A Week in Stockholm to Start 2005

Arrival in Stockholm

Alitalia flight Milan - Stockholm 9:15 - 11:50. A few days ago we bought a flight + hotel package for 7 nights online. I don't know if that's too many or too few, we'll see... The idea of going to Stockholm had come to me in December, when at Ikea I had filled out a form to win a flight to Stockholm or Copenhagen!... Of course I was never contacted...but the curiosity had stayed with me. From the plane we enjoy a spectacular view of the icy fjords and of Stockholm which, lit by the midday sun, already appears wonderful to me (in Sweden in winter it corresponds to the light of 4 pm at our latitudes). The sun is very low on the horizon and in three hours it will be dark. It's a bit striking if it's your first time going to a Nordic country in winter.

Practically, as we will realize later, the sun stays almost fixed at a point a little above the horizon, which gives a stunning warm light, also for taking photographs. While we wait for our luggage at Arlanda airport, we catch the gaze of some Swedish tourists just off the plane from Asia... They are filling out forms at a small desk of the Swedish Red Cross, I imagine to provide their data and no longer be part of the list of those missing from the tsunami that has just hit Southeast Asia. Sweden has had many human losses and over 1000 missing, therefore a very quiet New Year's is expected, in the spirit of respect for the tragic event. In the Corriere, which I was reading on the plane, I learned that the prime minister has canceled the traditional fireworks and the party at Skansen.

It seems right to me and for the first time I am about to face a vacation with a different spirit, a bit sad and not with my usual excitement. To reach the city, which is 40 km away, we decide to take the Arlanda Express because there is a promotion at this time: 200 Kr (about 22 Euro. 1 Euro = 9 Kr) for two people instead of 380. It's worth taking advantage of it. We get the tickets from the automatic machine, paying with a credit card. The train is very fast, the display informs us that we are traveling at 200 km/h! It also informs us that outside it's 5°C, not even as cold as we expected! In 20 minutes we are at the station (T-Centralen). We immediately withdraw some money from the ATM and head toward the metro, following the signs for T-Bana.

From the large hall, we go down to the lower floor and go to the SL Center counter (you first have to take a numbered ticket and wait your turn) to buy a 10-trip coupon (80 Kr - in reality for each trip in the city two lines of the coupon are stamped, for each person). We then take the metro to our hotel which is 4 stops away (Skanstull). Here, as we will realize in the following days, the distances are short and you can get around on foot to see many things but in winter it's useful to also have public transport available since it is extremely efficient and allows you not to get too cold when you have to move from one point to another. The hotel is the Clarion Hotel ( on the island of Sodermalm. It is a large modern hotel and the decor is Swedish/minimal (a bit Ikea style) with touches of design, very nice.

Once we set down our bags in the room we immediately go out to take advantage of the sun (who knows what tomorrow will be like!) and find a little place to have dinner for New Year's Eve. Bus no. 3 takes us to Slussen in 10 minutes. We continue on foot to the waterfront where some restaurant-boats are moored. We head to the first one, Lady Patricia ( - it had been recommended to me by a girl via email) and we buzz asking, in English, if they still have two free spots. To my great surprise the female voice tells me yes and lets us in. We enter. We take a quick look at the upper deck where the restaurant is, it looks very nice, with large windows overlooking the sea and Gamla Stan (the historic center). We pay for the two tickets (990 Kr) for the three-course dinner that starts at 19, the only available time.

In practice at 21:30 we will have to vacate the table but we can stay on the boat, there is also a bar and a disco on the lower deck. That's perfectly fine. I don't feel like wandering half the city and wasting time looking for another place. We take advantage of the little light to take a stroll along the Gamla Stan waterfront. It's 3 pm and the sky is turning pink on the horizon. Very peculiar... I already like what I see very much, the city seems beautiful but we will explore it longer in the following days. We arrive as far as the Royal Castle before ducking into a place on the main little square Stortorget: the Kaffeekoppen, because the one nearby is full. We go down to the lower floor into a sort of cellar with a vaulted ceiling and I order a "baked potato" with curry chicken, it's not very Swedish, but I didn't feel like the sandwiches on offer.

