After 3 days, 2 boat rides, 4 bus routes, 6 cappuccinos, 8 museums, countless metro rides, loads of pictures and 23 miles of walking we conquered Stockholm.
And now, Stockholm might be one of my favorite cities yet.
Initially, one of the most breathtaking aspects about the city is the architecture. The bright colors, attention to detail, and cobblestone base create a picturesque scene at every turn. Some buildings in Stockholm date all the way back to the 13th century, and many buildings still standing today were erected by Gustav Vasa (King of Sweden 1523-1560) in the 16th century. There is a large European influence, especially German, and many of these historic buildings avoided the destruction of war which so many other European cities suffered.
The second unique aspect about this city is its geography. Stockholm is spread out between fourteen islands where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea. The Stockholm archipelago consists of over 30,000 islands and the city is considered the Venice of the north. Approximately one million people live in the city of Stockholm, and one in nine of them own a boat.
We started our three days in Stockholm by buying a metro card and a Stockholm Pass. The metro system here is straightforward and easy to use. The Stockholm Pass allowed us entry into museums, access to a hop on hop off bus, a winter boat tour and Palace entry. A tourists dream! We stayed at an airbnb hosted by a lovely couple, Anton and Johanna, and their baby boy Harry. They were not staying in the house with us, but met us as we checked in to show us all the particulars. Their gorgeous place was located in Aspudden, a suburb of Stockholm located right on a metro stop. This turned out to be the perfect place for us to stay. The whole week I felt like we were living in the most beautiful IKEA showroom. With the help of my friend Rick Steves, I determined before we arrived that there were four or so areas that we should visit: Sodermalm (shopping district), Gamla Stan (old town), Norrmalm (more shopping), Djurgarden (museums and park). With more time there are certainly other areas to see, but we had to prioritize.
We really lucked out on weather while we were here in the city. Leading up to the trip it looked like we were going to have rain and/or snow most of the time. Nothing but blue skies so far. Cold blue skies, but blue nonetheless. It has been pretty chilly, around high 30s to high 40s the whole time. Luckily we've had a lot of indoor activities to do. Stockholm has over 100 museums - the most in Europe - and boy, do the Swedes know how to do a museum! I do not consider myself a "museum person", but each one we went to I absolutely loved. We first visited The Royal Palace property and saw all things glamor. This consisted of:
- The Royal Apartments - where dignitaries are housed when they come visit and where the Royal family has offices and official receptions. To top it off, they had an exhibit of the Royal wedding dresses worn in the last forty years and some of their evening gowns. Don't mind if I do!
- The Kronor Museum - a Museum dedicated to the original Tre Kronor Palace which was destroyed in a fire in 1697.
- The Royal Treasury - where the regalia is kept - crowns, jewels, fancy swords, etc.
- The Royal Armory Museum - this museum had artifacts from Swedish military as well as the Royal family. They also had a horse carriage section. Picture Cinderella in real life! It was unreal. I know, I thought that stuff only existed in Game of Thrones, too.
After seeing all things Royal (and having a great appreciation for the sheer age of everything), we headed for the Museums on Djurgarden. First, we saw Skansen Museum which is the world's first open air museum, founded in 1891. Historic houses and farmsteads have been relocated from around Sweden to show the history of the country. We went into authentic glass blowing, furniture, pottery, mechanic and general stores from the 19th century. The grounds were huge and we didn't have time to make it over to the zoo and aquarium section. All the workers were in authentic dress and gave us information regarding their area.
From Skansen, we headed to the Vasa Museum which is a museum based around the world's only rescued 17th century ship and one of Stockholm's most visited museums. And for good reason. On August 10, 1628 the Vasa warship set sail on her maiden voyage as the most armed warship in the world (64 cannons) and sank in the Stockholm harbor, less than a mile away. The wreck was salvaged in 1961 after 333 years under the water. 98 percent of the original ship was reconstructed and she stands at 172 feet high and 226 feet long. The museum was built around the ship and has open levels on each floor so you are able to examine the amazing detail in the wood as you climb higher and higher. The exhibits throughout the museum range from construction of the ship, why it sank, explains life on board, who died when it sank, and the amazing process of recovering and diving for the ship, preserving the wood and all its many artifacts.
We also visited the Nordic Museum, located in the same area, which had all things Swedish. The building was beautiful and looked like a castle. My favorite exhibit was the Homes and Interiors exhibit which went through Swedish homes, styles, and decor over the past 400 years. The Fotografiska Museum was last, which was the modern photography museum.
In addition to these amazing museums, we also took a boat tour around the islands, went shopping (mainly window shopping) in the city's many fashionable clothing and interior design stores.
It was a whirlwind three days but I can now say I love this city and hope to be able to come back!
Highlights:
- Vasa Museum - the ship was indescribable! Picture Pirates of the Caribbean times ten.
- All Things Royal - see list above. I was dreaming of becoming a Princess the whole time.
- Winter Boat Tour - it was amazing to see the city from the water and learn about the archipelago. And see the island where Absolut Vodka was born! (No we didn't get to stop for a shot).
- Gamla Stan - Old Town. Loved the old world charm of this area.
- Food - Of course, the pastries here are amazing. And they have a little Swedish cake called a Tosca that is to die for. I hope I don't turn into a Tosca in a month.
Lessons Learned:
- We have no concept of history in the U.S.! Everything here is mind boggling old.
- Cara and I look Swedish! Or so said a local. Whew - I thought we stuck out like a sore thumb.
- Most everyone here speaks English. Only one day in Aspudden we ordered from a restaurant where the woman did not speak English. Although we did somehow come to the conclusion that her daughter had the same birth month and year as Cara. Gotta love hand gestures and pictionary. Also in all the museums they had both Swedish and English so we were able to read about the exhibits.
- Don't go shopping here - you'll want to buy everything in sight!
- I thought the Pacific Northwest was biker friendly until I saw it here - Stockholm takes the cake! Bikes everywhere, bike lanes are built into their sidewalks and of all the bikes we've seen, very few are locked up!
Stockholm's beautiful buildings.
The Vasa Ship.
Charming Gamla Stan.