Tunnelbana Blue Line

Here's more of the art in the Tunnelbana stations to go with the previous post about the red line.

Tunnelbana Red Line

Is this simply the entrance to the Stockholm Tunnelbana? Sure. It's an efficient and clean way to get around a beautiful city just like the bus system. But, it's also the entrance to a really big art museum! It's touted as the world's longest art exhibit at 110 km long. Over 90 of the 100 subway stations in Stockholm have been decorated with sculptures, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings and reliefs by over 150 artists.

We finally slowed down and took a closer look at 2 of the lines. You miss so much when you just pass through to another destination. Many of these stations are destinations in their own right. Here's a look at a few on the red line starting with Östermalmstorg.

Moderna Museet

I wrote about the Modern Art Museum in Stockholm previously here. It's still free but they charge for one or two major temporary exhibits if you want to see them. I love the place for the lunch spot with the beautiful overlook, interesting art pieces, and challenging thought processes. Here's a few random pics.

Hallwylska Museet

Hallwyl Museum is one of Stockholm's free museums. It's centrally located so I can't believe I missed it when I lived here. It isn't huge so it's a nice hour or so of looking around at this 1890s home with the collection of Countess Wilhelmina von Hallwyl.

Tutankhamun

The traveling exhibition of Tutankhamun is a great way to experience the discovery of the tomb. There's informative audio guides, multimedia displays, and convincing replicas. One review claims the originals in Egypt aren't as well presented as this. However, I read that they're working on a new Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza pyramids that will be partially opening in May 2018. There's something to add to the bucket list since I've been fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was a little boy.

Uppsala

I lived in Sweden for 2 years but when I traveled outside Stockholm it was usually to another country. We went to Uppsala for an overnight trip to see something different. It's just an hour away by train so it could be done as a day trip. Uppsala is Sweden's 4th largest city of 140K with the oldest university in the Nordic countries founded in 1477. The town is nice to walk around in and the 13th century cathedral is a highlight as the tallest church in Scandinavia.

R&R Cost-Construct

Cost-construct doesn't follow common sense. It follows government negotiated rates for some routes, perhaps some influence from consumer demand, and apparently a bit of good fortune when the cost-construct gods smile on you. I've learned it pays to at least ask.

The R&R point for Caracas, Venezuela is Miami. There's heavy demand for those flights, so prices are generally high. We wanted to cost-construct R&R to Stockholm, Sweden. I asked. The surprising answer was that a flight to Stockholm via Paris on Air France was a little cheaper than going to Miami. Who would think?!? No money out of pocket! Yep, R&R is in Stockholm. :-)