Stockholm is Filled with Royals!

So.. if you are like me, and have never heard about Sweden until a family member moves there, then you definitely didn't know about  The Royal Palace!


The Royal Palace in Sweden is huge! and the most exciting thing to see other than the Queen and King, is the Changing of the Guards.

The changing of the guards takes place every day promptly at 12 noon.  The crowd is pushy, but also filled with excitement to see the change take place.

As an American, I had no idea what the heck they were doing, but I loved the show, the uniforms, and the music performed by the band.

But, I did learn a few things about the Royal palace itself.

Today  I finally got to see the amazing Hall of  State, which contains the silver throne of Queen Kristina.

The Royal Chapel  was also beautiful with its Michael Angelo paintings and one of the most magnificent altars I have ever seen for a church.

I think my favorite though, was of course,  The Treasury. This is where all the crown jewels of Sweden are placed on display. It was interesting to see the Kings swords from all the different eras, especially the Renaissance  time period.

Another goody of the Royal Palace was getting to see all of the famous paintings of Swedish Kings and Queens, along with State Apartments and the Guest Apartments.

The Royal family has functions in the State Apartment,  especially banquet dinners hosted by the king when foreign heads of states  come to visit.



Today, I have already learned  so much about Swedish Culture, food, and Stockholm.


Just a couple of things to blow your mind away:

In Sweden, it is customary not to SMILE at people because they think you are making fun of them..

Pie is not necessarily like Pumpkin Pie. It is actually more of a Quiche
, and pizza combined. It is also super yummy if it you get to have it homemade!

Stockholm is the Capital of Sweden, and it is beautiful!  There are many cobbled stone roads and old buildings surrounding the city.

There is also entertainment outside during the day by street performers (some of them terribly bad and cocky), but some of them are  great to listen to while you enjoy a nice cottage cheese sandwich!!

That's it for today!  Our next stop is Visby.. so look for more fun stories and adventures very soon!