Stockholm

March 16th, 2009

This weekend I went to Stockholm for my friends 21st birthday. The city was absolutely beautiful! Thursday afternoon we left for Central Station. The weather in Glasgow was very nice and warm! We arrived at Prestwick Airport around430pm for our 640 flight. The airport was small so we hung out at a cafe for awhile before going through security and boarding. When it was time to board we went to the gate and were ready to get on the plane, when our plane was delayed for mechanical reasons. So we were sent back into the airport to wait "until further notice." I bought a book - He's Just Not That Into You - which I figured I could read while we waited. Finally, after about two hours they had a new plane for us, and we boarded the plane and flew to Stockholm. The airport we landed in was about an 80 minute bus ride to Stockholm. Buying our tickets was our first experience with using Kronor. I think the money ratio is about 8.5 Kronor to one US dollar. So that was always fun to calculate.

We arrived at our hostel that night around 130am, made our beds and then crashed. We woke up the next morning, ate breakfast at the hostel, went to the ATM, and then began exploring Stockholm. We went to McDonald's (my first time ever in a McDonald's in Europe) and I had a milkshake while we waited to meet up with Keely and Janene. Those two girls were couch surfing instead of staying the hostel. We ended up at the wrong McDonald's, so we continued on and decided to meet them at the tourist information center. We stopped in Saint Clara Church on the way which was very pretty, but apparently a church for the homeless and prostitutes (according to Amy), and then we continued walking towards the information center. The one thing I definitely noticed about Stockholm was the THOUSANDS of H&Ms they had on every street. I enjoy H&M so I thought it was cool, but I was amazed at how many different stores they had.






















































After we met up with Keely and Janene, we all headed to the Old Town (called Gamlastan in Swedish). The walk there was absolutely beautiful! The water was so peaceful, sitting near it made you forget that you were in the middle of a huge city. Although it was definitely colder in Sweden than it was in Glasgow, especially by the water. When we reached the Old Town, we walked along the water and up the side streets looking for a place to eat lunch. After lunch we continued our walk through Old Town towards the Palace. I originally had no clue that Sweden had a Royal family, but they do, and I was fascinated by them... I even bought a picture of them... although apparently they do not live in the palace in Stockholm they actually live outside of Stockholm.
























































After we finished exploring the Old Town, we split off and I went to the Architecture Museum on the island Skepps-Holmen. The Architecture Museum was cool, and because we so happened to go between 4 and 6 on Friday, it was free. After the museum we walked around the island and I saw some cruise ships named Cinderella (apparently Cinderella is loved in every country). On the walk back to the hostel we stopped at the City Hall. This was my FAVORITE place in Stockholm. It has the best view I have ever seen, and when you are standing in City Hall, the steps lead you right into the water. This is the place where the Nobel Prize is awarded, so Charlie had guessed that when people arrive for the ceremony, they can arrive in boats and take the steps from the water up into City Hall.

That evening, we went out to dinner at a local cafe. I had some quesadillas and then apple pie for dessert. After dinner we went to the Bakers Head Bar for the evening and hung out.

Saturday we woke up early and met Keely and Janene for breakfast at the Muffin Bakery (the group staying in the hostel were Amy, Anisha, Grace, Charlie, and I). After breakfast we made our way towards the island, Sodermalm. We spent most of the day walking around the town and seeing the view. It was absolutely amazing to be near the water. For lunch we ate at a cafe in Sodermalm, and I had this pasta salad which was good, but I realized then how much Salmon is used in Sweden. It seemed like every place we went offered many different choices of salmon dishes.



That evening while we were in Sodermalm we saw the Katarina Church, and then went for coffee and tea at this vegetarian restaurant. The dessert there was amazing... I had Hallon Pie (Raspberry) and it was the best dessert I have had in Europe yet! On the walk back, we stopped at City Hall again (the view was just so amazing) before heading back to the hostel. We went out to dinner at a restaurant for Charlie's birthday. After dinner we decided to try and find a bar or pub to go to before midnight so we could celebrate his birthday. We ended up going to the Ice Bar which was so much fun! Everything inside the bar was made out of ice. When you go in the bar they give you coats and gloves, so it didn't seem that cold. But the glasses, tables, bar, and even the walls were made out of ice. We spent about an hour there before moving on.

Sunday morning we woke up and checked out of the hostel. We stopped at a cafe for breakfast and then headed towards the main street. We split up, and Anisha, Grace, and I spent some time shopping in H&M before meeting up with everyone at the Vasa Museum. The Vasa Museum was very interesting, and I was impressed with the restoration of the ship. After the museum, we headed back towards the bust stop and set off for the airport.