Next to us there are people drinking cappuccino and eating cakes, in fact it's 4 pm, but I haven't had lunch! There you go, I'm already out of sync with the meal times! When we go out it's dark, but not pitch dark, the sky is an intense, purissimo deep blue, with lots of stars. We go back to the hotel by metro, which in Gamla Stan is above ground. A moment of relaxation and at 18:40 we are out again. Highly recommended is a wool or fleece hat in this season, in the evening and even during the day there can be a lot of wind and even if it's not very cold it's better to cover up well.

Same for a scarf, gloves and a good pair of padded shoes or boots for women (you can also buy them on site, in fact, here they are beautiful and you could start a trend in Italy!), and if you have a long down coat it's perfect to cover your legs and avoid wearing annoying woolen long johns under your trousers! On the street, we pass lots of Swedes with plastic bags full of bottles, ready for the big dinner. In fact in Sweden there is strict regulation on the sale of alcohol which, besides being forbidden to those under 21, is subject to very high taxes. There are special state shops, the systembolaget, where alcohol is sold. It seems that this monopoly was created with the aim of discouraging alcohol consumption among the population, increasing prices and reducing the social cost of alcoholism, and therefore redistributing the proceeds among the population.

New Year's Eve

There is already a nice line in front of the Patricia when we arrive. We notice though a strange detail: there is no noise... A few moments later, we understand that we are in front of a (numerous) group of deaf-mutes! At first it's a bit striking to see so many people "talking" animatedly using only their hands and facial expressions. It's also fascinating to observe them: it seems to me that I am the deaf one, they seem so at ease!... even though I must admit that the prospect of spending a New Year's, already saddened by recent events, surrounded by silence feels a bit strange to me. Anyway they are ten times more elegant than us and we realize by reading the little card that jeans are unwelcome. And what is Paolo wearing? Jeans of course. We didn't bring elegant clothes.

Luckily they let us in anyway! In Sweden people dress rather well in the evening when they go out, so it's better to bring a pair of dark trousers for men and some nice clothes for girls. In fact, we saw many Swedes very dressed up in the venues, maybe in tops or very sleeveless dresses even when it's not very warm. At the entrance of the boat there is the cloakroom, we have to leave our coats and scarves here paying 20 Kr each! In the following days we will find the cloakroom in almost all venues (except the beer halls), the average cost is 15 Kr each. After a while the place fills up and we are seated at a little table near two German tourists, older than us though... with whom we never exchanged a word...

It makes me think that maybe we would have made friends more with the group of deaf-mutes, who are on the other side of the boat! The dinner is not exceptional but that's fine, by 20:30 we have already finished the main course! We ask the waiter to slow down a bit! I am already falling asleep and the idea of going to bed now does actually cross my mind. Well, we've been up since 5 in the morning so I'm justified! At 21:30, having finished dessert, we are asked to vacate our table because the second shift is arriving (we already knew that). We continue the evening at the boat's bar, in front of a large window overlooking Gamla Stan and the sea. Very suggestive panorama. We already begin to see the first fireworks fired by people in the street. They are fairly small but here and there they create colored patches in the sky that are reflected on the sea.

Around 11 pm a group plays and sings in the bar and everyone dances, of course they also play Abba songs! The opposite would have disappointed me! At midnight there is no countdown and I don't even notice that I am now in 2005! In reality they play the song "Happy New Year" (again by Abba) and all the ships in the harbor sound their sirens, meanwhile all the young people in the venue are going out onto the boat's deck, outdoors, without covering up at all! Lots of girls are wearing their mini dresses and very low-cut tops and they stay outside for at least half an hour! I wonder how they do it! When I go outside too (with a sweater) I can only last five minutes! They must be used to it I think... An enormous cruise ship sets sail a few minutes after midnight and slowly leaves the archipelago, heading who knows where... toward Estonia maybe...

At one o'clock we go back to the hotel, very tired, on the street at Slussen there is quite a chaos and quite a few police officers. Firecrackers, people about to beat each other up, drunk people!... Well! I wasn't expecting that! We flee to the metro and a few minutes later I find myself in the world of dreams...

Happy New Year!

Well, from the weather point of view it's rather lousy. A very gray day that also reflects the mood of Sweden, today is national mourning. At 11 we have a breakfast that seems like lunch and we go out around noon, heading to Skansen, the most famous park in Stockholm (entry 50 Kr) where a small-scale Sweden is reproduced, with typical houses, farms, even a zoo with Scandinavian animals. I believe that usually there are artisans at work and that you can visit the little houses, but today everything is closed and very quiet. Flags at half-mast and always gray sky don't help to brighten up this visit, so we devote ourselves to the animals: reindeer, foxes, elk, seals, lynxes, owls, etc... Unfortunately the bears are in hibernation... Still on the island of Djurgarden, we visit the Nordiska Museet, free today.

