Cruising Norway...No better way, than by sea.

I was so excited for our Norwegian cruise as I've always wanted to visit Norway after visiting the Epcot's version of Norway.  (I am still in mourning that Disney decided to say "let it go" to Maelstrom in order to make way for a Frozen attraction!)  Norway always seemed like a mystical place, and I envisioned myself finding trolls hidden in the fjords and eating lots of rice cream.  The Disney ride promises that those who seek the spirit of Norway will find peril and adventure, but more often find beauty and charm.  We found all of that and more on our Norwegian adventure.

We sailed on Royal Caribbeans Serenade of the Seas, which left from Copenhagen and sailed to the Norwegian Fjord cities of Stavanger, Bergen, Alesund, and Geiranger.  Our friends Mike and Allison also joined us on our Norwegian adventure.

  

Sail Away Party
Bon Voyage

Leaving the port at Copenhagen
(It was a cold, rainy and windy day!)

Our cabin

My parents rented a suite so that the entire family could be together in one room.

Belle enjoyed the extra space to run around and play

We had two days at sea and we quickly found that the passengers on this boat were not the typical passengers we were use to on a Caribbean cruise.  Those on-board were much more mature travelers, so rather than dancing conga-lines and laying out on the sun deck (it was way too cold for that anyway), the atmosphere was much more subdued and relaxing. We spent our afternoons, eating,

Belle and Grammy getting ready for dinner

relaxing in the hot tub, 

playing in the children's area,

soaking up some sun (when it wasn't raining),

taking a tour of the bridge,

and taking in the breathtaking views.

Copenhagen, Denmark

At the beginning of May, we met my parents in Copenhagen, Denmark to tour for a couple days before we left for our cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. As the capital of Denmark, the city of Copenhagen has a long and rich history. Upon arrival, we decided to take a boat tour of the canals as a way to orient ourselves to the city and to learn a little about the city.

Opera House

As we toured the city, it was evident that Copenhagen is a city that is looking ahead to a modern future, but is still appreciative of its classical past as modern buildings are juxtaposed with classical architecture and canals. 

A Hot Tub Boat

Just like the people in Stockholm, the weather was very cold but they still find ways to enjoy the outdoors. 

The Little Mermaid is one of Copenhagen's most popular tourist attractions.  Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's (who is from Copenhagen) fairy tale about a mermaid who gives up everything to be united with a young, handsome prince on land.  Every morning and evening she swims to the surface from the bottom of the sea and, perched on her rock in the water, she stares longingly towards the shore hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved prince.

It was a tight fit through some of the canal bridges!

Notice all of the windmills in the background 

The next day, we decided to take a walking tour of Copenhagen. We had a very entertaining guide and learned more about this city's great cultural past.

Tivoli, which opened August 15, 1843, is the second oldest theme park in the world.  It is said that Walt Disney found his inspiration for Disneyland after visiting Tivoli.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit. 

Everybody bikes in Copenhagen. It felt like you were more likely to get hit by a bike than a car!

City Hall

The colorful buildings of Nyhaven

Belle was thrilled to be on the walking tour

Keeping Belle entertained during the walking tour. Cheese puffs always do the trick!

Hans Christian Anderson was from Denmark and lived in Copenhagen.  Although he tried many different outlets to make money (singing, acting),  he soon discovered it was writing that was his talent.  He would write many of today's well-known and beloved fairy tales.  

The Royal Palace

We had a wonderful time in Copenhagen, but now it's time for the cruise to Norway.

Sigtuna- Where Sweden Began

In 970, King Erik the Victorious looked out at the surroundings and pointed out the location where Sigtuna town would be built.  He was a modern Nordic king, who wanted to create a kingdom resembling the European kingdoms.  He knew how a town should be constructed and that he should cooperate with the new Christian church to achieve his goals. His goal was to form a kingdom with one king under one god.  

Today, Sigtuna is a picturesque medieval town where you can wander the old streets  filled with old wooded houses that have shops and cafes, visit medieval churches, ruins, and rune stones from the Viking Era.

