That's right. Sweden! I'm not sure when I first decided that I wanted to go to Scandinavia, but for some reason, it rose to the top of my list of places to visit. When I told Laura this, she got really excited because her family is Swedish. She said, "Let's go to Sweden!" So we booked the tickets at the end of February and anxiously awaited April 17th.
By the time we got into the city, it was already late afternoon, and we were exhausted. So instead of trying to jump right in to the sightseeing we had planned, we decided to get a feel of the city and just walked around trying to get oriented. We were also starving. So we found this fast-food place called Sandy's. And what did we order at Sandy's? A reindeer sandwich. That's right, it was like a "reindeer salad sandwich." Dude, it was so good. Definitely recommend Sandy's and the reindeer sandwich if you ever make it to Stockholm. ;) Then we walked around a little bit more before heading to the Nordic Sea Hotel. And why did we go there? Because we had reservations at the Absolut Ice Bar! It was pretty cool. Literally. They keep the temperature at a constant -5 degrees Celsius, which is about 23 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything-- the walls, the bar, the tables, the glasses-- are made of ice. They give you a cape and gloves when you go in. I was really excited about this because Samantha Brown (from Passport to Europe, Latin America, Great Weekends, etc.) went when she was in Stockholm! (I love Samantha Brown. hehe) It was a lot of fun, but it was so cold, so we only stayed for about 45 minutes. It's sad when you have to go outside in Stockholm to get warm. ;)
But it had been a long day, so we grabbed a quick dinner and then went back to the hostel and turned in early (after meeting our roommates-- 3 New Zealand girls working in London).
The next day, we woke up refreshed and ready to go. We started our day at the Swedish History Museum. It was actually pretty cool-- we learned about the prehistoric people of Sweden, the Vikings, and a lot of other neat stuff. Neither of us really knew anything about Swedish history, so it was definitely interesting.
Afterwards, we went over to Gamla Stan, or Old Town. Stockholm is built across several islands, and Gamla Stan is a little island all its own. We had fun here just wandering the streets. The alleys were gorgeous, the shops were cute, and the people were fun. We stopped at a little cafe called Old Street Cafe and had a snack. It was very quaint, and when we passed again the next day, the lady who owned it remembered us and waved. :) We spent the rest of the afternoon there, exploring the nooks and crannies and taking in the views of the other islands.
On Sunday, we got up and walked over to the Modern Art Museum on yet another island. :) Laura and I both love art, so we had a good time. There were Picassos, Warhols, Matisses, Pollocks, Giacomettis, Munchs, Mirós... the list goes on. It was awesome! Afterwards, we hurried over to City Hall to climb its tower-- we'd heard the views from there were great. And of course, they were! The wind was blowing a lot, so we just took our pictures, looked around, and headed down.
After City Hall, we headed back over to Gamla Stan, which definitely turned out to be my favorite part of Stockholm. We visited some stores and walked around a little while longer. Then we went over to another island that I had read about. It was supposed to have cute shops and parks and stuff, but it was late on a Sunday, so nothing was really open. It was really residential, but we really enjoyed this area as well. There was definitely a different vibe here then in the other parts of the city, and it was nice to be able to experience both. When I visit a new place, I like to go see the museums, the towers, the history, etc., but I also like to get to know the city and its people, what they do on a daily basis. One thing Laura and I did was walk through a small shopping center. We went in one store that had several different sections-- furniture, clothing, groceries-- and wandered around looking at the styles that Swedes like and the things they buy. The simplest things often teach you the most.
That night we ate at a really good restaurant (see me with the statue below hehe) and decided to buy ice cream for dessert and take it back to the hostel and chill. (That's one bad thing about living with host families-- you can't just have friends over for movie night or whatever.) But anyway, we spent our last morning at the Swedish Customs Museum, which actually turned out to be really cool. It's in a gorgeous building, and because I didn't know a lot about the culture, I learned a lot. But then it was time to head to the airport. Laura and I really didn't want to leave! We had only been there a few days, but we quickly fell in love with the city of Stockholm, Sweden.