The building is very beautiful from the outside, the interior would be interesting if there were explanations in English which unfortunately are almost nonexistent. This evening we go to dinner at a Thai restaurant in Sodermalm: the Koh Phangan ( recommended on various websites and guides and since we really like Thai cuisine we don't fail to go! What strikes you is the setting and the tropical decor of the place, absolutely crazy! It feels like being truly in one of the little restaurants found on the beaches in Thailand, low dark ceiling, little lights, trees, vegetation, even a tuk-tuk where you can sit and eat! At a certain point a thunderstorm even breaks out (obviously simulated... but very well done!) The food is very good, recommended for those who love Thai cuisine. After dinner we take a stroll on foot in Sodermalm, to return to the hotel.

The buildings are very beautiful and modern, full of wide windows. In fact it is a common characteristic of the Nordic countries, to let in as much light as possible. We also notice that all the Christmas decorations are very fine and harmonious, the lights are rigorously white and besides the famous electric "Ikea candelabra" there are many luminous stars made of paper with little holes in the shape of stars to let out the light of the hidden light bulb inside. At the hotel we drink a cocktail at the bar, also equipped with a casino table, like most venues. In fact at the hotel entrance tonight there is a guard tasked with checking the age of those going to the bar!

Stroll downtown...

Today it's raining. What rotten luck, I say to myself! The 31st was beautiful but we didn't enjoy it at all since it was almost dark when we arrived. We'll therefore dedicate the day to visiting museums because tomorrow, Monday, most of them will be closed. We're disappointed because we can't visit either the Drottingholm Palace or the Gripsholm Castle since in winter they're only open on weekends. And this weekend being a half-holiday, they're closed anyway!... It's a real shame, they're said to be beautiful. We buy a transport pass valid for 3 days (180 Kr). We don't get the Stockholm Card because many museums or attractions are closed or free and the card wouldn't be worth it at all.

While we're traveling on the bus the sky is rapidly clearing, so at this point we take advantage of it and instead of shutting ourselves in a museum we get off at the seafront in front of the Nordiska Museet, on Strandvagen boulevard. Taking a walk along this long boulevard, flanked by the sea on one side with old wooden boats and beautiful houses on the other, is a real pleasure. The sun comes and goes, the clouds race very fast and you have to wait for the right moment to take a photo. The colors are fantastic when the sun lights up the buildings. It's also worth bringing sunglasses because at midday it can be very strong and since the sun is just above the horizon you're often forced to look it in the face.

A technical note for those who are fanatics of 'traditional' photos like me: it's worth bringing 'Ultra' film rolls, that is, ones that adapt to any lighting condition because here the weather changes very quickly. In the morning it might be cloudy and rainy but become sunny within an hour!... or the opposite. I noticed that often in the afternoon and before sunset (3:30 pm) the sky would cloud over. We thus continue our walk to the two small islands in front of Gamla Stan: Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen. Along the first one the famous Af Chapman is moored, a schooner used as a hostel for a few years and very popular among tourists with limited budgets. From here there's a magnificent view of Gamla Stan and Sodermalm. To return to Slussen we take the boat since it's included in our pass.

We then reach the Royal Palace on foot and visit only the apartments (70 Kr) because it's already past 2 pm and the Palace closes at 3. The royal apartments are a disappointment though, maybe because after seeing those of the Czech Republic and Bavaria, we've become picky. They say the Treasury is more interesting, but by now it's closed. We therefore go to visit the Royal Armory Museum, at the foot of the west wing of the castle, today it's also free and it's quite interesting. You can try holding a sword in your hand like the knights of the Middle Ages. It's not so simple: they're extremely heavy! You can also do the King Arthur test by trying to pull the sword from the stone (obviously there's a very stiff spring) with a dial that indicates which historical figure corresponds to the force exerted: Joan of Arc, etc... up to King Arthur, unreachable I believe.

