Swedish Landscape

 

Morning arrives and we head for the train station again. Traveling to Sweden combines a bridge, a tunnel and an artificial island.The Oresund Line is considered an engineering marvel, combining the two countries. Much excitement was had...that is until we starting traveling across southern Sweden.

I'm looking out the window and I start thinking to myself, this is really boring. Southern Sweden looks exactly like southern Minnesota. As we travel further north, I think to myself, geez, this looks just like northern Minnesota. Again, ho-hum. I now understand why so many Swedes immigrated to Minnesota. It looked just like home. I'm actually ok with it, perhaps my expectations were a little high, but a big part of traveling, to me, is the new and exciting. All is good, though, Stockholm was amazing.

This is a high-voltage glass insulator used in electrical power transmission.  There were a lot of them in the train station in Copenhagen and I just thought they were cool.  

In Stockholm we went to a French restaurant.  I had mushroom crepes. 
They were so good that I had to come back another night just to have it again. 

Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel
See the black parts of the windows?  Those are solar panels

Stockholm is the home of the Nobel prizes. Alfred Nobel was the inventor of dynamite. He amassed a great fortune and toward the end of his life he bequeathed his fortune to a foundation to fund the Nobel Prizes which annually recognize those who have “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”. There are six fields that the prizes cover: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, peace, literature and economics. Each winner gets a medal, a diploma and about one million dollars (actually the money comes in krona). The Nobel Prize are generally considered the most prestigious award available in their respective fields. The awards are presented in Stockholm's City Hall, where a banquet and a ball also occur.

City Hall

The Inner Courtyard

Inner Courtyard
I found a new trick to get rid of objects you don't want in your pictures.  There was a woman in the middle of my picture that I took out.  I didn't quite do it right so if you zoom in you will see her hand holding a cellphone.  I could have gone back and taken that out, but it amused me to have it there.

This is the banquet hall where the Nobel Prize dinner is served. There is room for 1300 guests.
You are only allowed entrance if you have a guide with you. We were one of the first groups allowed in.

The groups are startng to arrive

The Gold Room is where the Nobel Prize ball is held

Stockholm is a series of islands, each with their own distinctive character

Munkbrohamnen Floating Bathing Pier
It is also called the Stockholm Beach - there is a little bit of sand here also.  It is a small floating pier with an opening for swimming.  There is a net at the bottom to protect swimmers from currents.

The Boy Who Looks At the Moon
Liss Eriksson
He is only about six inches tall.  Supposedly if you touch him and your wish will come true.