Blogs from Stockholm County, Sweden, Europe - page 5

So.... From kristiansand we had an over night sail to Copenhagen. Given that we're not exactly the dress up and dine kind of people and that we have a small boy in tow, we've steered clear of the gala places and all that jazz, i think we still need some dress code guidelines in the form of pictures or something though given that Ash got asked (oh so politely) not to wear denim shorts in the bar after six. It's an very confusing. Me, I'm just hiding in the room to remove all potential problems! Having been to Copenhagen before, we were originally going to go to Malmo again (in lovely Sweden) but fear of not making it back in time and being the fabled 'family who missed the cruise and had their luggage thrown in ... read more

Tales of wolf attacks, bitey beavers and radioactive pigs A trip to the summer house offers the potential glimpse of the local wild life. Sweden has its fair share of the more “charismatic macro-fauna” that had long ago disappeared at home in British Isles (although some reintroductions such as beavers or wolves have begun or are currently being mooted). A safari-style “big five” has been defined in Sweden comprising the brown bear, wolverine, wolf, lynx and golden eagle. This group appears to be located more in the north of Sweden and can either be very rare, highly reclusive or both. More commonly seen throughout Sweden are wild boar, moose and beavers. The impact of some of these animal’s activities are felt in the area where we are now spending our summer days. Beavers have been new ... read more

Stockholm is lovely. An archipelago of fourteen islands, it is a gorgeous city full of wonderful things to do. We had only one day to explore Sweden's capital city, our last day of this trip. Yesterday afternoon as soon as we arrived at our outlier hotel, Bill and I along with two of our adventurous friends spent time at the front desk figuring out the best way to get into the city. The four of us had wanted to take one of the free walking tours of the Old Town part of Stockholm, Gamla Stan, the original city center, and this tour met at 5:30PM so we hoped we could get there in time. From our hotel it was not a clear run into the city; we had to walk several minutes, then take a bus ... read more

After waking at 4:40am, it seemed liked a good idea to get up and start the day. Breakfast was included in my booking and with plenty of time on my hands, I made full use of it. Excellent quality and range of options available but I decided to go the healthy option of muesli, yoghurt and fruit with a coffee and orange juice. After breakfast I started on my walk to the ABBA museum. I'm glad I got there early as when I was coming out, there was quite a queue to get in. It was really interesting to follow the story of the four band members and how they came together in the first place, as well as their journey once they became world wide sensations. A trip down memory lane, that's for sure. The ... read more

After a long 26 hour journey I finally arrived in Stockholm. It was quite cloudy on arrival but I did manage to catch glimpses of the countryside - very green, as you would expect. Arrival (customs etc) was very easy and I was met by my driver as I exited. The airport is approx 40 km from the city of Stockholm but because I arrived around 1:30pm, the traffic was reasonable and the trip only took about 45 minutes. On arrival at my hotel - Freys - I could hear lots of cheering coming from the restaurant/bar and was advised that Sweden was competing against South Korea in the World Cup. Good timing haha. My room is lovely and after spending some time unpacking and settling in, I decided to head off and explore my surroundings, ... read more