Well, better not to try to avoid making a fool of yourself! On the lower floor the royal carriages are very beautiful. On the way out, we go to the Vasa Museet (85 Kr) with bus nr 47. It houses an ancient warship from 1628, which sank right after its departure due to a design flaw! It was recovered 333 years later and pulled out of the water almost intact since the waters of the Stockholm archipelago weren't very salty. Well, needless to say that visiting the Vasa Museet is a must for anyone coming to Stockholm, the museum is also very interesting, built all around the enormous ship, with various floors to get closer to the ship and different settings to understand life on board and life in Sweden at that time. Unfortunately we only have half an hour before closing (5 pm except Wednesdays 8 pm) and we see everything quite quickly. In my opinion it deserves a visit of at least an hour.

On the way out we go to Berzelli Park to book a dinner at Berns, a historic brasserie that's very nice, but at the bar they tell us it's closed until January 7th! What rotten luck, again! If you can, go there, we peeked through the windows of the main room: it's truly a beautiful place and it seems you don't spend much. We then enter a bar frequented by handsome young Swedes. I notice that the stereotype of the beautiful blonde Swede with incredibly blue eyes isn't so unfounded: there's a girl in front of our table who could easily be a model, like many others seen so far, for that matter... A small consolation: many gain weight as they age, and they're not all blonde, I noticed that many dye their hair! Ha ha ha... After a stop at the hotel, we go out to dinner at 8 pm.

Too late for Swedish standards, in fact we have to wait an hour for a table at the Pelikan ( historic Swedish brewery, in Sodermalm. The place is packed even though I notice some tables are free but reserved for those who are only drinking. While waiting we have a beer at the counter observing the place which is very nice. We also eat very well: I have marinated salmon and Pytt i Panna, a typical dish made of cubes of potatoes, bacon (or ham or sausage), onion sautéed in a pan, with a fried egg slapped on top! All served with slices of beetroot. It may be startling at first but it's very good and above all substantial! We don't have time to try the desserts because the kitchen is already closed! It's 10 pm... Oh yes, that's how it goes here... People eat dinner early!

Bad weather today...

The alarm goes off at 8:30. The weather seems nice, the sun comes into our room through the enormous window (a detail that had made me choose the hotel!). Unfortunately, while we're having breakfast, black clouds fill the sky! You definitely can't make plans here! By bus we reach Gamla Stan with the intention of taking a little tour of the old town. There's a frightening cold and wind! My long down jacket with hood comes in very handy! The three things we wanted to visit are closed: the House of Nobility, Storkyrkan and Riddarholmskyrkan (two churches). What a disappointment! So we walk around the small island and slip into every little alley that appears before us. We happen upon the Ice Gallery: I had read something about it in the guidebook, we go in. First stage: pay 50 Kr.

Second stage: put on an enormous silver-colored cape with hood and mittens, in which you move with the grace of Barbapapa! Third stage: you enter a tiny room made entirely of ice! Constant temperature: -7°C, but it doesn't even feel that terribly cold... must be the cape... There's a bed, made of ice, with reindeer skins, where you can lie down. A horrible experience I must say and very uncomfortable, only worth it long enough to take a photo! There are also small ice sculptures, a counter with ice glasses (for sale, guaranteed to keep their original shape for 35 hours. A gift idea!) and a screen where a video about the Ice Hotel in Lapland is projected. Basically this Ice Gallery is an advertisement for the Ice Hotel.

Perhaps it's more worth going directly to the Ice Bar, inside the Nordic Sea Hotel, next to the Central Station, where for 120 Kr they even give you a cocktail, obviously in an ice glass. Anyway, there's also the Absolut Ice Bar in Milan if you wanted to try this experience. After 10 minutes we're already outside, 50 Kr is a bit much perhaps... We head towards Ostermalm, the district located on the island north of Gamla Stan. The Ostermalmshallen is very nice, a covered market with fish and other gastronomic specialties. You can also have lunch there. The fish are still alive on the counters! We can testify, one almost jumped on us! Jokes aside, really, a big fish was flopping around so much that it fell to the floor at our feet! We end the day strolling through the center, in Normalm, around the horrible Sergels Torg (which by the way is even uglier by day). We do some shopping.

