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Published: October 5th 2008
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Stockholm City Hall
The red brick City Hall is also known as Stadshuset It was not a comforting thought to see people on the streets bundled up in the morning - after all, we were still in September. We had breakfast buffet in the hotel to get our day started and witnessed tourists and locals wearing heavy jackets, hats, gloves as they walked in front of the hotel. It was a cloudy morning but it was dry. The restaurant was very busy and I noticed a big group of Japanese tourists in a corner. Unfortunately, breakfast was not included in our hotel rate and I was extremely shocked to see the bill … about USD40,- each for our buffet. We got a great weekend rate but the hotel made it back from its breakfast buffet.
Our first destination was City Hall in the Kungsholmen district - about 2 blocks away from the hotel. Actually, the soaring tower of the City Hall was my view during breakfast. Constructed from 1911 to 1923, the building has an imposing red brick façade next to Riddarfjarden’s northern shore. A short explanation first - Stockholm was founded in 1252, an island in the stream where Lake Mälaren from the west drains into the Baltic Sea to the east.
Arches at City Hall
The view fron the inner courtyard looking towards the Riddarfjarden Riddarfjarden, meaning The Knight Firth, is a bay of Lake Malaren. City Hall is the venue for the Nobel Prize banquet and is one of Stockholm’s major tourist destinations judging from the number of tour buses parked all along the streets.
As we walked past the front entrance, we arrived inside an inner courtyard where a tour guide was explaining about the history of the building. And past the inner courtyard through a row of arches, there was a small park leading up to the Riddarfjarden. The park was very well-maintained with several sculptures, a water fountain and a pillar on the left hand side with a statue of Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, a Swedish rebel leader, on top. It was still a very cool morning but tourists continued to arrive at City Hall. We took turns taking pictures with some of the sculptures and with the islands of Riddarholmen and Södermalm, across from the Riddarfjarden, in the background.
Afterwards, we walked back along the shores of Riddarfjarden in the directions of Gamla Stan. We ran into a number of fishermen, trying to catch salmon. This seems to be a popular weekend activity in Stockholm. The sun started coming out
City Hall park
With Riddarholmen on the other side of Riddarfjarden and it was noticeably warmer now. We kept walking along Stromgatan towards the Grand Hotel (where Nobel Prize winners always stay) and National Museum, across the bay from Gamla Stan. We reached the narrow bridge Skeppsholmsbron that leads us to the island of Skeppsholmen. From the bridge, we got an unobstructed view of the Royal Palace and colorful buildings at Gamla Stan.
We didn’t have any specific destination - we just wanted to be outdoor when the sun was out. We circled the perimeter of Skeppsholmen, walking past the ship af Chapman, built in 1888, that is now serving as a youth hostel. There was a small line of students with their small suitcases waiting to get on board. What an experience for these students! We finally reached another bridge to the small island of Kastellholmen. A dirt path took us to the top of a small hill on Kastellholmen where we could see a Viking cruise ship docked in front of us, the recreational park Djurgarden on our left and Gamla Stan behind us (through the trees). Surprisingly, we only saw one Asian couple and two other men from this scenic point. This must not be a destination
for those tour buses.
With nothing else to see at Kastellholmen, we went back to Skeppsholmen and followed the road to the middle of this small island. We walked past the Museum of Modern Art and the Architectural Museum. Again, I was surprised that I did not see a lot of people - the crowd seems to be centered around the Royal Palace, Gamla Stan and City Hall only. Our stay in Stockholm was very limited this time and we decided not to go into any of the museums.
As we retraced our way back, we saw a line outside Stockholm Sightseeing booth - across the street from the Grand Hotel. We decided to take “Under the bridges of Stockholm” 2-hour cruise (ticket cost around USD27 each). This should give us a good perspective of the fourteen islands and 53 bridges that make up the city of Stockholm. As we were waiting in line to purchase the tickets, a parade went by - heading towards the Royal Palace on Strombron bridge. So many things to see and so little time!
With tickets on hand, we crossed the street and found an outdoor café behind Karl XII statue
Fishing in Stockholm
Fishermen along Riddarfjarden - underneath a big tree. It was time to refuel. It was so good to sit down after a full morning of explorations. The city was hopping by now with cars, buses, bicycles criss crossing; kids running around the park and birds looking for any left over food. Stockholm is very clean and as we walked along the Riddarfjarden earlier, I noticed the water was very clear. It is not a cheap destination but it certainly offers a great quality of life.
Our sightseeing cruise was on a long but rather flat boat. The entry to the pier was rather unorganized - there was not a single line. Everybody simply converged to the gate. But there was no pushing or shoving. We sat towards the back of the boat which could give me access to the open air to take pictures. There is a panel in front of each seat with a headphone. A knob controls the language selection. So this is a pre-recorded tour guide! I was surrounded by Spanish and American tourists at the back of the boat.
Once we started the cruise, we were shown the houses along exclusive Strandvagen street; Vasa museum where Swedish
View from Skeppsholmsbron
With Royal Palace and Gamla Stan in the background warship Vasa that sank in 1628 was kept and Djurgarden. We then had to cross from Lake Malaren to the Baltic Sea through the lock at the entrance of Gamla Stan. The lock is necessary because of the height difference between Lake Malaren and Baltic Sea. Throughout the cruise, I continued to be amazed at the urban planning of Stockholm with its parks, bicycle paths and the use of clean and renewable energy. We saw a lot of renovations and new constructions - mostly residential condominiums. The pre-recorded tour guide was very informative and gave us a good history of the country. I did have to constantly remind myself not to get up to take pictures without taking off the headphone - the cable length simply did not allow me to do that.
As we approached the end of our cruise, the sky had turned dark gray and menacing. The temperature had also dropped. All in all, it was a very pleasant cruise and I certainly recommend it. There is also a café/bar on the boat for those interested.
Back on land, we decided it was time to go shopping for gifts. We didn’t want to wait too
af Chapman
One of a kind youth hostel long in case the stores closed early. We headed back to Vasterlanggatan - the main pedestrian only shopping district at Gamla Stan - and started searching for authentic Swedish gifts. Unlike our morning quiet experiences, we were now in the heart of the tourist area and the streets were just packed - multilingual and multiracial. I bought a book, some postcards and some small Kosta Boda glasswares - seems to be authentic Swedish gifts. We slowly walked Vasterlanggatan, going into one store after another, till we reached the end of the street at Jarntorget. Tired and thirsty, we found an outdoor café and ordered beer/coffee (beer for me!).
I always enjoy these outdoor cafes in Europe - especially those located inside the old towns. You see all sorts of people … all sorts of outfits … all sorts of hairdo’s. The locals were wearing short sleeves and the Asian tourists were all bundled up (it was still cool also for somebody from Texas). I had never seen so many blondes in such a small block before. And I noticed that everyone around me seems to be doing the same thing - people watching. They finished their drinks or snacks already
Sunny Skeppsholmen
Taking in the sun at Skeppsholmen with Gamla Stan in the background but everybody was just observing all the foot traffic.
As the late afternoon got cooler and the sky got darker, we decided to head back to the hotel so that I could write my postcards to friends and families. We went out again for dinner a few blocks away from the hotel. It was a short introductory visit to Stockholm.
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