• Here is a photo of the royal family. (from a Swedish post card without copyright statements.) The young lady (far right) wearing a tiara is the crown princess. The princess has a brother, but she is the eldest child. According to the Swedish constitution, the first-born will continue the monarchy.

Two hundred years ago, Sweden was invaded from both east and west. Russia occupied the province of Finland, and the province of Norway was captured by Denmark. To make things wore, the king of Sweden did not have children who could continue his monarchy. He thus decided to adopt a talented young man who could manage military affairs. He looked at Napoleon's army and invited a brilliant general named Jean Baptieste Bernatatto to become the prince and eventually the king. He became King Charles XIV of Sweden.

When the general came to Stockholm from France, he came with a French girl named Dsirée. Dsirée was Napoleon's childhood sweetheart in Corsica. After hearing Napoleon became great, Dsirée went to Paris to marry him. But Napoleon was deeply in love with a widow named Josephine. Dsirée became heartbroken, but was invited by Bernadotte go to Stockholm with him. She went and produced Bernadotte's children for the present Swedish dynasty.

Like Prince Charles of England, the crown princess of Sweden has many first names. I was very happy to note that one of her first names is Desirée.

• Click here for more about the royal family.

When you go to Stockholm to pick up your Nobel certificate, you may need the following map and guide.

• Nobel Map. If you go to Stockholm to pick up your Nobel prize, you will need this map. This map contains four essential places you should go through.

• Grand Hotel Stockholm. You will be staying in this hotel. This hotel has its history.
  1. Another View of this Hotel (photo from public domain).
  2. One of the dining rooms. I was not allowed to take photos of the main lobby and other important places in this hotel. But I could use my camera in this lunch room getting ready for its opening at the noon.
  3. Sea food table for the lunch buffet. Pastry table.
  4. I dined there in 2005. The Swedish parliament building is seen through the window.
  5. When I dined there again in 2010, my table was served by a young professional. She majored in tourism and hospitality in her college.

• Concert Hall. You will pick up your certificate from the King of Sweden during the ceremony held in this concert hall. If you are young enough you will receive the award from the Queen.
  1. In 1963, Eugene Wigner received the Nobel prize in physics.
  2. This sculpture in front of the Building, means something, but I did not have enough time to study this aspect. Presumably, it means art, creativity, and peace. What else?
  3. Except the Nobel ceremony (one day a year), this Concert Hall's main function is to host musical events. When I dropped in, the usher was kind enough to walk with me to one of the doors of the concert hall while the maestro was conducting his symphony orchestra (seen from CCTV). We did not open the door.
  4. The interior of this building is not necessarily glamourous, but it has a very rich history. Many important people went through this stairway.
  5. PUB (in front of the Concert Hall) is one of the major department stores in Sweden. Actress Greta Garbo once worked here before she became famous.

• The City Hall. The Nobel Dinner and Gala Party are held here in December of every year. This building looks old, but it was constructed after World War I. It was designed to look old.
  1. The Nobel Dinner is taking at this lower lavel of the Gala Hall. When I was there in 2005, I met a group of Japanese tourists. I asked them who Japan's first Nobel winner was. They said "Yukawa Hideki San." I have a webpage dedicated to Yukawa.
  2. Golden Plaque of Alfred Nobel on the wall of this dining area.

  3. After the dinner, they walk through this stairway to the upper level for gala dancing.
  4. In 1963, thie group of people went through this dinner-dance process. The group consists of Eugene Wigner, his class mate at the Budapest high school, and their wives and daughters. Wigner's daughter is on his right.
  5. The upper level is for the gala dancing. Apparently, this space is used also for dining for non-Nobel events. When I was there in 2010, it was getting ready for a formal dining event.
  6. The Goddess of Lake Malaren is presiding over the event taking place in this area. She has large eyes to keep evil spirits away from this place.

  7. This City Hall is on the bank of Lake Malaren. I was there in 2005.
  8. The City Hall Interior is a collection of art works. There are many wall paintings like this.
  9. One of the ceilings is a inspired by Vikings ships.
  10. The City Hall's main function is to provide the administration for the city of Stockholm, but wedding receptions are held in this City Hall complex. I was an uninvited guest there.

