Weekend in Swiftholm

 Trip date: May 2024

After a few days in Oslo I was on my way to Stockholm to meet up with my friend Gail. The entirety of this trip was to see The Eras Tour and as a lot of you know, traveling overseas was less expensive than buying tickets in the states. Plus, Scandinavia in summer is the best!

The city had leaned FULLY into the concert and all the people coming for it. There were lots of Swift related things you could do, including meetups, special pre-show parties, bracelet swaps, etc. But the cutest was the rebranding of Stockholm to Swiftholm for the weekend!

My rail trip from Oslo was 5+ hours and only $157, mostly through gorgeous countryside. The train was very new and modern and between cars there were complimentary fika stations set up where you could help yourself to coffee/tea and some sweets. 

All long-distance trains have a car where you can purchase beer and wine, you also have to drink it in there though as it's forbidden to consume alcohol anywhere but the dining car during the ride. Lame but easily skirted by putting rosé in my water bottle. You can bring your own food onboard, which I had done, so a little picnic in my seat, while gazing out the window and relaxing with a bood made for a lovely afternoon.

I checked into the Radisson Blu Waterfront (because that was really the only thing that was not completely inflated cost wise because of the concert) where Gail and I were sharing a room, it's a great central location & across from the train station which was handy!

Before dinner I met up with some other Seattle friends who were in town for the show too! We had drinks at the absolutely lovely A Bar Called Gemma (which sadly closed just a couple of months ago).

After a few rounds and some good catching up, we walked over to Brassiere Astoria for dinner where we met Gail. It's a beautiful restaurant and has a big menu which makes it easy for everyone to find something they like. 

*pro tip- Sweden (like Norway) is basically a cash-free country. You use credit cards or tap for everything. Also they are almost a non-tipping country where you leave only 10% if it was a very good experience or you can round up on the total. You will see that most locals do not tip unless it is fine dining*

We walked home at almost 11pm with this stunning sky!

As this was Gail's first time in Stockholm we spent the next couple of days sightseeing around. Even though this was my 3rd time here, it is such a wonderful city that I was more than happy to see things again, and introduce her to a few of my favorites.

First up, walk to and around Gamla Stan. And we happened to have the most incredible weather for it!

Is it touristy? Yes. Is it also filled with wonderful antique shops, incredible architecture, and royal pageantry? Yes. Spend as little or as long as you like but don't miss this lovely little area. 

Next up, walk over to Sodermalm for a peek around some neighborhoods old and new, a lovely lunch, and some great views. 

We also met friends at super cute Herno Gin Bar for an afternoon cocktail, ah vacation! 

There was A LOT of construction going on over here when we were there, hopefully things are back to normal now!

Gail and I had dinner that night at Lilla Ego. This is such a wonderful spot! We had reservations at the counter which gave us a front row seat to watch the kitchen. Everything was super seasonal, like this dish of white asparagus, and the flavors were just perfect! 

The next morning we started at Vete-Katten for arguably the city's best cardamom buns (there are a few locations, we went to the King's Street one) and some coffee. 

Then we spent the day wandering and shopping and ended up finding a great design store, this fantastic consignment shop and of course I had to take Gail to my favorite fabric shop!

We had a wonderful lunch at Lisa Elmqvist, another one of my faves and now in the renovated Östermalms Food Hall. This is the place for amazing seafood! And the atmosphere is both fun and a little posh. While I had a traditional shrimp salad dish, Gail got an in-house smoked salmon with the softest scrambled eggs I'd ever seen! They were incredible!

After lunch we went down to the waterfront for a glass of wine, this is honestly one of my favorite things to do in Stockholm. Pick one of the floating bars during the afternoon, get something easy like rosé or a spritz, and enjoy the scenery and people watching!

That night we met up with my friends for pre-concert drinks at High Bar at the Radisson Blu Royal Viking. We picked this spot because it was easy for us all to get to and was near the train station we'd be using to go to the show, but I'd still say if you want a drink and a lovely view of the city it is a solid spot! 

We ended up taking an Uber to and from the show since there were 4 of us, and we all had a fantastic time! One thing about being cashless though is when the stadium had an issue with their payment processing machines they could only take the local equivalent of our Venmo, so we went the entire show without anything to drink, even water! 

On our last day in Stockholm we took one of the Cinderella boats to Vaxholm, the closest of the islands in the Stockholm Archipelago. We had reserved the 1-hour trip in advance as most of these boats sell out in the high season. 

Vaxholm is very small and easy to walk around. We spent the morning just wandering; exploring little alleyways, popping into local shops selling housewares and clothing, peeking into neighbors yards. Especially with the fantastic weather we were having, it's just a lovely little day trip.

