Tack Stockholm

We are writing this post from our 6 hour train to Oslo, Norway. We have just come from spending 2.5 wonderful days in Stockholm, Sweden. We have stocked up with food as best we can, as we hear Oslo is more than a little expensive.

Like all of Scandinavia, Sweden is pricey so we stayed through AirBNB at Kjells home in a lovely little room in is 3 bedroom apartment in the trendy hub Sodermalm.We are getting used to the hand washing and drying clothes however we can, open windows sills seem to work well. 

 As we pass the Swedish countryside and see the gorgeous little towns and homes I can’t help but think we’ve barely nicked the surface of Sweden and we would like to come back one day and see the northern country – must add to ever growing bucket list. 

First Impressions

Scenery from the top deck of the ship was stunning – sealing a desire to return to Sweden to explore the wilderness. Prices were similar to Finland if a little higher. Finding your way around is straight forward and there was usually an information desk in sight. Too much to do and see to fit into our 2.5 days. 

Day 1

We arrived into port to some amazing scenery which can be seen from our earlier blog post. With military precision we navigated from port to central station and bought a 3 day metro card that would prove invaluable. After dropping our packs at Kjells we walked straight into the old town which was stunningly beautiful, and strolled around the cobbled narrow streets for hours. 

Palace

There was no photography allowed in any of the royal exhibits so you’ll just have to take our word for it that the Palace interior was beautiful, opulent beyond description and worth the hefty entry fee. Amongst favourite rooms were the double dining room, the throne room and the council room. Outside the Palace we watched the changing of the guard along with 13 trillion* other tourists. Simon stood at the back and even holding the camera at full extension struggled to clear the swarming mass of cameras and iphones all jostling for pictures. We felt for the guards who were to stand at their posts looking directly into the sun in full dress uniform for hours and hours.

*Figure not independently verified and subject to speculation.

Day 2

Vasa Museum

Simon had read a little about the Vasa (the only 16^th century ship still in existence) prior to visiting Stockholm and had one burning question. Why did it sink? A quick background. The Vasa was a flagship galleon built for the King who demanded it in 2.5 years instead of the usual 6 year build time. The project was delivered on time however a few people knew something was wrong with the ship. Sure enough on its first voyage out of the safety of the dock it leaned to and sank within a kilometre of its start point. A combination of factors including being misbuilt, not enough ballast on board and way too top heavy meant that in the light breeze the ship leant over and water flooded in the too low cannon holes sinking her in minutes. So there in Stockholm harbour buried under silt and mud Vasa sat for 333 years until it was discovered and raised mid 20^th century and restored in this purpose built museum, temperature and humidity controlled for her preservation. It truly is a miraculous find and restoration and the ship is simply magnificent to behold.

Skansen

Skansen is a bit like the bushranger towns and ye ole re-creation villages but on a massive 300 kilometre squared scale. It preserves classic Swedish building types and living conditions for future generations and was started over a hundred years ago. They literally buy old buildings from around the country and relocate them to this park. We went through a solid 2/3s of the park 3 hours hoofing it pretty quickly. There is also a zoo housing native Swedish animals and we stopped to look at the reindeer. 

 

 Day 3

We headed back to the old town to use the rest of our Palace ticket. There are other exhibits we got entry too including the royal treasury housing former kings, queens, prince and princesses crowns and royal regalia. The museum of antiques which was created by King Gustav III who after a trip to Italy bought a huge collection of marble buffs and statues. When the King was assassinated at a masked ball (how dramatic!) the collection was put into a museum for public viewing. The final place we saw was the three crown museum which was an excavation of the original castle that the Palace is now built atop. In the late 1600s the existing castle and Palace burnt to almost near ruin. The Palace that now stands in its place only partly comprises of the original. The museum shows excavated artifacts and shows how castle living was in the 1500s. The rebuilt Palace was promised delivery in 6 years and in reality took 60 years – clearly people couldn’t manage project expectations then and they still can’t today. 

Hagaparken

Hagaparken was another creation of Gustav. He ordered the area be built into an English style park and the results are spectacular. We had a delightful picnic of wraps and pastries on the Grand Lawn with views stretching down to the river. After we went for a walk through the park seeing some of the royal buildings that are still in use today behind high monitored fences.

 Drottningholm

Drottningholm Palace is breath taking in its grandeur and size matched by its baroque style gardens stretching for hundreds of metres. To get here from Harapaken we took a bus, another different train and another bus the light was fading but we were determined to fit one more visit in. We were quite literally running around these magnificent grounds as we watched the sky darken. Drottningholm is the current residence of the royal family with part of the Palace and grounds open to the public. We had run of the grounds as everyone had gone home and were able to capture some great tourist free photos.

We went back to the Old Town, bless that metro card, for some traditional tucker. Everyone knows Swedish meatballs are a big thing so we made sure to get some and local Salmon. Simon politely declined the Swedish craft beers on tap ($12 a glass!) and focused on food. The meatballs were Reindeer which was delicious, served with mashed potatoes, gravy and lingonberries. Amy felt somewhat odd eating Rudolph but we both agreed it was great.

Parting thoughts

Stockholm is packed of things to do, and activities that won’t set you back too much, if at all. Everywhere you look is beautiful and one could easily get used to what seems like a very relaxed city with fabulous design sense.

Ice cream and pastry is becoming a daily occurrence, and is not ideal for maintaining a healthy balanced diet, but cinnamon buns over here are just not to be missed!

The Stockholm public transit system is down pat. Canberra should copy the model they have here it works brilliantly.

Lingonberries are massively popular but we found them very bittersweet and overpowering.

Lessons learnt

• Again, everyone speaks English, just assume they do.
• Pre-made sandwiches from supermarkets are cheaper and easier than DIY sandwiches
• Water in restaurants is not free even if it is from a tap
• Take screen shot of map before leaving wi-fi…
• Bring a bag into buffets, so you can take a lunch back with you
• Always keep an eye on the cheap food vans and whether locals are going there. Very delicious and excellent value thai dinner was discovered this way. 

 Tacks / Thanks Stockholm - Simon & Amy