Stockholm

This year we decided to return to Sweden, but to start in Stockholm, the capital city on the East coast. It was a little intimidating to think about where to stay in a city that ‘straddles 14 islands and is connected by more than 57 bridges.” (Eurocities.com). But it was a fun puzzle to tackle on a cold sunny day back in February, and we came up with a pretty great plan.

I found us a house called the Charred House, named for the siding used on the house. The siding is Nordic spruce that has been burnt and turns a lovely dark charred color. Stora Essingen and its neighbor Lilla Essingen are both primarily residential areas that have houses and apartment buildings on quiet streets and woodsy walks to swimming areas or boardwalks.

We caught a bus or tram each day into the city center to walk the streets that connect the different neighborhoods. Tickets are easy to buy on an app, with a discount for seniors even!

Will found us a sauna to relax away our travels at the end of our first full day in Stockholm. The sauna is part of a tennis/paddle ball club on the top floor of a building in the center of the city.

The sauna had 3 guys in it when we entered the sauna, all speaking in Swedish. But they quickly switched over to English to include us in their conversation about ‘sauna culture” and also some very astute conversation on climate change. Suffice to say, they were super nice and we had a lot of fun talking with them. The cold dip tub outside was a good balance to the toasty sauna; the temp was a chilly 41! When we were all leaving, one of the guys put something around his neck that looked like a small life jacket.

We had a recommendation for a fish restaurant that we ended up going to twice in our 5 days in Stockholm- so good! Fresh fish soup, fresh smoked salmon with dill, cucumber and hard boiled egg and tuna to name a few things. We were excited to see this shell figure and tableau in the window. The artist is Tilda Lovell; we recognized her style after seeing a larger bronze she did in Gothenburg last year called Oraklet (the Oracle).

Over the course of the week, we used ferries, trams, buses, subway (noticeably very clean!),and taxis to get around. One day we went farther afield by several means of transport to visit Artipelag, “where art and nature meet” as their website says. Well worth the trip to see incredible art, architecture and design!

We spent a lot of time in the Lars Wallin Atelier: 35 Years of Fashion Stories exhibit. It details Wallins’ process of creating with descriptions of his first meetings with clients, sketches and patterns, and the final remarkable dresses. There was also a video where he speaks about his process as patterns are being cut and fabrics are selected.

The Enchanted Forest exhibit was a little eerie as well as enchanting. We walked for a while outside admiring the views to other islands, the beautifully planted roof of the building and the outdoor exhibition Art in Nature.

More soon from Norway.