Stockholm: Sightseeing

S and I spent a long weekend in Stockholm. He had been there before; it was my first trip to the land of Volvos, SAABs, IKEA and ABBA.














Stockholm is a series of islands. We stayed in Norrmalm, at the trendy Hotel Hellsten.



sunny breakfast room at the hotel








Well-fed on croissants with cloudberry jam, we explored Gamla Stan first.






note the blankets provided for outside seating; brilliant!





We caught the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace.





The pomp and circumstance was diminished slightly by the silly shiny helmets. And the Swedish sense of humor was in evidence when the band started to play the Indiana Jones theme!





We ducked into the nearby church to warm up. The weather was sunny and clear, and cold!





Walking around Skeppsholmen, we saw...


...men fixing the sails on a ship












view of Södermalm from Skeppsholmen


...and the Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art). Giant moving sculpture by Alexander Calder:

















and other larger-than-life, colorful outdoor sculptures. These must help provide some relief during the stark, snowy winters.








Stockholm is a very cycle-friendly city.





We tried to rent city bikes. Unfortunately we decided that it was too expensive for the short amount of time we wanted to use them. In the end, we walked, rode buses and took the metro instead.


We activated our free 24-hour Stockholm cards (courtesy of expedia when we booked our tickets). We started by visiting the Katarinahissen elevator.



check out the temperature: 3 degrees! brrr





While the view from above was impressive, they foolishly placed the elevator in such a way that you couldn't see the best bits.



view of Gamla Stan and Norrmalm, behind here. you'll just have to trust me.


In that respect, I had to prefer the Elevador de Santa Justa in Lisbon. Sorry, Stockholm! Still, only one mark against the Swedes. Not bad.


From there, we walked around Södermalm. This mosque:





overlooks this skateboard park:





Djurgården features several miles of park land, dotted with museums, a zoo, an amusement park, and other entertainment.








We visited the aquarium...











...and stopped outside the Junibacken so that I could pose as Pippi Longstocking. Obviously.








Back on Norrmalm, any excuse to sit in the sunshine was good enough.


















They said 'sit down'. I stood up.





Finally, Stockholm by night:








Lovely!