Is that really a rune stone??

The answer is yes!

After turning off tiny narrow streets lined with tourist shops of duty free Swedish knitting and Viking paraphernalia, a visitor can be forgiven for doubting the veracity of a curiously located stone carved with knots and rune-like text.

Here's what Wikapedia says about it.

"Uppland Runic Inscription 53 is a runestone built into a wall in the intersection between the thoroughfares Prästgatan and Kåkbrinken in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden."

About half a metre tall and richly decorated with an arabesque of winding loops, the body of the dragon still carries fragments of the commemorative message: "Torsten and Frögunn had the stone erected after their son", the name of the latter remains unknown. 

The thaw after a week or so of snow and hard frosts is definitely on. The cobbled streets are slippy with running water and slush, whilst falling ice from roofs provides an extra source of risk. One unlucky time, I managed to hear the rumble of falling snow and ice from above, and was struck hard on the head! After that, I would respond to the nouse by dramatically throwing myself against walls! The kids thought I had gone a bit potty - possibly due to a blow on my head??

We have spent all day pottering around just this small area, despite being the low season, there's plenty to do and see.