Here you find fabulous furniture and design shops, fantastic stationery stores, some names: Design Torget, Granit, Stockhome, etc... I bought at least 4 photo albums with black cardboard pages, very elegant but very expensive... You also find household items at very reasonable prices. The tourist office is right at Sergels Torg, in the underground part of the square. Around 5 pm we enter Wayne's Coffee for the usual afternoon break with coffee and muffins. This evening at the hotel I treat myself to a dip in the shared jacuzzi, on the top floor of the hotel, with panoramic windows over the city. Truly relaxing after a day in the cold. For dinner we go to Fem Sma Hus in Gamla Stan ( A historic place, very nice and intimate, underground, with stone walls and vaulted ceilings, candles and a stupendous menu. Obviously the bill is stupendous too.

As an appetizer try the dish "Örtvåffla med karljohanssvampcréme, serveras med en liten rödlökssallad" (herb waffles with porcini mushroom cream and a small red onion salad) and as dessert "Äppelkaka med karamellglass och valnötter" (apple and walnut cake with caramel ice cream). Trust me! We then take a stroll in Gamla Stan which is very charming at night. Photo lovers, bring a tripod to take night shots!

Trip to Vaxholm

Wake up at 6:40 because we have to catch the 8:40 boat to Vaxholm (one-way trip 65 Kr), a town in the archipelago. Today is a beautiful day, with a nice blue sky even though the sun hasn't risen yet. We're so early that in the end we're late (it's always like that!) and we risk missing the boat! We make a crazy run from the Kungstradgarden metro stop to Stromkajen, the pier from where the boats to the islands depart. Here they don't mess around, the transport all departs perfectly on time! The boat therefore leaves punctually at 8:40. We pass along Gamla Stan, of which we have a stupendous view. The trip is very relaxing, we even stay outside on the upper deck because it's not that cold. The sun comes out around 9 from behind the hills we're sailing along. There are incredible houses among pine woods or green meadows. The ones near the sea have a private pier.

We pass two cruise ships very close because the passage between the buoys is narrow. It's quite impressive to pass just a few meters from these floating palaces! One of them comes from Tallin, in Estonia. We arrive in Vaxholm at 10, there's no one around and it seems like a ghost town! It's very pretty though and it seems that in summer it's packed with tourists. We walk around for about an hour admiring the pastel-colored houses, with their children's playhouses (the same color as the houses!), it seems a bit like the town in Truman Show but there's hardly a soul around. At 11:25 we're already on bus nr 670 to return to Stockholm, the ticket is included in our pass. After 40 minutes we arrive in the city at a metro and bus stop, from where we reach Sodermalm.

Don't miss a walk along the boulevard that lines the sea, north of the island, Sodermalarstrand, for a beautiful view of Gamla Stan and the City Hall. Around Mariatorget square we find a Swedish lady who, seeing us with our heads in the air, very kindly points us the direction to reach the panoramic viewpoint: Monteliusvägen. Indeed the view is stupendous! Too bad the sky has already clouded over. It must be very beautiful in the morning when the sun rises, lighting up the city. A Swedish lady, who was having a snack at a wooden table with her son and grandmother, takes a photo of us exclaiming in English: "a photo of our beautiful capital!!". From there we continue to the right into a series of very picturesque and deserted cobblestone alleys that lead us to Slussen.

We end the day with some shopping on the street that climbs behind Slussen (it's on the corner with the Tony and Guy hairdresser) and in Gamla Stan where we buy a small 1840 print depicting Stockholm. Chatting with the gentleman who owns the little shop we discover that winter hasn't arrived here yet! He tells us that the coldest months are February and March, and that it had snowed in November, but then nothing more or almost nothing. At the hotel I can't help but dive back into the jacuzzi! For dinner we return to Gamla Stan, to Zum Franziskaner ( a brewery founded in 1421 by German monks. We arrive early this time, around 7:30 pm but there's hardly anyone there anyway, on the other hand it's raining very hard this evening! I try the herring but I don't like it, at least not the way it's cooked.

We're also disappointed by the rest of the dinner, for the first time it sits heavy on my stomach, so I don't feel like recommending this place except for a beer.

Trip to Uppsala

Today we take a trip to Uppsala, by train (67 Kr one way). It's a very famous university town located 60 km north of Stockholm, it takes about 45 minutes by train to reach it. In winter there isn't much to see: the castle is closed, you can see the University from the outside, with its garden adorned with some runic stones from the medieval era, around 1000, 1100 AD. They're granite slabs used to commemorate deceased people, engraved with writings, drawings and symbols painted in red. We also enter the Church, the largest in Scandinavia. The city however disappoints us a bit, we expected something more picturesque. At midday there are three minutes of silence for the victims of the tsunami, as throughout Europe. The flags are at half-mast and people, on foot or on bicycles, stop in the street. The only noise comes from the ducks that populate the river we're crossing.

