On our way down for breakfast at 6:30, we asked the receptionist for assistance deciphering our train tickets and reservations. He indicated we should be there at 7 despite a departure time of 8:37. We thereby returned quickly to our room for our luggage and had to forgo the breakfast buffet by which we had become so entranced. We hurried to the train station and upon activating our Euro-Rail passes learned we were in fact quite early .. we learned our lesson and vowed not to make the same mistake again. As an added penalty, we were forced to eat breakfast at McDonalds … and not surprisingly, they did not have a breakfast menu. We thereby ate 1957 Burgers. Hmmm
We made it to the correct platform (Spår) with the kind assistance of a DSB employee, Nicolai. We were very thankful for his guidance as just minutes before we were to depart, they changed the platform … I’m not sure we would have been aware. He was very friendly and even allowed the kids to wear his cap, though he wouldn’t allow me to take his photograph. Sorry ladies …
The train ride through the Swedish countryside was delightful – enabling us to take in so much. We arrived in Stockholm in the early afternoon and we promptly took a taxi to our hotel – Courtyard Marriott @ Fridhelmsplan. Soon after we were settled in our room – a little smaller than our room in Copenhagen but meticulously clean, in fact it was a new hotel – we walked quite a distance along the water (Riddarfjärden) to Gamle Stan, Stockholm’s old town.
This historic island is charming, photogenic and full of antique shops and cafes. Until the 1600s, all of Stockholm fit on Gamle Stan. In time, German culture influenced art, architecture and even the language, turning Old Norse into modern Swedish.
We walked through the quaint narrow streets, made a few small purchases and coincidentally stumbled upon something taking place at the Royal Palace that may have been the changing of the guard, though the tourist literature indicated that this was to take place at an earlier time of the day, so we are not certain.
We opted to eat dinner here as well and selected Trotzig – a very nice, fine dining atmosphere. Finally! A meal worth the kroner!!