, except for the umpteen thousand dollars we paid for the cruise, of course. The efficiency of the galley and the wait staff blow me away. Just imagine the responsibility of serving 3,000 four course dinners every night!

Tomorrow, a day at sea, returning to Copenhagen. The Princess Pop Choir makes its debut (and final) performance in the atrium, to a potential audience of thousands! Well, maybe hundreds. Or maybe a few dozen. Our reward will be champagne and chocolate covered strawberries afterward.