Denmark: Day I (Copenhagen)

Tuesday, June 7^th:

Downtown Copenhagen:

Jen and I woke up this morning and headed straight to the airport for a short, hour-long flight from Stockholm to Copenhagen, Denmark. I enjoyed my fairly short stay in Stockholm, and definitely think a return visit is in the cards sometime in the future. My only gripe is that it is so expensive for drinks and food… Anyways, Adjö Stockholm! And Goddag to Copenhagen!

            Copenhagen, or København as the Danish call it, is an absolutely beautiful city, and a traveler can see this as soon as he or she steps out of the central train station. The architecture is awesome to look at, and stunning steeples of palaces and churches line the skyline in every direction. The center of the city is a mere ten minute train ride from the airport, and Jen and I walked another ten minutes with our luggage to our hotel, the Danhostel Copenhagen Downtown hostel. This hostel is in a perfect location, just steps from the Rådhuspladsen square which serves as the center of downtown Copenhagen. It also has a pool table, foosball table, a café, and a bar in the lobby. Here I picked up my Hostelling International Card to help with some prices later in my trip, and we checked in to the trendy hostel and made our way to get lunch. We found a place called the Rio Bravo Restaurant that sounded American or Mexican but served traditional Danish foods. I ate a beef tenderloin clear soup with meatballs and a dish called Stjerneskud which consisted of Boiled and Fried Filets of Plaice with caviar and vegetables. Jen also had some smoked salmon and a side salad here, and I tasted some Danish Aquavit alcohol for the first time—it is pretty good!

The Center of Downtown Copenhagen, the Rådhuspladsen:

            We went back to the hotel for a nap before going back out to get a feel for the city. It was pretty dead, being a Tuesday night, but we found a fairly lively bar called the Viking House where I had some pints of Carlsberg, the local beer, or øl in Danmark (yes, in Danish it is spelled Danmark), brewed right in western Copenhagen city in the district called Frederiksberg. After a few beverages, we wandered our way back to the hotel to get some shuteye early(ish) to make breakfast and get out touring on the early side the next morning. I was very eager to see all the sites that this city had to offer! Luckily almost all the Danes here speak English, because Danish is also a very, very strange language. Swedish was understandable at times, but this one just sounds so much weirder…

Sweden: Day IV (Stockholm)

Monday, June 6^th:

Drottningholm Palace:

            Happy Swedish National Day to all of Sverige! Unfortunately all the shops and some restaurants in Stockholm are closed this day, but it was an exciting surprise as I had no idea that I would be in the country for this holiday! Jen and I woke up early again for the hotel breakfast, then made our way to the subway to the Brommaplan station. There we got on a bus to Drottningholm, as we wanted to go see the Drottningholm Palace—the summer home for the Swedish Royal Family. The trip out to the palace takes about thirty minutes each way.

            At the palace, Jen and I toured around its rooms and gardens. In a very French-Renaissance style, Drottningholm Palace reminded me a lot of the French castles and Versailles I had visited in the past. Even its long gardens and fountains were in the same vein as Versailles. We took a long walk down the gardens to also visit the Royal Chinese Pavilion, an old gift to the Royal Family. The pavilion seems almost like a place of escape for the royal families of the past, as it is so secluded and in the woods. On the way back towards the bus stop we also saw a parade of people dressed in traditional Swedish outfits and playing music for the holiday. Fun stuff!

Drottningholm Palace and Gardens:

            Back into the downtown Stockholm area, we went to lunch in the shopping district on Birger Jarlsgatan. Props to Nick DiNorscio and his Stockholm-born friend Christian Stenberg for recommending Restaurant Riche to me for this lunch. Riche is where I devoured my favorite meal of the trip so far, traditional Swedish Meatballs with a cream sauce, lingonberries, and sweet pickles. After lunch we took a long stroll down the waterfront and docks next to Strandvägen on our way to the Djurgården district of the city. Djurgården is home to a series of museums, a massive park, and Stockholm’s Gröna Lunds Tivoli amusement park. We went into the Vasa museum, a museum specially built to hold one of the oldest recovered warships in the world, the 17^th century Vasa warship. The ship sunk on its maiden voyage and was recovered after 330 years at the bottom of Stockholm harbor, and it is now on display at the most visited museum in Scandinavia.

