Mature Life Features

. . . as soon as a I remembered

what it was I was gonna try.

But my son said

I should forget about it.

= = = = =

Walk in the Footsteps

of Nobel Winners

By Marlene Fanta Shyer, Mature Life Features

You can walk up the same marble stairs that Nobel Prize winners have climbed every Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of the prize’s namesake, since 1901. It’s the City Hall in Stockholm and you’re in the Blue Hall gazing up at the granite pillars and exposed brick walls that stretch 75 feet from floor to ceiling.

It’s called the Blue Hall but there’s not a spot of blue anywhere. It was designed by Ragnar Östberg, a Swedish architect who was inspired by Italian design and envisioned a soaring ceiling-free space with a view of an azure sky. However, climate demanded a roof be added, but the name stuck.

As you stand on the spot where the most coveted award in the world is celebrated annually, Stockholm comes very much alive, but it’s just part of reason to visit the city.  Built on 14 islands and called everything from “image-conscious” to “trend-hungry” to “tech-friendly,” it is richly historical with its Old Town of narrow cobblestone streets and clutter of shops, its Royal Palace, and National Museum.

A Viking ship that sank in the Baltic about three miles from the city in 1628 was discovered some 60 years ago. It was pulled out of the deep complete with 27 bodies, casks of spirits, and the bones of meat intended to feed the passengers. After being rebuilt, it draws more than 800,000 visitors to the museum every year.

Wherever you head in Stockholm, water views are always close by as are some of the finest

restaurants in Europe.