7 reasons to fall in love with Stockholm
By Julia Averbeck
Smashwords Edition
Copyright June 2011, Julia Averbeck
Cover by Julia Averbeck
Pictures by Julia Averbeck
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Foreword
In 2010 I lived in Stockholm for half a year and got to know it a bit better. Now I want to tell you something about the reasons why I fell in love with this beautiful city. I think people who have been to Stockholm will agree with me at least in one point or maybe in all why it is easy to fall in love with this city and I hope my book will be a nice read for all the people who haven’t been there yet. Maybe you want to visit Stockholm after you read this.
This shouldn’t be a guidebook to the city, I just want to tell you about some nice places which are worth a visit and which I have really enjoyed during my stay in Stockholm.
Reason 1: The city itself
Gamla Stan at night
The city of Stockholm is just beautiful. It was built on several islands, so you will always come across water after a while. In the centre of Stockholm is Gamla Stan or Old Town which is the first settlement of Stockholm. Here you can find cobblestone streets with small shops and cosy little cafes but also the Royal Palace of the Swedish monarchy. On most of the days the streets are packed with tourists but it’s still worth going there, especially later in the afternoon when most of the tourists are gone.
I’ve always liked the atmosphere in Gamla Stan and you really have to watch the changing of the guard when you happen to be there around the right time of the day. On special occasions like the National Day the changing of the guard is really big with mounted musicians and a lot more people involved. It looks more like a parade then. Gamla Stan is also the right place when you want to buy typical tourist stuff but sometimes you have to look a bit at the prices.
When you walk over the bridge beside the parliament you get onto Drottninggatan which leads you directly to a big square called Sergels Torg. Along this street you can find shops like H&M or Åhléns where you can buy as much clothes as you want to if you can afford them. Another good place to go shopping is NK or Nordiska Kompaniet where you can find a lot of designer clothes but it’s even worth a visit when you don’t want to buy anything. It looks beautiful from the inside.
Just opposite NK is Kungsträgården which once was the garden of the king. Most of the garden is gone now but there is a big place with several events throughout the year. From here you can see the water again. Stockholm is the meeting point of the Baltic Sea and the lake Mälaren and they are connected by several water gates.
Södermalm is worth a visit as well. When you take the lift up to the restaurant Gondolen which is just beside the tube station Slussen then you will have a wonderful view over Gamla Stan, the harbour and you can even see a bit of the archipelago on a clear day. From here you can watch the cruise ships which come into the harbour regularly. You can also find many shops in Södermalm and there are some nice bars or clubs when you want to see a bit of the night life. A nice place to go is Kvarnen which has many different beer types but also a nice restaurant.
It’s easy to go to different places in Stockholm. Inside the city a lot of things like museums or other sights are in walking distance and when you have to go further you can always take the public transport. With a SL card you can use all public transportations, for example, the tube or Tunnelbana, how Swedish people call it, and of course busses and even boats. It’s really nice to make a boat tour in summer and you can go to places like Drottningholm, another castle of the Royal family, or you can visit the islands of the archipelago just outside of Stockholm. For some of these boat trips you have to pay extra.
There is so much more to say about the city of Stockholm but I will stop here now and go over to my next reason why I fell in love with the city. Hold on people there is still more to come.
Reason 2: The people
A couple watching the cruise ships
Most of the people in Stockholm are really nice. There are also some weirdoes but I guess every city has those. It’s relatively easy to get along in Stockholm because most people speak English and they are normally really helpful when you ask for directions to a sight or something else. You also don’t have trouble to buy stuff or order food because the people are used to tourists and speak English.
You can meet very different people in Stockholm. I got to know some great people via Couchsurfing. There is a nice group in Stockholm which normally meets on Fridays in different bars to have a good time and talk. They also have many events in and around Stockholm like hiking or language exchange meetings. If you don’t want to go somewhere alone you can ask around and you probably will find a Couchsurfer who has time to accompany you or answers all the questions you have about the city. It’s really a great community of people which is quite international.
