Drottningholm Palace: The private residence of the Swedish royal family

Dear Diary,

I recovered from the flu much sooner than I thought. So, we were back on our journey. Leaving Suzeme and her family was the hardest thing to do. They had treated us really well, and we had become almost like one family.

I promised Suzeme that I will send her postcards and tell her what we are upto, every week. Suzeme's mother and father also looked really sad, but we couldn't help it. We had to leave. So, we bid them goodbye and went on our way.

We were on our way to Sweden. I was so excited, because this was the first time I was visiting Europe. On our way, Robin, our guide bird, described Sweden to us. Visions of clean and wide highways, lakes and castles made me fly even faster, as I wanted to see them as soon as possible.

Sweden is a well-developed country. I almost forgot to tell you, it was freezing in that country, so we had to wear warm clothing as well.

After a long flight, we finally reached Sweden. The place that we were supposed to visit, according to Robin, was called Drottningholm Palace. This palace is a private residence of the Swedish royal family. It was situated 15 kilometres away from Stockholm, the country's capital, in Drottningholm, in the beautiful island of Lovon.

According to Robin, the castle that we saw was not the original Drottningholm Palace built by King Johann III. That had been destroyed in a fire in 1661. The palace had originally been built by the king for his queen, Katarina. The name of the castle itself means 'Queen's Small Island'.

After the fire, the mission of rebuilding the castle had been handed over to the well-known Swedish architect, Nicodemus Tessin. It represents all the European architectural styles which had prevailed in that era. "It has also been influenced by the French prototype (model)," said Robin, and added, "until 1777, this castle was the residence of the queens of Sweden". Later, the Swedish government had bought the castle for the use of King Gustav III.

Today, it's a World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO. Only the southern wing of the palace is currently occupied by the country's royal family. The rest of the palace as well as the gardens are open to the public throughout the year.

Now comes the best part of the story. We got a rare opportunity, like we did on the previous occasion, to meet Princess Madeleine of Sweden. She is the sister of the crown prince and a resident of the castle. When I was flying around the castle and its vast grounds, I had accidentally flown into her private garden. I got very scared and wanted to fly away quickly, but I realised that she understood me.

She wanted me to sit on her forehand, and was really surprised to hear that I can talk as well as write. I told her about the journey we were making, and also about the Junior Observer. She wanted me to say 'hello' to the Junior Observer readers on her behalf. The Princess was extremely kind to all of us and even prepared a birdie meal for us. We had a nice time at the castle and enjoyed ourselves very much.

See you again soon, with details of the theatre and the museum in the palace Till then, bye!