Skansen open-air museum and a ferry tour around the Stockholm Archipelago

13 May 2022.

Another gorgeous morning in Stockholm and another leisurely breakfast at the hotel. The four of us headed out for the nearby Slussen ferry that would take us back to Djurgården Island. This time our goal was the Skansen open-air museum. An interesting combination of historical buildings outlining Swedish history -- rather like Colonial Williamsburg in the United States -- there is also a children's zoo, lots of green spaces, cafes, a restaurant, a reproduction of a Sami camp, as well as a collection of Nordic animals.

walking up from the ferry to the bus stop

Once back on the island we went in search of the bus stop and the no. 7 which took us to the next stop and the Skansen museum-park.

park entrance

lots to see and do

lots of parents pushing strollers

The park thoughtfully provided an escalator to take you to the top, allowing you to walk down.

Once at the top we were greeted with some rather spectacular views of Stockholm.

But we weren't there to gawk but stroll and enjoy the experience.

One of the unique things about Skansen is many buildings were removed from other parts of Sweden and reconstructed here to demonstrate the (recent) history of the country. Lots of old log buildings and even several entire farms were moved here.

But there were also gardens as well as replicated later 19th century town buildings to visit as well.

an herb garden

one of the original buildings that were built on this site in the late 19th century.

past the rose garden -- several holding just tulips for the moment

the rose garden abutted against more lovely views of Stockholm off in the near-distance

looking back toward the Vasa museum

using stakes holding wool to deter deer

We found one of the small cafes near the old town quarter and settled in for a little sweet and coffee.

it was a very nice place to take a break from the cobblestones

Leaving the cafe we retraced our steps in the direction of the rose garden but then took a descending path to the funicular station, which would take us back to the top again. Why? Because we wanted to ride it, that's pretty much it.

 

Back at the top of the park we threaded our way past more views of the city and yet more farmsteads in search of the Nordic animals.

great grey owl

some animals were not to be seen

others were really quite obvious

a number of authentic 17th century milestones were on display through the park as well

Built in 1730 Hallestead belfry is Sweden's largest belfry

Leaving the park we made our way to the tram which took us the short way back to where we would catch the ferry.

We had a short wait for the no. 80 ferry (direction Ropsten) that would take us on a short tour around several of the nearby islands. Once we boarded we enjoyed new scenery as we road the waves of the Baltic Sea for the next hour or so.

v

Once we reached Ropsten, our final destination, it was off underneath the overpass past a Shell filling station to the metro stop. We got on the no. 13 line that would coincidentally take us right to the Slussen stop near our hotel.

But before going to the hotel we stopped at the Casa di Cava for an aperitif. Since it was happy hour we had a round of cava and shared a delicious platter of tasty treats.

That evening the four us gathered for dinner in the hotel restaurant: Eken. Susie had roasted cauliflower with potatoes while three of us had burgers with fries. Delicious all 'round!

Tomorrow we head off to explore a different part of central Stockholm!