Flying through SAS, going to Sweden, was very relaxing. The food was actually really delicious as well! Since I already had a cold I doped myself up with zquil and sudafed and was knocked out for 7.5 hours straight.
Since my sorority sister gave me a heads up prior to the trip, my mom and I knew to pre-buy the Arlandia train, which goes straight from airport to downtown Stockholm. Train was only about 20 mins and was super easy. Kind of felt like a modern Harry Potter on the train haha! Once we got into Stockholm, we took a cab to our hotel…it was within walking distance but my mom wouldn’t have been able to handle pulling her luggage for .7 miles.
We then checked into the adorable hotel Lilla Radmannen! Each room is decorated differently with wallpaper and themes. Two twin beds pushed together. While it had a small bathroom, this is pretty much expected in Europe. Shortly after checking in we dropped our bags and decided to take a walk down Radmansgatan, to take in the city for a few hours. We stepped into delicious smelling bakeries, funky clothing stores and then sat down for dinner at a Greek place for a quick bite of dinner.
I wasn’t lying…the shopping here was very unique and some shops were rather weird…
We then decided to make it an early night because I was sick and wanted to get a full day out of trip the following day. Well, we slept in so didn’t get a full day but still was able to enjoy the entire a lovely lunch at Rolfs Kok and then took the on and off Red bus tours throughout Sweden/Stockholm. We also did some shopping at stores that we haven never seen before. That evening we went to dinner at Urban Deli and this was by far my favorite restaurant!
The following day we took the on and off bus tours again, but stopped at Mister French for a glass of wine before switching over to the on and off boat tours and enjoying our day at the Vasa Museum. I wish it was summer, becuase there would have been more to see on the water, but it was still a beautiful view and with the sun out, it made the cool weather bareable!
The Vasa Museum was awesome! Honestly it felt like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean. It was super cool seeing a 300+year ship inside a building and hearing how the scientists could actually predict how the crew died, injuries they had previously and what they probably looked like and wore. I highly recommend doing this!
After the museum we jumped back on the on and off buses and went to the Ice Bar. It’s an experience like no other where you have to down a thermal poncho and enter sub freezing temperatures. Literally the bar is make of ice and so are your drinks. Another place totally worth going!
Since I did pre-research for the trip I knew I wanted to go the Grill. The hilarious part of this was that it was literally kiddy corner to our hotel but didn’t realize it because the outdoor seating area looked cheap and cheezy, but don’t let that fool you! The place is awesome inside with each room themed differently. We sat in the circus themed room while the adjoining room was decorated like a library. And that is not even the best part! The food was also delicious!
Since we basically walked around everywhere it was important to be prepared for brisk weather but then the warmth of the sun so we layered our clothing. Here are some of my outfits while touring Stockhom.
Unfortunately there is only so much you can pack into a few days to see in Sweden so that was our last meal in Stockholm before we had to take a cab into Stigtuna the following day to get ready for the wedding. Stay tuned for part two of my trip to Sweden!
THINGS TO TAKE AWAY FROM STOCKHOLM:
- Weird and unique clothing stores
- 7/11’s are REALLY nice. They have freshly baked goods, candy bars, hot and cold fresh food. Pretty crazy, I know!
- I did not see ONE woman in stiletto high heels, that would be because the roads are not the greatest and most are cobblestone. Highly recommend wearing wedges or thick heels if you do want a little height
- Very clean city. They actually clean the roads each night and have people who vacuum the streets daily. Yes, real job!
- Drivers are crazy! Taxis and people driving through the city play chicken with pedestrians and don’t really care if there is a walkway so be careful!
- Even though it is Europe, EVERYONE speaks English. Even if the menu isn’t translated in English the servers will do a verbal menu for you which is super impressive!
- If you are out late, try MAX, food isn’t the best but the concept for this fast food restaurant, is pretty creative. You pay for food with a touch screen module, then they scream out numbers on a screen, like bingo, when your food is ready.
Cheers,
Britt