For lunch we had a wonderful table outside at Hembygdsgårds Café. This homey spot sits right on the water and is known for their traditional Swedish dishes. We had a delicious cold poached salmon with a sauce made from skyr & dill. For dessert there is a huge table filled with all sorts of desserts that somehow you have to choose from. I loved this cafe!

I absolutely love being out on a boat in the Archipelago here, and with 30,000 islands you definitely have your choice of islands! If you want to head out to the farthest one, you can go to Sandön, which I did a few years ago. 

Back in Stockholm, we grabbed a glass of rosé down by the waterfront again and enjoyed more pretty views. I do find it shocking sometimes at how gorgeous this city is!

That evening we had some lovely cocktails, and even better service, at Lucy's Flower Shop. This basement level speakeasy of-a-sort is dim, busy, and just the right amount of loud to have a great time but still be able to hear your drinking partners!

And because there is no way I am going to leave Stockholm without having a plate of traditional meatballs, we had dinner at Riche. It's a big traditional bistro which has a good selection of Swedish and more modern dishes.

And with that, our weekend in Stockholm was over. And it still remains one of my favorite cities in Europe! In the morning we were off to Gothenburg!

All Stockholm photos here. 

Other posts from this trip:

Oh Oslo!

Everyone Loves Gothenburg!

 

Stockholm Captures

Trip date: June 2017

There's a lot to see in Stockholm, luckily it's very easy to get around on foot or on the subway. I did as much as possible on foot as the city to so incredibly beautiful!

One morning, after my delicious smorgasbord breakfast, I walked to Gamla Stan where the Royal Palace is and spent a couple of hours exploring. As Kungliga Palace has been lived in by the royal family since 1754, it was really interesting to see the different styles that various rooms are decorated in. It was also funny to see carpets rolled up, just out of way of the tourists, but ready to be unrolled for ceremonies and events, as this is a working palace!

When I exited the palace, there was a large crowd gathered. They were waiting for the changing of the guard someone told me. But it was after 12:15, the published time, and it just didn't seem to me that the Swedish Armed Forces would be tardy. A little Googling revealed they were on holiday schedule for the weekend and wouldn't be back until the next week. Saved me from hanging out for nothing.

Tickets for the Palace are good for 7 days, so it's worth it to go early in your trip and then come back to visit anything you didn't have time for.

I walked over one of the bridges into the neighborhood of Södermalm, normally a very hip and happening area I'm told, but very quiet on this Midsummer weekend Saturday.  Most things were closed so I just had a little walk around before finding an open coffee shop and grabbing a sandwich.

After lunch I met a friend of a friend who lives in town and he took me out on a tiny ferry to the island of Nacka. The sun had come out and it was a gorgeous afternoon, perfect for a boat ride! It was just a short 15 minute trip, with excellent views around the harbor.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in Adirondack chairs at Restaurant J, drinking rosé, watching the boat traffic, and chatting about life in Sweden. When the sun started to dip we waved a ferry down to take us back into town!

Technically Nacka is suburb of Stockholm and is super easy to get to, but it feels a world away! If you don't have time to go out to the Archipelago, or even if you do, I'd suggest a little trip out here on a nice afternoon.

Another day I skipped my hotel breakfast and walked to the Norrmalm area for one of the city's famous cardamon buns at Vete-Katten, a 90-year old traditional coffee house and bakery. It did not disappoint, and along the way I got to see more of this gorgeous city and also ran into a big market!

 It was another gorgeously sunny day so I continued my walk towards Gamla Stan, past elegant government buildings, museums, over a little bridge, onto a tiny island that houses Parliament, and finally back into the Old Town.

Since I now knew the schedule for the Changing of the Guard, I arrived and had an excellent viewpoint for the action. The band was great, as was all the pomp and circumstance. The best part though was running into the Royal Swedish Army Band, loading into their bus, as I was exploring some little lanes after the show!

I wandered, continuing around the tiny cobblestoned streets of Gamla Stan. Past little cafés, shops, squares... It's truly charming.

I made my way down to the waterfront, where old docked boats are now floating hotels, returning to the cathedral, which dates back to 1306.

It was lunch time and I was hungry, so I jumped on the subway and headed out to the Teatern Food Hall. My destination was Korvkiosk, chef Magnus Nilsson's, of the famed Faviken restaurant, hot dog stand. Only a Michelin starred chef would decide to also open a hot dog stand in a food court, right?

My dog was a traditional thin and snappy Scandinavian style hot dog. Not so traditional was the flatbread it came in, filled with pickled vegetables, salad, and a green goddess type sauce. It was totally unique, and quite good. The food hall itself is also quite unique as it is built in the round with riser seating, so that you are looking down like in a theater. And the food offerings from the other stands are super upscale and interesting too (although Korv has closed since last year).

I jumped back on the subway and got off at Djurgärden, where the Vasa Museum is located.

