Stockholm Sweden: Part Two. More Water And A Visit To Royalty.

Stockholm Sweden: Part Two. More Water And A Visit To Royalty.

Stockholm Sweden  Drottningholm Palace grounds  (16 of 32)
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For any new readers, I am recollecting my recent visit to Scandinavia, and left off when we boarded a ferry from near City Hall in Stockholm for a pleasant one hour boat ride to famous Drottningholm Palace.

We left the old building and churches of old town Stockholm and passed the stately City Hall Building. Stockholm Sweden boat ride to Drottningholm palace (17 of 26)

I was surprised, as we left the old town how wooded the water side was. There were some cottages and Summer homes and I was even more surprised to see a number of beaches with a lot of swimmers and sunbathers.  We also saw fisherman and pleasure boaters on the clear blue waters.  This is a link to some more photographs from our boat ride to the Palace. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-sweden-boat-ride-to-drottningholm-palace-august-4-2015Stockholm Sweden boat ride to Drottningholm palace (6 of 26)

We rounded a curve in the water and saw the magnificent  Drottningholm Palace. I wondered how many awe stuck envoys from foreign countries were just as awed seeing it for the first time before the modern age of airplanes and automobiles. Stockholm Sweden Drottningholm Palace grounds (3 of 32)

We entered the Palace but only had about an hour before it closed for the day.  Still,  we made the best of our short visit and saw as much as we could.

We first walked through the vast lawns and gardens surrounding the palace. It really was like  being in a fairy tale. This is a link to more photos of the vast gardens. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-sweden-drottningholm-palace-grounds-august-3-2015

Stockholm Sweden Drottningholm Palace grounds (14 of 32)

We then walked to the theater for an English tour. We learned, financial difficulties at the time, although a splendid looking building it was mainly plaster and paint  designed to look lavish. Still many  of Europe’s royalty was entertained here and one couldn’t help  feeling in the auditorium how it must have felt to be there on a frigid Winter night to see performance of the finest plays in Europe. This is a link to some more photographs of the theater. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-sweden-drottningholm-palace-august-4-2015Stockholm Sweden Drottningholm Palace theater (22 of 27)

There was a tour of the Palace scheduled in 15 minutes and my sister and I made a dash to take a quick peek at the Chinese pavilion and gardens. There was so much to see, and we only got a quick look, but the  sight of buildings and trees was worth the effort. Here is a link to some more photographs of the Chinese gardens. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-sweden-drottningholm-palace-chinese-gardens-august-4-2015Stockholm Sweden Drottningholm Palace Chinese gardens (5 of 22)

We made it back shortly after the tour started and again learned, that due to the lack of funds in the royal treasury, a lot of the splendor of the Palace was plaster, wood and paint. It sure fooled me.  The photos, and this is a link to more of them, show how splendid the Palace looked even though it was only wood and plaster. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-sweden-drottningholm-palace-august-4-2015-1Stockholm Sweden Drottningholm Palace Royal halls (6 of 20)

We then were given a tour of the private Royal chambers and bedrooms. We learned so much history including how one Queen would only have audiences in her bedroom chamber’s , which was considered highly inappropriate at the time. And the furnishings and painting were  all.  spectacular.Stockholm Sweden Drottningholm Palace Royal rooms (14 of 41)

 

We were the last tour of the day and the ceremonial guards stood at their posts as the real guards closed the gates.

We then had a pastry and some coffee and made our way back into Stockholm by bus and metro.  The public transportation system is  Stockholm, like in all Scandinavia, is both clean and efficient. While on the metro, and trying to find a restaurant suggested by our morning tour guide, , a local dentists, laughing at my mispronunciation of the local streets,  befriended us. She was so kind to help send lead us in the right direction when we go off at the Central Station. We decide to try her suggestion for a place to eat and we had a nice meal in  the Hungarian restaurant she recommended. The food was good and we all loved the fresh unpasteurized beer,  Here is a link to some more photographs of our trip  back to the hotel. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/scandinavia-july-26-august-8-2015/nggallery/scandinavia-july-25-august-8-2015/stockholm-sweden-drottningholm-palace-trip-home-august-4-2015Stockholm Sweden Drottningholm Palace Royal trip home (6 of 18)

Once again, it was late by the time we walked back to our hotel and I went right to sleep. We had the morning to ourselves and I wanted to get up early to explore the woodlands of Djurgarden island.

 

“The greatest products of architecture are less the works of individuals than of society; rather the offspring of a nation’s effort, than the inspired flash of a man of genius…”
Victor Hugo,