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Articles on some of the world's most romantic
destinations by
professional photographer Eleanor S. Morris
Romantic
Stockholm, Sweden’s Bright Capital
by Eleanor S. Morris
Stockholm, a lovely city surrounded
by water--in fact, it's built on fourteen islands, making it one-third
water-- not only has beautiful buildings and interesting museums, it also
has a romantic history.
ROMANTIC HISTORY
Enter the French: Jean-Baptiste
Bernadotte, born in Pau, France, in 1711, was one of Napoleon I's Field
Marshals. He fell in love with Desiree Clary, daughter of a wealthy silk
merchant of Marseille, who was pretty popular. Initially courted by Napoleon's
brother Joseph, she met Napoleon and became engaged to him in 1795.
Napoleon went on to Paris and met Josephine de Beauharnais. He decided
she could be a better help in his dream of becoming Emperor of the French,
and he married her in 1796. "You have made my life a misery, and
yet I am weak enough to forgive you," Desiree wrote to him when she
learned of the marriage.
In 1798 she married Bernadotte, who unexpectedly in 1810 was elected heir
to King Charles (Gustav) XIII, who was childless. He was elected Crown
Prince partly because he was very popular in Sweden because of his kindness
to Swedish prisoners during one of Napoleon's wars.
Desiree was crowned Queen of Sweden in 1823, and although Bernadotte died
in 1844, Sweden would not let her abdicate. She ruled until her death
in 1860. Her son (whose godfather was Napoleon) became King Oscar I of
Sweden, and the royal house she helped begin rules today.
 So
modern Sweden still has a monarchy. The Royal couple, King Carl XVI Gustav
and Queen Silvia, have offices in the Royal Palace in Old Town but live
in Drottningholm Palace outside the city. Crown Princess Victoria, the
eldest of three children, is heir to the crown.
WHAT TO SEE IN STOCKHOLM
 The
ROYAL PALACE is in historic Old Town has 608 rooms, and you can see the
royal apartments among them, as well as the Treasury and the Royal Armory.
In the TRE KRONOR MUSEUM on the grounds of the Royal Palace, you'll be
surrounded by medieval history, and in MILLESGARDEN, the home of one of
Sweden's leading sculptors, Carl Milles, there are interesting exhibits.
Not to be missed is the VASA MUSEUM with the royal warship that sank in
the harbor on her maiden voyage in 1628. Salvaged some 333 years later,
it's in remarkably good condition.
The NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS's permanent exhibition Design 1900-2000
displays examples of famous Swedish glass, furniture, textile and industrial
design. We can thank Sweden for such modern inventions as the ballbearing,
the zipper, the refrigerator, the monkey wrench and the computer mouse.
In the MUSEUM OF NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES you'll see historic gold treasures
as well as a Viking exhibit. The Swedish Vikings went east, not north
like the Norwegian Vikings. They went all the way to Constantinople!
Alfred Nobel was from Stockholm. He pledged his fortune (from dynamite)
to the world's most respected prize, the Nobel Prize. You can learn about
Prize recipients at the NOBEL MUSEUM.
The SKANSEN OPEN AIR MUSEUM is a village in the middle of the city. Amid
historic buildings from all over Sweden museum guides in period costume
will tell you what it was like in the olden days.
GETTING AROUND
 Take
a romantic boat ride under the city's many bridges and quays. Boat tours
operate from April to December. Bus sightseeing tours depart from the
Royal Opera all year, with a "hop-on, hop-off" service. In Old
Town you can go on guided tours through the narrow winding streets, or
you can take a historical tour with a horse and carriage.
The Stockholm
Card gives you entrance to around 70 museums and attractions as well
as free boat sightseeing on selected tours, and free travel on buses,
the underground, and local trains.
If you go on a tour of the City Hall where the Nobel Prize banquet takes
place, you can be a Nobel Prize winner for a day! Dine at the restaurant
there and dinner will be served on actual Nobel Prize china. And, you
can choose from menus served over 100 years since the prize was established.
WHERE TO STAY
 The
Grand Hotel is truly a grand hotel--you enter through double glass
doors and mount a red-carpeted staircase to the elegant lobby. Located
in the heart of the city, with a view over a cruise ship harbor and the
Royal Palace, the hotel has 300 rooms, including 21 suites. Each room
is unique, with its own history, character and specially chosen decorative
details.
The two restaurants, the Grand Veranda and Frankska Matsalen, focus on
fine food and wine. The Grand Veranda is famous world-wide for its Swedish
Smorgasbord, and in the Cadier Bar drinks from all over the world are
served.
You'll find a Fitness Centre, with a fully equipped gym, personal training
in boxing and spinning, spa treatments, steam and dry heat sauna, and
even a small cafe, serving fruit juices, sandwiches and other refreshment.
The Clarion Hotel Stockholm, with 532 rooms and suites, is also an art
gallery. With their guidebook in your hand, you can take a tour of a unique
collection of contemporary Scandinavian art. The lobby, the restaurant,
the banquet hall and conference areas, display the largest part of the
collection. But in the hotel rooms, two artists have made a series on
the theme "Stockholm."
On Floor 1 you'll find the Upstairs Bar and the a la carte restaurant
Gretas Kok, serving Swedish fare with international influence. C &
C's Bar is on the street level.
The hotel is located in the city's Sodermalm district, a neighborhood
of restaurants, bars, boutiques and art galleries. A short walk will take
you to Gamla Stan, the famous Old Town.
Clarion Hotel
Stockholm is part of Choice Hotels Scandinavia, a chain which currently
has 140 hotels in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
For more information:
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