I'm a big fan of surprises. I love planning them and seing how people react. Off course, I love it to be surprised too, but surprising others for me is almost more thrilling than being surprised. So when me and my boyfriend got the OK for a prolonged weekend, we decided that I would surprise him with a shorttrip, that I would be his personal Surptravel-agency for this trip. The only thing he knew before the trip was the weather forecast and I gave him some ideas what to pack and the QR-code for boarding. Sitting in front of a (wrong) gate, he had to complete a crossword puzzle to find out the destination - well, not exactly the destination, that would have been too easy! The password revealed "SMÖRREBRÖD". As I found out later, this password didn't reveal the destination at all because Smørrebrød is typically Danish, but the good thing about the situation was that my boyfriend didn't know that either, shouted "We're going to Stockholm?!" and revealed the correct destination with the wrong hint.
2,5 hours later we arrived in Stockholm Arlanda. It was already very dark outside, but we found our way to suprise number two: our rental car. The guy behind the counter seemed very happy to meet two Swiss people, told us about his watch collection and showed us proudly the Rolex on his arm. I should really check the salaries of car rental employees in Sweden!
Yes, the initial idea of this weekend trip was to organize a CITY trip. But that had sounded quite uncreative to me. I wanted to pack full picture-perfect, cliché Swedish lifestyle in 4 days. So we drove around 2 hours down south towards Gnesta and the further we got, the more lost we felt - especially when the roads turned into cury gravel roads. I admit, at the end we were happy to have a GPS in the car. There were almost no signs anymore and it was completely dark.
We could hardly believe our eyes when we suddenly saw the back of a big brown quadruped disappear into the dark. Was that the moose I had longed for for my perfect Sweden weekend? Unfortunately the rear part didn't show up again during the next days (and neither did the front part!), on the last meters to our house a few rabbits still hoped us across the way.
At almost 2 a.m. we finally reached the wooden sign that showed us the way to our house. "Jullekulla". Jullekulla was love at first sight. A little, red house not much bigger that a garage, with wooden walls, a stove and a very Swedish interior, made us feel like home from the minute we entered it.
The next day we woke up by the first rays of sunlight. We looked out of the window and were amazed by the view that we haven't seen the night before: We had a big lake just in front of our nose, the forest next to us and a beautiful neighbor's house next to us.
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| Picture perfect home for some days |
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| The sauna house |
We could have stayed at home the whole day, just relaxing, using the sauna, swimming and hiking, but off course this wasn't the plan during a CITYtrip. So we drove to Stockholm, parked our car in a veeery expensive parking lot and started to explore the city. We started with the VASA-museum, a museum that is named after its main attraction, Vasa, a royal warship, which sank in 1628 on the day of its maiden voyage after only 1300 meters. 300 years later the ship was rediscovered, salvaged and restored. Now one can marvel at it in the museum and we were impressed by this ship that once must have been magnificent.
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| A model in front of the original |
After the impressive museum visit we strolled towards the old town (Gamla Stan) and passed by the Strandvägen, probably Stockholms most expensive adress...
... the royal palace...
... and then reached the beautiful old town.
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| Stortorget - probably Stockholms most photographed houses |
The sky became darker and darker, but we arrived dry at perhaps the most beautiful viewpoint in the city: Montelius Vägen in the trendy Södermalm quarter (do you know the books by Stieg Larsson? Yes, exactly, Lisbeth Salander lived here).
Before driving back home, it occurred to us that we absolutely needed a good red wine for our dinner in our little Stuga (our red house). What sounds easy is anything but easy in the north, because the sale of alcohol is regulated by the state and there is only one chain of shops where it can be bought. So we went looking for the "System Bolaget" shop and felt like two alcoholics on detoxification in the fight against time (it was just before closing time). Shortly before giving up hope, we fiiiiinally we found a shop and bought our red wine - which we really enjoyed later at home!
The sky was cloudless and so when it got dark, we sat in front of our sauna house next to the lake (and in the sauna off course! :-) ), drinking wine, listening to a moose bellowing for his ladies and looking at the stars. Never before have I seen the milky way more clearly and never before have I counted more shooting stars. It was magical.
The next day, we wanted to do a lazy day in and around our beautiful house. We started the day with a swim in the cold lake and then drove to Axala, the neighbour village, a veeery small village with around 20 houses. But this day, it was quite busy and we found a little flea market. The whole village seemed to be on the streets, it was quite cute!
