On our second day in Sweden we went window shopping. Well, we had only half-a-day as our flight to Oslo was at around 4.00 p.m. and it began pouring at around 2.00 p.m.

Sweden is a great place to shop if you’re one of those who loves brands, like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Hermès, Tumi or if you want to gift yourself to your first ever luxurious brand. If you’re a tourist, you even get a tax refund on the product at the airport that makes the price far more competitive than markets like India, Middle East or the US. Remember, however, to check with the store first if they participate in the tax refund scheme. Not all stores do. If they do, make your purchase and ask them to provide you with the tax refund details. Don’t forget to carry your passport! They will ask to see your passport to fill up the necessary details in the system to register your purchase. At the airport, you will need to go to the refund counter and show them your bills. The officer will check it against the system and that’s it- the amount will be credited to your account. In some places, they may ask to do a random check on the items you’ve purchased, so it’s best to keep it in a separate carry-on ( easier to open and show at the counter). Also, the rule is that the item should be unused (basically, if you buy clothes you should still have the tag on). If you plan to visit Sweden or Norway, do your homework well and compare prices before making your purchase.

I wished we had more time to shop or just window shop. But, we had two and a half hours before we needed to return to the hotel, pack what we had bought and make our way to the airport.

The two tall towers on either side of the bridge are Europe’s first modern skyscrapers. I had no idea of the historic significance of these towers when I clicked the picture as we made our way back to the hotel. Standing on the bridge on the other side, it was the symmetry of the scene that caught my eye. It is only later that I found out (thanks to Google) more about this picture. The first skyscraper was built in the US, Chicago, in 1885. It came to Europe, in the form of these towers much later in 1924. Swen Wallander, the Swedish architect behind the first tower took inspiration from the skyscrapers in Manhattan. Callander, who designed the second tower chose the Art Nouveau style.

Here’s another picture of a building on the way. I like the arch over the windows. And there’s a door, too, that qualifies for the Thursday Doors Challenge hosted by Dan Antion.

And here are a few more pictures taken much to my husband’s chagrin. He walked ahead frustrated that I was slowing us down when according to him ‘we were running late’.

It was a 2 and a half km walk back to the hotel. We went past this beautiful garden which we had no time to enter. Humlegården was originally the Royal Fruit Garden established by King Johan III in the 16th century (as per Wiki). Humle means ‘hop’. Hops were the main plants grown in the garden.

The garden houses the Swedish Royal Library which I did not get a chance to visit.

With this came an end to our very short trip to Stockholm. To check out our first day in Sweden when we saw most of the touristy sights, click here. There’s obviously a lot to be seen in Sweden and I only hope I get a chance to do a complete tour of the beautiful Scandenavian country.

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