The sun has gone behind the Church and there's a very particular light that makes this moment even more solemn... At 1 pm we take the train back to Stockholm and, surprise, we pay less than on the way there (51 Kr). We notice that it's indicated as a discounted fare, probably due to the time. Not bad! The clerk at the station counter is like all the clerks we've met so far: smiling, fast, efficient! On arrival at the Central Station we buy another pass valid for three days even though in reality we only have two days of stay left. We think it's still worth it.

I'll open a parenthesis by making some considerations and observations about Swedish public services and the inhabitants: § public transport is always perfectly on time, at every stop an electronic panel shows how many minutes of waiting there are, and they're accurate! § the stops are announced with a recorded voice in the metro, while the text scrolls on an electronic display; on buses the driver himself announces the stops with a microphone § at bus stops, people queue! § it's mandatory to show your transport ticket to the driver when you get on the bus, while in the metro checks are very frequent § on every bus there's enough space for at least two or three strollers or baby carriages, with hooks to tie them, moreover the bus is very low to allow the least possible effort when getting on or off § at every metro stop there are elevators, for mothers with strollers, or for the disabled

§ in many places, buildings, shops there are ramps or elevators wherever there are stairs, always to allow easy passage § the bathrooms in venues are almost always suitable for disabled people § public bathrooms are always paid, usually 5 Kr, while you can use those in tourist offices, museums and obviously bars, restaurants for free § all traffic lights are equipped with devices that emit sounds to indicate green or red, for the blind § finally, the Swedes are kind and helpful. For example the waiters often helped us with translating the dishes; some people gave us directions on the street without us asking anything; or in a venue a gentleman explained to us that we could sit at a certain table if we only wanted to drink and he made sure to show us where to put our coats...

just a few small examples to show that even though they don't show warmth in the same way as Latin peoples, they know how to be very courteous and helpful. In short, we've noticed significant differences with Italy and with other European countries, the Swedes seem to have "an extra gear", at least for public services, which by the way they pay a lot for having among the highest taxes in Europe. They also have lots of children, almost all blonde with blue eyes and cheeks nice and red from the cold!). I've never seen so many strollers! Every time we took the bus or metro there was at least one mom with a stroller. Some even have double ones while others have the stroller with a small child and also a pregnant belly! It really seems that the State facilitates birth rates and the lives of mothers! Parenthesis closed.

Since the sun is still out we decide to go back to Gamla Stan, because I'd like to take some photos in the alleys. Unfortunately I realize that even with the sun the inner streets are always dark in this season. The sun is too low to penetrate the historic center, only the tall buildings are lit up. Too bad. On the other hand we find the famous Martin Trotzig Grand, an alley only 99 cm wide! I take advantage of the fact that a "typical" Swedish child is passing by to take a photo of him (unfortunately it will come out with red eyes...). After finishing the 'photo shoot' we enter Chokoladkoppen, on Stortorget, the little square of Gamla Stan. This place is very small and very crowded but it's the second time we've tried to get in so this time we decide to wait for a table to free up. And one frees up almost immediately.

Here you can have a nice steaming cup of coffee accompanied by an (enormous) slice of delicious cake. We discover that it's a gay venue but I see that it's frequented by everyone. Being on the main square, many tourists come in. Anyway, for those interested, the waiter is a handsome blonde, tall and smiling... After a chat with two Italian guys who share our table, we go out and head to the Historiska Museet, near Karlplan. This museum is also free. We put our jackets and backpack in a locker (like at the Nordiska Museet) and enter... After a minute a guard arrives who informs us that the museum is about to close because it's 5 pm. We're surprised, we had read that it closed at 8 pm, and instead that's not the case, he informs us that it will stay open until 8 pm tomorrow.

Ok, we turn back, retrieve our backpack and jackets and leave! We decide to walk and take the Strandvagen boulevard, the very beautiful one with elegant buildings and old boats. This time we walk near the houses and can see the entrances more closely: they're stupendous! We can even see some interiors since Swedes don't use curtains much. Well, this must be a very elegant and affluent neighborhood! This boulevard is also a great spot for night shots of Gamla Stan, there are supports, ideal for a tripod, along the pier. Before returning to the hotel we stop at Slussen and go up to the Gondolen, a restaurant located on the top floor of a building, with a glass walkway that stands 34 m above the street! From up there the view must be very beautiful.

