One of the things that I have proved myself very, very good at is getting lost. When I got to Stockholm, I went to the Central Station via the Arlanda Express and found myself at City Backpackers Hostel within ten minutes, however I did get lost on my way from the reception desk to the room…
Once I had my stuff in the hostel, I went for a walk into Gamla Stan. It’s a very nice area, similar to some “old towns” in Europe. I found myself a small bakery so I decided to get a cinnamon roll and a coffee, after I saw the Royal Palace then got lost and ended up in Sodermalm. After I made my way back to the hostel and had a beer and a chat with one of the guys who was staying there.
The next day I took the ferry to the Vasa Museum. It was such a nice day so I had breakfast at the harbor in Slussen. It was a 10 minute ferry ride (roughly £4) then 10 minute walk to the Vasa Museum. My first impression of the museum was that the ship was massive, but I felt as though it was there as a tourist attraction. In spite of this, it was interesting to see how the boats were decorated with religious/spiritual designs for luck and protection.
Near the Vasa Museum is Skansen, which I chose not to visit, so I took the ferry back to Slussen. I arrived back at 12, and the Changing of the Guard ceremony took place at 12.15 so I just about made it on time for it. It was the best changing of the guard ceremony that I’ve seen. I was going to leave before it was over then they started playing Swedish House Mafia, which I really was not expecting, then I watched the rest of the ceremony. After, I chilled in the garden next to the Town Hall for an hour or so, then I headed in no particular direction, so I ended up paying the Nobel Prize Museum a visit. It’s something that I wouldn’t really do if it was in London and I did learn a fair bit about the award and ceremony, but I’m still not overly interested in it.
The next morning I went for a canal ride through Stockholm that lasted around an hour or so and just had a bit of a wander through Stockholm.
https://instagram.com/p/53uwwpKHZB/
What I have to say about Stockholm is that it is a really nice city – the best one I’ve been to all year. I was warned by more or less everyone I know about how expensive it is, but I still have 500SEK left over. I guess that it’s expensive if you book a nice hotel and eat out at every meal, but I stayed in a hostel, lived off cinnamon buns and coffee and food from the supermarket.