I've got a new favourite city. I admit it might have something to do with the cocktail of weather and company, but still I'm definitely sold on Stockholm. This is a gob smackingly beautiful city. I was awake at 5:30 just like everyone told me to, on deck minutes later for some seriously astounding scenery as we cruised in through the archipelago. There are over 24k islands that make up this region and every one of them stands on this crisp sea beckoning the city dwellers back to the islands.

The family of course were running a few hours behind me, we were eventually up and on our way into the city to meet Karin & Östen for our day in Stockholm. All the way in along the waterfront postcard buildings were plentiful, the Grand Hotel with it's green copper roof stood just behind the Opera House where we met our wonderful hosts. Playing neutral in WWII meant escaping the bombings while exalting a healthy life balance means this city invests in its vistas with more than it's share of help from nature. There are things to admire at every turn. 

We stroll along the water front past the palace, the monarchy long retired to a more impressive palace further out of town, this one would do me just fine. Karin has us crossing the harbour towards Djurgården (Animal Island) and our two museums for the day. The king formerly used this island for hunting, shipping in all kinds of African game so that he could sail across and hunt whenever he liked. You can't miss the Tivoli Gröna Lund right at the dock as we approach. From the water I can make out at least three coasters, a chair ride on the water, another one trying to scrape Valhalla and a chair drop that looks to be the kind that would have me swearing in Swedish by the end of the day. Gröna Lund is for another day, we take a left to the ABBA museum. It sounds kitsch until you enter the first room. A five minute reel does a fantastic job of reminding you why these guys lit the world up all blue and yellow. By the end of it we're touched by ABBA fever again 40 years later. 

Inside the Museum we can see the original wardrobe for the '74 Eurovision song contest, sing karaoke with the band, see the summer house and studio all laid out in replica and even join the other four on stage as the fifth member in a cool 3D Holographic stage setup. None of that is anywhere as cool as having your picture taken in the cockpit of the chopper from the Arrival album cover - awesome!

We're off and heading down the road to the Vasa. Karin has the perfect way to twist the tragedy of this story into modern Dilbert comedy. In the 16th Century King Vasa want's the Baltic to know he's the one to fear - look out Denmark! He commissions a monster of a boat to bear his name the Vasa. But throughout the build King Vasa wanted to see his boat bigger and bigger - More Cannons, Longer, Wider. The compliant craftsmen fashioned the ship to his requirements and cringed as the monster was eventually launched into the harbour. As everyone who has failed to manager an exuberant stakeholder knows, and tantruming requirement can't overcome reality - the Vasa sank on it's maiden voyage. Three centuries later she was found lying buried in mud at the bottom of the harbour. Today the wreck we saw was 98% original, just astounding. The lack of wood parasites in these waters meant the boat remained largely intact and was able to be recovered, brought to shore and restored. The Museum to the boat, it's contents and the recovery process is enthralling.

We found Karin and Östen at the "Spiritmuseum" sponsored by Absolute. Happily Gab's goto Vodka has branched into a beer garden for craft beers, we sat for lunch on the waterside with Östen and I sampling the beers over lunch. I felt authentic opting for the Herring, even though Östen can't stand the stuff. Way better than the German version, it's hurts to admit it. Gab and I fell in love with a show called "Welcome to Sweden" a US/Swedish combined development show that ran earlier this year. They depict a Swedish family heading out on the archipelago once the summer started to thaw away winter, Karin assures me it's true with most city dwellers heading to the islands when they can over summer. 

Back across the water we walked around the lock that holds the river and the Baltic sea apart before heading into the old town. I read the worlds oldest restaurant is in here somewhere. The buildings spring from the 1100s Karin takes us to the cities most narrow street, it's so narrow the kids are able to stand legs spread between the two sides of the lane. The stores are like most touristy old towns, but the buildings above them have an authentic charm that isn't easy to find in the majority of the rebuilt europe. 

 Östen and I take the kids to a bar down the road while the ladies do some shopping. The energy in this city is hard to escape. We take a walk back through the old town, and on to a thoroughfare that runs through the parliamentary buildings, everyone is out enjoying this brilliant day. Before we know it we're back to the Opera House and saying our goodbyes. We left New York with two or three pages of things we missed, we don't have a list but we can see we barely scratched the surface of everything to enjoy in this city, everywhere you look there is something new to explore. Spoilt by our fantastic hosts we're all touched by Stockholm forever, we'll be back!