We book a table for the following evening while for tonight we stay in Sodermalm; we have dinner at Ostgota Kallaren, another typical and very lively brewery where we taste some very good Swedish specialties. I have the marinated salmon again (each time they bring enormous portions!) and some meat and vegetable meatballs with baked potatoes. No dessert tonight, the afternoon cake was enough! We walk back to the hotel anyway...

Gorgeous sunset at Lidingo...

Today it's raining. I'm optimistic though and I hope the sun will come out sooner or later during the day. We consult the Lonely Planet to figure out what we could go see today. By now I think we've seen the main attractions but I'd still like to go visit the City Hall. We see that there's a small paragraph about a cemetery classified as a World Heritage Site: Skogskyrkogarden. It's located on the island south of Sodermalm and you get there by metro. We calculate that we can make it to see it before going to the City Hall for noon, the time of the guided tour. It stopped raining but on the other hand the ground is very icy, and in fact Paolo falls walking on a sheet of ice! Fortunately he doesn't get hurt and neither does the video camera in his pocket! The cemetery is enormous, built on a small hill, dominated by a chapel from the 1800s.

The graves are all aligned and immersed in greenery. Meanwhile the sun is coming out and gives a very particular light to the place. It doesn't take long to cross it and we don't care to linger on every grave, it seems Greta Garbo is also buried here but we don't see her. We take the metro at the previous stop (basically you enter from one side and exit from another, right in front of another metro stop). We notice that everyone walks like penguins on the street and some ladies help each other not to fall! Next destination: Stadshuset, the City Hall. It's located on the island west of Gamla Stan, on the shore of Lake Malaren; we reach it by taking the metro and a bus, which leaves us right in front of the beautiful brick building. At first glance it looks like a church, or a convent, with its tower, its courtyard and the arches that open onto a beautiful view of Sodermalm.

The guided tours (60 Kr) in winter take place only at noon so there are lots of tourists waiting, and in the end two groups form. The guides speak excellent English and ours is very good, she tells us many anecdotes and makes ironic comments. You visit: the Blue Hall (which actually isn't blue, but that's a long story...) where every year the banquet for the Nobel Prizes is held and where you can experience the same sensation as the Nobel Laureates and the Swedish Royal Family when walking down the staircase designed ad hoc by the architect to avoid falls in long dresses!; the Municipal Council Hall, with a stunning ceiling that reproduces the roof of a Viking house with exposed beams and a painted fake sky; the Golden Hall, a magnificent room with walls made of mosaic, composed of 18 million tiny glass and gold tiles; you also see other rooms whose names I don't remember.

The tour is very interesting anyway and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately the tower is closed and we can't go up to admire the view. We settle for the view from the garden on the shores of Lake Malaren. Fortunately there's a nice blue sky, so bringing my polarizing filter was worth something! Given the proximity, I try again with a little tour of the alleys of Gamla Stan... And guess what, it's like the other day, in the alleys it's rather dark as usual. In any case it's beautiful, and it's pleasant to walk without a destination, taking every little alley that appears before our eyes. Since at this point we've seen almost everything, we decide to go to Lidingo, the island where the Millesgarden is located, a garden full of statues by the Swedish artist Carl Milles. We take the metro to Ropsten and then a small train to the shore of the island of Lidingo.

It's around 3 pm and the sun is setting, casting an extraordinary light on the island and its hillside houses. This island is where the "Stockholm elite" lives, kind of the "VIP" neighborhood, there are stupendous houses, with modern or more classic architecture but always very elegant. After ten minutes of walking uphill we arrive at the Millesgarden (75 Kr). The statues (hoisted on tall and narrow square columns) are scattered throughout the garden perched on the side of the island and from which we enjoy a stupendous view of the sea and Stockholm. There's also one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen underway: the sky turns pink, purple, orange, yellow, and the clouds seem painted. We're alone at this hour and it's all very charming. I manage to take some stupendous photos with the statues standing out against the very colorful sky.