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| Flea Market in Axala |
The next day was unfortunately already our last. We left early, even if it broke our hearts to leave our beautiful hut.
Again we drove to Stockholm and wanted to visit Drottningholm Castle, but it was closed. Obviously kings also need a free Sunday from time to time.
We then did a boat trip in Stockholm and enjoyed the old town again, before we went back to the airport - and back to normal life. Without cute little red houses, bellowing mooses and saunas next to lakes. But with many inspirations and motivation for further (surprise) trips in our hearts!
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Some tips for Stockholm
I have been in Stockholm several times and each time, I loved it a little more. It's a fantastic city with a lot of things to do. Here are some tips.
How to get around
- In Stockholm you are well on foot. The city is not sooo big and everything is within walking distance.
- From the Arlanda airport: The best way to get from Arlanda airport to the city is by airport bus. Its name is Flygbussarna and it goes to the city terminals. The buses can be recognized by their rainbow pattern. They depart every 10 minutes from the airport building and bring you to the city in 40 minutes.
- If you want to get to the different islands of the city, taking a ferry is the easiest and fastest way.
Where to stay
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Castanea Old Town Hostel
- Kindstugatan 1
- www.castaneahostel.com
- Probably the best situated and most beautiful youth hostel I know! Very familiar atmosphere: a homely Ikea kitchen, small tables everywhere, flowers, bookshelves,... Beautifully furnished, bright dormitory with 8 beds and a view of the magnificent Branda Tomten square. Situated in the middle of Gamla Stan (old town). Very friendly staff and very good price. Highly recommendable!
Where to eat and drink
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Ice Bar
- The ice bar in Stock olm is a bit overpriced and touristic, but still funny, as one actually ends up in a bar made of ice. The bar is operated at a temperature of -7 degrees and when you enter you are wrapped in a warm coat. Inside you can sit on ice blocks and sip your drink - that's pretty funny!
- Address: Vasaplan 4
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Pastis
- Baggensgatan 12
- My favourite bar in Stockholm. Wonderfully situated in the old town. Small, French bistro with fine drinks. You can sit outside (even in winter!) and watch the people. I love it!
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Chokladkoppen
- One of my favourite coffee in Stockholm. Located in a wonderful place (Stortorget), in a great, bright red house that is hard to miss.
- Best served with a real Swedish Kanelbullar (cinnamon bun)
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Cafe Petissan
- The sweet café in Skansen. Looks like the 18th century. Inside it is super cosy, but also the terrace is great and the huge selection of cakes a poem. Tip: Try the waffles with jam!
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Bla dörren
- Authentic restaurant in Södermalm. Nice service, loud, but authentic ambience and a singing waiter, who only speaks Swedish with you, although you don't understand anything... Great if you want to try authentic Swedish food.
To do
- Free Tour by "Free Tour Stockholm" - amazing insider tips!
- Österlanggatan - perhaps the most beautiful street in the city. Far away from the tourist shops of the Västerlangatan you can find charming handicraft shops, a chocolaterie etc.
- Marten Trotsigs Gränd - the narrowest alley of the city.
- Montelius- Vägen - fantastic view over Stockholm's skyline!
- Vasa Museum - a fascinating museum about a sunk ship that was rediscovered 300 years later
- Sightseeing by boat - a great way to explore the city from another perspective
- Södermalm - a very cool, trendy neighborhood and setting for Stieg Larssons Millenium trilogy
- Stockholm by night - Stockholm is particularly beautiful and mysterious at dusk. Therefore it is best to climb a hill and watch the city slowly illuminated.
- Skansen - a huge open-air museum on Djurgarden. You could spend a whole day here! What's cool: You can see beautiful red Swedish houses, moose and reindeer, old grocery stores etc. Don't miss it: The very cute, small cafe Pettissan, which looks like from the 18th century. Be sure to try the pancakes with confit and cream!
- Walk in Skeppsholmen: A walk in this quarter is worthwhile! Here you can find Nici de St- Phalle- figures, old fishing boats and houseboats, funny letterboxes and bicycles,... Besides, hardly any tourists get lost here. I really liked it! The "Center of Architecture and Design" is also worth a visit!
- Junibacken: A great Lindgren amusement park that also makes adult hearts beat faster. A paradise for children! Highlight: the small train that drives you through the Lindgren books
- Excursion to Vaxholm or Dalarö: two islands in the Stockholm archipelago. Reached by ferry. Wonderful!