Slår ut för Stockholm (Striking out for Stockholm)

Sweden has always been one of the places I’ve wanted to see, but have

Ice on the river

been deplorably ignorant about.  It has good food (smorgasbord), a lot of snow, and people who say ‘ya’. I was right about the food, but not about the snow, although we did have a chilly visit, nor did even one person say ‘ya’. Everyone we spoke to had little to no accent and used excellent English. We visited three different towns during our stay, and all were delightful.







We flew into the Stockholm-Arlanda Airport that’s located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Stockholm City. There are several ways to

Sailing ship

get from the airport to the city, including a $100 cab ride, but we chose to use the Arlanda express train. It takes you from the airport to the city center in about 20 minutes and costs about 280 SEK ($35, depending on the exchange rate at the time). I was pleasantly surprised that there was an open storage area for our luggage and plenty of comfortable seating. It took us directly to the city center train/bus terminal. This was great, because our hotel was basically at the top of the escalator and across the street from the terminal. And our first bit of sightseeing was the terminal. There are places to eat, shops, tourist information, all in a lovely setting. This is what train stations should look like. A word about money – you’ll need a bit of walking around money ($100 - $200 for a week), but many places prefer/require that you pay with a credit card; this is an almost cashless society. Our only complaint was lack of signage – a theme that continued throughout the trip!

Where the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren meet is an archipelago upon which sits the Old Town (Gamla Stan) of Stockholm. Although it was first

Restored farmstead

built by Vikings in about 1000 CE, there had been people living in the area since about 8,000 BCE. All of these people had a positive impact on trade because they created the trade routes. The actual city was supposedly founded by Birger Jarl in 1187 to protect Sweden from sea invasions made by the Karelians. And it’s not surprising that this area was invaded, given that it’s on the trade route and easily accessed from the sea. Stockholm (Stock = fortification; holm = islet) was mentioned in written communication having to do with iron mining (particularly in Bergslagen) in about 1252.  Partly because of the Hanseatic League, Stockholm developed strong economic and cultural linkages with German cities during this time. Their trade also reached to the Danish Kings of the Kalmar Union and the national independence movement in the 15th century. This merger lasted until 1520 when many opposed to this group were massacred, leading to the breakup of the Kalmar Union. This allowed Gustav Vasa to ascend the throne, make Stockholm a seat of power, and increase the economic base of the area. As a result, Stockholm’s population grew to 10,000 by the beginning of the 17^th century.

Things rocked along for about a hundred years until a plague killed 36 percent of the population, the Great Northern War ended, and Stockholm

Iron bridge over icy river

lost its standing as the capitol of a major power. The economic growth slowed and the population stagnated. Even with these slow-downs, the city continued to develop, culturally. By the middle of the 1800s new industries had emerged and Stockholm was on its way to regaining its status as an important trade and service center; it was also a major gateway into Sweden. And since it was a gateway, it attracted immigration. By the 1890s, about 60% of the residents were from outside Stockholm and settlement grew outside of the Gamla Stan. During this same era, scientific institutions were on the rise, including the prestigious Karolinska Institutet. By the middle of the 20^th century Stockholm had become a technologically advanced, ethnically diverse, modern city, but with a rich historical heritage.

In 2010 Stockholm was given the European Green Capital Award by the

Upscale apartments

EU Commission, Europe's first ‘green capital’. Cities vying for this award were evaluated on air quality, biodiversity climate change prevention, environmental management, local transport, noise abatement, public green areas, waste, water consumption, waste water treatment, and sustainable utilization of land. One of the reasons Stockholm won was that it cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 25% per capita in ten years. And it is a very clean city. It’s also an interesting city. We found lots to do, places to see, things to eat, and a good place to stay (for information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews).

Where we stayed:

Four carrots

Getting to the Raddison Blu (Nils Ericsons Plan 4, 111 64 Stockholm, Sweden, +46 8 505 060 00) was very easy, since it is across from the

Left: City Hall view
Right T to B: Bedroom, Bathroom

train station. All of the people we interacted with, from the folks at the front desk to the maids, had a good understanding and use of English. This was good for us since neither Barb nor I have any Swedish or German communication skills. The room and bathroom were comfortable and well stocked. My only complaint was that there was only a duvet on the beds; Barb loves duvets, so she was happy. The internet was speedy and free; we had no trouble getting on and staying online. We had a wonderful view of City Hall and the water. The room also had a refrigerator, stocked with drinks but with room for personal eatables, and a hot pot with teas, coffee, sugar, and creamer.

Where we ate:

Although we were in Stockholm for three days, we didn’t go out to eat often. However, we did enjoy our meals.

Four carrots

RBG Bar and Grill (in Raddison Blu, Nils Ericsons Plan 4, 111 64

Top L to R: Pannacotta, Burger and fries, Breakfast
Center L to R: Brownie bites, Goat cheese salad
Bottom L to R: Lemon tart, Creme brulee, Shrimp salad

Stockholm, Sweden, +46 8 505 060 00) was lovely. Our first experience with the servers and the menu was when we arrived. We were almost too late for lunch, but the staff welcomed us and made sure that we had everything we wanted from the buffet before they started dismantling it. Our choices for lunch were the salad bar, or the ‘main’ bar, or both. Our selection included the dessert bar, as well. Lunch was also a buffet, with hot and cold cereal, a variety of fruits, a variety of breads, eggs, bacon, lunch meats, cheeses, and some fresh vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, radishes, lettuce). Dinner was from a menu, and while not extensive, what we chose was very good. The first evening Barb and I enjoyed a salad topped with beets and goat cheese; it was delicious. On another visit, I had the burger and Barb had a shrimp salad. She said that the vegetables were fresh and the shrimp was tasty. My burger was good, but only had lettuce and cheese on it. The fries were very good, though. We did have a room service breakfast one morning that was amazing. One order of bread, meats, juice, coffee, eggs, and garnishes, accompanied with butter and whole milk, would have fed two people easily (we saved the second tray for the next morning).

