Stockholm, Sweden

On the Tallink Baltic Queen ferry, we sailed from Tallinn, Estonia, into Stockholm, Sweden, around 10:00 a.m.. We had a tiny cabin on the ferry, sufficient for the one-day sail. Alex and I had separate top bunks, and Inna slept on the bottom bunk. There was not much room for anything else. Our luggage blocked the way out (but what can you do?)

We went to the ferry's buffet for breakfast, which was mediocre, as expected. I enjoyed watching all of the Swedish islands passing by. I went outside and immediately smelled tobacco smoke. Why do so many Europeans smoke so much? I hate the smell of tobacco, so it always bothers me when people are smoking nearby.

After breakfast, we walked off the boat with our luggage and taxi to Hotel Rival.

The line to get off the boat and out of the terminal was really long (and with the hot weather in Stockholm), it was pretty stifling. I was surprised that no one fainted (since no windows were open). It was like being trapped in a Swedish sauna.

Inna researched taxi companies in Stockholm, and Rick Steves specifically recommends only certain taxi companies (Stockholm Taxi comes to mind). Apparently, other taxi companies are not to be trusted. I negotiated a price of 400 SEK (about USD 70) upfront for a ride to our hotel (it was still too expensive). With so much luggage (and a scorching day), I did not consider using public transport that required a lot of additional walking.

We arrived at Hotel Rival around 11:00 a.m. I paid the driver 400 SEK and went inside the Hotel Rival (owned by one of ABBA's musicians, Benny Andersson). The hotel has a very modern look and was very lovely inside. We were immediately offered our room and complimentary bottled water to cool us off. After resting a bit and showering, we decided to head out. Note the large ABBA painting over the bed! If it's good enough for Benny, it's good enough for me!

It was immediately apparent to us (from the taxi ride) that Stockholm is a vast city, a collection of islands connected by bridges and ferries. It seemed much more extensive than Copenhagen, Helsinki, or any other European capital except cities like Paris or Rome. Because Sweden was neutral during World War 2, the medieval old town is well preserved, with narrow cobblestone streets throughout Gamla Stan (Old City).

We first decided to see the famous Vasa Museum. We took the ferry from Gamla Stan to Djurgarden (where the Vasa Museum is located). Our hotel personnel told us not to avoid buses and trams due to the hot weather (as most public transport in Sweden is not air-conditioned). This was great advice (something Google Maps did not even suggest).

On the way to the museum, we got hungry and stopped at a nearby cafe - Djurgardsbrons Sjocafe - recommended by Rick Steves (it turned out to be a mistake - another tourist trap).

We ordered two pizzas and drinks, around SEK 329 (USD 47), which is very expensive for moderate-quality pizzas. Besides, lots of people were smoking, so it was not the most pleasant experience for me. Sweden was not much cheaper than Norway (as we were expecting).

From Sjocafe, we walked to the nearby Vasa Museum. The Vasa Museum houses a restored Vasa three-masted warship that sank in Stockholm's harbor on August 10, 1628 (on her maiden voyage).

The warship is almost 99% original (not reconstructed), with only a few parts replaced. The ship was enormous and fancy (with lots of delicate woodwork). I enjoyed looking at the boat, going on an English-speaking tour to learn more about it, and then seeing the movie about raising the Vasa from the seafloor.

According to Wikipedia:

The Vasa Museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628.

The carvings everywhere were very elaborate and have been preserved well. Swedish waters are too cold for worms or bacteria (that usually eat wood).

The wooden carvings of warriors in the Gallery (aft section) are very elaborate. The Gallery is where the captain has his stateroom in the aft-most portion of the ship.

The museum was cold inside, and both Inna and Alex were freezing. After the tour, we got hot tea in the museum cafe. Vasa Museum's cafe was much better than the Sjocafe nearby. I can't believe Rick Steves would recommend Sjocafe over Vasa's Cafe. It was a night and day difference in quality (and Vasa's Cafe was cheaper!)

We ordered a couple of pancakes for Alex and then topped them off with lingonberries and whipped cream. It was very delicious! The pancakes were freshly made, and lingonberries were outstanding. Inna and Alex ordered some cakes, which were also very tasty.