The Beautiful Waterfront of Stockholm:

We walked around the beautiful Djurgården park for a while enjoying the sunshine and 75 degree weather before heading back towards the hotel. On our way back we stopped at a dockside bar and drank a pint of Spendrups Bryggeri beer while a holiday parade went by. When we tried to cross the Strandvagen road to go to the train station, the Swedish military police were blocking it off and would not let us pass. We decided to stick around for a bit to watch what was in store, and soon enough, we heard the footsteps of horses and royal trumpets sounding into the air. Following the multitude of royal guards on horseback were two carriages, one carrying the King and Queen of Sweden, and the other carrying the two princes and princesses of the nation. It was a pretty ridiculous and awesome sight to see.

The King and Queen of Sweden:

We finally got back to our hotel after a lot of sightseeing and decided we wanted to visit the Södermalm district in the southern part of Stockholm for a change of scenery. We made our way down there by subway for dinner and some drinks, and immediately noticed that tons of students and younger adults hang out in this area. As soon as we left the subway we entered a massive square with tons of outdoor bars and a free Swedish techno concert happening! We walked around the area looking for a suitable dinner venue and settled on a Swedish-Thai mixed restaurant called Koh Phangan. Here I had a very spicy salad, and an even spicier dish of whiskey marinated Squid and Seafood Medley with cooked vegetables, and Jen had a Thai Curry Scampi. Both were very tasty! We made our way back to the square for some drinks, and although the free concert had ended, one of the bars called Snaps Bar and Grill had its own DJ spinning some Techno for its young crowd. We drank a couple Pripps Blå beers here, a Swedish brewing company out of Gotenburg, before leaving around midnight to try to find a club to dance at.

The Nordic Museum of Stockholm:

            After realizing that not too much was going on in Södermalm on the Monday holiday, we walked back to Gamla Stan to find some more open bars. We stumbled into a Swedish Rock Bar briefly, and although it was very authentic and had good (for my taste) music, we left to find something more suitable for the both of us. We ended up spending the end of our night at a bar called Restaurang Movitz where we could drink and dance with some locals. The bartenders were very fun and got into the dancing and spraying the crowd with the bar water tap too! At about 1am, when the bars in Stockholm close, we made our way back home on the long walk and fell asleep promptly after a tiring day!

Sweden: Day III (Stockholm)

Sunday, June 5^th:

Klara Kyrka:

            Today Jen and I began our sightseeing in Stockholm. We woke up early for the hotel breakfast of cereal, yogurt, granola, and veggies before heading out. We decided to explore using the Stockholm Tunnelbana (subway) system, and took a train to T-Centraalen before walked towards the Stadshuset (City Hall). On our way we also stumbled into a beautiful church in the downtown area called Klara Kyrka with a service going on. We continued our walk until we found the massive brick building and went inside with the entrance fee. A note here: Stockholm’s museums and sights are not too expensive (and the US:Swedish currency rate is about 1:6, as Sweden is part of the EU but uses its own currency, the Swedish Kronor) but the city’s restaurants, clubs, and bars are very expensive.

The Gold Hall of The Stadshuset, Stockholm City Hall:

            The Stadshuset, or Stockholm City Hall, is less than one hundred years old but the architect built it to look like it is much older, perhaps to match the buildings in nearby Gamla Stan. The biggest attraction of the Stadshuset is the Blue Hall, where the annual Nobel Prize Banquet is held. Another part of the City Hall that was very interesting is the City Council Chamber, where the Stockholm Innerstaden (Inner City) council has its meetings. In Sweden, women are particularly advanced in the workplace and society, as shown by the fact that the City Council has a majority of women in its 101 seats. Farther along our tour, we also came to the Gold Hall, a room filled with gold mosaics of Swedish history, where the Nobel Banquet Dance is held after the dinner in the nearby Blue Hall.

