On our first visit to Gamla Stan I spotted, in the distance, a fascinating black metal spire rising above the rooftops. Intrigued we set out to find the church it was attached to. Asking nearly everyone we encountered in the shops that day noone seemed to know what we were talking about. In the tiny, ancient streets we had lost sight of the spire. Circling back to the palace, where I had first seen it, we spotted it again, and, our direction now seeming plain, set forth. Finally we found what we were looking for.
The spire sits atop a 13th century church that had once been part of a monastery. The church, though it has been added to and renovated over the centuries, is beautiful and impressive. The elusive spire was added in the 1800's in a gothic revival style.The church sits on an island across from the Gamla Stan. The building used as the palace after the original burned and the new one was being built stands across the street. It, as well as most of the other venerable structures on the island now house courthouses and the other various flotsam and jetsam of Stockholm's justice system.
Feeling satisfied in succeeding in our quest we returned to the waterbus dock. While waiting we watched form a park bench as rush hour came upon the city. People, on foot and on bike, passed by heading home. We shared the top deck of the waterbus with others who had just finished their work day. We enjoyed the air, the sunshine and the fresh smell of the water during our last ride on the watercraft we had enjoyed using so much during our stay. We had a final dinner in the hotel's restaurant that night before going to our room and doing the last minute preparations for our train trip to Copenhagen the next morning.
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