Sigtuna boasts more than 150 runic inscriptions, more than any other town in Sweden! Rue stones are memorial stones, often erected by wealthy citizens and merchant guilds, to memorialize a loved who had passed or a significant event.  They were usually placed along streets and roads where they would be seen and read by all who passed.

Sigtuna Rådhus (townhall), built in the 18th century, is the smallest town hall in Sweden – maybe even in Europe!

The Harbor

The water was a vital link for Sigtuna as most travelers arrived by water

St. Olaf's Church Ruins

Sigtuna was founded to be the first Christian town in Sweden, the center of the new religion.The construction of St. Olaf’s church begun probably in the first half of the 12th century. St. Olaf’s plan is remarkable, the choir is both larger and longer than the nave. The idea might have been to build a long house as grand as the choir but for some reason that did not happen. The building came to a halt, perhaps because of the lack of funds.

St. Lawrence Church Ruin

One of the many church ruins in Sigtuna

Klockbacken (Bell Hill)

Around a thousand years ago, the residents of Sigtuna needed to establish a new capital as they were having problem with armed gangs attacking the city.  According to legend, the leaders in Sigtuna took a log of wood, cut out all the wood inside, filled it with gold, and let it float on the water. The log was floating on the water for several days and eventually hit land on the island where Gamla Stan today is located. The island was named Stockholm or log island, meaning the place where the log had hit ground.  From that point on, Stockholm became Sweden's capital city.

Stockholm Syndrome

The former building of Sveriges Kreditbanken Bank

On the morning of August 23, 1973, Jan-Erik Olsson, an escaped convict, entered the Sveriges Kreditbanken bank, pulled a loaded submachine gun, fired at the ceiling and yelled out in English, “The party has just begun!”  After wounding a police officer who had responded to the silent alarm, Olsson took four bank employees hostage for a standoff that would last five days.  Olsson demanded  $700,000 in Swedish and foreign currency, a getaway car and the release of Clark Olofsson, a friend who was currently serving time. Within hours, the police had delivered Olsson's requests; yet,  authorities refused  Olsson’s demand to leave with the hostages in tow to ensure his safe passage.  During the time of their captivity, the hostages began to form a bond with their captor as he soothed and calmed their nerves during the ordeal.  By the second day, the hostages were on a first-name basis with their captors, and they started to fear the police more than their abductors.  One police officer noted after observing the hostages, that they seemed aggresive and hostile towards him and relaxed with their captor.  After 130 hours, the police ended the standoff by pumping tear gas into the bank, forcing both the captors and hostages to surrender.    The police called for the hostages to come out first, but the four captives, protecting their abductors to the very end, refused.  At the end of the ordeal, the hostages and captors embraced, kissed and shook hands before surrendering to the police.  Even after Olofsson and Olsson returned to prison, the hostages made jailhouse visits to their former captors.  Olsson was released from prison in 1980, after which he married one of his female admirers that had written to him while he was in prison.  Attending the wedding as a guest of honor, was one of the hostages from his bank robbery.  It was from the incident that the term Stockholm Syndrome originated from and refers irrational compassion and attachment the hostages felt towards  their captors.

A Bachelorette l Tea at Svenskt Tenn

Since Natalie and Delfi are both getting married soon, we decided to thrown them a surprise bachelorette party.  First of all, the biggest and most important part of a Swedish bachelor/bachelorette party is that it’s a surprise. The bride-to-be has no say at all in the party planning, and she’s often even kidnapped by their friends.  For their bachelorette party. we decided to take them to a tea at Sveskt Tenn as Natalie had previously mentioned wanting to go to a tea there.  Svenskt Tenn is a Swedish design store opened in 1924 by Estrid Ericson, and her designs are still very popular today.   

Our biggest challenge was how to get Natalie and Delfi to the tea room without them suspecting anything.  We relied on their fiances for this challenge, and they all managed to fulfill their task.  When Natalie and Delfi arrived, they were both shocked and surprised.  Mission accomplished!

The champagne tea was fabulous and the food tasted delicious.  

We had a fun afternoon celebrating Delfi and Natalie. 

 It was a successful Swedish bachelorette party!