Photo Story: A Trip to Gamla Stan (Old Town) - a Glimpse of Medieval Stockholm on 19 July Sat

The main event at the Kungliga Slottet (=The Royal Palace) is the daily Changing of the Guard at the Outer Courtyard; this takes place at noon and the place was packed with other tourists like us probably because it was a Sat! The smart sounds from the hoofs of the horses and the drumbeats really made LQ excited as she was particularly fond of this kinda pomp & pageantry.

Top Row:

• The ice-cream of choco caramel and tiramisu was marvellous (Skr 30= SGD$7)! Thanks for recommending it, LQ!
• Imitating a scholar-like sculpture at one of the squares in Gamla Stan, Järntorget.
• A bicycle ‘posing’ in front of the statue of St. George slaying a Dragon, at Köpmantorget.
• Just one of the countless splendid streets, Prästgatan at Gamla Stan.

2nd row:

• Having our lunch of a steak-like set meal at a Kebab Shop along Stora Nygatan (Skr 55= SGD$12.60).
• From this perspective, an old couple seems to be admiring the flowers at Stortorget.
• Along Västerlånggatan, there is Body Shop here (for you to see, Emily!). This is the main street and is filled with stupid tourists like us who dun mind getting ‘slaughtered’ in terms of prices.

3rd row:

• Time seems to stand still while you relax and have a chat at Stortorget, arguably the heart of Gamla Stan. In medieval times this was a crowded noisy trading place.
• This red house (no. 20) is more than 300 yrs old and houses the popular Chokladkoppen cafe which we vowed to try on our next visit. It was just too crowded on a Sat afternoon…

Last row:

• The nice lady who took the pic for us at Järntorget even reminded us to beware of who we ask to help take photos since it could be stolen easily in such a touristy place, how nice!
• Mårten Trotzigs Gränd is the narrowest street here at only 90cm! LQ failed to locate it the last time she came so this time I showed her the way armed with the great Insight Fleximap..
• So we tried climbing the 36 steps to get an idea of how tightly the adjacent houses are packed together.
  

Cute? LQ begged me to take these photos of the figurines inside the shops at Gamla Stan. She simply loved the top-right ones with the wizards’/elves' hats covering their eyes.

Other sights around the area
Top row: the circular Riksdagens Förvaltningshus and LQ in front of Storkyrkan.

Centre Pic: The Riddarhuset (House of Knights) is said to be the most attractive building in Stockholm. It provided the knights with a base for meetings and events. The roof has sculptures symbolizing the knightly virtues of Nobility, Diligence, Bravery, Honour, Prudence and Strength.

Top Row:

• We were on the small island of Riddarholmen (adjacent to Gamla Stan) and opposite was the Stadshuset. It is the City Hall of Stockholm and has 250 offices for city administrative staff; the annual Nobel Prize festivities also take place in the Blue Hall inside.
• The Wrangelska Palatset on Riddarholmen is Stockholm’s largest privately-owned palace – it was also a royal residence for a period of time after the Tre Kronor fire of 1697.

Middle Row (Clockwise):

• Can almost see such nice pastel-coloured buildings everywhere here and this is on Riddarholmen facing the island of Sodermalm.
• The narrow left-most building shows Sagerska Palatset, the official residence of the prime minister. The building beside is the Arvfurstens Palats (Prince’s Palace), which was taken over by the Swedish Foreign Office in 1906.
• Just by looking up on the streets of Riddarholmen, you will be greeted with nice skies atop the buildings.
• The Riksdaghuset (Parliament Building) has a new part on top with the old part behind. It is unique in that thousands of tourists use it as a bridge to get from Gamla Stan to Drottninggatan (Stockholm’s pedestrian Orchard Rd) everyday.

Last row:

• Sunbathers enjoying the summer with the Stadshuset a distance away.
• Another nice building on Riddarholmen.
• This is the Svea Hovrätt with a very nice U-shape – the sky seems almost fake just like the sky ceiling in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas?
• A major sight on Riddarholmen, the Riddarholmskyrkan (kyrkan meaning church). It is a place for royal burials and the vaults there contain the remains of all the Swedish monarchs from the 17th Century till the present, except two who were buried elsewhere...