{this memory} 4

In its literal content, this photo from Tuesday's post shows an alleyway in Gamla Stan, The Old Town, which prior to 1980 was known as Staden Mellan Broarna, The Town between the Bridges. If you know Swedish, then you know we are in Stockholm on the island of Stadsholmen. The Old Town dates back to the 1200s and is filled with the kind of medieval alleys and cobbled streets you see in this image.

Another version of this photo was recently selected for on-line publication by Indie Ink.

In early June of 2003 my daughter and I were in Stockholm for only a couple of days after arriving by train from Oslo. I was there primarily to do some research on René Descartes who died in Stockholm in 1650. Although his body was later returned to France, I visited the churchyard where he was first buried, and fortunately for me, Adolf Fredriks kyrka was only a few blocks from the Hard Rock Café which I was adding to my list of visited properties. (See Gone With The Pins) After all, all research and no rock makes Thom cranky.

The scene in the image is of Gåsgränd and only a couple of blocks from the Nobel Museum, our ultimate destination that day. The scene caught my eye as we walked, and I recall actually passing it by and then backing up to look more closely. It drew me in and captivated me as it has many of you.

We returned to our room - one of sixty cabins on the Malardrottningen Yacht Hotel which was once the super-luxury yacht of Barbara Hutton. It was docked at Gamla Stan. From there we took the overnight ferry to Helsinki and got our first taste of "white nights" as our wonderful adventure continued. These were special times with my older daughter.

TGB