Riddarholmskyrkan:

            Following the Stadshuset visit we walked over to Gamla Stan again and visited the Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholmen Church), the second oldest structure in the city. This church-turned-museum is a royal tomb and the site of many royal funerals over its eight-century existence. The church holds the tombs of former Swedish Monarchs Magnus III, Charles VIII, Gustavus Adolphus, and Gustaf V to name just a few. It also holds hundreds of coats of arms of the dead members of the Order of the Seraphim, a Royal order bestowed upon nights by the Swedish monarch. After the Riddarholmskyrkan we walked to go get lunch near the Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace) and heard a ton of trumpets. We realized that it was 1pm and the Sunday Changing of the Guard was just about to happen! We hustled up the hill to the Palace gates to watch this event unfold. A group of Royal Guards, led by police and trumpeters walked into the gates to replace the other guards there as they do every day at noon (1pm on Sundays). It was quite the fanfare and quite amusing to watch the Swedish military guards try to keep the crowds in order. We watched this for a while before heading back towards Storkyrkan (The Cathedral of Stockholm) for lunch again. This time we ate at a quaint little basement café called Café Sten Sture. I had a traditional Swedish lunch of Shrimpmix in a baked potato, while Jen had a mushroom crepe. We also tried a Swedish dessert called a Daimcake that was very tasty.

Changing of the Royal Guard at the Swedish Royal Palace, Kungliga Slottet:

Following lunch we took the short walk to the Storskyrkan and went inside. Much like Riddarholmskyrkan, this church also housed tombs of important Swedish figures, but most importantly, the famous statue of St. George and the Dragon. It is a very brilliant sculpture made over 400 years ago, and worth the visit. We then walked over to the Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace) to see its many museums. On one ticket, tourists can visit the Royal Armory, the Royal Apartments, the Tre Cronor Museum, and the Museum of Royal Antiquities. We also opted to see the Royal Treasury where the crown jewels of the monarchs are kept. Inside the Armory is tons of artifacts relating to ancient Swedish royal rule and warfare. The Royal Apartments exhibit the guest apartments as well as some of the rooms that the King and Queen and their family still use today. We did not make it inside the Museum of Royal Antiquities, but the Tre Cronor museum is in the basement of the palace and shows artifacts and pieces of the old Tre Cronor Palace that stood on the same foundation as the current palace until it burned down in 1697.

Sculpture of St. George and the Dragon inside Storskyrkan, the Cathedral of Stockholm:

            On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped for a Swedish beer, or öl, called Falcon at a nice scotch bar called Pickwick’s. Falcon is very tasty, one of the only Swedish beers around, and comes in at a whopping 7.2% alcohol-by-volume! We were exhausted from the long day of touring the city, so both Jen and I passed out for about a four-hour nap before we realized that all the dinner restaurants would be closed! We woke up in a hurry and scrambled out to find a restaurant called Falafel Kungen that was still open, and I got a Chicken Kebab Wrap while Jen got a Falafel. After dinner we just headed back and went to sleep so we could have breakfast early in the morning and visit Drottningholm Palace, the summer residence of the Swedish Royal Family! Also, tomorrow is June 6^th, National Day in Sweden!

Kungliga Slottet, the Swedish Royal Palace:

Internet Issues

Bare with me folks, I am having trouble finding reliable internet. I have the posts typed up, I just need to find a good enough signal to post them.

-Rog

Sweden: Day II (Stockholm)

Saturday, June 4^th:

            Today I slept in late as I did not get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. My internal clock was still way off, but it did not matter as I was going to meet my girlfriend Jen at the Stockholm-Arlanda airport! I took the Arlanda Express (after wandering around T-Centraalen for a good half-hour) and met her at her terminal. We brought her stuff back onto the Arlanda Express and back to our hotel. Jen and I both agree that while our hotel was adequate, the room was pretty small and the hotel reminded us of a tiny cruise ship cruising through the hills of the Vanadislunden Park.

Storskyrkan - The Cathedral of Stockholm, from a nearby plaza:

            After Jen took a nap—long morning that resulted in a ridiculous experience at a Turkish airport—we decided to walk down to Gamla Stan (Old Town) to try to find some dinner. I also wanted to show Jen the sights down there, so we strolled around on the old skinny roads for a little while. We settled on an outdoor restaurant called Restaurang Kaffegillet right outside the main door to Storkyrkan, the Cathedral of Stockholm. It was a very cool location and our first taste of Swedish food, as I ordered a delicious Reindeer Roast with steamed vegetables and blackcurrant jam, and Jen enjoyed Broiled Herring served cold with baked potatoes and veggies. After our dinner we wandered around back to downtown Stockholm and stumbled upon another couple massive churches and a free festival with music run by Volvo in the Kungsträd Park. Inside this park we also snagged a local treat called a “lickrit” that was basically a massive melon-flavored sour straw.

