Stockholm and Sigtuna

After a sea day, it was on to Stockholm and our tour of the city and small village of Sigtuna. This was a very short day in port, so we got an early start and headed for the Old Town Square for a walk. Our guide did point out various shops where we could do some shopping, but did not allow us any time for that! Probably just as well, since the Euro is worth far more than the U.S. dollar these days.

To complicate things a bit, there was a large Gay Pride Parade taking place, so our bus driver and tour guide had to plan our itinerary around the route the parade would be taking. I think we got to see a lot of extra scenery as a result.

Sigtuna had an ancient rock church and some Viking ship remains. One ship has been turned into a sandbox for children. I don't think I would want to sail the ocean in one! This was the one tour that did not include lunch, so we ended up having ice cream. There wasn't much time for anything else. Besides, they did not accept Euro in Sigtuna in all places.

Back in Stockholm we visited the Vasa Museum. It was built around an enormous Viking ship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. In 1961 it was salvaged and the new and present museum housing it was opened in 1990. This is a must-see attraction for visitors in Stockholm.

Since we sailed early, it was back to the ship with the bus taking us all around the city - due to the Gay Pride Parade and traffic.