gamla stan has incredibly narrow streets and it is preposterous that cars navigate them, especially as they frequently are fringed with outdoor cafes. this smart car shows how it's done.
i am very pleased with the amount of pastries and tea i have been consuming.
so. today we spent time in my favorite place so far: the stockholm cathedral. it is majestic and sacred and dignified and makes your grandest attempts at description feel thin and inadequate. i will let the photos attempt to convey how spectacular the cathedral is, though of course they really cannot.
the ceiling; part of it had frescoes with saints. first thing i noticed when i walked in.
behind you, after you enter. the organ.
the highlight of my trip so far. this is a sculpture from the 1400s (!!) utilizing all kinds of wild materials, including elk antlers and horsehair. it is st.george slaying the dragon, which was used as an allegory for christianity coming to sweden. this sculpture is so vivid and imaginative.
priests are buried underneath the floors. these are all over.
this lovely maiden is part of the st.george sculpture... she was to be sacrificed to the dragon, who was demanding human blood for not laying waste to the town, and when st.george came in and saved the day, she married him instead. she is so beautiful up close.
the main altar.
an area set aside for meditation.
you can tell i really liked st.george... take a look at that dragon!!
after the cathedral, we decided it was a wrap on gamla stan for the day. or so we thought. we ended up returning for dinner based on a recommendation from the front desk. the hotel staff has been phenomenal. incredibly helpful and kind. it was an adventure finding the restaurant, requiring numerous detours because of a half marathon, but we had one of the best dinners of my life. of course i left my camera at the hotel, but we split an appetizer of herring prepared various ways. my entree was reindeer filet with lingonberry (so good) and mama becky had salmon (the freshest I have ever tasted; it was practically buttery in texture).
the front desk gave me some recommendations on non-wild hot spots for younger people, which im about to go scope out provided i can stay awake. mama becky isn't the only grandma on this trip...
photo credit to a very nice blonde swedish fellow.
over and out
xo
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