Getting There - Stockholm & Helsinki

We spent several hours visiting Stockholm's Stadshuset ("City Hall"). It is a remarkable place. As the name suggests, Stadshuset houses the city council chambers and offices of the city government. But it is also an architectural treasure, an art museum, and the venue of the annual Nobel Prize awards ceremony and banquet. The view to left includes the building's landmark bell tower, topped by the "Three Crowns" national emblem of Sweden.

This terrace garden outside of Stadshuset looks toward Gamla stan and the small island of Riddarholmen. The tower of Storkyrkan is seen immediately to the right of the column. The statue atop the column represents a 15th-century national hero, Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson.