We caught the high-speed train service across to Stockholm. It was equally as fast as flying and probably a little cheaper. Best of all, however, it put us right in the heart of Stockholm when we arrived. I'm tempted to try out the high-speed train to Ballarat when I get back home to see if the Victorian services are as good as the Swedish ones.
Since I'd been to Stockholm before, this trip involved a mixture of what I thought the best sights were when I visited last time, plus some I missed out on, plus some Belle thought sounded good.
First up was a visit to Gamla Stan - the old town of Stockholm. Stockholm used to fit all on one island, and this is where Galma Stan is. It's a nice walk down from the CBD to the island. Everything quickly transforms from modern city to cobble stone streets and wonky old buildings. We made a quick visit to the palace. Note to potential jewel thieves: the British have way more crown jewels than the Swedes. After, we made a more extensive visit to the Nobel Prize museum around the corner.
It was perfect weather for walking out in the sunshine. This put grabbing some ice cream and having a laid back afternoon firmly on the agenda.
The sunshine, lasting well into the evening, ensured that Saturday was perfect for heading out in trending Ă–stermalm. After some mighty fine Lebanese cuisine, we headed to a great cocktail bar. It stocked Tanqueray Ten gin, so I was a big fan. (My wallet may have whimpered in pain, but I duly ignored it ;)
Stockholm is deserted on Sunday mornings. And surprisingly, brunch is a bit difficult to find. Pushing on, we headed to the next item on our list: the History Museum. I was quite surprised at how interesting it was. The prehistoric display was well set up, with sounds, video, stories, and exhibits of bones, clothing, etc.
The museum was setup so that it posed questions back at the visitors instead of dictating the museums' point of view. As an example, there was a cloak that dated back thousands of years. It was found in a bog, with similarly aged knife. This cloak had knife holes in it. Of course no one knows the true story of the cloak and the knife - so the museum presents some plausible situations and throws it back to you to imagine. Was it the cloak of a murdered victim? Where's the body then? Maybe it's the cloak of someone who was in a fight - they had been stabbed, but ultimately won. Why throw away the cloak then? To hide the evidence from a worried girlfriend? Who really knows?
Sunday was also a great day to be outdoors. We ate lunch next to the water and watched the yachts pass us by. We paid a quick visit to Vasa museum, which didn't seem as good as I remembered it, and then we headed back to the hotel for our bathers.
We were on a mission to find a beach (or at least I was!). However, with hindsight I can give this warning: do not attempt to find a beach in Stockholm. Yes, it's on the water. No, there's no where good to swim. Probably if we had a boat and headed out to the archipelago there might have been better beaches. But near the city - and for a city on the water it's surprising - no good beaches. We went to one, and had our swim, but it was pretty crap.
The sun set on our weekend in Stockholm, and alas, Monday morning came around too soon. It was time for Belle to head back home. We said our sad goodbyes at central station and that's that for another 60 days.
1 comment:
Just read your two posts on weekends in Stockholm. Was actually hoping for something on Poland, but anyway ;)
Interesting reading, somethings makes me wish I'd gone there after you. Didn't know about discounted tickets for people 25, but you live and learn.
Shame to hear Vasa is not that great the second time. I remember it bordering on mind blowing, but then thats probably due to too long in Skansen combined with Jet lag kicking in at 3:30pm.
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