Gamla Stan - The Old City

After catching a few z's on our first evening in Stockholm, we geared up the next morning for a trip to Gamla Stan. Gamla Stan is the oldest part of Stockholm. The city is more than 900 years old and many of the buildings in Gamla Stan are date back to the 15th century. This history is balanced by the modern tourist shops that line every street. It felt like we bought one of everything.



After we'd made the required visit to Polkagriskokeri (see The Candy Tour of Sweden), we started exploring. We quickly found lunch. Thanks, Myney, for treating us to a meal of delicious meatballs, potato pancakes, and Swedish bacon.

After lunch, we were off again. The tiny cobblestone streets, like Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, the narrowest street in Stockholm, open onto large and beautiful squares.



And on one of these squares is a famous building with a cannonball embedded in a corner. The popular story is that the ball is a remnant from a famous battle in 1520. Orlando remembered this building from our previous visit 10 years earlier, and really wanted to find it again. We were successful.



Next, it was off to the Royal Palace for a quick visit. Myney and Eva went up for a quick tour of the chapel while Anastasia and I enjoyed some ice cream in the courtyard.



After a successful day of touristing, we headed across a bridge in search of a shop Eva had told us about. Sadly, we had lingered too long and the shop was closed just before we got there. We made plans to come back later in our visit, but never actually made it. I guess this motley crew has a reason to head back for another visit sometime soon.