When you are a student it’s normally also quite easy for you to meet people especially when you are living in a student complex. Sharing a kitchen often helps to get to know people better and there are nice corridor parties which you can attend.
Sometimes you will start a chat with someone you don’t know which is also really nice. I don’t know if this only happened to me but I was often asked to take pictures from people when I visited some tourist spots. Maybe I look trustworthy or like I can handle a camera.
I really liked that I didn’t have the feeling to look over my shoulder all the time when I went home at night alone. There are always some people whom you should forgo but you can feel safe on the streets of Stockholm even in the dark.
Some Swedish people are a bit reserved when you meet them for the first time but that normally changes when you get to know them better. So, don’t miss to meet some Swedes when you are going to Stockholm.
Reason 3: Nature
View over the archipelago
You normally don’t expect to see a lot of nature in a city but Stockholm is really green. It has many parks and especially Djurgården is very green. There you can find Skansen, a Swedish outdoor museum, or Gröna Lund which is an amusement park but also beautiful walking ways though woods or close to the water.
Another nice place for a walk is Skeppsholmen. You can walk around the island in around an hour always close to the water edge. By the way, on the side of the island which faces the Vasa museum is a really nice small cafe with great ice cream. Alright, back to nature then. There are also some nice viewpoints where you can look over the city or watch the cruise ships.
As I mentioned before Stockholm is build on islands and that is also the reason why you have water everywhere. It is great to see the city from a boat which definitely gives you another perspective of Stockholm. There you can see how nature and people exist side by side. I’m a water girl so I really enjoyed walking along the harbour or through different parks. I think it’s a bit strange but also funny that you can fish just inside the city of Stockholm. You will always find people with fishing rods near the parliament or castle and I think you don’t need a license when you want to fish there.
Another place worth a visit is the Botanical Garden with its beautiful green houses. It lies next to the Brunnsviken and just on the opposite side over the water is Haga Parken with its famous Copper Tents and Haga Castle where Princess Victoria lives now with her husband. This is a beautiful place for walking tours or picnics. As a student you will probably also enjoy the woods behind Lappis. A lot of people go jogging there and you can find small bays perfect for sunbathing or swimming and that in the middle of the city.
When you are in Stockholm you shouldn’t miss a trip to the archipelago. You can reach some islands by car or bus but for the rest you need a boat. The islands are great for hiking and you can also visit some castles or lovely villages. It is possible to hire a boat and take a tour around the islands or you can stay in a house for a weekend.
I think Stockholm has the perfect mix of a big city and nature. There is something for everyone.
Reason 4: There is always something to do or see
The Royal Wedding
There is always something to do or see in Stockholm. 2010 was the year of the big wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling. It was really amazing to see this in reality. I took the picture you can see above after the wedding when they were driving past me in their carriage. Before the wedding was a festival with free concerts and different things to do every day.
Some other big events are the National Day or the Stockholm marathon. I also visited the Red Bull Flight Days which was really fun to watch. Imagine grown up people trying to fly but crashing into the water instead. I had the opportunity to see the Blue Man Group in Stockholm and they were brilliant. I couldn’t understand everything because the texts were written in Swedish but it was so much fun.
In summer you can go to many open air concerts in Gröna Lund or Kungsträgården. There are always festivals or other events to attend. I was at the Riddarholmen Festival which is a medieval market where you can learn how Stockholm was founded and there you can buy handmade clothes or jewellery.
The museums have different exhibitions so you can always go somewhere when the weather isn’t that good but life in summer is mostly outside because you have to get as much sun as you can for the winter months.
You will always find something to do or see in Stockholm and many things are for free so you probably never get bored.
Reason 5: Food
Swedish blueberries
You can’t leave Stockholm without trying Kanelbullar. These cinnamon rolls are available nearly everywhere but they taste best when they are fresh from the oven. Buy some Kanelbullar and enjoy them. They are typically Swedish.
Another thing I really like are Swedish pancakes. You normally eat them with cream and strawberry jam but there are many different variants of them. In Sweden pancakes are often eaten on Thursdays after a dish of pea soup. If you want to try them at home you can always find the recipe on the internet.