I recommend this visit at sunset on a beautiful sunny day, because I believe that with a gray sky the statues would lose much of their charm. After the visit we have the usual coffee with a slice of cake on the veranda of the bar located in the garden, from where we can admire a stupendous starry sky. We return to the metro stop by bus and go to Karlplan. Mission: to manage to visit the Historiska museet which today stays open until 8 pm, at least we hope! When we arrive at the foot of the building I feel like I'm having a "déjà vu"! We enter, put our jackets and backpack in the locker and enter the Viking section. It gets to 5 pm, no one tells us anything, ok, we made it! This section dedicated to the Vikings is very interesting and we discover that they weren't only warriors, they also fostered a real cultural and goods exchange in Europe.

Lots of objects, jewels, coins, etc help to get an idea of how they lived. The other sections of the museum are much less fascinating, for my tastes. An anecdote however enlivens the visit: in the middle of a medieval art room we see a very blonde and cute little girl pop out with a colorful little dress, then behind her come those who must be the parents... they look like they came out of a hard-rock concert: dyed black hair, long for both of them, dressed in black leather but the best part is the writing on the father's t-shirt: "I am Satana"! As they walk away and the little girl keeps hopping around I can't help but think about what this little Swede will become! (smile) After 6 pm we go out and return to the hotel where we relax for the last time in the jacuzzi! This evening we treat ourselves well for dinner, we go to the Gondolen ( which we booked last night.

Our table is right on the glass walkway, over the void! This place definitely deserves an evening, for two reasons: the view and the food, exquisite! The bill, alas, let's not talk about it... Anyway, if you want you can also just have a drink at the bar, which is also on the walkway and is frequented by lots of beautiful local people. On the way back to the hotel we walk for ten minutes on the Stadsgardsleden boulevard which from Slussen winds uphill to the left on the island of Sodermalm, for a stupendous view of the city.

Last day in Stockholm

The weather is terrible and I don't know why but this time my sixth sense tells me it will stay like this all day... and indeed it does! On one hand it makes the departure less ugly. On the other hand it's "warm", it's 10°C! We do some shopping along the streets of the modern center, Drottinggatan, Kungsgatan. There are lots of shoe and clothing stores, as well as household items and luxury stationery stores. There are many sales but almost only for clothing and shoes. There would be those padded boots I mentioned at the beginning, so pretty and that I've seen on all the girls here, but then when I wear them in Milan? And besides I have no more room in my suitcase...

We also enter the NK department store where it's monstrously hot though and full of people, I can't stay here, and then suddenly an incredible tiredness crashes down on me! So, since departure time is approaching, we take the metro back to the hotel where we retrieve our luggage and sip a Coke at the lobby bar, watching a whole busload of Milanese arrive. From some signs I understand that it's a reward trip for the agents of Vorwerk, the Folletto people. The lobby is suddenly invaded by trolleys, suitcases, furs and noise. Time to escape! Obviously we're late again and in the end we take the Arlanda Express at the last minute!!! It leaves 30 seconds after we got on! The rest is a trivial return trip with an Alitalia flight delayed by 45 minutes and annoyed hostesses because of the morning's "sandwich strike"...Maybe it would have been better not to have the sandwiches at all...

To sum up: Stockholm is a beautiful city with a very particular layout, scattered over various islands, each corresponding to a neighborhood with its own character. It's very nice to be able to go from one island to another, on foot, crossing the bridges, or by boat... In winter the light is very charming, very soft, as if it were always four in the afternoon back home. The drawback is that it gets dark very early: around 3 pm you already witness the sunset. Therefore it's necessary to organize yourself, trying to be outside from 9 to 3, and then visit museums or do shopping when it's dark. It's not as cold as you might imagine and by covering your head, feet and hands well, you can walk all day without having to take refuge in a bar every fifteen minutes.

If you're lucky enough to stay in a hotel that offers a very abundant breakfast you can even skip lunch, saving not only some Kronor but also precious minutes of light! A drawback of visiting Stockholm in winter is finding some tourist attractions like castles or museums closed, as well as certain boats that don't sail in this season, even though the sea isn't frozen. You must therefore inform yourself well before departure about what you want to do, in order to optimize the days available and not be disappointed. The Stockholm Card isn't necessarily worth it. I still recommend an in-depth visit of the capital, which seems small but has so much to offer, and it's nice to take at least one trip among the islands of the archipelago. And if you're lucky enough to see it covered in snow, I believe it's even more charming...