From there, we walked by the Junibackens, but this fairy tale house is for kids between 4 and 9 years old, and Alex did not want to go in. The Nordic Museum was in a large and imposing building nearby, but we decided to pass it for now (as Rick Steves rated it as a one-star attraction).

There was also an ABBA Museum nearby, and we went in for a quick look. It looked interesting, and we decided to go back there.

Also, there was the Tivoli Grona Lund amusement park nearby. We saw a lot of rides, including roller coasters, but we did not have time to do any rides. Besides, after riding in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, we did not think this amusement park was worth the high cost of admission.

We took the ferry back to our Hotel Rival and rested in our hotel. We were tired from the long walks and exhausted from the heat and humidity. I am thankful that I brought shorts to wear. I did not expect Sweden to be so hot.

Our hotelier recommended Bistro Sud for dinner, so we stopped there. It turned out to be an excellent but expensive Swedish restaurant. 

I ordered a "Rack of Lamb," which was beautifully served and tasted delicious!

Inna ordered an "Asian Salad with Scallops," and Alex ordered a cheeseburger.

We also ordered hibiscus iced tea - which we all enjoyed a lot. We called a "Cloudberry Moose," which was out of this world for dessert!

We really enjoyed our dinner at Bistro Sud and hoped to be back again.

After dinner, we returned to our Hotel Rival for some needed sleep and rest. There were complimentary tea and cookies on the 2nd floor, and we stopped by for a quick snack.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

After getting up around 8:30 a.m., we got ready and went to get breakfast at our Hotel Rival. The breakfast buffet was excellent, as usual.

The selection of pastries, especially macaroons, was unprecedented.

Alex piled on a stack of macaroons, eating all 15 of them (he was pleased!) The quality of the pastries was first-rate (as good as in France). We enjoyed our breakfast and looked forward to our breakfast the next day.

We had freshly made scrambled eggs, salmon, freshly squeezed juices, croissants, cold meats, and macaroons.

We took the nearby subway station from Mariatorget to Slussen and then walked to Gamla Stan (Old City) to take the ferry to Djurgarden. From there, we walked toward the Skansen Museum, where we spent most of our day.

The Skansen Museum shows multiple aspects of Swedish country life from the 18th - 20th centuries. We visited several farms and farmhouses, glass manufacturing shops, and a schoolhouse to see what life was like.

The first workshop we watched was glass making. We saw a couple of people making glassware using scorching furnaces. We did not stick around to watch, as it was boiling, and the furnaces did not help the situation.

We stopped by a few farmhouses to see what village life was like in Sweden in the 18th and 19th centuries. Swedish farmers lived very modestly. Sweden was one of the poorest countries in Europe during this time period.

Many kids shared beds, and there were frequently only 1-2 rooms in a house. The kitchen, living room, and bedroom were the same room. We saw lots of looms in farmhouses, so we know that many women made linen.  

Farmer's children were also expected to work - as soon as they could walk. They were expected to carry wood, fetch water, grind wheat into flour, and do all the chores requested. 

During summers, children were expected to work long days to pick crops.

One of the schoolhouses had a lady working explaining how Elementary school functioned in Sweden. 

The schoolmaster lived in the same house used as the town's school. Being the town's school teacher was considered a very prestigious honor.

The schoolmaster taught 3rd and 4th grade three days a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He also taught 5th and 6th grade on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (for five hours each day). 

Students mainly came from nearby farms and were expected to work on the farm all the other days. The bedroom and kitchen were very close to the stove - which also served as the central heater during wintertime.

Boys and girls sat together next to each other. The most important subjects they learned were Christianity (prayers) and math - as they related to farming equipment and tools- so that farmers' children would know how to plant crops and maintain farming machinery. 

Here are some toys that children played with:

Cursive writing was considered very important. Unfortunately, it is no longer emphasized in modern Swedish schools.

We found an excellent Children's playground, and Alex decided to try the rides.

Skansen Museum also has a large zoo on the premises, and we saw various Scandinavian animals, including parrots, bears, buffalo, seals, lynxes, Eagle Owls, and various livestock (chickens, cows, goats). 

Chickens were not raised on northern Swedish farms because they could not survive the cold, harsh Swedish winters.

For lunch, we ate at the Tre Byttor Taverne. We sat outside in the shade (on a scorching day) and ordered Swedish Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes for Alex and Inna and Pancakes with Strawberries and Cream for me.

