Leslie, one of my friends from Seattle, came for a visit! I am not the only person she knows here in Scandinavia. She has a friend up in Stockholm, so of course, she wanted to visit him as well. She asked me if I wanted to come along. I absolutely love ❤ ❤ ❤ Stockholm, so I said yes and packed an overnight bag!
Getting to Stockholm from Copenhagen is easy. The train ride is comfortable, but a bit long (over 5 hrs) for an overnight visit. So we opted to fly (1 hr). Even last minute tickets didn’t seem terribly expensive (less than 1000 kr – or about $150 – for a round-trip).
No pictures ever do this city justice. Stockholm is breathtakingly beautiful. It is regal and charming at the same time.
It’s a city located on many islands (easily navigated by bridges and water ferries), with clean waters and surprisingly little traffic (not many bicycles either; a shocker, coming from Copenhagen).
Located even further north than Copenhagen, sunset in Stockholm during our visit was at 2:46pm.
But we’re not afraid of the dark! The city was lit up and very festive for the Holidays.
We were so lucky to have a great host in Stockholm. Kjell, Leslie’s friend since high school, showed us the city, navigated the transportation for us and found some great spots to hang out.
Stockholm has an adorable Old Town (Gamla Stan), with a seasonal Christmas market (located in Stortorget, the square known for the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520)…
…lots of charming, narrow streets, and plenty of tourist shops.
From Gamla Stan, we meandered our way towards Djurgården, the island where the ABBA museum is located.
If for some strange reason you don’t like ABBA, you have no business visiting Stockholm, or even Sweden. Seriously, just stay out of Scandinavia.
We spent much of the afternoon at the museum and I have to admit that I’ve had ABBA songs stuck in my head on repeat ever since then.
From the museum, we took a ferry back to town.
We walked by the bank where a hostage situation coined the term “Stockholm Syndrome.”
And I really enjoyed walking in the snow.
We also went to the Stockholm Ice Bar! Minus 5 degrees (Celsius) ensures that the ice hauled all the way from Jukkasjärvi above the Arctic Circle, does not melt. (Surprisingly good drinks served here!)
Had a wonderful time in snowy Stockholm. The city is gorgeous in the summer, but simply magical in the winter.
Kjell has the quintessential red Swedish home outside of Stockholm, with rooms to spare. This is where we stayed! He treated us to a wonderful dinner, featuring moose steak! (Freerange, grass fed and all that. Kjell hunts for his food.)
Once again, thank you Kjell for being such a fantastic host! And thank you, Leslie, for suggesting I come along!
Post-Amerikan 