Thursday in Stockholm

Thursday, May 8, 2009, Stockholm. Glama Stan is a small island across from the hotel where the royal palace is located and is also the older part of the city. Sam and Wes spent the morning in a Gamla Stan shop specializing in maritime objects salvaged from old dismantled ships. The shop is like a museum and every inch is crammed with curious and interesting objects.

I spent the morning in the Nobel Museum one street uphill from them. When the Nobel Prize laureates come to Oslo to receive their awards they are brought to this museum to meet each other and to receive orientation on the many events they will participate in. Each laureate is able to invite 16 guests, all expenses paid, to come to Stockholm with them, attend the events and stay at the Grand Hotel, our hotel. The Nobel Museum a grand building situated in a hilltop plaza established around 1600 as the seat of government.  The museum is solemn in it's attempt to honor the hundreds of past laureates and their achievements which have improved the human condition in more ways than can be counted.

Roland spent the morning visiting the Vasa Museum and the Music Museum where he was given a special viewing of the worlds longest harpsichord. In mid-afternoon Roland visited with a former college colleague of ours, Georgia Mohammer Lind, who we last saw in 1975, the year she left Los Angeles for a flute position with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.

Dinner tonight was taken in the ground level, windowed dining room of Ulla Windbladh located in a lovely leafy green park. The food, while tasty, was not my favorite and the ambiance, while it had potential, was a bit boisterous and disorganized. I give it no thumbs down and no thumbs up.

We leave tomorrow by train for Copenhagen.

Time for bed, good night.