The food was delicious but quite expensive. I did not realize that adult prices for the same dish were 50% higher than Children's prices (this was unclear on the chalk menu).

We also toured one of the Manor Houses. This is where the wealthy nobility lived.

Here is a letter that was written in 1778 using quill and ink.

After exiting the Manor House, we explored the nearby park. There were some lovely water fountains and water lilies.

After the Skansen Museum, we decided to visit the Abba Museum since it was nearby (and we thought that the Nordic Museum would be open until 8:00 p.m.). 

The Abba Museum pays tribute to the Swedish rock group Abba and showcases their records, life stories, recordings, memorabilia, and prizes.

It was an expensive museum to attend. The first part of the museum explained how each of the group's members started out by himself. Each of them achieved some fan on his/her own before joining Abba. There were some fantastic costumes.

There were fun exhibits, like Karaoke with Abba, dancing with Abba on stage. and lots of entertaining videos to watch. There was also a music studio where one could play drums, keyboards, and guitars.

Here is a video of Inna trying to dance and sing to one of Abba's numbers:

I did not realize how much work went into creating simple songs like "Mamma Mia." Benny and Bjorn spent countless hours playing and replaying the same song until it was perfect. They spent hundreds of hours in the studio perfecting each track and toured multiple times in Europe. Bjorn mentioned that touring took a lot of time away from songwriting and that they wanted to minimize touring. Abba only toured the U.S. once in 1979 (releasing their last single in 1983). There were many fun outfits on display and some details on how and why they were made.

We liked the music studio, where Alex tried to play the drums, and Inna played the keyboards. Alex really likes percussion. We also enjoyed all the displays of top Swedish acts from the 1920s to 2010. There were many artists we had never heard of - that sounded quite good.

After leaving the Abba Museum, we decided to see the Nordic Museum nearby. However, when we arrived around 5:30 p.m., we realized it was closed. Rick Steve's book showed that it should be open on Wednesdays until 8:00 p.m. - but this was incorrect.

We decided to return home to eat dinner and then walk in Stockholm's old town for an evening walk. However, when I got home, I got a horrible migraine and decided to stay home (to get rest).

We purchased a pizza at the local 7-Eleven for Alex, who liked it a lot. Across from our Hotel Rival is a small park where people constantly play Bocce Ball. There were some attractive water fountains.

Any time of day or night, people were playing Bocce Ball!

Thursday, July 10, 2014

After another delicious breakfast at Hotel Rival, we decided to head for Stockholm City Hall (followed by the Nobel Museum).

Getting to the City Hall required two metro stops, followed by some walking from the Gamla Stan station.

To visit the City Hall, one must purchase tours (self-access is not allowed), so we purchased tour tickets for the 11:30 a.m. English-speaking tour.

The tour went very well, and we learned a lot about the design and building of the City Hall (and the events hosted there).

The City Hall hosts the Nobel Awards dinner and dance, where 10,000 pieces of china and glassware are used (and require 3 months of cleaning by hand).

The main staircase in the city hall was designed for easy walking, and many elements of the city hall were borrowed from the Italian Palazzo.

There were many cases filled with coins and city keys.

It seemed a unique combination of Scandinavian love of simplicity and Italian charm. I prefer pure Italian designs more. I just don't like the look of bricks.

We walked through many rooms, including the City Hall assembly's main chamber. There are 101 members in the one chamber assembly (52 women, 49 men). The assembly meets a few times a month.

From there, we walked to the Golden Room, where Golden mosaics covered the walls. It was very beautifully decorated with scenes from Swedish history, to leading Swedish scientists/artists, to Swedish Kings.

The largest mosaic decorated one of the walls and had a picture of a woman (representing Stockholm) in the center with all other countries (represented by the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty) below it.

When the tour ended, we looked at the fancy dinnerware used by Nobel during the awards dinner.

We also wanted to go up to the tower, but the next available slot was 30 minutes later (and I did not want to wait). We took the nearby bus and headed straight to the Nobel Museum.

The Nobel Museum is in the old Stock Exchange building with the Academy of Swedish Sciences on the 2nd floor.

The museum had lots of interactive, iPad-like exhibits showcasing Nobel winners and the breakthroughs they achieved.

