Stockholm: A Western European Gem

When we knew we were moving to Europe back in May, we started making an unofficial list of all the countries we wanted to visit while living on the continent. At the very top of the list was our goal to visit one or more Scandinavian countries since neither of us had ever ventured past Holland on Europe's northwest coast.

Low and behold, soon after arriving in Amsterdam we started making plans for a long weekend away in early October to celebrate Chris' birthday. Stockholm, Sweden instantly came to mind. What sealed the deal was the fact that an NHL Premiere Game was being played at the Ericsson Globe Arena between Detroit and St.Louis the weekend we planned to be there. That took care of any concerns Chris had about missing ice hockey while living in Europe...we would be catching one of the first games of the season!

Here's a little secret...in our opinion Stockholm is a Western European gem. Relatively removed from the mainstream route many tourists travel through Europe, Stockholm boasts some of the most beautiful architecture, luscious landscape and tasty food the continent has to offer and without the millions of tourists you find in other cities. Don't believe us? Then check out some of the highlights from our weekend in Stockholm...


Memories of Canada

Prior to our visit, we were told that Sweden looks and feels a lot like Canada. That couldn't have been more true as we arrived in Stockholm, flying over large bodies of water and an archipelago of small islands covered in hearty evergreens, reminding us so much of Vancouver. The drive from the airport to the city center instilled even more feelings of homesickness as we passed through farmland, rock quarries, and hundreds of multicoloured deciduous trees, similar to what you might find in Ontario at this time of year.

Even as the most cosmopolitan city in Scandinavia, Stockholm has a very relaxed feel about it. No one seems to be rushing to get anywhere and you can tell the locals really enjoy outdoor activities such as walking, jogging, biking, and rollerblading. Also, different from other European cities, Stockholm does not come across as overly pretentious. In any setting, you feel right at home wearing your jeans, running shoes, hoodies, and rain gear. One thing you can't live without, though, are some warm clothes and accessories. Similar to Canada, by October, frost was already on the ground each morning and icy rain and strong winds would blow throughout the day. Having only brought with us our warmest summer clothes from Amsterdam, our first stop was to pick up warm hats and gloves. We never took them off the entire weekend.

Of course, it was great to be back in a country that appreciated our beloved Canadian national sport - ice hockey. We have become accustomed to saying ice hockey anytime we speak of the sport since the word "hockey" implies field hockey in Holland. However, in Sweden, there is only one kind of hockey and it's the one played on ice, the way we know and love it. On Saturday night we joined 12,000 Swedish fans in the impressive Ericsson Globe Arena to cheer on the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues in one of their first games of the NHL season. Given the large number of Swedish players on the Red Wings, they were the crowd favourite, but ended up losing to the Blues for the second straight night in a row.

Even though neither of our favourite Canadian NHL teams (Chris: Ottawa Senators; Charlotte: Vancouver Canucks) were playing, Chris was delighted to have two young Swedes sitting next to him, both wearing Ottawa Senators jerseys. What were the chances of that? Chris couldn't have been happier. He was able to find two other people in the whole world who actually liked his team. Shocking.

Elegance & Sophistication

Stockholm can be summed up in the following two words: elegance and sophistication. As expected, modern Swedish design (like the orange chairs and white lamp found outside a fast food joint in the picture below) does exist, and its influence can be seen throughout the city. For example, an IKEA shuttle bus leaves the city centre every 15 minutes, taking tourists to the largest IKEA store in the world - a true testament to the world's love of mainstream Swedish design. However, what surprised us the most was the fact that Stockholm wasn't as avant garde and as ultra modern as we had expected.

For someone like myself, who is enamoured with all things Art Deco, I instantly fell in love with Stockholm's architecture, buildings and design from that era. Bright colours, wrought iron, rounded windows and terraces, and embedded metallic shapes graced the majority of the buildings throughout the city. An incredible blue sky, immaculately clean streets and perfectly groomed gardens enhanced the beauty of the buildings even further. As you walked from one neighbourhood to the next you couldn't help but observe how the city's architecture had been influenced by important European cities such as Prague, Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona and Paris.

Another aspect adding to the elegance and sophistication of Stockholm was its fantastic shopping. Streets were filled with endless fashion and home decor stores - not many of which we recognized, which added to their appeal! Although Stockholm lives up to its reputation of being an expensive city, both of us were able to find a few "steals" and came home wearing some Swedish fashion trends of our own.

Culinary Delights

I don't believe Sweden is particularly known for its cuisine; however, we ended up having some really great meals over the course of the weekend. We made multiple trips to a beautiful indoor market, which elegantly displayed anything and everything our hearts desired for dine-in or take-out.

We also managed to consume an inappropriate amount of red meat in four days. I don't know if it was due to the lack of red meat in our diet because it's not easily available in Dutch grocery stores, or if it was the simple fact that we come from Austrian and Polish descent and red meat is in our blood. Nevertheless, we couldn't get enough of the Swedish sausages, meatballs and reindeer. Yes, we ate some Rudolph.

As predictable as this will sound, the best local meal we ate took place in one of Stockholm's old beer halls with its high ceiling, painted murals, dim lighting, crammed tables, and the loud echo of chatter and laughter from those seated around us. It was in this perfect environment that we had our first taste of "official" Swedish meatballs. They did not disappoint. A perfect combination of meat, potatoes and gravy, accompanied by a mound of fresh lingonberries and a Gherkin pickle. A highlight for sure!


Historic Splendour
Our final memorable afternoon was spent in the Vasamuseet, an impressive museum documenting the tragic tale of the flagship Vasa sinking within minutes of being launched from the Stockholm port in 1628. After years of searching for its remains, the Vasa ship was miraculously resurrected from the mud 300 years after it sank. The museum now houses the the fully restored ship in all its glory and an impressive depiction of the lives of 17th-century sailors.

Not generally impressed by marine archaeology, we were both blown away by the amazing achievement of fully restoring such an old ship. As for why the Vasa sank so quickly after leaving shore...some say it was the poor workmanship of the ship's Polish builders. Chris vehemently disagrees with that possibility!

Even after such a short visit, we both agree that Stockholm should not be missed on your travels through Europe. Or wait, forget everything you just read. We'd like to keep Stockholm a secret for a little while longer!