The Lovely Miss Stockholm
One thing was clear – Stockholm was a much lovelier city than Oslo. HM, BP and I boarded a train from Oslo’s Sentralstasjon last Friday morning and headed first to Karlstad across the border in Sweden, before hopping onto another train that took us directly to Stockholm. The SSG, who had to return to London earlier, ended up missing the stunning sight which greeted us – the outline of a splendid city surrounded by water, shimmering in the setting sun.
We spent the next few days on a constant battle with the weather, which swung from foul and pouty rain to bright and alluring sunshine. I realize these terms may sound weird, but we got into our head, somehow, that Stockholm was a pretty young lady with constantly changing moods. It was a silly running joke, but who could have imagined that the symbol for the city was actually a young lady, looking askance, with a crown on top of her head. And needless to say, she was entirely blonde and yellow. It was rather comical, yet charming.
Many of the main sights of the city were clustered around the medieval core, located on the Gamla Stan island, including the Riddarholms Church – burial ground for past Swedish royalty – the charming Stortorget town square, now surrounded by restaurants, but also the site of a bloody massacre in 1520, and many other fine public buildings.
Of course, the main draw there was the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet), reputed to be one of the largest in Europe. It commanded a prime corner spot on Gamla Stan, surrounded by water on two sides. We ventured in and took tours of the Hall of State and the State Apartments, and on Sunday, the Treasury, where the Swedish crown jewels were exhibited, and the Tre Kroner museum, where the history of the present castle and its antecedents is retold.
Interestingly, the palace even comes with an official royal gift shop, where memorabilia on the royal family was available. We got a large postcard of Prince Carl Philip for the SSG, while I lingered over the images of his younger sister, Madeleine, who was a total chio bu.
With time remaining on Saturday, we crossed over to the Mordena Museet and checked out a nice slate of 20th century masterpieces, with all the big stars represented, such as Mondrain, Klee and Picasso. Then it was on to a nice Royal Canal Cruise, which basically circumnavigated the Djugården island.
A firm highlight of our day on Sunday was our visit to the Vasa Museum, which contained the salvaged ship, the Vasa, an enormous Swedish warship which sunk on its maiden voyage in 1628, being resurrected only in 1961, 333 years later. When it was raised, many of the original fittings were still intact, and my guidebook tells me that a salvage officer tried to taste some three century old butter that he found, only to have his mouth develop a series of sores.
On this note, it’s worth mentioning two restaurants where we dined at while in Stockholm. First, Melanders Fisk, which occupies a nice location on the edge of Gamla Stan on the Skeppsbron. And what’s good there? The Swedish meatballs, the smoked prawns on toast, and the selection of Baltic herring. Yum.
Another place was the Kaffegillet, behind the main cathedral, set in an old medieval house, with an 18th century front dining room and a rear 14th century cellar with more seating available.
Stockholm has been an enjoyable and relaxing place. Some observations of the Swedes – everyone we met spoke in impeccable English, but they appeared a rather reserved bunch. Frequently, whether in restaurants or in the train, we found them talking only in hushed and polite tones. The place was clean, the atmosphere was elegant, and the people were friendly. And as the sun shone long into the day, I thought to myself, “This, I say, is a truly civilized place.”
Travel Notes: We stayed at the Quality Hotel Globe, located near the Globe Arena outside of central Stockholm, and travelled around the city with a three day pass on the Stockholm underground, the Tunnelbana. Return flight to London on board Ryanair, departing from Västerås airport outside Stockholm.
We spent the next few days on a constant battle with the weather, which swung from foul and pouty rain to bright and alluring sunshine. I realize these terms may sound weird, but we got into our head, somehow, that Stockholm was a pretty young lady with constantly changing moods. It was a silly running joke, but who could have imagined that the symbol for the city was actually a young lady, looking askance, with a crown on top of her head. And needless to say, she was entirely blonde and yellow. It was rather comical, yet charming.
Many of the main sights of the city were clustered around the medieval core, located on the Gamla Stan island, including the Riddarholms Church – burial ground for past Swedish royalty – the charming Stortorget town square, now surrounded by restaurants, but also the site of a bloody massacre in 1520, and many other fine public buildings.
Of course, the main draw there was the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet), reputed to be one of the largest in Europe. It commanded a prime corner spot on Gamla Stan, surrounded by water on two sides. We ventured in and took tours of the Hall of State and the State Apartments, and on Sunday, the Treasury, where the Swedish crown jewels were exhibited, and the Tre Kroner museum, where the history of the present castle and its antecedents is retold.
Interestingly, the palace even comes with an official royal gift shop, where memorabilia on the royal family was available. We got a large postcard of Prince Carl Philip for the SSG, while I lingered over the images of his younger sister, Madeleine, who was a total chio bu.
With time remaining on Saturday, we crossed over to the Mordena Museet and checked out a nice slate of 20th century masterpieces, with all the big stars represented, such as Mondrain, Klee and Picasso. Then it was on to a nice Royal Canal Cruise, which basically circumnavigated the Djugården island.
A firm highlight of our day on Sunday was our visit to the Vasa Museum, which contained the salvaged ship, the Vasa, an enormous Swedish warship which sunk on its maiden voyage in 1628, being resurrected only in 1961, 333 years later. When it was raised, many of the original fittings were still intact, and my guidebook tells me that a salvage officer tried to taste some three century old butter that he found, only to have his mouth develop a series of sores.
On this note, it’s worth mentioning two restaurants where we dined at while in Stockholm. First, Melanders Fisk, which occupies a nice location on the edge of Gamla Stan on the Skeppsbron. And what’s good there? The Swedish meatballs, the smoked prawns on toast, and the selection of Baltic herring. Yum.
Another place was the Kaffegillet, behind the main cathedral, set in an old medieval house, with an 18th century front dining room and a rear 14th century cellar with more seating available.
Stockholm has been an enjoyable and relaxing place. Some observations of the Swedes – everyone we met spoke in impeccable English, but they appeared a rather reserved bunch. Frequently, whether in restaurants or in the train, we found them talking only in hushed and polite tones. The place was clean, the atmosphere was elegant, and the people were friendly. And as the sun shone long into the day, I thought to myself, “This, I say, is a truly civilized place.”
Travel Notes: We stayed at the Quality Hotel Globe, located near the Globe Arena outside of central Stockholm, and travelled around the city with a three day pass on the Stockholm underground, the Tunnelbana. Return flight to London on board Ryanair, departing from Västerås airport outside Stockholm.
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