And the Stockholm Skargard (Archipelago) is even more special. There are 38,000 visible Rocks and Islands, plus millions of underwater Stones.
Stockholm
The day after landing in Stockholm, my cousin Carina arrived by train from Goteborg and joined me with 2 new relatives, Jan and Inga Lina Sundgren, who live in Stockholm. We had a lovely dinner at their home, and made plans to pick up my sister Esther Geller and my daughter Marissa Doremus Gonzalez at the airport the next day.
Jan and Carina greeted the jet-lagged travelers after they cleared customs, while I hid nearby. Esther's practical jokes on me growing up justified Carina telling them that No Regrets had hit a rock coming into the City and was in dry dock, but I was okay, escaping with only a broken arm.
Just as the loss of their 2 week floating holiday was dawning on them, I popped out and surprised my new crew. Relief was mixed with joy on Esther's face, and I evened some of the score from my younger brother childhood experience :))
Why is Stockholm so Special?
1. Beauty: The City is built on multiple islands, so there are boats and water everywhere. In the US, we occasionally see old boats, but here in Stockholm, there are so many! Some of the boats are hundreds of years old, with ferries, square riggers, yachts, cruise ships, icebreakers and cargo ships constantantly in view.
All of the housing in the City is attached in 4 to 8 story mid rise buildings, so the amount of parks and open space is impressive. Copenhagen by contrast, has few green spaces and feels far more dense.
5. Toasts: Toast Skagen is without doubt, my favorite Swedish food!
And the Swedes have a terrific custom of making eye contact with everyone present after a Toast and again after taking a sip of the beverage. This makes for a more intimate exchange, and is now an appropriated custom on No Regrets!
The things I liked least in Stockholm?
1. Expensive: The high taxes for the Welfare State makes labor too expensive to hire for boat maintenance. And alcohol is State controlled and the most taxed and expensive in Europe. Food and fuel have also cost more the further north we have sailed.
2. Plastic vs. cash: Many restaurants only take credit cards. The use of cash is being phased out by the government. At an ATM, one can only get a max of 2,000 Krona, the equivalent of $230 of cash per day.
It is more expensive for me to use debit or credit cards, rather than cash. Besides taking the normal exchange rate between Dollars to Kronas, my US banks also take a service charge and a transaction fee. In the EU, I just use Euros for most purchases, and thus save about 6% by using cash.
3. Swedish Summers: They have a saying here, "There is no bad weather in Sweden, only bad clothes".
Expect that every day will include both rain and sunshine, and dress accordingly. I've seen cold, windy and rainy mornings quickly become calm, sunny and warm.
From Foul Weather gear to tee shirts within an hour!
Then back again!
The Stockholm Skargard Rocks!
Esther, Marissa and I sailed into the Archipelago for a week. With 38,000 Rocks and Islands in the Skargard, one needs to know where the boat is at all times. Most of the steering is done by hand, with one eye on the detailed chart, one eye on the chart plotter, and a third eye on the Rocks... All while watching out for the ferry boats!
Our favorite harbor was Sandhamn, a small yachting village that reminded me of Cowes, England, on the Isle of Wight.
Cruising in the Rocks
After sailing 2,200 mile north in the last 6 months, it is now time for No Regrets to turn around and head south!
We made it up to 59 degrees and 40 minutes of North Latitude!
Stockholm
The day after landing in Stockholm, my cousin Carina arrived by train from Goteborg and joined me with 2 new relatives, Jan and Inga Lina Sundgren, who live in Stockholm. We had a lovely dinner at their home, and made plans to pick up my sister Esther Geller and my daughter Marissa Doremus Gonzalez at the airport the next day.
Jan and Carina greeted the jet-lagged travelers after they cleared customs, while I hid nearby. Esther's practical jokes on me growing up justified Carina telling them that No Regrets had hit a rock coming into the City and was in dry dock, but I was okay, escaping with only a broken arm.
Just as the loss of their 2 week floating holiday was dawning on them, I popped out and surprised my new crew. Relief was mixed with joy on Esther's face, and I evened some of the score from my younger brother childhood experience :))
Jan, Carina, Marissa, Rick, Inga Lina and Esther
Why is Stockholm so Special?
1. Beauty: The City is built on multiple islands, so there are boats and water everywhere. In the US, we occasionally see old boats, but here in Stockholm, there are so many! Some of the boats are hundreds of years old, with ferries, square riggers, yachts, cruise ships, icebreakers and cargo ships constantantly in view.
Beautiful ships and beautiful buildings
This Steam Ferry was launched in 1902
All of the housing in the City is attached in 4 to 8 story mid rise buildings, so the amount of parks and open space is impressive. Copenhagen by contrast, has few green spaces and feels far more dense.
Gardens abound
And the Swedish women are the most beautiful in the world to my eye. Tall and blond with long legs. Young and old... they are striking. Second place is a tie between the Parisian ladies and our So Cal girls!
