SWEDEN - Scandinavia - page 745

Of course, today's monarchs are figureheads ruled by a constitution. The
royal family makes a point to be as accessible and as “normal” as royalty can
be. King Carl XVI Gustaf (b. 1946)—whose main job is handing out Nobel
Prizes once a year—is a car nut who talks openly about his dyslexia. He was
the first Swedish king not to be crowned “by the grace of God.” The popular
Queen Silvia is a businessman's daughter. At their 1976 wedding festivities,
ABBA serenaded her with “Dancing Queen.” Their daughter and heir to the
throne, Crown Princess Victoria, studied political science at Yale and interned
with Sweden's European Union delegation. In 2010 she married gym owner
Daniel Westling—the first royal wedding in Sweden since her parents' mar-
riage. Victoria and Daniel's first child, Princess Estelle, was born on February
23, 2012—and instantly became the next heir to the throne.
Drottningholm Court Theater (Drottningholms Slottsteater): This
18th-century theater somehow survived the ages—complete with its instru-
ments, sound-effects machines, and stage sets. It's one of two such theaters
remaining in Europe (the other is in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic). Visit
it on a 30-minute guided tour, offered at the top of the hour (90 kr, May-
Aug 10:00-17:00, Sept 11:00-15:30, no tours off-season, tel. [phone]), or
check their schedule for the rare opportunity to see perfectly authentic oper-
as (about 25 performances each summer). Tickets for this popular time-travel
musical and theatrical experience cost 275-895 kr and go on sale each March;
purchase online or by phone or fax (see www.dtm.se ).
Sigtuna —This town, an old-time lakeside jumble of wooden houses and
waffle shops, presents a fluffy, stereotyped version of Sweden as it was in the
olden days. You'll see a medieval lane lined with colorful tourist boutiques,
cafés, a romantic park, waterfront promenade, old town hall, and rune stones.
The TI can help you get oriented (tel. [phone], http://sal.sigtuna.se/tur-
ism ). If traveling by car to Uppsala (described on here ) or Oslo (see the Oslo
chapter), Sigtuna is a short detour, good for a browse and an ice-cream cone,
but little more. By public transport, it's probably not worth the tedious one-
hour trip out (take the pendeltåg suburban train from Stockholm to Märsta
and then change to bus #570).
▲▲▲Archipelago (Skärgården) —Some of Europe's most scenic islands
(thousands of them) stretch 80 miles from Stockholm out to the open Baltic