The Picturesque Winter Wonderlands in Stockholm and Iceland (Part 1)
(disclaimer: this post is long overdue, as the trip happened in February. But better late than never!)
Me two months ago: Dear Santa Claus & birthday fairy lady, all I want for my birthday is to experience a white winter for my 30th before I head to Singapore. I’m talking a white winter, with glistening snow as far as the horizon stretches and air so crisp and cold that it takes your breath away. But not so debilitatingly cold that we won’t go outside… Sweden and Iceland, you say? Alright I’m in!
Turns out Stockholm and Iceland were the perfect retreats to get a refreshing dose of true winter before I move to a country with hot, hot, hot and hotter as seasons. The weather was a brisk 0 degrees C/32 degrees F, which was cold, but gave us beautiful flurries of snow every other day. In Sweden, we slowly acclimated to the cold and learned about the viking history of this Nordic country in museum after museum. Then in Iceland, we became outdoor adventurers, summiting glaciers and hiking ice caves. Even for warm-blooded Californians, these two northern spots were the ideal winter vacation.
Sweden highlights:
- Vasa Museum: a giant sunken ship nearly perfectly intact from over 300 years ago
- Fotografiska Museum: a beautiful museum with three powerful exhibits that’ll move even the most museum-averse person
- The nice Swedish people: everyone was so warm (yes, even in the frigid cold ;) ) and we got so many free samples of various Swedish foods to try
Iceland highlights (Part 2) is here.
SWEDEN
Sweden runs so efficiently. The ARN airport has wifi, the express train that takes you to Central Station has wifi, and the busses run promptly every few minutes. Our Airbnb was in the adorable Old Town district, with narrow cobblestone streets that housed everything from tacky souvenir shops to quaint boutique stores that sold artisan chocolates and fancy wool textiles. It was right next to the riverwalk, where stately old buildings boasted their prowess along the water.
In true American form, we sought out the Swedish things we already knew and loved: Swedish fish, Swedish meatballs, Swedish pancakes, and Swedish massages. Our kind Airbnb host welcomed us with Swedish fish, so we immediately sought out #2: Swedish meatballs. We popped into an adorable cafe on the street corner and ordered meatballs, salmon and soup. The meatballs came in a rich cream sauce but had the appearance of Mexican mole. It was even better than all our Ikea meatball memories combined.
Warning: Swedish food is expensive. Icelandic food is even more expensive. Be prepared to drop $30 for breakfast and lunch and anywhere from $60–100 for dinner, especially if you order drinks. Thankfully (?) the SF restaurant scene has immunized me from sticker shock when I open menus anywhere in the world.
Swedish pancakes were reserved for breakfast the following day at Greasy Spoon (delicious), and it turns out Swedish pancakes are just… pancakes. But when topped with ricotta cheese and pistachios, you really don’t miss the “Swedish” at all. We also ordered eggs benedict and a salmon dish atop what can only be described as chunky potatoes.
And Swedish massages aren’t really a thing. Swedish massages were really invented by the Danish, but misattributed to the Swedish. So we scrapped that idea altogether and found a Thai massage place on Night 2. A warm Thai massage in freezing weather beats a massage in Thailand any day, even if we did pay $50 for an hour :X
Museums, museums and more museums
Vasa Museum, 5 stars
This was one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to. Upon entering, you’re greeted by a massive 70-meter ship (225 ft) that’s 95% of its original form. Back in 1621, Sweden was at war with Norway and the king had the ship built in two years. After just 10 minutes on the water, 1.5 km away from the shore, the Vasa ship tipped over and started to sink. She was too top-heavy and narrow in the middle to withstand a gust of wind. Of ~200 people on board, 30 died a tragic (seemingly unnecessary) death. It wasn’t until 333 years later that Sweden had the technological prowess to pull the ship up from the bottom of the ocean. The water was so cold that it was able to preserve the bones, and even the brains and shoes, of the some of the deceased aboard!