2. Long Evenings: The daylight in Summer lasts forever... until 23:30, almost midnight. Then it becomes light again about 03:00. One needs to eat and sleep according to the clock, not the sun.
But I can't even imagine spending the winter here with only 3 1/2 hours of daylight. I would be alcoholic, depressed and suicidal!
3. Old Relaxed Architecture: Settlement started here in the 1200s, and Sweden's neutrality in both World Wars kept the buildings unbombed, preserved and intact.
A Church to bury them in...
And a Church to marry them in!
Exploring Gamla Stan, the oldest part of Stockholm
Great, Great, Great, Great Great, Great, Great, Great
Grandfather Lundin laid this Parquet Floor in the Palace.
4. Museums: The Vasa was a brand new warship when it sank on it's maiden voyage in 1628. King Gustav Vasa made them add another deck of guns to the original design and it fell top-heavely into the harbor mud, which along with the brackish water in this part of the Baltic, preserved the ship for the Vasa Museum.
390 years old and still looking great!
Can you imagine the splendor and the horror of that first sailing?
A 400 year old Drug Store preserved in Skansen, the world's oldest open air museum
5. Toasts: Toast Skagen is without doubt, my favorite Swedish food!
Shrimp, mayo, dill, roe (caviar), toast and beer... Yum!!!
And the Swedes have a terrific custom of making eye contact with everyone present after a Toast and again after taking a sip of the beverage. This makes for a more intimate exchange, and is now an appropriated custom on No Regrets!
The things I liked least in Stockholm?
1. Expensive: The high taxes for the Welfare State makes labor too expensive to hire for boat maintenance. And alcohol is State controlled and the most taxed and expensive in Europe. Food and fuel have also cost more the further north we have sailed.
2. Plastic vs. cash: Many restaurants only take credit cards. The use of cash is being phased out by the government. At an ATM, one can only get a max of 2,000 Krona, the equivalent of $230 of cash per day.
It is more expensive for me to use debit or credit cards, rather than cash. Besides taking the normal exchange rate between Dollars to Kronas, my US banks also take a service charge and a transaction fee. In the EU, I just use Euros for most purchases, and thus save about 6% by using cash.
3. Swedish Summers: They have a saying here, "There is no bad weather in Sweden, only bad clothes".
Expect that every day will include both rain and sunshine, and dress accordingly. I've seen cold, windy and rainy mornings quickly become calm, sunny and warm.
From Foul Weather gear to tee shirts within an hour!
Then back again!
The Stockholm Skargard Rocks!
Esther, Marissa and I sailed into the Archipelago for a week. With 38,000 Rocks and Islands in the Skargard, one needs to know where the boat is at all times. Most of the steering is done by hand, with one eye on the detailed chart, one eye on the chart plotter, and a third eye on the Rocks... All while watching out for the ferry boats!
Our favorite harbor was Sandhamn, a small yachting village that reminded me of Cowes, England, on the Isle of Wight.
On the way into Sandhamn
Sandhamn, per my definition is a Town, not a Village, even though it shrinks down to only 100 people during the winter:
"A Village has an idiot... and a Town has both an idiot and a church!"
Absolutely delightful !
Neither cars, nor pavement :))
A Bird House in matching colors
Mid-Summer Eve
The Swedes love Mid-Summer Eve. It is second only to the Christmas Holiday. It happens each year in late June on the Saturday nearest to the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Swedes celebrate on the Eves before the Holiday, not on the day. Thus joining New Years Eve, is Christmas Eve and Mid-Summer Eve.
They say that if Russia wanted to invade Sweden, they would do it on Mid-Summer Day, because all the people would be hung over from the Eve before, with all the over-feasting on food, drink, singing, dancing, celebrating and eating Sill och Nubbe (Herring and Snaps).
Decorating the Maypole, an ancient pagan fertility symbol
Carina's daughter Alex Dietmann joined in making flower wreaths
Raising the Maypole
Ready for the Party
Singing and Dancing
Sill (Pickled Herring)
Nubbe (Snaps (Flavored Vodka))
Thank you so so much for visiting, Mar and Sis !!!
I'll be back in LA from Thanksgiving thru Christmas!
Cruising in the Rocks
We anchored right in the middle of the Stora Nassa Islands
Typical Swedish mooring with stern anchor and bow tied to the natural Rocks
Monica Winge and Richard Mattus helped launch and name the kayaks
Blue Canoe Too A & Blue Canoe Too B
The quality of the light and the mirrored reflections were surreal
This photo is actually turned upside-down!
Moored back in Vaxholm to change crew, by the Champagne Bar
After sailing 2,200 mile north in the last 6 months, it is now time for No Regrets to turn around and head south!
We made it up to 59 degrees and 40 minutes of North Latitude!
Enjoying Stockholm on the Rocks
Now on to the Algarve, in Southern Portugal, for the Winter!
