Stockholm!
European train travel delights me. Happy to skip the hassle of security lines and airline delays, I prefer to ride in the comfort of a fast train. I enjoy the scenery as much as the stress free travel. I chose European trains over flying any day.
The day we left Copenhagen, our kind Danish host Ole came to say good bye and retrieve the apartment keys. After thanking him, I extended my hand for a shake. He opened his arms and sweetly said, “I want to hug you.” Such a love. He reminded me of my friend Chantal’s Hungarian father, Gerbi. After our hug, Ole wished us a safe trip. I wished us the same thing.
Matt and I wheeled our suitcases over the Copenhagen cobblestones to the metro station and rode the subway to the airport train station. The metro, train and airport all located together making it very easy to utilize public transportation. They have it figured out.
The train left Copenhagen and crossed the five mile Øresund Bridge. It’s the longest road and rail bridge in Europe connecting Denmark and Sweden. Our train headed north to through the beautiful Swedish countryside. Five hours later, we arrived at the Stockholm central station. We followed signs to the metro station and boarded a train to the old city. When we exited the station, we were at the edge of Baltic Sea. I noticed a ladder from the water to the sidewalk. Locals jump in the sea and climb back up to the sidewalk: an urban dip. I saw ladders in downtown Copenhagen as well.
We turned around and walked back through the Metro station to towards the Old City. Our search our Airbnb started. We don’t pay for cell phone coverage while we travel which I know is crazy. I enjoy this element of adventure. We rely on wifi at our apartment, coffee shops, on the boats and trains. When I have wifi, I plan our routes for the day. I screen shot the directions and google maps and hope for the best! My preference drives my husband bananas. Without google at our fingertips, there's often some confusion. But it's always followed by reward. Every time we reach our destination, I feel satisfied and accomplished. Finding our Stockholm apartment was no exception.
Gamla stan, Stockholm’s Old City was established in the middle of the 13th century. It’s one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centers in Europe. The narrow walkways, cobble stone streets and hidden courtyards reminded me of the Old City of Nice. The city walls are orange, yellow and a rusty red.
We meandered through the old town looking for our apartment, When we found it, we dropped our bags and headed to dinner to a local Indian restaurant down the street from the Parliament. We sat outside at a tiny table. At the end of our delicious meal we chatted with the Bangladeshi owner. He showed us photos of politicians eating at his restaurant. He told us a little bit about living in Stockholm and why he loved Sweden.
I verified a statistic that I read and found surprising. "Is it true that only one in five people living in Stockholm are Swedish? " "Yes" he said. "It’s a melting pot of people from all over the world and we have a housing shortage."
After dinner we walked down to the harbor as the sun was setting. Gorgeous. On our way back to our apartment, we wandered around and found the Nobel Prize Museum in Stortorget square. A few people lingered at the outdoor cafe tables lining the square but for the most part, it was pretty quiet. We parked ourselves on a bench in the center of the square and gazed up at the beautiful old buildings. We snapped a few photos and headed to the store to pick up milk for our morning coffee. I was surprised to see the wide selection of oat and soy milk and how little cow’s milk there was on the shelf. I bought an oat milk brand that looked familiar. Surprisingly, it was a third of the cost in Sweden than my local supermarket. I figured that the Swedes understand the environmental and health benefits of non dairy products. We drank oat milk lattes all week. We noticed how little single use plastic existed. Stores use paper bags, if they use a bag at all. To-go cutlery is wooden. I didn’t see one plastic straw. Electric cars were everywhere. Matt loves automobiles and marveled at the many models not yet available in the US. Sweden prioritizes the environment.
I’m happy we explored Gamla stan that evening because we discovered over the next few days that our neighborhood was one of the most popular places in Stockholm. It was packed with visitors during the day. In the evening, when everyone went back to their cruise ships or hotels, the old neighborhod was serene.
We woke up our first day knowing we wanted to go to the Vasa Museum which was on Djurgården, another island nearby. Stockholm is comprised of 14 islands. We walked to the nearby harbor and took a short ferry to the museum.
We lucked into an English tour just as we arrived. I was immediately gripped with the Vasa story. In 1626, the Swedes started building the finest warship of its time. 226 feet long and 172 ft tall, the Vasa was decorated with intricate wooden carvings. On August 10th, 1628 it left the harbor and fourteen minutes later, 1400 yards from shore, it sunk.
The Vasa ship stayed underwater until 1961 when it was lifted up and out of the sea. Over the next three decades the archeologists worked hard to restore it. Piecing the ship back together like a puzzle, they learned about Swedish life in the 17th century. 95% of the ship is original thanks to the lack of salt in the Baltic Sea. The Vasa Ship reminded me King Tut’s tomb: both well preserved treasures providing windows into history.
After the Vasa, we tried to go to the Abba Museum but tickets were sold out. We walked next door to the Nordiska Musuem which is Sweden's largest museum of cultural history. We checked it out rather quickly and headed back over one of the 57 bridges to the Royal Gardens to meet a local guide, Thomas. Born and raised in Stockholm, Thomas gave us an incredible “unique” tour of his beloved city. We loved both Thomas, and his tour.
Together, with one other American, we visited different neighborhoods. Thomas answered all of our questions and shared interesting stories that were not in our guide book. He showed us the spot where Olof Palme, the Swedish prime minister was assassinated in 1986. He took us to a metro station to show off the decorated art.
Thomas showed us a hip and trendy neighborhood, the shopping and financial district and the City Parliament. He shared details about living in Sweden. Along with being an amazing tour guide, he’s an entrepreneur. He created an app with a buddy of his which connects restaurants looking for employees with waiters, managers, hosts, etc.
As the father of four, he said he never would have been able to leave his stable financial job to pursue this app idea without the benefits provided by his government. Like Copenhagen, Sweden has socialized benefits. Thomas believes his country is more innovative because people like him can take risks and not worry about paying for health insurance and education. A Swedish citizen is covered with national benefits for two years even if he is not working. It allows a safety net in between jobs. He was proud and happy citizen. He mentioned a few times that both Spotify and Minecraft were Swedish companies.
We walked by a handful of beautiful churches on our Stockholm tour. Thomas said that many people call themselves Christian but not many are religious. He believes more in kindness than the Bible. He believes in humans rather than God. His convictions came across practical and unwavering.
We ended our tour at the statue of Birger Jarls, the father of Stockholm and his hero. We thanked Thomas, said good bye and strolled back to our apartment to rest. Later that evening, we walked across town to a former women’s prison that is now a swanky tapas restaurant. After dinner, we walked home along a path at sun set and took a few photos of the beautiful city. We were surrounded by locals and tourists all enjoying the summer sky.
For the next two days, we explored Stockholm's beautiful parks, metro stations, and neighborhoods. Stockholm is one third buildings, one third sea and on third green space. There is natural beauty everywhere. We enjoyed parks lined with elm and fruit trees - filled with birds. We discovered benches, statues, hidden staircases and Baltic Sea vistas everywhere we went. One of my favorite excursions was a late night visit to a the Swedish photography museum, Fotogiska. Featuring Terry O’Neill and Andy Warhol I pretended I was Faye Dunaway at the Pool.
After three days in Stockholm we rolled our bags over a bridge to the port and boarded a ferry to Helsinki.