Nobel Prize Museum, 5 stars
Exhibit 1 of Swedes being incredibly nice and generous: the Nobel Prize museum was closing in 30 minutes, but the front desk man graciously allowed us in, as long as we promised not to tell anyone (he said with a wink). The museum offered an excellent crash course in all the Nobel prizes, including the Junglebook by Rudyard Kipling for literature, penicillin in medicine, and many other scientific concepts that went straight over my head.
I was frustrated by the US education system that failed to teach us about all these spectacular inventions, but also inspired to read all the Nobel-prize winning literature. Though I had read books by a few of the prize-winning authors (Beloved by Toni Morrison, Lord of the Flies by William Golding), I had barely scratched the surface of authors to read. The museum was also a crash course in learning about Alfred Nobel, a serial inventor, most known for his dynamite and explosive inventions. This was probably more world history I had retained than any class in school :X
Fotografiska Museum, 5 stars
The museum offered three powerful exhibits:
- Inside Out by Nick Veasey: all the photos were x-rays of common objects, like Christian Louboutin shoes and famous people including Muhammad Ali and Marilyn Monroe
- Fearless and Fabulous by Chen Man: China’s prominent fashion photographer showed off her photos outside of China for the first time. The subjects, including Rihanna, Victoria Beckham, and Nicole Kidman, exuded over-the-top elegance.
- Somnyama Ngonyama (Hail the Dark Lioness) by Zanele Muholi: Zanele captured herself in various outfits and extremely vulnerable poses. She unapologetically tackled the horrific human rights abuses against the LGBT community back in South Africa.
Royal Palace, 4 stars
“Royal” is a bit of a stretch to describe the Swedes’ Palace, but it is a lovely building, and aptly representative of the humble nature of the Swedes. Oddly enough, all the Swedish royalty pictured and ornately framed are brunettes, not at all like the blonde/blue-eyed people I had imagined. There are 3 main buildings — I recommend buying the ticket that gets you into all three. They’re worth checking out.
- The Royal Apartments: The Royal Apartments aren’t where the family actually stays. They stay in their other palace across town. So no royal sighting for us.
- The Museum: This documented Sweden’s history, but the most fascinating year was of The Great Stockholm Fire of 1625 (if I recall the year correctly). This was started by some poor blokes, who, as if they weren’t already traumatized enough by starting a fire, were punished for their carelessness. They had to run back and forth multiple times between two lines of men who repeatedly flogged them (yeesh).
- The Treasury: We needed a pick-me-up after this gruesome history lesson, so we went and looked at a bunch of diamonds. Sparkly things always put me in a better mood :) Everything from the dinner ware to capes were studded with jewels.
National Library of Sweden and Stockholm Public Library, 4 stars
Cause we’re #nerds. The bibliophiles in us couldn’t help but make a stop at *both* libraries. The Stockholm Public Library boasted a gorgeous rotunda on its top-level with thousands of books encircling us. As I browsed the shelves, my eyes immediately went to the Isabel Allende section where I saw the exact book I was reading on the trip: Inés of My Soul, but in Swedish. Talk about serendipity! Who needs John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale…
The National Library of Sweden had a slightly more interesting inventory. The library’s basement contained “Codex Gigas”, literally meaning “giant book”, or The Devil’s Bible. It’s the largest known medieval manuscript at 36x20x8.7 inches.
Nordic Museum, 3 stars
The exterior is stunning and looks more royal than the Royal Palace, with its turquoise sheen-ed roof atop sturdy concrete walls and multi-panel glass windows. Statues of imposing men riding horses guard the building to create a sense of awe when you enter the museum. And did I mention free entrance from 1–5pm? Apparently this is the happenin’ place on weekday afternoons with the older Swedes (aka senior citizens..), who comprised 80% of the visitors. And I don’t blame them. The atrium alone provided the most beautiful luncheon backdrop.
Eat in the museum cafe! I ordered the traditional meat and cabbage lasagna-esque dish (no noodles), and Jenn and Jenn got the salmon and mushroom soup. Keep in mind that we all grew up eating family-style, so we had the benefit of getting to try three different entrees at every meal. Plus the cafe provides all-you-can-eat bread, coffee and tea.