By the time we got into the city, it was already late afternoon, and we were exhausted. So instead of trying to jump right in to the sightseeing we had planned, we decided to get a feel of the city and just walked around trying to get oriented. We were also starving. So we found this fast-food place called Sandy's. And what did we order at Sandy's? A reindeer sandwich. That's right, it was like a "reindeer salad sandwich." Dude, it was so good. Definitely recommend Sandy's and the reindeer sandwich if you ever make it to Stockholm. ;) Then we walked around a little bit more before heading to the Nordic Sea Hotel. And why did we go there? Because we had reservations at the Absolut Ice Bar! It was pretty cool. Literally. They keep the temperature at a constant -5 degrees Celsius, which is about 23 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything-- the walls, the bar, the tables, the glasses-- are made of ice. They give you a cape and gloves when you go in. I was really excited about this because Samantha Brown (from Passport to Europe, Latin America, Great Weekends, etc.) went when she was in Stockholm! (I love Samantha Brown. hehe) It was a lot of fun, but it was so cold, so we only stayed for about 45 minutes. It's sad when you have to go outside in Stockholm to get warm. ;)
But it had been a long day, so we grabbed a quick dinner and then went back to the hostel and turned in early (after meeting our roommates-- 3 New Zealand girls working in London).
The next day, we woke up refreshed and ready to go. We started our day at the Swedish History Museum. It was actually pretty cool-- we learned about the prehistoric people of Sweden, the Vikings, and a lot of other neat stuff. Neither of us really knew anything about Swedish history, so it was definitely interesting.
Afterwards, we went over to Gamla Stan, or Old Town. Stockholm is built across several islands, and Gamla Stan is a little island all its own. We had fun here just wandering the streets. The alleys were gorgeous, the shops were cute, and the people were fun. We stopped at a little cafe called Old Street Cafe and had a snack. It was very quaint, and when we passed again the next day, the lady who owned it remembered us and waved. :) We spent the rest of the afternoon there, exploring the nooks and crannies and taking in the views of the other islands.
On Sunday, we got up and walked over to the Modern Art Museum on yet another island. :) Laura and I both love art, so we had a good time. There were Picassos, Warhols, Matisses, Pollocks, Giacomettis, Munchs, Mirós... the list goes on. It was awesome! Afterwards, we hurried over to City Hall to climb its tower-- we'd heard the views from there were great. And of course, they were! The wind was blowing a lot, so we just took our pictures, looked around, and headed down.
After City Hall, we headed back over to Gamla Stan, which definitely turned out to be my favorite part of Stockholm. We visited some stores and walked around a little while longer. Then we went over to another island that I had read about. It was supposed to have cute shops and parks and stuff, but it was late on a Sunday, so nothing was really open. It was really residential, but we really enjoyed this area as well. There was definitely a different vibe here then in the other parts of the city, and it was nice to be able to experience both. When I visit a new place, I like to go see the museums, the towers, the history, etc., but I also like to get to know the city and its people, what they do on a daily basis. One thing Laura and I did was walk through a small shopping center. We went in one store that had several different sections-- furniture, clothing, groceries-- and wandered around looking at the styles that Swedes like and the things they buy. The simplest things often teach you the most.
That night we ate at a really good restaurant (see me with the statue below hehe) and decided to buy ice cream for dessert and take it back to the hostel and chill. (That's one bad thing about living with host families-- you can't just have friends over for movie night or whatever.) But anyway, we spent our last morning at the Swedish Customs Museum, which actually turned out to be really cool. It's in a gorgeous building, and because I didn't know a lot about the culture, I learned a lot. But then it was time to head to the airport. Laura and I really didn't want to leave! We had only been there a few days, but we quickly fell in love with the city of Stockholm, Sweden.
No comments:
Post a Comment