Not wanting to leave out the Scandinavian region, our next stop was Stockholm otherwise know as “the Venice of the north.”
Made up of 14 islands, we were ‘t too sure what to expect from the country that brought us ABBA, H&M, meatballs and IKEA, but one thing was for sure, Sweden was by far the coldest place we had visited so far.
Day one and what better way to get to know the people and culture by going along to watch one of the country’s most popular sports – ice hockey!
We managed to buy tickets for a top tier game featuring Sweden’s most successful ice hockey team Djurgårdens. The game was brutal and entertaining, the crowd was incredible and the atmosphere like nothing we had experienced before. Watching a local ice-hockey game was one of the top highlights of our trip to Stockholm.
The next day we had some cold and wet weather so we didn’t venture too far. We rugged up and made our way to the Old Town for a look, before visiting the Medieval Museum which happened to have a full blown fair going on inside.
Sweden is well known for its heavy metal music, so from the day we arrived Tom was sniffing out the local scene. We ended up at the HarryBJames Rock metal bar to hear a local band.
Visiting Stockholm and not seeing the Vasa Museum is like going to Paris and missing the Louvre so on day three, that was our next stop.
The museum features the almost fully intact 17th century ship – the Vasa – the only one of its kind in the world.
Created as the crowning glory of Sweden’s war fleet, The Vasa ship capsized and sank in Stockholm in 1628. It laid at the bottom of the harbour for 333 years before it was salvaged. Tragically for the estimated 50 people who died onboard, the ship’s poor design ultimately led to its very short and fatal first voyage.
The museum is outstanding and takes visitors through many aspects of the ship – from life on board to its inhabitants and the amazing process of its salvaging.
Later that evening we enjoyed a free walking tour that explored the sinister past of Old Town, from its executioner to a mob attack, and the Dutch Nordic King executing nearly 100 Swedish nobles as a show of his power.
Our last day in Stockholm the sun came out but the freezing weather remained. We enjoyed a free city walking tour which took us from the Royal Palace, through Parliament and to some other notable buildings and monuments, before we took a stroll through the Djurgården Island to enjoy the gardens and surrounding canals.
A beautiful sunset on our walk back to the hostel was the perfect end to our short stay in Stockholm, Sweden.
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