Sweden 2017

It was the summer of 2017 and I was finally able to take my family to visit Sweden, the birth country of my grandmother, Margit Vanja (Bengtsson) Steele.

My grandmother, Margit Vanja Bengtsson, was the first child of Agnes (Olsson) and Carl Bengtsson. Carl, Agnes, and Margit lived in Stormon, a small house outside of Forshaga Sweden (GPS Latitude - 59 deg 32' 10.76" GPS Longitude - 13 deg 30' 2.31" or 59.537881, 13.499974). The family soon sailed to America in 1908 on the White Star Lines S.S. Adriatica, landing in New York.

After months of planning my wife, our three kids, my sister, Sheri (aka Booi), and my mother, Margaret (Margit Vanja's youngest child), were ready to invade Scandinavia. Michelle (my lovely and thrifty wife) found some great rental houses or apartments at all the major stops on our trip and my sister Booi was able to locate reasonable priced air fair. It was all coming together. Booi flew up to St. Louis from Austin, TX and she and mom (Margaret/Peggy) stayed at our house Friday night, June 2. Bright and early Saturday morning we all got up early and packed into the family van to drive to O’Hare airport in Chicago. The trip had begun!

Below is the general agenda of the trip.
Or click here for a basic photo tour

Google Earth Tour of our Sweden Trip
Video Summary of our Trip
.pdf Photo Book of Trip
.docx Photo Book of Trip

Sweden 2017 Schedule:

  1. June 3-4 Travel

  2. June 5 – Monday (Stockholm)
    1. Gamla Stan
    2. Royal Apartments
    3. The Konor Museum – under Palace
    4. Treasury – crowns
    5. City Hall courtyard

  3. June 6 – Tuesday
    1. Skansen – outdoor museum
    2. Vasa museum

  4. June 7 – Wed
    1. Gamla Stan
    2. Cathedral
    3. Changing of the Guard at the Palace
    4. Royal Armory
    5. Cora & Neva explore with Booi

  5. June 8 – Thursday
    1. Drottningholm Palace (by ferry)
    2. Italian restaurant for dinner- Polpette ( 59 19' 42.00" N, 18 3' 49.00" E )

  6. June 9 – Friday
    1. Travel to Forshaga, Sweden
    2. E18 race (Karlsdad)

  7. June 10 – Saturday
    1. Stormon – Grandma Margit Vanja [Bengtsson] Steel’s house ( 59 32' 10.76" N, 13 30' 2.31" E )
    2. Church where Carl Bengtsson and Agnes Olsson (parents of Margit Vanja) were married
    3. Cousins Peter and Ann Calen’s house for midsummer meal

  8. June 11 – Sunday
    1. Maria Calen and her son Luca’s house
    2. Drive around Karlstad
    3. Meriebergsskogen – park with animals in Karlstad
    4. Dinner at Luna Lucot in Forshoga ( 59 31' 50.55" N, 13 28' 44.11" E )
    5. Cora and Michelle find a Troll forest

  9. June 12 – Monday
    1. Cora, Booi, Michelle, and Peggy walk forshaga, eat fika at Snickarmackan
    2. Neva rollerbladed lots
    3. Cousins Ann and Peter Calen come to rental house for dinner

  10. June 13 – Tuesday
    1. Travel to Oslo, Norway ( 59 54' 10.74" N, 10 45' 17.29" E )
    2. Rock carvings at Tanumshock ( 58 42' 5.74" N, 11 20' 10.64" E )
    3. Michelle, Booi, Cora, Neva walk around Olso, Norway

  11. June 14 – Wednesday
    1. Ferry to Viking and Folk museums ( 59 54' 18.06" N, 10 41' 3.90" E )
    2. Lunch/dinner near water – Albert Bistro ( 59 54' 36.40" N, 10 43' 40.89" E )
    3. MiLadies go to art museum ( 59 54' 57.05" N, 10 44' 13.31" E )

  12. June 15 – Thursday
    1. Travel to Mora, Sweden ( 61 0' 48.85" N, 14 35' 8.64" E )
    2. Good lunch at the Volvo cafeteria

  13. June 16 – Friday
    1. Dala Horse workshops ( 60 57' 43.45" N, 14 39' 3.81" E )
    2. Booi, Cora, Neva, Michelle walk to Mora Center

  14. June 17 – Saturday
    1. Rattvik ( 60 53' 2.99" N, 15 6' 46.23" E )
      1. Summer toboggan & Segway
      2. Pier
      3. Thai for lunch
      4. Fika


  15. June 18 – Sunday
    1. Sigtuna – oldest town in Sweden
    2. Runes
    3. Sleep at the Connect Hotel by the Arlanda airport

  16. June 19 – Monday Adios Sweden