The Kaffekoppen Bistro (Stortorget 20, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden, +46 8 20 31 70) appears to be in an old house. The servers were very nice, with a quick grasp of what we needed, and with no need to rush us

Top L to R: Menu, Latte
Bottom L to R: Ham and cheese, Decor

through our meal. Barb and I split a ham and cheese sandwich; we’d asked our server about the size of the sandwich; she indicated it was of medium size. Barb and I thought we’d have a small lunch then a nice dessert. As it turned out, the sandwich was the size of my head; even when we split it, we were quite satisfied. Barb had a mega latte that she said was quite good. Neither of us could quite order dessert, nor were we ready for dinner some hours later. The sandwich was quite good, made fresh in the open kitchen at the back of the restaurant.

What we did:

Four and one-half carrots

Arlanda Express is the best way to get to the city. It’s inexpensive, quick, and comfortable. It also runs every 15 to 20 minutes, so you can get to and from the airport easily. 

The Stockholm Pass is the way to go when you want to visit lots of

Museum grounds

sights in Stockholm. Included with the card is the Hop on-Hop off bus and boat, the boat tours, a host of museums, and oodles of other things to do. The guidebook also has a good map of the old town, as well as a map of the subway. When you buy your pass online it’s a really good idea to print out the maps to the pick-up points with walking instructions from your hotel. We found that most of the information centers had no idea how to tell us to get to the Stromma outlets.

The Vasa Museum (Galärvarvsvägen 14, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden, 08-519 548 80) is stinkin’ amazing. The Vasa ship was a Swedish

Top L to R: Vasa model, Cross-section (little ballast)
Bottom L to R: Stern of Vasa, Pottery
Center: King showing kindness to dog

warship that had been commissioned (read ‘demanded’) by the king to lead his military expansion when he initiated a war with Poland-Lithuania. Despite what his advisors told him about its seaworthiness, the king expected it to set sail on the date that had been proposed. Filled with not only sailors, but with important visitors, it capsized and sank in Stockholm harbor, a mere 1,400 yards from the dock.  Three hundred and thirty-three years after its launch in 1628, it was salvaged.  The ship is covered in sculptures depicting of Roman and Greek antiquity, Old Testament characters, and ancient Egypt artifacts; there are also creatures, including mermaids, wild men, sea monsters and tritons. All of these were painted bright colors and must have been an amazing, if garish, sight as the ship sailed out of the dock. Along with the ship, itself, there is a very nice film that talks about the trial that took place to find someone to punish for the catastrophe (only one person said that the design was faulty, and seeing the model, it is apparent that this is true). All sorts of artifacts were recovered with the ship, and there are several exhibits of these, along with information in English. I’d certainly go back, again; you can’t take it all in in just one visit; research continues as does restoration work.

Four carrots

The Royal Canal Tour (Strömkajen, +46 8 120 040 00) runs from central

Top L to R: TV tower in distance, Skansen
Bottom L to R: Amusement park, Maritime museum

Stockholm, through the Djurgården canal around Djurgården in the national park, past historic buildings and green belts. Where the bay opens, they turn back towards the city and travel past Vasamuseet and Waldemarsudde, two very expensive neighborhoods. Barb and I kept looking for Björn Borg, although I wouldn’t have recognized him since he’s cut his hair. This was a very comfortable trip with a nice, recorded tour. It doesn’t matter which side of the boat you sit on since you are making a circle. The day we toured, part of the waterway was still frozen and we could hear the crunch of ice on the hull. I kept thinking about the Titanic; Barb was thinking about navy ice breakers.

Skansan (Djurgårdsslätten 49-51, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden, +46 8 442 80 00), which means the Sconce, is the first open-air museum and zoo in Sweden. It sits on Djurgården island and was opened in October 1891 by

Left T to B: Pottery shop, Church, Wolf
Center T to B: Farm buildings, Farm house, Pigs
Right: Dalecarlian horse

Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show how the Swedes lived before the industrial era. On the day we visited, it was warm and sunny, which brought many of the animals out of their dens. Although I liked seeing the wolves and reindeer, I think my favorite animals were the baby wild pigs and the Swedish buffalo. All of the information signs have English, so you know what you’re seeing. There are buildings representing a village, a farm, and several businesses. We didn’t see everything, and we were there at least five hours. There is a place to get food; it’s not fast food, but an array of plate lunches that are actually healthy. You walk up and give your order – the choices are on boards above the servers – then you get your tray and take it to a table. The servers speak English fairly well and are very patient. The workers are willing to let you take your food to your table then go back to get drinks, and finally line up to pay so you aren’t juggling trays and money. We returned near the end of our visit to get some really good ice cream – a really good idea since the day had turned warmer than expected.

Three and one-half carrots

The Royal Treasury (Slottsbacken 1, 111 30 Stockholm, Sweden, +46 8

Royal Treasury Entry

402 61 30) at the palace is certainly worth a visit. My only disappointment was that you couldn’t take pictures; there were many things I wanted to photograph. If you search the internet for images there are quite a few – I’m guessing they are either taken without permission or from advertising. In any case, the crowns, regalia, and wall hangings were amazing. One of the things I found most interesting was the size of the crowns. In general, the crowns for females were smaller than for males, but all of the crowns were small. These must sit on the top of the head or the royals have really small heads. We missed the rest of the exhibits at the castle because we didn’t know that there was a special group there the day we visited – and there were no signs telling us about this occurrence.  We walked completely around the structure before we found someone who could let us know about the closure.

Changing of the guard

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