There were also multiple cinemas running different movies simultaneously. We took the English-guided tour at 1:00 p.m. The tour guide explained the founding of the Nobel Prize and the fact that the Peace Prize - a very controversial prize - is handled by the Norwegian parliament (not by the Nobel committee in Stockholm). Besides, the prize for Economics has been recently added by the Swedish Central Bank. The prize categories include physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace, and economics.

There was a lovely children's play area in the Nobel Museum, where Alex could look at interactive physics, chemistry, and medicine presentations. There were books to read and a children's puppet theater where one could act out plays. Alex tried his hand at puppeting once.

We liked all the interactive presentations, but most of the info can be looked at on the web (for free). The museum is relatively small, and most Nobel-winning breakthroughs were not easily understood by Alex.

We had lunch at the museum, but it was a scorching day, and the air conditioning was not working. We sat at the Bistro Nobel.

The dishes were delicate, but the best dish was the ice cream dessert (SEK 85). The dessert was really delicious and beautiful to look at.

Alex got to eat his own Nobel medal.

After lunch, we decided to drop Alex off at our hotel so that we could explore the old town, Gamla Stan, on our own. (Alex was rather tired from all the walking). On the way there, Inna discovered an English bookstore that sold books from Astrid Lindgren about Karlsson-on-the-Roof (in English). These books are impossible to find in the United States. We purchased these hard-to-find books and returned to our Hotel Rival to get some rest.

Looking at the travel guides, we learned that the Royal Armory was open until 6:00 p.m., so we rushed to see it. We found the palace but could not immediately locate the armory. We asked a few people and eventually found it - but it was 5:30 p.m. We went in anyway and were let in for free (on account of it being closing time!)

The Royal Armory houses the swords, jewels, armor, and clothing of the Swedish Royalty.

It also had a fascinating exhibit on the Game of Thrones with various objects from the actual show.

We went through it rather quickly (being pressed for time), but I did take lots of photos and enjoyed the collection. It was similar to the one in Copenhagen's Armory - in the Rosenborg Castle.

Inna got to try out a few dresses before the Royal Armory closed.

We especially liked the outfits that kids could try on. There were armor, swords, and outfits from the Game of Thrones to try out.

There were also outfits from other famous movies, including Elizabeth.

When the museum closed, we took turns taking photos of the Iron Throne chair (it was pretty comfortable) and then returned to do Rick Steves' suggested Old Town walk.

We first walked around the Royal Palace and observed the changing of the guard.

We continued our walk (noticing a few people doing the same walk holding Rick Steves' guidebooks).

We were supposed to find the Finnish church on the walk, but we could not (Rick did not provide good directions). However, we found many other beautiful fountains and statues and ran into a Ghost Tour of Stockholm (it was in Swedish, unfortunately, but it looked fun).

After finishing the walk, we returned to Stortorget Square, overlooking the Nobel Museum, where a street performer played the saxophone. There, we relaxed, thinking about where to go eat. We found a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves - Kryp In (17 Prastgatan Street) - but it was fully booked (we would have needed reservations to get in).

We decided to try another decent restaurant - Under Kastanjen (rated highly on Yelp) - but the restaurant only had seats deep below, and we wanted to sit outside.

We returned to Stortorget Square and found seats in Pharmarium - a restaurant specializing in meals and cocktail combos.

Inna ordered a "Roses of Gold" cocktail with a "Dill & Strumming" entree. She really enjoyed both the cocktail and the entree. They were a good combination.

I ordered an "Elixir Vitae" cocktail with "Grisnacke."

Inna's cocktail contained vodka and other flavors, while mine had gin. Both meal combinations (drink and entree) were delicious but expensive (and light on calories).

Afterward, we purchased some Swedish ice cream and Swiss Movenpick (Cream & Black Currant and Macadamia Nut flavors).

Friday, July 11, 2014

We had another delicious breakfast at Hotel Rival. This time, we decided to special order pancakes and an omelet. Both dishes were fantastic. Of course, I had the pancakes, and Inna had the omelet.

After breakfast, we explored the Royal Palace Apartments, the Treasury, the Chapel, and the Armory.

We first explored the Royal Apartments, where photo opportunities were limited.

Royalty definitely lived in style.

We stopped briefly at the Royal Chapel.

Afterward, we reviewed the treasure in the Royal Treasury. There were many crowns, swords, and jewels. It was dark inside the treasury, with all the jewels encased in glass cubes, so photography was difficult.

