Things went well today. My little worry was getting enough coins (90 krona) to fill the luggage locker for the day while we were out and about. My American credit card does not have the chip and PIN system. I have a card with a chip, but it requires a signature. Fortunately, I chose a hotel really close to the train/bus station, and they had a free luggage room. (Now I have a bunch of coins! Though I didn’t have 90 krona in the morning!)
We started walking past Klara Church (1572) and then to the Gustav Adolf’s monument, who is known as Gustavus Adolphus the Great and credited for establishing Sweden as a great power.
Gustav is on the horse in bronze. The Royal Opera is on the right. Verdi composed an opera based on the murder of one of the Swedish kings here. (link for more info)
We got front seats in the top of the double decker bus for the 1.5 hour tour of Stockholm. The early worm gets the best seats! Highlights from 1000 years of history, last 500 years of architecture, and other cultural centers were noted (though they missed mentioning the ABBA museum even though we drove right by it!) I’m loving the architecture. Anya isn’t quite there.
We then had an hour canal, harbor ride, which got us beyond the central city area. So much to see; so little time.
Anya knew that after the canal tour, it was her time to be in control. We went shopping! (The bus tour did help us scope out some shopping which was actually not to far from our hotel.) I would have gone to the City Hall where the Nobel Prize banquet is held, but I’ve been there before and Anya wasn’t interested in more architecture. Off to shopping!
Fälraven is a Swedish brand that originally developed to outfit Greenland expeditions, very well made, and very cool! Anya looks very Nordic now! Things are a bit cheaper here than in Norway, and I can apply for a tax rebate that reduces the cost about 20% more.
After two hours of whirlwind shopping, we retrieved our bags and found our high-speed train to Uppsala (pronounces oop SAH lah), where we were met by one of the faculty members, an American who married a Swede. We got settled in the guest room on campus, and I quickly reviewed the faculty info from the website to look well informed. Then we were taken to an Ethiopian restaurant with 3 of the faculty for an informal time to connect. This seminary, Johannelund, has a long history of missions with Ethiopia and Tanzania. So, I’m invited here to make a presentation about my research project interfacing with Tanzania.
So, I better get to bed and get a good night’s sleep.
With blessings,
Beth