Stockholm day 1

We had a very nice breakfast sitting  by the landing stage over looking the lake  most tranquil. Then decided to hit the mean streets of Stockholm We have a three day ticket for the transport system and this is a great idea.

First we caught a bus to the rail station or TBana the busses run  very strictly to a time table and they actually arrive with they are supposed to. The trains are clean and efficient and also run to time.

When we got off at Gamala we found a really nice cafe for a coffee and a cake after a short wander around the  older quarter of the city.   We then took the Ferry to the open air museum at Skansk on what was the kings hunting island . There was an open air market  in the grounds with a eighteen century feel and we had some very  filling fried pancake for lunch. I am not a great fan of Zoos but  we walked around the zoo section and saw bears and wolverines as well as a few wolves otters seals  wild boar and other  animals.

We went for a walk around Stockholm to get back to the  Tbana

We were still pretty full after the  fried pancake, but we managed to pop into the Co op by the T bana and  stocked up with a few items of constables a couple of can of beer  some french cheese bread and a couple of cakes . We got back to our air B and B and had a bit of a snack then, exhausted went to bed.

Malmo to Stockholm

After a cup of coffee in Malmo we got on the train to Stockholm the station was pretty busy with a lot of Syrian people also getting on the train, we were told that it is their plan to go to Finland  travelling from Germany to Malmo by boat, then train to the tip of Sweden, it is a desperately long journey.

Getting to Stockholm was easy and also using the Tbanna was not too much of a challenge although recognising the train stations is a bit tricky , then a short bus journey, also very easy,  and we got to our Air B and B  a quick walk by the lake and we were invited  to have a meal with our hosts which we did it was most enjoyable.

Malmo

It was very warm over night and it turned in to a beautiful day, Took a time to get a ticket for tomorrow as there are a lot of people trying to get to Stockholm at the moment.  Spent the day walking the streets of Malmo and visiting the gardens,   spent some time but the sea, it was a long day of walking but very good.

had an excellent lunch of fried Haloumi cheese and  falafel in what we were told was the best falafel
shop in Malmo it took us a bit of time to find it but is was very good.

The beer here is very expensive about £12 per pint, so we tend to drink very slowly,  we spent some time  very slowly drink a beer  in a small square near the air b and b, tomorrow we take the train to Stockholm a journey of 600k.  

Copenhagen to Malmo

Good nights sleep and a very good breakfast at The Grand. Then  spent the morning and some of the afternoon visiting the National Museum in Copenhagen. Saw the most interesting and very provoking exhibition White Busses. Saw a couple of  clocks, One made in Copenhagen looked very sad with a  very badly bent  hour hand. Also noticed in a typical Copenhagen merchants room in the museum a clock  which I would have called a dutch clock, so borders were well and truly broken,  puts some  preconceptions of scale and  nationality into or perhaps out of kilter..

The grand hotel had been looking after our cases and we then  took the train to Malmo. getting a ticket was a bit fraught as the ticket  credit card system were broken and we had to pay in cash but  they were able to accept euros. the journey to Malmo was a bout 40 mins and very good. The trip from the station to our  air B and B was a bit lengthy due to the directions being a bit inadequate.

A quick foray to a grocery shop to stock up  and then I attended a very interesting meeting of the Malmo clock and watch collectors club  it was very good and I was able to  look at a very attractive  wood wheeled clock, which has  the alarm mechanism  made form box wood  a wood that is not found in Sweden. interesting . The clock was made in 1780 ish.

Birmingham to Copenhagen

We had a very relaxed start to the day, M and S one pot porridge in our hotel  it was not Haute Cuisine in the slightest, However a very short  walk and a very quick but efficient  security  check and we were in the departure lounge. Birmingham airport is very nice relaxed and  has a very nice human scale. Cup of coffee and an almond croissant  and  we boarded the flight to Copenhagen  at about 9.45  in  again a very relaxed manner.

Nice flight only an hour and a half and we were in Copenhagen,   every instruction is posted first in Danish and then in  English,  and we found that every one spoke the most perfect English  and were very helpful. The train journey to the city centre was  fast and  good, our hotel The Grand was only a couple of hundred yards from the train station. We have a very nice room  small but  very convenient.

We went out for a stroll and after a bit of lunch,  we visited a beautiful department shop which had lots of very beautiful Danish design work,   we saw some beautiful carpets  and  some interesting lighting. We  then set off for the 'little mermaid' which we found a mile or two from the city centre we had a nice walk along the waters edge. The mermaid was  heavily photographed by lots of  tourists so we did as well. We visited the Citadel on the way back and Churchillparken.  There are lots of really  fantastic  public clocks mostly heavily gilded and ornate much for the clock nerd to enjoy.

we also visited the Danish Design museum  where we saw quite a bit of danish design and also  two  very nice  but very sad english long case clocks both looking tired and neglected. One was By Daniel Quare this stood close to 8 foot tall and had a wonderful case. the other was also an imposing London made clock  which I think may have been a musical one but it also was in sad condition.

We had quite a nice evening meal along side the  canal or river which does  not sound too good but was much better than it sounds. Back home to the Grand and a good nights sleep.


 

Phase two Birmingham to Copenhagen

 Back in travel mode, yesterday we drove up to Birmingham and parked the car checked into the IBIS and hit the mean streets of Birmingham,

We visited the Jewelery Quarter and had a look at the RBSA  art exhibition.

We had a very good curry at the Maharaja Hurst Street.  which one would expect and a couple of G&T's what could be better.
tomorrow we fly to Copenhagen  only for a day then  on to Malmo and Stockholm.

Logan to Heathrow, Heathrow to Paddington, Paddington to Bristol Parkway, BP to Cheltenham, Cheltenham to Gloucester, Glos home

I suppose I have covered the longest hop today (and yesterday) mainly with the help of British Airways. BA  is very good  the only think I could criticise is the quality of the breakfast.

The flight was a bit bumpy in some places but never the less was excellent. The journey  home  due to the  Rail Strike was a bit 'fraught in the planning' but in fact was just as swift as a normal day, I wonder what that is saying,

I am fairly exhausted (is exhausted a binary,  exhausted / not exhausted?) and waiting for the final lift home.

Sleep in my own bed tonight.