Stadshuset

Apparently Stockholm possesses an over-the-top city hall and I was not aware of it.  After a little souvenir shopping and a stroll down the long pedestrian shopping street this morning, Janis and I headed to the Stadshuset where we were able to take a guided tour of city hall.  This building was completed in 1923 and designed by the architect Östberg.  It was built out of 8 million bricks and designed to look many hundreds of years older than it is.  Östberg was constantly reworking his design and as a result, it is quite a compilation of unique styles.

The Blue Hall (which is not blue because of a last minute mind change of the architect, is the home of the Nobel Prize Banquet. (below)

The council chamber (below) houses the 101 city council members, 52 of which are women!

The Oval (below) is where civil wedding ceremonies take place.  The long version takes 3 minutes and the short version takes 30 seconds.  The waiting list is 8 months long and they try to do 40 in a four hour time period every weekend.

The prince's gallery (below) is so named because an acting prince actually spent 5 years painting the fresco wall paintings.

And, finally, the Gold Hall, so named because of the 18 million glass and gold tiles used to create mosaics on the walls!

This is where the dancing takes place after the Nobel Banquet.  Very interesting place!!

Janis and I then headed to Saluhall in Östermalms to have lunch with a group of my friends.  Janis enjoyed a very traditional plate of herring varieties while I had a shrimp salad.  Wonderful!

Tabitha and her guest enjoyed the day as well. They went to school together and then toured the museums of the Vasa Museum, followed by the Nordiska Museum.

Quincy got to enjoy his own decadence when my friend, Carol, took him out to lunch in St Louis.  I am sure that you can guess which treat is Quincy's and which is Carol's.

And, our HUGE news of the day is that Tabitha was accepted into the very elite dual BA program at Columbia University.  If she chooses to follow this path, she will get a degree from the prestigious Sciences Po university in France and one from Columbia in New York city.  She has some big decisions to make.  We are VERY proud!