The entire museum is dedicated to the ship, which sunk in Stockholm's harbor and sat for 300+ years. The story isn't about the sinking of the ship (however they do explain all that) but about the preservation that occurred naturally in the cold waters, and the amazing effort made to find the ship and raise it whole!

I started with the 20 minute film that was a fantastic introduction to the Vasa and it's history. Then I joined a free 1-hour guided tour. We circled the huge ship, which the museum has been built around, as well as viewed it from different levels. We could also see the team of specialists who have been working since 2003 to research and catalog everything that was found onboard. The entire thing is truly fascinating!

Making my way back to the waterfront,  I stopped for a much needed Aperol Spritz at one of the dock bars, before heading to the grocery to stock up on licorice and sardines. The licorice in Sweden (as in Denmark) is ridiculously delicious!

The night before I had had a very traditional dinner of meatballs at Sture Hof, which once I was seated I realized I had eaten here on my first very brief trip to Stockholm! But that time when I ordered the meatballs they replied that they were OUT! So this time I was quite happy to dine on Swedish meatballs with cream sauce, lingonberry preserve, and silky mashed potatoes. This came with bread and butter which had caviar in it! And I had a lovely Swedish gin martin.

So on my last night in town I decided on more contemporary fare. I started with cocktails at the lovely bar Linje Tio located in the Hornstull area. They had a great selection of liquors, and a really good cocktail menu. I'd absolutely recommend this spot!

I then had an excellent dinner at The Flying Elk, a hip gastropub serving beautiful dishes, like this herring, egg, and onion dish served with new potatoes in dill and a beurre noisette. Stellar!!!

When I headed back to my hotel, it was another beautiful evening with light skies all night!

The next morning after breakfast, I went to the liquor store and bought a few of the fantastic Swedish gins I had tasted over the last days, before packing everything up. The liquor stores in Sweden are government run and only open on certain days so it's best to check the schedule in advance if you want to do any shopping.

I grabbed an Uber to the train station where the Arlanda Express has it's own entrance and super easy access to the tracks.

In 20 minutes I was at the airport and checking in for my flight to Iceland.  And shortly after that I had a lovely last lunch of skagen (shrimp salad) and a glass of wine at Pontus in the Air.

Stockholm was absolutely amazing! The shear beauty of the city, the islands, the amazing museums, restaurants, bars. Truly a city that has it all! I can't wait to go back and also explore more of the country. I got some good tips for next time from the locals!

All Stockholm photos here.

Other posts from this trip:
The Longest Day
My Midsummer Dream
30,000 Islands & Counting
Iceland Stopover

30,000 Islands & Counting

Trip date: June 2017

I was up early to catch the Cinderella ferry to the farthest of the islands in the Stockholm Archipelago. I arrived about 30 minutes before the departure time and got a window seat, a cup of coffee, and a cardamon bun. It was a gorgeous day for a boat ride!

When researching my trip to Stockholm I became absolutely obsessed with visiting the islands. They say there are about 30,000, some barely a rock, others quite large, and many are connected to the mainland by bridge (what's the fun in that?). Only 200 of the islands are actually inhabited and on those they are mainly made up of summer homes.

Originally I wanted to rent a cabin and overnight on one of them. Unfortunately as it was Midsummer holiday everything was already booked up. Then I thought I'd do a full day tour of a few of the islands, jumping on and off ferries, transferring to different ships. But then that sounded exhausting.

So I finally decided to take one ferry to Sandön, the farthest island east, while enjoying the view of a bunch of adorable islands during the 2-hour ferry trip. I was very happy with my decision!

I arrived in the harbor town of Sandhamn just in time for lunch and made my way from the dock to Sandhamns Vardshus- a guesthouse, restaurant, and pub. I had such a delicious lunch in the pub; 3 different preparations of herring, local cheeses, and buttery new potatoes all with a view of the harbor.

After lunch I spent the afternoon wandering around. The town is very small with just a few roads and some footpaths. The summer cottages, mainly red and white wood buildings, were absolutely charming.

I looped back down to the waterfront and did a bit of shopping. A really small bit as there are only a handful of shops even! Then I walked to the marina and explored around the Sandhamn Hotel and docks. If it would have been a tad warmer I would have headed to the south end of the island, where I heard there is a nice little beach.

As I was walking around, the sky darkened so I ducked into Dykarbaren cafe for a glass of rosé and waited out the short rain shower.

And then the sun came back out and it was time to go catch my ferry to the mainland. I sat on the opposite side for my return trip to make sure I saw as many islands as possible!

What an absolutely fantastic day! Relaxing and beautiful! I'd love to go back to the Archipelago and do a multi-island, overnight trip next time!

All Sandhamn photos here. 

Other posts from this trip:
The Longest Day
My Midsummer Dream

Stockholm Captures
Iceland Stopover