As I awoke, I peered out the ship’s window. To my surprise, dozens of small islands seemingly floated past the ship. While I was asleep, our cruise ship had entered the outskirts of the Stockholm archipelago. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is built upon fourteen of the larger islands of the archipelago, at the mouth of Lake Mälaren, as it flows into the Baltic Sea. A portion of my mom’s side of the family originated from the Southern part of the city, Söderort, leading to their surname Soder. I visited Stockholm about six years ago. During my stay, we toured the Vasa Museum, visited the Swedish Academy, which presents the yearly Nobel Prizes, and explored a 750-year-old Norman church in the nearby small village of Sigtuna. At one point, I also enjoyed a wonderful lunch of roasted chicken breast.
One of the approximately 24,000 islands of the Stockholm Archipelago.
The beautiful Stockholm skyline
Our first stop of the day was at the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a massive warship built for the King of Sweden in the 17th Century. As we progressed through the museum, our tour guide described how after the Vasa was completed, it was shown to the king. The king, however, thought it to be too small. So the shipbuilders set to adding on to the ship. Upon presenting the “finished” product to the king once more, he again said it was not large enough. This continued a few more times until eventually the Vasa was massive enough for the king’s liking. Unfortunately, as our tour guide informed us, the ship was made incredibly unstable by all of these expansions. Only 18 minutes into her maiden voyage, the Vasa would slip beneath the waves and sink to the bottom of the Baltic. The ship was then raised in 1961 and placed in its current home at the museum.
The Mighty Vasa
From: http://images.visitstockholm.com/df/640/df640f68-bc01-479b-b344-34c21ca035e5/rectangle_big_retina.jpg
Next, we ventured to downtown Stockholm for a city tour and a visit to the Swedish Academy. Stockholm is without a doubt one of the most colorful cities that I have ever been to. Buildings are painted in various bright colors—doubtlessly adding needed color during the long Scandinavian winters. Walking through the winding streets of the city reveals numerous small shops and a view into the lives of the Swedish people. Moving to the city center, we arrived at the Swedish Academy. The Academy presents all of the Nobel Prizes awarded yearly. Well, with the exception of the Nobel Peace Prize, which our tour guide informed us the Swedes graciously allowed the Norwegians to present. If you sense rivalry and hostility in that statement, keep in mind that it was probably the tamest comment of the sort that I heard while in Stockholm, though nothing can compare to the Swedes’ dislike of the Danes. But that is another story for another day.
The colorful streets of Stockholm
The Swedish Academy presents the yearly Nobel Prizes.
Our last stop was at the small village of Sigtuna on the outskirts of the city. Here, we visited a 750-year-old Norman church. Walking through the remains of the chapel, I imagined looking upon parishioners from the 13th Century, crowding in the space to worship God. I tried to imagine what it must have been like being a Christian, not only at this time, but in Sweden, a land not long removed from paganism. Visiting churches and seeing how the architecture varies by region and time period is one of my favorite parts of travel. Each church has its own unique style and appeal.
The 750-year-old Norman church in Sigtuna.
Prior to visiting the church, we also broke for lunch in Sigtuna. Lunch was nothing special, but boy was it good. The main dish was roasted chicken, covered by a layer of melted cheese. It was served with a side of freshly cooked potatoes and fresh fruit. While it was by no means the most elaborate of the meals that I have enjoyed abroad, it certainly hit the spot and served as a nice break on such a long day of touring.
Stockholm is one of the many homes of my ancestors. The city may not be known for its history or historic landmarks as much as many other European cities, but it makes up for it in its beauty and the Scandinavian people’s simplistic, laid-back way of life. Stockholm is a place that should be on anyone’s bucket list.
Next Week: Belfast
Again, super jealous! Stockholm seems like an awesome place to visit. I feel like when I think of desired destinations I usual go for the typical “touristy” places, but I really like how you incorporate so many unique places into your blog posts. Thank you, this place has just been added to my travel bucket list!
This place is beautiful. I can’t imagine what it’s like actually being there, though your words do the place justice I’m sure. The closest I’ve ever gotten to Sweden is eating meatballs in an IKEA food court, but this post really makes me want to add the real thing to my bucket list.
I LOVED visiting Stockholm. The waterways made it so accessible and gorgeous. I enjoyed taking the ferry over to the wildlife park and also did a duck tour. Great travelogue on your part, Nick, you bring the places to life.
Stockholm is definitely on my bucket list, thanks for the tip! I plan to study abroad in St. Petersburg next Spring so I am definitely hoping to explore nearby Scandinavian cities at some point. Hopefully it won’t be too bleak a winter!
Sweden, home of great hockey players and good meatballs. Scandinavia seems like a really interesting region to visit considering that there’s sort of a unique blend of Europe’s cultures there. Sweden especially has had a lot of immigration from other parts of Europe and that’s expressed in French, Russian, Italian, German, and British influences on Swedish culture.
As always, I enjoy how you incorporate personal connections into your blog posts. I had no idea that Stockholm was situated on islands similarly to Venice, and it has some similarly beautiful sites. And as for the food, sometimes the simple things are the best things!