Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Vaxholm

On our first free day in Stockholm, Phillis and I headed out on an adventure into the archipelago outside of Stockholm. Our plan was to hike across Stockholm to catch the bus to Vaxholm, one of the harbor cities in the archipelago, spend a few hours wandering through shops, cafes, and along the water, and then return on a boat from Vaxholm to the harbor in Stockholm. Alas, we arrived too early... a few days too early. Apparently we were out of season, arriving in March rather than April. When we walked into the ticket office for the ferry on Tuesday morning and asked about the next boat to Stockholm, the response was a big grin and the word "Friday."

We still enjoyed a few hours wandering around Vaxholm. Up on the hilltop was a small tourist set off the main square. In the tourist office we were given a map with a few sites and small parks along the coast. Our first and longest stop was Battery Park.

Set along the ridge on the outskirts of town, the park was lined with benches and a stairway down to a small beach overlooking Northamm, one of the harbors. The name refers to the deserted gun batteries that line the ridge defending the archipelago and most likely Stockholm from enemy ships. It took us a while to figure out that the metal arcs and dials set into the rocks were most likely designed to help position the guns and cannons. The batteries themselves reminded me a bit of the batteries overlooking San Francisco in Golden Gate Park that I grew up exploring.




We settled in the park for a bit of relaxation before heading down to the harbor. Off in the distance was a great fortress set in the middle of the channel.


We wandered along the wharf and then back towards the main street where we found a great cafe for lunch. It was full of young women and strollers (mothers or au pairs? we are not sure), a popular place for the locals. Really, who else was around?
After lunch we boarded the bus back to Stockholm for a leisurely afternoon... Phillis reading in a cafe and I wandering through the streets and stores lining the main walking street. I ran into a few of the students getting shiek new European haircuts in a the department store.
We ended the day over dinner with Chris Peterson, a former student and now pastor of student minitries at the English speaking congregation of Immaneul Church, the large Covenant Church in Stockholm. One more day in Stockholm before our evening flight to Copenhagen and a new adventure!










No comments: