My first visit to Sweden and OMG this is clearly the land of the really gorgeous people!

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Day 1 Friday 19th October 2012

Despite the early start (up at 3.30am ouch!) it has been a great first day. Flight left on time and was early on arrival as the announcement stated, I can't recall if this was my first Ryanair flight, but certainly was impressed! The bus journey took an hour and a half which was pleasant enough giving me the chance to see the countryside before heading into the city. First impressions were abit iffy....the outskirts looked rather depressing and grey, the light drizzle did not help. However within minutes the scene changed and you could see old buildings with real character. It took me a couple of detours and 45mins to find the hostel (which considering previous experiences was pretty good going), but it was certainly worth it. It is just off the city centre and very nice...certainly made the last hostel I stayed in FortWilliam look like a real hovel in comparison!

After storing my luggage I ventured out for my first proper wonder round...not disappointed. Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by beautiful buildings and gorgeous people. A bit like what I expect heaven to be like! I must have looked a real sight, dazed and with a permanent grin on my face, quickly trying to look away in case anyone took offence to being stared at in total bewilderment (as if we don't have gorgeous men in Scotland!).

After 3 hours of wondering round, I decided to head back to the hostel for a break...or as Sarah would say a nana nap. Two hours later and I felt it was a new day, so I ventured to the nearby supermarket to get some ingredients for dinner, as I did not fancy heading out to the busy restaurants and sitting on my own (while staring at everyone...I think it is sensible that I keep my distance). Following dinner it was time to head out again and see the city flooded with lights and despite the light drizzle it was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours taking in the sights from a different viewpoint.

My camera has definitely captured a fair bit today, I am so glad I opted for the smaller size since it fits in the palm of my hand without causing any strain...ah the little things that bring me so much joy!



Day 2 Saturday 20 October 2012

There was no improvement in the weather today, the rain was a constant feature and the wind picked up which meant I managed to get rather wet on a couple of occasions. So in the afternoon I decided to venture into the National Museum of Art to get out of the rain for a couple of hours. I was pleasantly surprised...it was rather good, despite my lack of any cultural knowledge or interest.

Through out the day the one thing that I found rather peculiar was that lots of people walked round holding umbrellas despite it raining and actually using them....obviously the Swedes are vainer than I originally thought or they did not mind getting soaked! It is amazing that even with wet hair they still looked gorgeous, it must be their Viking heritage, they are obviously made of much tougher stuff than my soft Mediterranean and Scottish sensibilities...what a wimp I hear you think.

After spending the day trying to stay dry while still getting to walk round, I did not get the chance to converse with anyone. So I have decided to be socialable this evening, by taking part in the hostels drink tasting event....by now you will know that anything involving a bit of alcohol and I am a willing participant....plus it is just 2 seconds from the front door so there is minimum chance of getting soaked again, or so I hope!

Well what a night it turned out to be....spend it with five 24 year olds from Wigan & Lancashire, a Peruvian, a German and three Swedes...ended up going clubbing on the other side of Stockholm...as you can imagine I had an absolute blast!!! They were a good crowd and up for a laugh with the oldie. Finally got to speak to a couple of the gorgeous Swedish guys but quickly realised they are rather obnoxious and full of themselves, or at least those I spoke to were.

Highlights of the evening was using my skills of persuasion with the police to ensure one of the English guys was not taken in to police custody for head butting a signpost at the underground station ....not sure why that was necessary obviously abit too under the influence of the devil juice and embracing the rock'n'roll live & let live philosophy...it just goes to show my powers of persuasion even under the influence of alcohol are pretty good! The other highlight being chatted up by a Dubliner at 4am in the morning...you got love the Irish ballsiness....it never fails to entertain me how a pissed Irishman will make an appearance in the hostel out of nowhere and just go for it, it is almost ingenious!! It certainly boosted myself esteem since at the club the majority of guys were being distant & aloof....but then again I was warned by our Swedish drinking buddies...the Swedes are very intimidated of approaching or being approached by people they don't know.



Day 3 Sunday 21 October 2012

Needless to say today has been a very chilled out day after last nights excesses. So the itenary involved the hop on/off bus tour, you can always rely on those to keep you dry and even warm (yes they even had heating!) while not requiring you to make any effort, just sit back and relax!

As expected just in time for the second tour (there were 2 tours) to finish and it started to rain again! So I decided to head to the shopping malls and just wander round....even though I am not into fashion, even I had to admit the shops looked very stylish and the clothes looked very trendy. After 1 hour of walking round I reached my limit and so decided to head back to the hostel and just people watch from a safe distance.

A couple of observations, all Swedish guys that walked by (irrespective of age or hair length / colour) were dressed extremely stylish and groomed impeccably, and secondly even the heterosexual guys would hug / embrace their fellow male friends when meeting or saying goodbye. It will be interesting if this just applies to Swedish males or all Scandinavian's....I guess that is something else to keep me amused over the next couple of days while in Copenhagen and then next month in Oslo.

My Peruvian drinking buddy is actually staying in the hostel tonight, so it is great having a friendly & talkative face around the place, a nice to way to finish off my time here.



Final thoughts

Swedes love the heat, so the hostel, buildings (shopping malls & museums) and even buses, have got the heating on all the time, so it is nice and toasty compared to the cooler UK heating settings.

Tried pickled hearing and it tasted rather good, quite a strong flavour but pleasant, and the meatballs were good too.

Swedes actually buy furniture from IKEA.

The time just flew by and despite the wet weather, I really enjoyed my time here...Stockholm is a truly beautiful city full of gorgeous people...definitely worth a visit!

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Photos

I had to ask a non Swedish passerby to take a photo
since the Swedes were avoiding me...obviously I am way too intimidating, don't be fouled by the smile!!!

Comments

[Sarah]

Nana Naps
Pleased to hear you had a nana nap, after such an early start!! Love your photos, brings back memories of my city break to Stockholm in 2005.