Scandinavia ’25 – Day Seven

A cursory look out of the window of our cheeky little living space in Stockholm suggested the rain might have at least subsided, so we enjoyed a morning coffee and hit the streets for our delayed Gamla Stan Essentials self-guided walking tour via SmartGuide. With AirPods in the ready, we trekked to the start point and engaged in the free, 31 stop audio-tour through “Old Stockholm”. Highlights such as Stortorget, the Royal Palace, and Storkyrkan were explained. The tour was quite involved which was perfect as we often find more joy in the smaller details. Doing this in the earliest part of the day worked out wonderfully, as the quiet cobble streets allowed time to stop, listen and not be impeding the very busy, narrow lanes that we saw Saturday in the afternoon! Excellent content and glimpse into a sometimes gruesome, but always interesting history.

By 8:30 AM we were readying ourselves to board the conveniently located transit ferry (a very short walk from our accommodation) to Djurgården. Djurgården is a tranquil island known for the collection of museums, parks and open spaces enjoyable to visitor and Stockholm residents. Our idea was to do a little of both, and take in a park walk and visit one or maybe two museums.

It’s always a big score to get on the water when visiting cities like Stockholm. It gives you another perspective, much like one a sailor or merchant may have had in an era when boats were the only mode of transport. Stockholm is gorgeous from the water… and exudes both wealth and productivity. Grab a ferry to take a look if you ever get to Stockholm. Worth it 👍!

Our first stop on Djurgården was the totally unique Vasa Museum. For back story, the Swedish warship Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbor on August 10, 1628 shortly after setting sail. The sinking was due to a combination of design flaws, including being too top-heavy, and the decision to open gun ports, which allowed water to flood in. The ship was a major archaeological salvage operation in 1961 and now rests in the museum. The Vasa Museum in Stockholm is a major attraction… hosts a million visitors a year!

We arrived early, which afforded us some space that wasn’t available by the time we departed. Admission got us a great introductory video presentation, access to all exhibits, a guided tour in English with group and audio guides for detailed information on 15 specific stops. We spent approximately 2 hours on site and very much enjoyed the exhibit space, presentation of materials, and of course, the big old boat! We picked a great morning attraction ❤️!

Needing a break from what was a growing crowd and museum information, we decided to walk a different route back to the Ferry. Luckily, we stumbled into a small Cemetery on Djurgården Island. What a beautiful resting space, with a wide range of dates as well as stone types. One would be fortunate to be able to rest in “some place like this”. Upon our departure we even came upon the Estonia Memorial, dedicated to those that lost their lives during the sinking of the cruise ship Estonia.

We managed the Ferry once again, commuting to Skeppsholmen Island in order to walk back towards city centre. We skirted the shoreline via boardwalk, taking in many of the vessels belonging to the Stockholm Boaters Association… vessels old and new, commercial and private, with most seemingly in working condition. We left the island via Skeppsholmsbron (Bridge) which has great views of Gamla Stan as well as the Östermalm district.

We also explored the length of the Kungsträdgården (King’s Garden), not far from the National Museum. The park has a downtown location with outdoor cafés, stages for outdoor concerts, and even an ice rink in the winter, makes it one of the most popular hangouts and meeting places in Stockholm. It just seems like a well used working park with access to all.

It felt as though we hadn’t eaten anything green in days, so we went walkabout to locate a Drink / Salad! Bingo… easier to find than a hot dog in Stockholm. Pretty hi-tech chain set up called MAX and one I hadn’t encountered before. A quick search indicated it was a Swedish company started in 1968… my age (so I’ll refer to it as a relatively new company). In short… seemed like Sweden’s MacDonalds. Anyway, yummy, convenient, timely, and not as expensive as we had expected 😋!

With new found courage, we resumed our attractions for an afternoon visit to the National Museum in Stockholm. It’s described as a journey through the history of European art experiencing highlight pieces from the 16th century to today. More than 5,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, applied arts and design objects were waiting to be discovered. We saw works of Rembrandt, Cezanne, Monet, and Degas to name but a few. Of note, we were introduced to artist Hannah Hirsch Pauli, and a broad collection of her work shown in a special exhibit. A wonderful place to view art for an afternoon.

We fell upon arrival back at our accommodation… big snooze! Gotta love a good afternoon nap 😂! By 6:00 PM we were looking to move again and gathered ourselves for a stroll towards Town Hall! We are still sort of “awed” at the architecture here… and we saw more this evening. Included were the Riddarholmen Church, Birger Jarl’s Torn on Riddarholmen Island and the wonderfully accessible Stockholm City Hall. Beautiful with the sun of the evening relaxing on the cityscape.

Like many of the good things in life, sometimes you have to wait a bit. For supper we decided to throw chance to the wind and head, without reservation 🫣, for a highly recommended Meatballs for the People located in the hip Södermalm area of Stockholm. We queued for a table, but the catch was we had to slow down, take a break, and sit and people watch for about 25 minutes (that sounds like it was designed for us) to get in!

And… the reviews are in (via Ms Lumsden). She started by saying “Worth the wait”! We enjoyed a sampling of Pork, Beef and Reindeer meatballs… and a super mix of sides (Lingon berries, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Sweet Pickles). Also commented on how great staff were handling such a hectic / chaotic work day. We learned about the business on YouTube, so I’d suggest they’ve hit the mark and are doing brisk business! Great idea and model 👍.

Having “flubbed” the arrival (which would have only meant standing in a line up longer I guess) we were careful to make sure the return was going to be “on target”. Having managed that okay… we got nabbed by the smell of an Irish Pub making our way home. We settled into The Liffey for a refreshment. It was quiet (thankfully) so one and done. Of note… at 10:30 AM there is still lots of light outside! ☀️

… Scandinavia ’25 – Day Eight