We planned a quick weekend trip to Stockholm, as it was one of the cities that had come highly recommended, especially in the summer. We armed ourselves with a guidebook and as many recommendations from friends and acquaintances as possible. As par for the course, we arrived late on Friday night and brought the wet weather with us as we have been doing lately on our short weekend trips.
The night we arrived, it was quite late so we hopped in a taxi and headed to our hotel in Sodermalm, which is south of the main city. We stayed at a guesthouse called The Columbus Hotel. It had a lovely courtyard with tables out front, and was quite cosy when you first walked in. Our room was a decent size, but the furniture was minimal, it was stifling, and had two twin beds. The biggest surprise was the bathroom and shower. They were communal and down the hall from the room. After having a good laugh at our surroundings, we went to bed to the sweet sounds of teenagers yelling and laughing outside of our window.
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| We were on the top floor of our hotel and it was very hot when we arrived. |
We got up the next morning and went for a run along the river. Eric and I like doing this so that we can see more of the city in a short amount of time. The run was a bit hilly, but nice. The breakfast that was waiting was a welcome reward for the run. It was phenomenal. We had a choice of meats, cheeses, muesli, bread, cereal, the works. It was really good and set us up for a great day of sightseeing.
We walked into town and made our way to the marina where we had hoped to catch a boat to one of the 20,000 Archipelago Islands that make up the country of Sweden. The next boat to Fjaderholmarna was a half hour later, so we decided to stroll through the old city - Gamla Stan and explore the narrow cobblestone streets. At noon, and as the rain poured down, we boarded the boat. We arrived on Fjaderholmarna about 25 minutes later.
The island was really cute and would have been a perfect place for lunch on a sunny day. There were a few little shops and restaurants dotting the island. Alongside the commercial posts were pieces of history (an old machine gun, a touret, and chain anchors embedded in the side of bunkers.) An even stranger sight was three old women skinny dipping in the rain in the freezing water. After a quick tour around the island (in the pouring rain) we grabbed some ice cream and boarded the boat back to Stockholm. The skinny dippers ladies were on our boat too. They were throwing back a bottle of shared whiskey. I think I would have needed the whiskey before jumping into the water (with or without a swim suit), but I supposed it helped to warm them up quickly.
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| Wandering Gamla stan with the Lees |
After disembarking the boat, we saw the main street lined with spectators. We couldn't quite figure out what was going on, so we decided to join the crowd and await whatever was to come around the corner. About 10 minutes later, amid rainbow flags and whistles emerged a sea of Euro Pride members and supporters. The costumes were hilarious. From really tame (men dressed as women) to Adam and Steve and leather and straps. It was definitely a sight.
Once we'd seen enough, we made our way back to Gamla Stan and to one of the recommended restaurants, Kryp In. A tiny place, it's translation is something like "Trip In." We tried a few traditional dishes and they both turned out to be really good. Some friends who lived in NY and swam with us at NYAC are now living in Stockholm and met us at the end of lunch. We spent some time catching up with Jeff, Asa and their 6 month old baby Kasper. Following lunch, we braved the weather and took a walk down one of the main shopping streets in Gamla Stan.
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| Jeff, Casper and Asa |
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| The view from the park next to the Vasa Museum. |
On Sunday, we headed out for brunch with Jeff, Asa and Kasper. The brunch was amazing! The chorizo/potato and onion mixture with an omelette and salad was delicious. After such a heavy breakfast, we decided to go for a long walk to the Kungsholmen (King's Island). The weather was much better so we spent as much time as possible outside. One of our stops was to the City Hall (where the Nobel Prize dinner is held). Then, we made our way down to the Vasa Museum which houses an old war ship that sank about 100 yards from the harbor on its maiden voyage in the late 1600s. It wasn't until 333 years later that it was pulled from the sea floor and restored to its original condition. It looks just like something Disney would copy for the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The museum is built around the boat and gives a very detailed history of the materials used in the building, the purpose of the boat and even so much as the people on board. Apparently, the boat was too top heavy and keeled over in a light breeze. That point marked the beginning of the decline of the Swedish kingdom in the Nordics and what is now Germany.
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| Multiple ways to take your pickled herring. |
Jeff and Asa were great tour guides. They took us all around the city pointing out the main buildings and sights. After a few hours, we took a bus to their apartment up in Vasastaden where we were going to stay for the night. Around 8, Jeff, Eric and I headed to another recommended restaurant, The Grodan (The Frog). We tried pickled herring and a few other traditional dishes and caught up with Jeff. We had a really nice time.
Jeff, Asa and Kasper left us after the museum and headed back to her parent's summer house a few hours south. We went next door to another recommended drink place called Josefina's. It was a really cool outdoor space in a rather odd area. We relaxed with a drink and a brownie and enjoyed the setting. The sun finally poked through the clouds as we looked across the water at Gamla Stan.
Our flight was later that night, so Eric and I just spent the late afternoon roaming the city. We stopped at a cafe on the way back to Jeff and Asa's and people-watched. I have never seen so many blondes in one place before. Not only were they tall and beautiful, but they were all seemed so fit and happy.
We had a really great trip and would definitely recommend Stockholm as a quick weekend trip. The weather could have been better, but we made the best of it.
For pictures - click here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=hj0zhyv.3jxyamur&x=0&y=-8zx6sx&localeid=en_US
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