Stockholm, Sweden

I've lived most of my life next to Sweden but only ever visited the country once (?), very briefly. I'm a little jealous of my family who went there twice this June, first for a day when dad ran a marathon there, and then for a few days a couple of weeks later. I want to go, too! Well, at least they sent me a postcard. ;)



Here's a slightly different view of Gamla Stan (the old town)... Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan. The word "stan" is simply a contraction of the word "staden" ("sta'n"), meaning "the town."

The town dates back to the 13th century, and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and archaic architecture. North German architecture has had a strong influence in the Old Town's construction.



Such cool stamps! And so old, too, I'm surprised they still sell stamps this old. My absolute favourite here is the squirrel stamp in the middle. Squirrels are some of my favourite animals and I have quite a collection of squirrel postcards, but it's also nice to see these cute little animals on stamps. The one here is from a set of 5 animal stamps issued in 1992. The stamp on the left is from a set of 3 definitives issued in 1989 with the theme Royalty, the one here showing Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden. The boat stamp I'm not sure of as I couldn't find any info on it. Swedish stamps really confuse me, too, because even if they look old they might still be brand new!