Absolut Ice Bar Stockholm:

            Jen and I walked back to the hotel to get ready for our first night out in Stockholm. We had heard about the Stockholm Absolut Ice Bar, so we headed there for a late-night adventure. This bar is the first year-round icebar in the world. The bar is created entirely from ice—the walls, the bar, the seats, the glasses you drink from, are all made from ice by professional ice sculptors. The room is kept at -5 degrees Celsius (about 23 degrees Fahrenheit) all year, and visitors are required to wear a warm cape and gloves inside (trust me, you would want to anyways). As the bar is sponsored by Absolut Vodka, each of the ten or so drinks on the menu contain Absolut Vodka (and decent amounts of it for such a small serving ice-glass) and different fruit juices and sodas. We stayed at this bar until it closed—bars in Stockholm close at 1am—and walked back to the hotel for some sleep before a long day of sightseeing ahead. I should also note, it was still fairly light out when we walked home, and the birds were chirping as if it was morning.

Jen and I at the Original Absolut Ice Bar:

Sweden: Day I (Stockholm)

Friday, June 3^rd:

Stockholm City Hall - or Stadshuset - Where the annual Nobel Banquet is held:

Hej!

           I arrived today at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport after a full night of flying through Reykjavik, Iceland. As the first stop on my big journey through Europe, I gathered my luggage and took the Arlanda Express train to downtown Stockholm so I could get to my hotel quickly and have a long nap to catch up on some sleep. My first impression of the city was wonderful—it is very clean, the architecture is stunning, and it reminds me a lot of my hometown of Boston! All of the people in Stockholm seem happy, are young and generally trendy, are all very good looking, and are very friendly to foreigners. It is clear that they learn English at a young age in schools, as nearly everyone I talked to had a good command of the language. The Swedish language, while it can sound super weird, is actually very close to English in structure and in some words. After a four day stay here, I picked up on a few words pretty easily just by seeing them a lot and hearing other people talking.

           Anyways, after a four-hour or so nap, I woke up at about 9pm and decided to walk around the city. I was staying at Vanadis Hotell & Bad, a family hostel, in a park north of the downtown area on Sveavägen. As I woke at 9pm, I expected it to be fairly dark however the sun does not set in the summer here until very late at night. Even when the sun set it never got truly dark, as it rose again at about 3am. I walked the twenty minute or so walk down to the Old Town, known as Gamla Stan. It is here that the buildings are the oldest, including the centuries-old churches, as well as the Royal Palace, built on the same plot of land as the original palace that burned down in 1697. This palace is also still in use, as the Swedish Royal Family use it throughout the year. I wandered around the old town, taking in the beautiful green oxidized copper spires and rooftops, before I lost track of time of how late it was. I had yet to have dinner, but each of the restaurants were now closing their kitchens!

Gamla Stan - or Old Town - of Stockholm:

           I found a fast-food-esque grill called Klaragrillen and ordered a Kebab wrap for my walk back up to the hotel through the main square called Sergels Torg. I wanted to try and sleep before Jen arrived the following day, as I knew we would do lots of sightseeing after she came from Istanbul. Also on the walk back, I noticed that there are a gang of sorts of young Swedes who slow-ride their vintage Cadillacs up and down Sveavägen all night, blaring punk and American rock music while yelling at people out of their windows. They seemed hostile at first, but after experiencing them a lot and seeing the reactions of folks on the sidewalks, I believe they are just as tame as everyone else. I only wish they could have turned their music down at night, as the bass, combined with jet-lag, kept me up basically until the sun rose.

Blog Posts Coming

Hey All,

I haven't really had any internet in Sweden, except at the Airport here, so I will post when I have some time soon! Hopefully with pictures as well :)

-Rog