Sweden is beautiful in the summer.  There are so many shades of green that I lost count.  The countryside rolls with small hills, and seem to go on forever. 

 We are now learning about the Vikings (prounced “veek-ings).  They were in Sweden, Norway and Denmark in approximately 800 to 1100.  And it turns out we will be seeing many of the rune-stones.  The 11th century was the hayday of making rune-stones, especially around Lake Maelaren in Sweden. Of the 3000 known rune-stones, more than 2500 are to be found in Sweden. 

.  As we were traveling thru the Swedish countryside, we saw many camping grounds with numerous trailers.  They had some very unusual additions.  A tent, which looks like a home, complete with pictures of curtains, actually made an additional room or two.  They do make the trailers look comfortable. We also made a stop at a small shop which was where the Swedish defeated a group of Scots in a very bloody battle. 

After a ferry ride to Halsingborg, we travel to Huskvarna, along the edge of Lake Vattern.  There are beautiful views even if we  are located a bit away from the town.  The next morning we have a picture stop at Vadstena and a 14^th century church, which was dedicated to St. Brigitta.   Next we were on our way to Lake Malar, and Gripsholm Castle. 

Gripsholm Castle is in the town of Mariefred, which has mostly timber houses just waiting to have their photos taken.  Built in the 1530’s, the castle contains some beautiful Renaissance interiors and a wonderful; theatre.  The King and Queen of Sweden would be having their 25^th anniversary in a few days, and the celebration will be held here.  Obviously there will be lots of royalty and celebrities attending the party.  We saw lots of preparations going on.  Furniture was going in and out through the windows, and lots of trucks unloading paraphernalia.  Later we saw the King of Norway’s yacht arriving to attend the party. 

We spent 2 nights in Stockholm.  Since Stockholm is a city of 14 islands with 54 bridges, we seem to be near water frequently.  One of the most impressive buildings on Kungsholmen is City Hall.  It is also the site of the annual Nobel Prize banquet, in the Blue Hall.  The Nobel Price Ceremony is held at the Concert Hall.   We have an hour tour through many of the beautiful rooms. 

One of the beautiful views was from Fjallgatan where you can see so much of this beautiful city.  

We then had a free afternoon to explore on our own, and decided to do an optional tour of the Vasa Museum.  This ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and is said to be the best-preserved ship anywhere in a museum.  This ship was raised in 1961 and has been restored. 

There is lots of great shopping in Stockholm.  I especially enjoyed the NK department store.  They seemed to have a bit of everything. 

The next day we are off to see more of the Swedish countryside. Between Stockholm and Uppsala is the town of Sigtuna.  It has colorful wooden shops, a romantic park, a lakeside promenade, an old church and rune stones.  It’s a wonderful place to take a break.    

Uppsala is a university town with the Uppsala Cathedral.  It has a breathtaking interior, and the tomb of King Gustav Vasa.  In Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala) there are three huge burial mounds of the 6^th century kings.  The church is named Gamla Uppsala Kyrka.  The Odinsborg restaurant near the burial mounds is also picturesque.

We are headed towards Mora, which is a pleasant lakeside town best known as the finishing point for the world’s longest cross-country ski race. 

We made a stop at Nusnas to see the craftsmen making the carved and painted wooden horses that we saw all over Sweden.  The “Dala” horse has become a symbol of Mora and Sweden.  Of course I couldn’t resist and bought a couple of small ones.  They demonstrated just how the horses are cut out, carved and painted. Across the street we were able to see a church boat.  And of course I am always fascinated by different phone booths.  ;o)

Because our tour is in a circle, we will be returning to Sweden in several days.