I can already say that I will return to Stockholm. Maybe not this year, but definitely sometime in the future—and if you have ever thought about visiting, DO IT.
Sweden's capital is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. Gamla Stan, or The Old Town, contains the oldest buildings in the city, some dating back to the 13th century. Between the beautiful architecture, cobblestone streets and narrow passageways, walking around Gamla Stan was magical. If the weather had been warmer and I had more time, I probably would have wandered around Gamla Stan all day.
The first day I arrived in the late afternoon, so after checking into the hostel, I took a trip to the grocery, and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing. I stayed at City Backpackers Hostel and I can’t recommend it enough! Very clean space, friendly staff, free pasta to cook, a sauna available in the evenings, free skates/sleds to borrow (weather permitting), and group events.
I’ll be the first to say it: I don’t understand modern art, but I was still glad to go to Stockholm’s Museum of Modern Art on my first morning. I’m sure if you enjoy modern art, you would enjoy this museum…I, however, found it more amusing than anything because a stick hanging from a piece of fishing wire or a blue circle on a white canvas does not evoke any emotions in me other than confusion and laughter.
After the museum, I spent the afternoon walking in the footsteps of Lisbeth Salander. Unfortunately, the official Millennium Tour only runs during the summer months, but I found a DIY tour online! I visited Lisbeth’s posh apartment building on Fiskargatan, the beer hall Kvarnen where Mikael and Lisbeth hang out sometimes (though not usually together), the Milliennium offices, the 7-Eleven where Lisbeth gets all of her Billy’s Panned Pizzas, Mikael’s favorite coffee shop Kaffebar and Mikael’s apartment on Bellmansgatan. All in all, it was a pretty fun way to walk around the Södermalm district of the city.
In the evening, I went on a free walking tour (with a bunch of other travelers from the hostel). It was super cold, but super interesting, though I can’t remember much at this point because since it was so cold, I didn’t take any notes. Here’s what I can remember: the royal family does not generally stay in the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan because of the “white lady,” a ghost that when seen will bring death to a member of the royal family. Then there is the smallest sculpture (arguably) in Stockholm: “Boy Looking at the Moon.” Around 5 inches tall, it shows a boy squatting with his arms curled around his legs looking up at the sky. Locals knit caps and scarves for him in the winter and find tiny ball caps and the like for him in the summer. Super adorable. After that, we saw a Viking rune and went down an extremely narrow alleyway (that is apparently getting smaller because the buildings are sinking). I couldn’t feel my feet by the end of the tour, but it was well worth it! I spent the rest of that evening warming up at the hostel and having excellent conversation with my new hostel buddies. Fantastic reason to stay up until almost 2:00am :-)
In the morning of day two, I went to the Vasamuseet, which displays the almost fully intact 17th century ship, Vasa. The ship sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, not even making it a mile through the harbor. Similar to the Fram museum in Olso, there is a lot of information and a lot of artifacts to look at—very interesting!
After a sushi lunch, I headed a little bit outside of the city to Hellasgården, a recreational area with a sauna. I wanted to try winter bathing, so why not in Sweden?! The process is pretty simple: sit in the sauna for around 15 minutes and then dunk yourself in the lake 20 yards away. Repeat as much as you’d like. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t freezing, but it was absolutely worth it and I would absolutely do it again. I repeated the process 4 times, and I felt SO good the rest of the evening. Extremely refreshing!
I spent my last night in Stockholm attending one of the hostel’s group events, the Swedish Meatball Experience. We learned how to make Swedish meatballs and did all of the prep work and cooking together as a group. Super fun night!!