• Nobel Museum in Old Town. This museum contains profiles of all Nobelists.
  1. Entrance to the Museum. I took this photo, but I did not go into the museum. I did not want to pay for the admission. About the people I am interested in, I should know more than this museum can tell.
  2. This Museum is located at the heart of the Old Town, rich in Swedish history. There are many beautiful buildings.
  3. The Royal Palace is in this area. Unlike the palace guards in other countries, the Swedish guards are allowed to talk to the people, and they speak English fluently. I asked man whether his rifle was loaded. He said "Yes," and his rifle is operational and he was ready to shoot if needed. I then asked what kind of rifle it was. He said it is a German Mauser of 1903.
  4. Women soldiers used to be exceptional until recently. I become happy when I see them walking like soldiers.
  5. Vikings Art. The history of the Old Town can be traced back to the Vikings era. This are could have been an important Vikings operational base.

• If you choose to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, you should go to Oslo (Norway) and stay at Oslo's Grand Hotel. All other Nobel events will take place in Norway's City Hall.
  1. Two City Hall Towers seen from the Oslo Bay.
  2. The Main Lobby of the City Hall where the award ceremony takes place on the 10th day of December every year.
  3. Photo of one Tourist.
  4. Another View of the Interior Walls.
  5. Floor of the main lobby.
  6. A view of the Oslo Harbor from the City Hall.

  7. Nobel Peace Center. This building contains a cafeteria, a souvenir shop, and an exhibition hall showing the contributions those Nobel winners made.
  8. Nobel Peace Prize Candidate. T-shirt for your children or grandchildren. I bought one for my grandson, and paid forty five US Dollars. Outrageous price, but people pay.

• Let us come back to Stockholm. I spent one of my two do-nothing days with these two Swedish ladies. They saw their father in Wigner's class photo of 1920. He was Wigner's classmate at Budapesti Evangelikus Gimnazium (Budapest Lutheran High School). I maintain a comprehensive Wigner page. They wanted to talk about their father. His name was
  1. Gabor Kornel Tolnai. He was a very handsome man. Here is
  2. His portrait painted by their mother, who was a talented Swedish artist.
  3. Photo of Their parents. After high school, their father studied engineering and started showing his creativity. He was invited by a Swedish telephone company, and he provided many technical innovations for the company. This Swedish company is known as "Ericsson." He came to Stockholm from Budapest and married a Swedish girl who became their mother.

  4. In 1963, Eugene Wigner came to Sweden to receive his Nobel prize, and contacted their father. Wigner came with his wife and his daughter. Their parents had three daughters. They all went to the Nobel dinner and gala dancing. Let me brag about the following two photos of mine, with three of the young ladies appearing in this gala photo.
     • with Wigner's daughter in 2002. This photo was produced in Princeton.
     • with two of Tolnai's daughters in 2010. The City Hall of Stockhom is seen in the background.

• Click here for a detailed story about the Swedish royal family.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Finland was started by a Mongolian tribe called "Hun." How did they get there? During the 5th century, horse-riding Mongolians came to Europe causing many Western tribes to move around. Those Mongolians eventually went back, but some of them got trapped in the West. Those trapped Mongolians started a country known today as Finland. Since then, the Finnish people became thoroughly Westernized, and it is not possible to find Mongolian traces in their appearances. However, their language is quite different from those of their Western neighbors. For instance, instead of saying "I go to school," they say "I school go-to."

Finland had long been dominated by its powerful neighbor known as Sweden, like Korea dominated by China. After becoming strong around 1800 AD, Russia pushed away Sweden and occupied Finland, as Japan did to Korea. After the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917, Finland became an independent nation.

1. Swedish Lutheran Church in Helsinki telling the Swedish influence was and still is strong in Finland.

2. Russian Orthodox Church dedicated to Catherine the Great of Russia. Not many people are attending this church, but it tells that Finland was once occupied by Russia.

Marshall Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867-1951) led the Finnish Independence Army against Russians. He used the rifles abandoned by disbanded German army after World War I.

1. Marshall Mannerheim's Statue is in the park front of the Congress building.

2. Photo with Finnish Students. Marshall Mennerheim's statue is seen in the background. These student speak English like American students, and they are very optimistic about the future of their country.

Thanks to Paavo Nurmi, who won nine Olympic gold medals in short and medium distance runnings, this new country was given the privilege of hosting the 1940 Olympic games, after the Berlin event in 1936. But the 1940 Olympic meeting was cancelled, and Finland hosted the Olympic games in 1952.

