Marry us, Marcus!

Lake Mälaren was a great decision. The long fjord to the canal entrance is truly lovely. At the southerly end is the little town of Trosa, quite a shallow harbour, with a canal that runs upriver to the town centre.

It was such a lovely day that we inflated the dinghy and set off under electric Torqeedo motor for a big shop at the local Co-op.

And at the northern end we waited for the Sodertajle lock and bridge to open, along with old familiar Juno, a traditional steamer that we see regularly when in the area.

First post of call was Mariefred, where we tied bows to the harbour, overlooking Grissholms Slott. What a view!

The castle was worth an extra day to visit. It was completely restored in the 1890 to look exactly as it did as a royal Palace in the 16th Century. Much of the original decor is still intact.

The castle now houses part of the National Portrait Gallery, so we spent a fascinating morning looking at paintings of kings and queens of old Europe, and of modern celebrities, like Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman.

And today we are in Strängnäs, where we seem to have arrived in the middle of the local colleges end of year festivities.

First all the students walked with a brass band to the municipal centre. They next appeared driving round the town inside the council’s lorries, dressed in traditional sailors hats and making a suitable racket. It was all great fun!