This is the final post for this 17-day tour. The next post will be a new trip in 2011.
The Scandinavian Odyssey tour organized by UW Tours, University of Washington Alumni Association, ended Saturday, August 21, on a high note with a hosted Swedish dinner at
Stortorgskällaren, a delightful little restaurant on Stockholms original main square in the old city center,
Gamla Stan. Originally, a wine cellar, the restaurant's vaulted ceilings date from the 15th century.
In 1520, the square outside was the scene of one of history's most ignoble deeds, the infamous "Stockholm Bloodbath," that saw the final, desperate acts of vengence by Denmark's King Christian II in his attempt to keep Sweden from separating from the Kalmar Union
and Danish control. Across the square, today, is the building that houses the prestigious Swedish Academy and the new Alfred Nobel Museum. Founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, the Swedish Academy's mission is to "advance the Swedish language and Swedish literature. Annually, the 18-member academy chooses the Nobel Prize winner for Literature.
Around the corner lie the Royal Palace and Stockholm Cathedral,
Storkyrkan, from 1279. The imposing Royal Palace's apparent dwarfing of the cathedral is properly symbolic since the Protestant Reformation outlawed Catholicism and subordinated the Church to the Monarchy of Gustav Vasa in 1527.
The narrow streets of the old city charm a twenty-first century visitor, but reality in 16th century Stockholm was far from the idyllic scenes of today.
Gloria Henning and Bertie Perry in the Old City (above)
Sally Wilson, "Polly" Ellingson, Sharon Nelson, Roger Cohen, Bruce Nelson and Ellen Wineberg, in front of the Stortorgskällaren, listen to a city tour guide explain the events of 1520 on the same spot they are standing.
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Tour over, time to head home. Memories of a wonderful shared experience. To the Alumni Tour participants and to those who traveled with us virtually online:
Mange tak -- Tusen takk -- Tack så mycket
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