Spectacular day in Stockholm

Just had another amazing day. This time in Stockholm. We arrived yesterday and got the lay of the land in the evening. I had booked a hotel online only a few days before and had to do it in a bit of a rush because I couldn't find a room that would take all four of us (as Kira is with us for the next few weeks). Needless to say, I didn't do my research and it was a crap hotel in a crap area...we affectionately called it the armpit of Stockholm. We had to walk through a sketchy industrial area for 20 minutes or so and through a chain link fence and along a dirt path to get to the train that took us into Stockholm for our first evening of sightseeing. We called it the armpit because where we had to walk to take the train was in an area where there was alot of rotting fruit and vegetables, so it really was stinky! The next morning at 7am I was on the internet and finding another place DOWNTOWN. We got very lucky and found something right downtown, and when I called them, the room was ready, so we literally packed up then and there and were out of the "stinky" hotel by 8:30 and arrived at our beautiful hotel downtown by 9am!! It was great. We have spent all day wandering Stockholm. It was a sunny and hot day which showed off Stockholm in all it's splendour.

The first thing we had to do tho was get Kira to a doctor. Turns out she is really really sick. Tested postive for strep and has a very high sed rate (136 when it should be below 10!) The doctor was shocked at her numbers. She was an excellent doctor. Very thorough and great at explaining what we needed to do. Three prescriptions later (antibiotics, pain/fever reliever and Ibuprofen for the inflammation and we were on our way!) It's a relief to know that she's finally being treated and hopefully within a few days she'll be feeling better. She had to stay and rest at the hotel while Aidan, Ralph and I spent the rest of the day touring. Once we tucked her away into bed, off we went.

First to the water and we grabbed one of the hop on and off boats and got ourselves over to the Vasa museum where we saw an old viking ship that sank in 1667 (or 8?) during it's maiden voyage. It literally barely got out of the harbour before a wind blew it over! Because the water is not super salty, it was preserved and is quite spectacular to see. We then headed over to another island that has an amusement park and aquarium. Aidan works at a Koi Farm and really wanted to see the aquarium, so we enjoyed a tour of the fish and plants there, had tea and a pastry treat at the cafe right on the water and headed out again on the boat for our next stop. We went to the Royal Palace, but unfortunately got there a bit too late to be able to go inside. Spent the next several hours wandering through Gamla Stan (or old town). We stopped and had dinner in an outdoor cafe in the old town square at chocolakoppen (or something like that). I had the best meal I've ever had...at least that I can remember! The dinner and dessert and hot chocolate were unbelievable. They make everything from scratch and you sure could tell. I ended up taking Kira there later in the evening. She had spent the whole day resting and she was ready for a bit of fresh air and a bite to eat, so the two of us took a little walk and went back.

We're off tomorrow to visit cousins in Ostersund. An 8 hour drive! Oh yay! I expect we'll spend a leisurely morning in Stockholm before we set out. I'm going to bed tired, but very happy. It really was an amazing day. Ralph, Aidan and I had alot of fun.