The rotating exhibits included Fashion through the Ages and A Nordic History, both of which were an enlightening glimpse into Nordic history through a fun, interactive lens. One exhibit provided paper for us to draw our 2050 fashion predictions and weave a giant tapestry with colorful threads that evoked different emotions.
Outdoor activities
Sodermalm Square and King’s Garden, 5 stars:
This was a beautiful garden and city center in the middle of Stockholm. There was a giant performance venue plus an ice skating rink decked out in twinkling lights, where parents and their kids swirled around unsteadily and didn’t mind taking a tumble. A small food stand served hot chocolate and even had fireplaces to roast marshmallows. If you could sit long enough in the cold, you could watch the ice sheets float down the river passing by magnificent buildings like the Grand Opera House and International Riviera Grand Hotel. It felt like Christmas in February.
Skansen “Museum”, 2 stars
The world’s oldest outdoor museum is a fascinating microcosm of Sweden. The founder brought or modeled buildings of all trades to Skansen to showcase the different industries, including glassblowing, carpentry, and other crafts. These craftsmen and women were smart and apparently decided to stay home from the cold because most of the shops were closed the day we went. There were outdoor venues, like an ice skating rink, and restaurants that were open, but we skipped. Luckily, the animals were still open for business, and we got to see wolverines (not Hugh Jackman, but honeybadger-like animals), bison, snow wolves, bobcats/lynx, and reindeer! The 2-star rating is a bit harsh, but it was pretty darn cold to spend all day at an outdoor park.
NOMZ AND DRINKS
Gondolen Bar, 4 stars
Go for the views, stay for the drinks. We arrived a bit late (30 min before closing so we only had beer and wine offerings available. No matter, I immensely enjoyed my IPA.) We also were able to admire the great views from Katarinahissen, the 12-story elevator that takes you to an outdoor balcony for stunning views of the city.
Sturehof restaurant, 4 stars
Seafood lovers: go here. Again, it was expensive, but worth the price tag. We ordered a seafood platter with shrimp of all sizes, plus crab and Canadian lobster. The shrimp were incredibly tasty. The toast skagen, which is what they’re known for, is mayonnaise-y shrimp on top of toast — a bit overrated in my opinion. However, their scallop appetizer (yes, scallop singular, not plural) was to die for, but will set you back $17.
Grand Escalier, 4 stars
We tried to head to the Spy Bar, which loomed surreptitiously outside the Sturehof restaurant, but we eventually gave up trying to get in. We luckily walked inside the “galeria” (mall) right next to the restaurant and stumbled upon the Grand Escalier bar, which came highly recommended from a friend. Deeee-licious cocktails.
Östermalm Food Hall, 4 stars
I had already had moose medallions, so I was in a meat kick, looking to sample the primest cuts of Sweden’s finest. As we walked around the stalls that offered meats, seafood, pastries, and other goods, we asked a nice gentleman what the most popular meats were. He offered a sampling of their various meat cuts. We had the moose hind, moose salami, and reindeer heart and shoulder. Each had varying levels of smokiness and were all delicious.
When we attempted to pay, the man (Wes) refused and said it was his treat. And the sampling wasn’t just a piece of meat per animal, there were probably ten slices of each meat! Such. Nice. People. For a light lunch, we had their famous cheese quiche and cardamom cinnamon bun with a light hot chocolate. They really love their cardamom in Sweden. Perhaps cardamom is a natural happiness pill??
Slingerbulten restaurant: yummy restaurant. Order the moose medallions.
Da Peppe: If you want a break from Swedish restaurant, check out this very authentic Italian joint in the Old District. They were kind enough to provide free dessert plus a sufficiently embarrassing Italian rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
Didn’t get a chance to visit-
- Frantzen: two-star Michelin restaurant, and just received its third star after we left Stockholm
- Flying Elk: of aforementioned Michelin fame
- Soap Bar: it was way too cold, and there was no way we could boogie in all our layers. Plus, we are way too old to do the club scene anymore with such a packed agenda
Continue on to part 2 for Adventuring in the Land of Ice
