At the end of my husband’s week-long break in Norway, we decided to fly to Sweden rather than stay in Oslo. Due to a delay in the flight by three and a half hours, we reached Stockholm only at 10.00 p.m. It was fine as we hadn’t really planned anything for the the evening except a good dinner which we had to skip as all the restaurants were closed by the time we reached the hotel.

I found Stockholm airport far more advanced than the Oslo airport but what struck me as odd is that there was no counter for hiring a taxi. It was dark when we stepped out of the airport. Taxi drivers standing in the front (not in a line or anything) waved/shouted out to us to get our attention. Uncertain, we asked the police there and he, spread his arms wide indicating, ‘take your pick.’ It would have been a little scary if I had to travel solo to the country. It is unlike India where you get a token from the taxi counter at the airport and get into the designated taxi or Dubai where they stand in a queue and you go to the first available one in the queue (you feel safe because the car’s registration number is recorded).

The journey from the airport to the hotel in Östermalm district took almost 45 minutes. I kept dozing in the car. It had been a long day driving from Flam (Norway) to Oslo. When we entered the room, we crashed.

The weather unfortunately changed overnight, and the next day, we woke up to a rather wet Stockholm. I guess it made the Scandinavian experience complete in a way, or else I’d have returned under the illusion that Summer in Scandinavia was all sun and tan. It helped me appreciate why Scandinavians make such a big deal of the sun. They barely get enough.
With one and half days in Stockholm, we weren’t going to let the rain keep us from exploring the city. Armed with a rain jacket and an umbrella, we walked out of the hotel at around 10.00 a.m. to skies overcast with grey clouds and a steady drizzle with a decision to see what we could by foot and not spend time entering galleries, museums, or palaces. That would have to wait for another visit if we felt it was worth it.

Beautiful roads, wide sidewalks, and flanked by majestic looking buildings are what you see in Stockholm. The new town reminded me of Munich in Germany mostly and may be a little of Paris,France. The architecture of the newer buildings is popularly known as the world over as ‘Swedish Grace’, which is a mix of Classicism and Art deco. The older buildings use Neoclassicism.

The place looks less colorful than Oslo (I’m comparing city to city as I’ve not seen the whole of Sweden) because there are are fewer naturally growing flowering trees here but the architecture of each building is a delight to see.

The road we took from the hotel led to a square. Being a Saturday, there weren’t too many people around.

Across the square was this beautiful yellow building. It is the Hedvig Eleonara Church and is named after Queen Hedvig Eleonara (1636-1715), wife of King Charles X of Sweden. The church appeared closed and the cafe outside it, deserted. The church is one of Stockholm’s most popular churches for weddings, funerals and christenings.

We crossed the road and followed the church walls. A few metres away from the church was the Artillery museum which my husband would have loved to enter but it would have to wait for another time if we found it worthwhile. This visit was just going to be a bird’s eye-view into Stockholm.

At the end of the road was the waterfront where boats were ready to ferry residents and tourists across Stockholm.
Sweden is an archipelago of 221,000 odd islands and Stockholm is an archipelago of 30,000 islands!

The old town or Gamla stan is on the other side of the waterfront. Although, it was within walking distance, we decided to take the hop-on, hop-off bus; we needed a break from the cold wind that accompanied the on and off drizzle.

Taking the bus was a wise decision. The audio guide confirmed my earlier feeling of the city resembling Germany. Apparently, the new town in Sweden was built to resemble other cities in Europe to create a feeling of oneness. Sweden is part of the EU. I had not known that Norway is not. It is associated with the Union through its membership of the EEA (European Economic Area).

Within minutes we reached Gamla Stan or the Old town. It was fortunate that the rains took a breather and allowed us to walk around what was once the city centre of Stockholm. Gamla Stan is a pedestrian’s paradise- 17th and 18th century buildings, cobblestone streets, bistros, the royal palace, noble prize museum and colorful buildings in Stortorget square.

From the palace we walked to Stortorget Square which was just round the corner. The colorful buildings Sweden and the Noble prize museum are housed in the square.

The below building is where the King holds a dinner for the Noble prize winners after the award ceremony.

The last stop for the day was the ABBA museum

But, the best part of the day was meeting a friend from college after 27 years. And how beautiful that she not only bought my book but also remembered to carry it with her for my signature, making me feel like a celebrity.

Our first day in Sweden left us wanting more. The country has a lot to be seen. It’s a great place for art lovers, history enthusiasts , shoppers and those who want to explore a beautiful, rich, modern Scandenavian country. I’ll end this post with pictures of a few doors I clicked on the first day in Sweden.

I’m linking this post to Thursday Doors, a challenge hosted by Dan Anton. If you want to see doors from different parts of the world without stepping out of yours, then be sure to check out this post.

Wishing all of you a lovely weekend. I hope you enjoyed traveling through Stockholm with me.

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