Clarion Hotel Sign, Stockholm - Wednesday, 24 August

Geoff
There is now to be a total change for the next week. We have left the camper van in what we hope will be secure parking. We then caught the fast train service into central Stockholm - it took only twenty minutes. Tickets are bought from a machine. The single adult fare is 280SEK and we nearly bought two but thankfully didn't rush. On closer inspection, during the summer a ticket can be bought by two people travelling together for only 300SEK, a massive saving.

Arriving at Stockholm station, our hotel, the Clarion Sign, was only a few minutes walk away and we are on the fifth floor. It is very modern and mainly glass. I took a walk this afternoon to see where the next part of our Scandinavian odyssey will start tomorrow. It took me through the Gamla Stan (old town) and by the royal palace.

We have been out for a pizza this evening at a restaurant called Giro on Sveavägan and it was excellent. I'll say nothing about the cost of the two glasses of red wine - it was very nice but back home we'd have expected the whole bottle for the same price. On the way back to our hotel, we passed by the Adolf Fredrik Church, a very large building in gardens. Lights were on inside so we went in and caught the last five minutes of an organ recital.

Amanda

Now for the next bit of the adventure. We spent time this morning repacking for the next eight nights, reorganising things in the camper, cleaning and tidying. Parking was pretty straightforward - although we circled several times trying to find the entrance to the car park - and the Arlanda Express whisked us into the centre of Stockholm. There was a nice little perk, discovered quite by accident. A summer special offer, expiring in 4 days time, meant that instead of paying 280 kroner each for a single ticket we paid 300 for two singles. And we could have taken up to 8 children with us free!

Tonight we are at the Clarion Hotel Sign, which was only a short walk from the station. It is probably the trendiest hotel we have ever  stayed in, and has a full blown spa on the top (8th) floor, with a smart rooftop pool with view over the Stockholm rooftops. It being very hot, the terrace around the pool was jam-packed with tanned, oiled bright young things sunbathing. Not a scene I cared to join! And G did not like any aspect of it - especially the height! We retired happily to our nice cool air-conditioned room and a cup of tea.

G went out for a walk to check out how long it would take us to walk to where the boat is docked tomorrow morning. We are  to be there at 9. Half an hour, he reckons. At 8.30 in the morning? Carrying a rucksack? Me? I don't think so!

Knowing that we will be having Swedish meals for the next few days, I  fancied a pizza tonight. A bit

of research turned up Giro Pizzeria Napolitana, rated #23 of 2507 restaurants in Stockholm.by TripAdvisor. It seemed worth a try, and so it was. They serve only pizzas, and very good they are.

On our way back to the Hotel we caught the last part of a free organ recital in Adolf Fredriks Kyrka, part of a week long series. Stockholm is every bit as pleasant as we remembered it. It was March when we were here before, so it has been lovely to see it on a very summery evening, with the pavement cafes, restaurants and grassy squares buzzing.

While we are on the Göta Kanal we may not have any internet access. Use of mobile phones on board the MS Diana is definitely frowned upon! So all may go quiet until we re-emerge in Göteborg next week but I shall continue to write anyway ready to post when I can.

Having mentioned the trendy hotel, I forgot to mention something which amused us. It being a very warm night, when the waitress at the Pizzeria asked where we would like to sit I replied "wherever is coolest". Without hesitating, she said, "Well, by the window - everyone will see you there"!  "Cool" had only one possible meaning for her!