We had a delicious lunch in Cafe Malinori, in the courtyard of the Royal Palace.

The restaurant had very delicious sandwiches and cakes. We really enjoyed eating like Royalty here. If it's good enough for the King, it's good enough for me!

The delicious choices among desserts were so numerous. We wanted to try everything but didn't have space.

Decisions... decisions.. decisions...

With so many choices, I randomly picked two desserts.

The strawberry pie was so delicious!

When we finished lunch, we walked around the Royal Palace.

We decided to stop by for the second time at the Royal Armory to show Alex all the cool swords and armor (he had not seen it the day before).

Alex enjoyed trying out costumes, swords, shields, and other knightly items.

Alex and Inna even had a short sword fight.

Alex tied some different helmets.

We go to try on King's crowns.

Afterward, we took the ferry to Djurgarden Island and spent 90 minutes in the Nordic Museum. The Nordic Museum is vast, and we barely had enough time to peruse all the exhibits before it cloKing's 5:00 p.m.

The Nordic Museum has a lot of exhibits on Swedish housewares, fashions, jewelry, and furniture through the ages (from the 17th century to the present). Inna really found it fascinating, but it was only moderately interesting.

There were many living rooms on display from the 17th to 20th centuries.

Nordic Museum had a large exhibit on jewelry and accessories.

The Nordic Museum had large exhibitions on fashion from the 17th to 20th centuries.

There was also a section dedicated to serving guests.

When the museum closed, we took the ferry back to our Hotel Rival. Alex was very tired from all the museums, and he decided to stay in the hotel, playing on his iPod touch while we decided to explore the modern side of Stockholm.

We took the metro to the more modern Westside, where all the buildings are modern.

Many restaurants and loud music were playing everywhere. We went inside a shopping mall to compare prices. Prices for high-end clothing - like Burberry - were cheaper in Sweden than in the U.S. There were also lots of sales - almost every store had 50% off signs.

As the mall closed at 6:00 p.m., we returned to our hotel and decided to try dinner at our nearby Spanish Tapas restaurant - Ramblas Tapas. This was a local hip joint where many couples hung out.

We liked the atmosphere, and the tapas were not too bad either.

After dinner, we returned to our hotel and fed Alex some pizza from the nearby 7-Eleven while Inna rested.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

After our last delicious breakfast in Hotel Rival, we packed and decided to spend our last hours in Stockholm's Gamla Stan (Old City).

We took the metro there and walked around. Inna's foot hurt a bit, so we did not walk much. We looked at some interesting souvenirs and purchased a tiny Swedish "gnome."

Before returning to our hotel, we ate one last bite at the Under Kastanjen cafe.

We sat inside as all outside tables were taken. We liked the atmosphere here, as most locals drank coffee and ate sandwiches.

We returned to our Hotel Rival around 1:20 p.m., picked up our luggage, and took a taxi to the Stockholm Arlanda airport.

There was an accident on the freeway, and it took us 45 minutes to get to Arlanda. We stood in line to check in - flights to the USA require special screening, so we waited another 30 minutes in line.

Surprisingly, two more screenings were needed to fly to the U.S. The last screening was at the gate, and Inna was thoroughly searched. This was the most screening we have ever seen on our journey.

We boarded another Boeing Dreamliner - our favorite new aircraft - and enjoyed our flight back to Oakland, California.

I watched two movies on the Android tablet built into the headrest. The first movie -  "A Good Year" with Russell Crowe - was an excellent romantic comedy about an investment broker who inherits his uncle's vineyard in Provence, France, and eventually decides to stay there permanently (giving up his high life in London).

The second movie was also quite good - "The Bucket List" - with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It was about two cancer patients who shared a room and decided to live the high life before dying. They share a bucket list of all the things they always wanted to do - and end up doing most of them.

We landed in Oakland right on time, around 6:00 p.m. However, we had to wait 90 minutes to clear U.S. customs. Only one person was working for U.S. Citizens vs two for non-residents. Compared to Oslo airport, where we were in and out in 5 minutes, it made me feel like I was returning to a 3rd world country. I don't understand why U.S. airports are so poorly staffed and managed.

My dad picked us up on time, and we returned to our house, all tired and jet-lagged.