1. Paavo Nurmi's Statue at the entrance to Helsinki's Olympic Park.

2. Olympic Tower at the Olympic Park. You can go to the top of this tower by an elevator and take photos.

3. Olympic Stadium and many all of those sports facilities are still in excellent shape. They were built for the 1952 Olympic games.

Jan Sibelius (1865-1957) was a Finnish composer. The symphonic poem "Finlandia" is his creation. This patriotic music is loved by all music listers throughout the world. I was am very happy to show my photo with the bust of Sibelius at Helsinki's Sibelius park.

1. My Photo with Sibelius.

2. Monument dedicated to Sibelius. It looks like a big pipe organ, but it is supposed to mean more than that. I am not able to explain.

3. Let us hear his Finlandia. Sibelius composed this symphonic poem in 1899 when Finland was still under Russian domination. This musical poem stirred up the nationalism among the Finnish people, and it made a substantial contribution toward the independence of Finland after the collapse of the Russian empire in 1917.

Norway occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. From there the Viking ships could sail to England and even to North America. Oslo is the capital city. I was there briefly during the first week of July of 2009, and brought some photos.

The most famous person from Noway is Henrik Ibsen, who wrote many impact-making novels such as "An Enemy of the People" and "A Doll's House." I read a number of Ibsen novels when I was a student. I forgot his stories, but I have a recollection that he was addressing social changes taking place during the latter half of the 19th century.

1. Ibsen's Statue in front of
2. National Theater. Norwegians also like music. Edvord Grieg's piano concerto is loved by every music listener throughout the world. Grieg was born in Bergen, another Norwegian city, and Bergen was his home base.

Norway has been and still is a kingdom.


1. Royal Palace where the King lives and invites many guests to this palace.
2. Royal Yacht is very modest looking.
3. Foreign Ministry Building. The old part of this complex was originally built for apartments. During World War II, Germans used the building as their headquarters of the Nazi party in Norway.

4. National Parliament Building. Norway is a democratic country.
5. Grand Hotel Oslo is next to the Parliament Building. I stayed there for three nights and four days when I was there in July of 2009. I was told that the Nobel Peace Prize winners stay there.
6. City Park and Restaurant front of the Parliament Building and the Grand Hotel.

Indeed, the Nobel Peace Prize is given in Oslo while five other prizes are awarded in Stockholm (Sweden). The award ceremony takes place in the city hall of Oslo. Let us look at some photos.

1. Two City Hall Towers seen from the Oslo Bay.
2. The Main Lobby of the City Hall where the award ceremony takes place on the 10th day of December every year.
3. Photo of one Tourist.
4. Another View of the Interior Walls.
5. Floor of the Lobby.
6. A view of the Oslo Harbor from the City Hall.

About 200 meters from the City Hall, there is a small building (former railroad station) called Nobel Peace Center, where you can learn how to get the Nobel Peace prize.

1. Nobel Peace Center. This building contains a cafeteria, a souvenir shop, and an exhibition hall showing the contributions those winners made.
2. Nobel Peace Prize Candidate. T-shirt for your for grandson or granddaughter. I bought one for my grandson, and paid forty five US Dollars. Outrageous price, but people pay.

The Vikings influence can be seen in many souvenir shops in Scandinavian countries. In Oslo, we can see the real Vikings stuff. The Vikings "religion" was so strong that Christianity could not come to this area until Martin Luther's reformation. Vikings believed sea dragons were holy creatures, and they chase away evil spirits.

1. Dragon Heads were on the roof of this early church building. They believed even Jesus had to be protected by their holy dragons. Another vie of this Church.
2. The Dragon Head like This was used for both decorative and "religious" purposes.
3. One of the original Vikings ships in their ship museum.
4. Another Vikings Ship.

Oslo's suburban areas are peaceful. Here are Norwegian houses.

1. Black-roofed House. Its roof is shaped to cope with heavy snow.
2. Red-roofed Houses. The color is different, but the red roof and black roof seem to perform the same function.

3. Huge Cruise Ships like this go to and come from major Scandinavian/Baltic harbors such as Copenhagen, Kiel, and Stockholm.
4. Another Cruise Ship. This ship is as big as an apartment building.

In preparation.