Being able to start the day with a Scandinavian breakfast was worth getting up early. Our bodies haven’t quite calibrated yet. A nice walk outside before the rain came in helped adjust our circadian rhythm. We had a lovely fika (coffee break) at a cafe – the best latte I’ve had in ages and a kanelbulle (cinnamon roll extraordinaire).

With my tote bag shopping mission accomplished, we headed to the Royal Palace to see the changing of the guard. It was quite a show! I’ll have to upload our videos somewhere for access soon.

The rain started as we were eating a late lunch and it lasted the rest of the day. We met our tour group at 4:00 and got acquainted. I guess it’s not surprising that everyone but us is retired (or maybe just doesn’t work?). Our tour guide took us around the area of our hotel and then we took a bus to a restaurant off the beaten path where we had an authentic Swedish meal. It consisted of pickled herring, cheese, Swedish meatballs, potatoes and lingonberries. It was delicious!

We had a really nice chat with a couple from Rhode Island (close to our age, retired early). The walk back was really wet, but atmospheric with cobbled roads and nice views of the city. We took the metro for the last leg of the trip to the hotel. The tour guide – Nina- is awesome and she will be with us for the entire trip. A local guide will do the tour tomorrow.

Today’s curious siting: a teeming koi pond and creepy sculpture in a little tucked-in park.