Its August, in Sweden. The days are long (sunrise at 4:30 am, sunset at 9:20 pm) but it is also rainy, windy jacket weather. If this is summer here I can’t imagine what winter is like. Regardless of the weather, Stockholm is a beautiful city.
Swedish meatballs and cinnamon rolls are not just an Ikea thing, they are truly Swedish. However the design of the Swedish bun is more elegant than just a swirl, and they taste amazing.
Here’s a meatball restaurant where they serve a dozen different meats (and a vegan option). Reindeer is a strong flavor, but good. And for comparison, we went to the downtown Ikea to browse and eat some Ikea meatballs. The main difference was IKEA’s meatballs were considerably less expensive. It’s like Costco’s food court, but a wider selection and Swedish food.
Like all of the major European cities we have visited, the public transport is very good. A combination of subways, trams and buses to get around. We don’t have any local currency (the Swedish Krona) and quite frankly I have yet to see anybody use physical currency. Just debit/credit cards and phone apps for all purchases, including small purchases in convenience stores and public transportation. The Nordic countries lead the world as essentially cashless societies.
Gamla Stan
Stockholm is located on an archipelago of about 14 island. Gamla Stan is the original island where Stockholm started. Much of the city has been burned or torn down and rebuilt over time. With so much waterfront there are a lot of beautiful views of stately buildings.
Rosendal Slott
This is a summer palace for royalty. It is set on beautiful grounds on an island very close to the the main Stockholm island. We took advantage of a break in the weather to walk the grounds and the surrounding park. The red granite vase on the grounds is almost 12 feet in diameter and was carved out of a single 100 ton block of granite. It took 40 workers and 2 years to carve, then 5 weeks and up to 200 men to transport by land to its current location.
Vasa Museum
This is the top attraction in Stockholm, a 400 year old showpiece oak gunship that sank in the harbor within a half hour of it’s maiden voyage (Why? A design flaw) . The ship was actually very well preserved and eventually raised and restored in the 1960’s and 1970’s, with about 98% of the ship being original. It is a sight to behold. There is also a large collection of artifacts from the ship, and detailed analysis of the 15 bodies found in or near the wreck. A very interesting museum.
ABBA Museum
A must see if you are a die-hard ABBA fan, and still worthwhile if you only know the words to the chorus of a handful of their songs. This museum is a ton of fun with lots of interactive activities. Their music just makes you want to smile.
Ethnographic Museum
The museum has artifacts from perhaps a dozen non-Nordic countries. Mexico is the currently featured country. There is a focus on indigenous peoples including those of North America.
Due to weather we spent a lot of time in museums, including the City Museum and the Medieval Museum learning about the stages of the city and life in Medieval times.
Next up: A 7 hour train ride to Oslo, Norway and 5 days in the Oslo area!
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