Also typical Swedish is seafood. You can get it nearly everywhere and in many different forms. I’m not such a fan of seafood but if you like herring you have to go to a booth in front of the tube station Slussen where they sell the best herring in Stockholm. Well, at least someone has told me that.
One of my favourite cafes is the Schweizer Konditoriet in Gamla Stan. It’s really cosy inside and it’s the place where I got the biggest hot chocolate ever. They also have nice cakes and other food like lasagne or different pies which taste delicious.
You can get many sorts of cake in Stockholm but some of them are really sweet. It depends on how you like the cake. Just try as many as you can and find your favourite cake.
The Swedes also tend to put strange things in their bread or chocolate like liquorice and the normal bread is most of the times sweet. Just be a bit careful with what you are buying but maybe you’ll find something new you’ll really like.
There are so many restaurants in Stockholm with food from all over the world. If you want to try some Swedish food go for reindeer which is really delicious when it’s prepared good. There are different forms of meat balls as well which taste great. In Stockholm are some big food halls which are worth a visit, too.
Go out and try the food in Stockholm and you may be surprised how good it tastes.
Reason 6: The culture
Nordiska Museet
If you want to know a bit about Swedish culture and history you can go to the different museums which are spread over Stockholm. The Nordiska Museet which you can see on the picture above is a good start for that. You will learn a lot about Sweden there. I think another good one is the National museum but I haven’t been there so I can’t tell you anything about it. When you go to Skansen you will find old Swedish houses and a village where you can buy hand made gifts. There you can also watch the entire animals which can be found in Sweden.
Another museum I really liked is the Fotografiska. This is a museum which shows exhibitions of different photographers. I have seen the exhibition of Annie Leibowitz there and it was just amazing to see these beautiful pictures. At the same time was also an exhibition of a Swedish photographer. Normally you can see pictures from two or three photographers there which change regularly.
If you like to know more about Carl von Linné you can go to the Naturhistoriska Museet where you can learn more about animals and the evolution of humans. The cafe which you can find in the museum is really good. The Terracotta Army which was in a cave under the Östasiatiska Museet was also very interesting. They are still planning the ABBA museum and I hope it will open in the near future.
Besides the different museum you can also visit many castles and churches. Drottningholm is definitely worth a visit and the castle and gardens are beautiful. One of the churches I liked was Storkyrkan in Gamla Stan where the Royal wedding took place in 2010.
Stockholm has museums for everyone and every interest and you can always find something new.
Reason 7: The seasons
Midsommar in Skansen
I think Stockholm is beautiful in all seasons but summer is really nice because of the long days. You can stay outside for a long time and do a lot of things. Compared to summer the winter is dark and when you are working it is normal that you don’t see much daylight but the city looks beautiful with snow everywhere. It can get very cold in winter, so pack something warm you will definitely need it.
One big event in summer is midsummer which is the longest day of the year. There are always big festivities in public or just with the family where people are eating, dancing and celebrating. The opposite are the Christmas markets everywhere in the city and it looks just beautiful with all the lights and snow especially in Gamla Stan.
You also have to face many rainy days where you don’t want to leave the house but in which country isn’t it like this sometimes.
To get a feeling for the city you should really visit it during different seasons and see what Stockholm has up its sleeve for you then.
Some final words
Thank you for reading why I fell in love with Stockholm and I really hope you enjoyed this book. Maybe, when you haven’t been to Stockholm yet, you want to go there someday after reading about my experiences and I hope I could bring some memories back to all the people who have already been there.
When you want to know more about Stockholm you should go to the official visitors guide of Stockholm:
http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/
If you are interested in Couchsurfing visit this page:
I would be happy when you visit my profile on Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/nenya1985
You can also go to my Facebook page and leave a comment there:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Averbeck/214370168600262
When you have questions about Stockholm, want to see more of my Stockholm pictures, found some spelling or grammar mistakes or want to tell me that the Swedish letters don’t work on your ebook reader then write an email. Please put Stockholm or something similar into the subject field. I will try to check for new mails as often as possible.