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vampyresheepOur final day. Despite Stockholm not being my favourite city in the world (lots of wonderful things about it but missing that certain something that makes me fall in love with a city) we did very much enjoy the laid back and friendly vibe and were sad for this to be our final day. Thankfully we had a late flight, giving us pretty much a full day to make the most of. Plan for today was to visit the City Hall and the Vasa Museum
Checked out of our boat, stashed cases in storage and headed up the staircase of hell for the final time to get a bus to the town hall.
It was sadly a bit of a dirzzly and miserable morning. Got to the City hall - not difficult to miss, being somewhat large and dominant on the water line - and headed in to book a tour. Slightly chaotic as all the guided tours were taking place at the same time and by the time we worked out where the queue was, we missed the first tour of the day which we'd intended to do, instead getting onto the second tour, giving us around 45 minutes to explore the exterior (in the drizzle!)
unfortunate courtyard scaffolding but they did a good job to mask it! I was pretty much in my element with this style of modernist architecture, so much detail!
a very comfy looking gull
the skies started to clear up, so we went back to take pictures again in better weather!
then finally it was time for us to venture back in for our tour. They were very strict about keeping with the guide, as it was a working building (although bizarrely, given the heightened security everywhere, no bag checks or security scans at all!)
The tour guide was very informative and we stayed in the Blue Hall for quite some time getting a very detailed description of the design of the building and its use as the dining hall for the Nobel Prize every year.
yes, that's right, this is the Blue Hall
as you can see, you just can't get away from its bright blueness .......
Apparently the architect wanted an italianate open courtyard but it being Stockholm, they don't get Italian weather, so a roof was needed. this was going to be painted as the sky but for some reason that didn't happen. The architect then decided that the walls would be clad in blue tiles, so the surface of the beautiful brickwork was chipped away to roughen it ready for the render. The architect changed his mind again and decided to leave it as is - hence the iconic rubbly surface the inner walls have now been left with.
There are many mediterranean and moorish influences all around, such as the underside of the balconies, evoking palaces such as the Real Alcazar in Seville
We were rushed through a series of rooms and corridors, the guide shouting at anyone who dared to stop and take a photo until we arrived at the Council Chamber
it was popular at the time to evoke ancient traditions, so this room had a very medieval feel with the beamed ceiling and stars painted on the ceiling
then to another reception room, the Princes Gallery, with carvings evoking old Scandinavian mythologies
I wish I'd written this up sooner now, as I can't remember half of what she told us about this space and its artwork
fresco painting on one wall, using the old technique of painting directly on wet plaster
then we approached the room I was most looking forward to - the Golden Hall
it was very, very gold indeed, all the walls covered in over 18million glass and gold-leaf tiles.the main feature being a giant figure of a lady - the Queen of Lake Maelaren, surrounded by images of historic figures and elements of Stockholm's history. I didn't want to leave, such a beautiful space!
a bit naughty!
Which brought us to the end of the tour, leading us out through a small exhibition, gift shop and back to the courtyard.
Next plan was to get across town back to Djurgarden for the Vasa museum. But as this post has become somewhat photo heavy, I will conclude on another post.
Save
Checked out of our boat, stashed cases in storage and headed up the staircase of hell for the final time to get a bus to the town hall.
It was sadly a bit of a dirzzly and miserable morning. Got to the City hall - not difficult to miss, being somewhat large and dominant on the water line - and headed in to book a tour. Slightly chaotic as all the guided tours were taking place at the same time and by the time we worked out where the queue was, we missed the first tour of the day which we'd intended to do, instead getting onto the second tour, giving us around 45 minutes to explore the exterior (in the drizzle!)
unfortunate courtyard scaffolding but they did a good job to mask it! I was pretty much in my element with this style of modernist architecture, so much detail!
a very comfy looking gull
the skies started to clear up, so we went back to take pictures again in better weather!
then finally it was time for us to venture back in for our tour. They were very strict about keeping with the guide, as it was a working building (although bizarrely, given the heightened security everywhere, no bag checks or security scans at all!)
The tour guide was very informative and we stayed in the Blue Hall for quite some time getting a very detailed description of the design of the building and its use as the dining hall for the Nobel Prize every year.
yes, that's right, this is the Blue Hall
as you can see, you just can't get away from its bright blueness .......
Apparently the architect wanted an italianate open courtyard but it being Stockholm, they don't get Italian weather, so a roof was needed. this was going to be painted as the sky but for some reason that didn't happen. The architect then decided that the walls would be clad in blue tiles, so the surface of the beautiful brickwork was chipped away to roughen it ready for the render. The architect changed his mind again and decided to leave it as is - hence the iconic rubbly surface the inner walls have now been left with.
There are many mediterranean and moorish influences all around, such as the underside of the balconies, evoking palaces such as the Real Alcazar in Seville
We were rushed through a series of rooms and corridors, the guide shouting at anyone who dared to stop and take a photo until we arrived at the Council Chamber
it was popular at the time to evoke ancient traditions, so this room had a very medieval feel with the beamed ceiling and stars painted on the ceiling
then to another reception room, the Princes Gallery, with carvings evoking old Scandinavian mythologies
I wish I'd written this up sooner now, as I can't remember half of what she told us about this space and its artwork
fresco painting on one wall, using the old technique of painting directly on wet plaster
then we approached the room I was most looking forward to - the Golden Hall
it was very, very gold indeed, all the walls covered in over 18million glass and gold-leaf tiles.the main feature being a giant figure of a lady - the Queen of Lake Maelaren, surrounded by images of historic figures and elements of Stockholm's history. I didn't want to leave, such a beautiful space!
a bit naughty!
Which brought us to the end of the tour, leading us out through a small exhibition, gift shop and back to the courtyard.
Next plan was to get across town back to Djurgarden for the Vasa museum. But as this post has become somewhat photo heavy, I will conclude on another post.
Save