Gripsholms Slott is located in Mariefred on Lake Mälaren,
about 60 kms west of Stockholm. It was first built in the 1500's by King Gustav Vasa (on the site of a fortress from the 1300's with which he used as building materials) and later expanded in the 17oo's by King Gustav III. With almost 100 rooms that you can walk through in the castle that contain original furniture and decor, it was one of the most amazing things I (Robin) have seen! It even has a dungeon. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle, but some pics are here of the outside.
At 6pm, Djurgården vs Elfsborg football match started at Stockholm Olympic stadium. Djurgården had a thrilling come from behind win. I own a Djurgården jersey and looked like one of their biggest fans! I also tried to sing along with all the songs too. It was fun! There was a lot of energy in this crowd of 12,000.July 16-19th, 2007: On Monday, my sister Maryrose and her husband Mauro arrived in Stockholm off the heels of their France trip. They saw the sights in Stockholm, and being inspired from their travels in France they cooked up a delicious 'coq au vin' one evening. Maryrose and Mauro were tired of palaces and opted for the unique viking experience of Birka, possibly the oldest town in Sweden. We had a great tour of the island and the grave mounds. There are something like 3000 grave mounds on this little island. I was a bit unprepared and didn't charge my batteries for the camera, and it died mid trip, as a result I didn't take that many pictures. What pictures I took are here.
July 14th, 2007. A forty minute commuter train from Stockholm and you are in Uppsala. This was a Saturday destination for us. Uppsala is a quaint little university town, with a canal that cuts through it. Ok, it isn't that small it's the fourth largest city in Sweden and home of some famous people.
Most notable are, Carl Linnaeus and Anders Celsius, not to mention there is a Slott's factory (they make mustard) here as well. Speaking of slotts (i.e. castles), Uppsala has a fairly nice one, with a fantastic garden around the corner. Interestingly enough, the King of that castle had some canons pointed at the Domkyrka (Scandinavia's largest church) as he didn't trust powerful bishops of the time. It was a religious, economic and political centre. When I say religion I mean Norse paganism, human sacrifice, the worship of gods like Thor, Odin and Freyr. Just outside of town is Gamla Uppsala, or old Uppsala in English. It is here you can find the site of the Royal burial mound from the 5th and 6th century. Historians believe that this site may have been used as early as the 3rd century. We closed this day with a nice dinner at a restaurant down by the canal, see pics here.
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