We were scheduled for our home leave during the summer of 2024, and while it was great to reconnect with family and friends, I was a bit sad about leaving The Netherlands during their best months of the year and heading to the Southwest US where temps were soaring. I was equally sad about not exploring new territory in Europe, so I swiftly remedied my sadness with airline tickets for a quick weekend getaway for two at the end of August shortly after the kids started back to school.
We flew into Stockholm late Friday night with just enough energy to get to the hotel and go to bed, but our dreams of this archipelago city became a reality the next day when we ventured out that crisp, sunny morning. We quickly learned that Stockholm’s public transport is extremely easy to navigate when we walked onto the nearby ferry with doing nothing more than tapping our phones onto the scanner to pay for the trip. We also learned that we could use any public transport at 75 minute intervals for just one set fee. We took the ferry from Södermalm to Djurgården where we strolled past Sweden’s oldest amusement park, Tivoli Gröna Lund, along the water, past a one-man pop-up flea market, and to our destination, the Vasa Museum.
The highlight of our trip, this museum showcased the 98% original Vasa warship built in the 1620’s under the commissioning of the Swedish King Vasa. Unfortunately, due to its poor design and construction, the ship sank on its maiden voyage just 1,300 meters from where she launched. Over the years teams tried to recover the massive warship, but it wasn’t until 333 years later that the ship was successfully salvaged from 30 meters below the water’s surface. It was due to the water’s depth and perfect temperatures as well as the team’s careful and strategic removal methods that the ship was able to be preserved so amazingly well. It is mind blowing to walk around the ship and imagine the feat it was to build it at a time before even advanced mathematics existed, but trying to also comprehend the skillful efforts it took for the ship’s removal is equally astounding.
Our second stop was the nearby Viking Museum, a far cry from the grand Vasa Museum. Still, this cozy exhibit is an accurate and interesting depiction of historical Viking life focusing closely on their daily life. I was mostly intrigued by the game, whose name I’m certain I’ll never pronounce correctly, Hnefatafl. Called a game of power, Hnefatafl was used to entertain as well as practice strategic abilities. Comparable to chess today, this board game rewarded its greatest players with prestige and honor. Disappointingly, I didn’t purchase the game from the museum’s gift shop that day, but I’m confident it’s sold online and would make a great stocking stuffer for my youngest.
From there, we took the ferry back to Södermalm and joined a Free Walking Tour of Old Town. If you’re not familiar with Free Walking Tours, some are quite decent. I have had great success with them in various parts of The Netherlands, so I was especially excited to learn that they are offered in Stockholm as well. Although our guide had more to share than I could retain, it was a great way to see Gamla Stan and take note of picturesque places that we would revisit later.
Our second day took us away from Stockholm to the archipelago region of Vaxholm. Again, public transport was easy and inexpensive, and after a metro and bus we arrived at the Kanot Center for a half day kayaking tour of the Vaxholm archipelago. We paddled in double kayaks to “Fika Island” where we stopped for a spread of various snacks, coffee, and tea as well as by the grand Vaxholm fortress. By the end of the tour, we had paddled over 10 km and seen a fair share of red houses with white trim. We finished time in Vaxholm partaking in the sauna at the Kanot Center in true Swede style alternating between the sauna and cold plunges in the Baltic Sea.
When we finally returned back to Stockholm, we enjoyed an evening stroll through gamlastan window shopping and taking note of stores we wanted to visit during regular business hours.
Our third and final day was rainy. Very rainy. We donned our rain jackets and set out to the Royal Palace to witness the popular changing of the guards. Although it was a rather touristy event, it demonstrated Swedish culture and history in a noteworthy way. We learned earlier that military service has been compulsory in Sweden since 2018, so it was interesting to see numerous young women represented in the ceremony as well. Included in the performance is a lengthy demonstration of drum and bugle signals used for various calls, such as the call to breakfast or the call for lights out. One of the calls played, however, must have been for more rain, however, because the steady sprinkle eventually turned into a downpour, and like many others that day, we opted to cut our spectating short. Even though we left drenched, we departed having seen an impressive representation of the Swedish military in the proud and historic changing of the guard, an event that has taken place since the 1500’s.
Not far from the royal palace, we boarded a ferry one last time to head back over to Djurgården island in order to take cover from the rain in the ABBA Museum. ABBA, Sweden’s national treasure, is a band that I knew little about before visiting the museum, and my only ABBA connection came from watching Mamma Mia years ago. Honestly, had it not been raining, I’m not sure that we would have gone to the museum. But after going, I’m glad I went…even if it meant having “Take A Chance on Me” playing on repeat in my head for the next week.
Here are the top 3 pieces of ABBA trivia learned that day:
- The group’s name came from the first initial of each of the members’ first names: Agnetha, Ani-Frid, Benny, Bjorn
- ABBA got their big break after winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest (beating out Olivia Newton John and others) with their song, “Waterloo”.
- Under Swedish law, the group’s flamboyant stage outfits were tax deductible since they weren’t used for daily wear.
In the end, we didn’t take part in any of the interactive exhibits in the museum, but we did enjoy viewing the group’s outrageous outift display as well as learning about the band’s beginnings and of course spending time in the Mamma Mia section.
When it was finally time to board the plane that afternoon, I felt as though our time in Stockholm was a good snapshot of what the city had to offer. So, if you’re wondering where to go on your next getaway…take a chance on…Stockholm.
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