27?!

Saturday was my 27th birthday, where those 27 years have gone is almost as confusing as saying my age in Swedish: tjugosju. Being new in town, Dale and I didn't have anyone to celebrate with except each other so we explored Gamla Stan (which means Old Town), Stockholm and came home to enjoy cake and a glass or two of wine.

Stockholm is located on 14 islands and Gamla Stan is the oldest and original island in Stockholm with the first recorded history taking place in 1252. The streets on this island are all cobblestone, narrow, windy, and mostly baroque so the island must have been remodeled last in the 16th century. Here's a picture so you can see what I'm talking about:

All the Christmas decorations are still up and the city looks very pretty with all the boughs, trees, and lights.

We wondered around the island and found the Nobel Museum. The museum is currently closed for renovations so we'll have to come back to actually go inside but I still snapped a picture of Dale outside the museum.

In the courtyard outside the museum were tons of cafes. Some of them, like this one below, were in old cellars and looked very cozy. But since this is probably the most touristy part of Stockholm it is also fairly pricey so we didn't stop anywhere.

Just around the corner is the Stockholm Cathedral which we wondered into and looked around. It is quite beautiful inside.

The picture on the left is what you see when you first walk in the Cathedral and the picture on the right is a statue called "Saint George and the Dragon" which, in folklore, is supposed to protect Stockholm. You can read about the statue here. No flash is allowed in the Cathedral so the pictures are not so great, sorry.

Just outside the Stockholm Cathedral lies the Royal Palace of Stockholm but we didn't feel up to paying to see this just yet so we skipped it for now. :) Here are some pictures taken just outside the Royal Palace though.

You can see it's snowy and cold in Stockholm and we were ready to go home to warm up so that's the end of the Gamla Stan adventures for that day.

Love Always,
Matilda