Four days after an impulsive moment in the CBS library, we
flew out of Copenhagen bright and early this past Monday morning. Destination: Stockholm, Sweden.
Upon arriving, we immediately liked the city as it was about 5 degrees hotter than any day we’ve seen so far in Copenhagen. We grabbed a bus to the city center station, which was conveniently located literally across the street from our hotel. Since it was such a gorgeous day, we headed straight back out again and headed towards the canals. We quickly discovered that Stockholm is a gorgeous city – every building looks like a national monument and the city is made up of a series of islands connected by bridges. (To be specific, the city is 14 islands connected by 57 bridges).
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| historical boats on the canal |
We went on a tour of the Archipelago, which took about an hour and a half. The tour guide was great, as he pointed out all the sights along the canals as we went along. The area is made up of over 30,000 small islands, which are typically inhabited by summer residents. Plus we finally got a little sun (we even wore shorts for the first time this July!). Once we arrived at the turnaround point in the town of Vaxholm, we discovered that we were able to get off the boat for a few hours and then catch a later ride back to Stockholm. This worked out perfectly – we spent the afternoon browsing through cute boutiques and had a great lunch on the seawall.
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| having a good hair day.. |
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| the town of Vaxholm |
Once we arrived back in Stockholm, we headed out for dinner. We were originally searching for a
bar/restaurant that was recommended to us (and was coincidentally famous from
the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books), but never quite made it there. Instead we passed through a trendy area of the
city, called ‘SoFo’, and found an cozy and busy outdoor restaurant. We ended up having the best dinner since we
left Vancouver at this restaurant (Café Babylon for anyone who is thinking of
visiting).
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| exploring the city |
The next day, the weather was forecasted to rain (back to
reality), so we decided to hit up a few museums. We went to the National Museum, where there
were several interesting and diverse exhibits being shown. When we decided to leave, we discovered that
the weather had not only turned to rain, but to absolute torrential downpour accompanied
by thunder and lightning. We observed
the storm for about 10 minutes, hopeful that it would pass, but of course it
didn’t. The next museum, the Moderna
Museet, was only a few minutes away so we decided to make a run for it. This museum had an exhibit based on the work
of Yoko Ono, and featured several works by Warhol, Pollock and other modern
artists. When we finished at this
museum, the rain had finally slowed down.
We wondered to another area of town for some delicious dinner (and a
little shopping).
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| exhibit in the hall at the Moderna Museet |
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| piece from the Yoko Ono exhibit |
On our last day, we took a boat tour to Drottingholm Palace, a castle built in the 17thC, and today still inhabited by the King and Queen of Sweden. It’s often referred to as the Versaille of the North, and is designed in the Baroque style and is surrounded by beautiful gardens.
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| Drottingholm Palace from the boat |
After, we toured around Gamla Stan, or the Old Town, which is Europe’s largest and most well preserved medieval city center. It was founded back in the 12th C as a fortification, and today the old cobblestone streets are filled with cafes, restaurants, and shops. After yet another beautiful and sightseeing filled day, we regretfully headed back to the airport. A balmy 15 degrees in Copenhagen and early class tomorrow….Home Sweet Home!
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| entrance to Gamla Stan |
Wish you were here,
Rose and Sydney.
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