This weekend, alongside another English Language Assistant, I visited my second Scandinavian capital: Stockholm.
Thursday Evening
After both of our days’ work, we met at Lübeck Hauptbahnhof and headed to Hamburg Airport. Our flight was at 7pm, so we had to leave here around 4pm. We grabbed some dinner at the airport and then boarded our plane. It was only a small 80 seat plane, with 4 seats in each row. It was very cute and felt quite luxurious!
Once we arrived at Arlanda Airport, we headed straight for the bus stop to make our connection to the city centre. Luckily, we managed to get on the coach with only 1 minute to spare! Otherwise we would’ve had to wait another 20 minutes before we started our 40-minute journey to the centre of Stockholm, which would have made us too late to check in at our hotel! So, we saved ourselves that worry.
It was about 11pm by the time we got into our room, so we just decided to turn in, especially considering we’d both worked that day too.
Friday
After filling ourselves up on the breakfast buffet, we decided to buy tickets for a Hop on- hop off city sightseeing tour. Seeing as neither of us had been to Stockholm before, we thought this would be the best way to see the highlights and decide what to go visit. Plus, we could get a 72 hour ticket, which covered us for the full time we were there.
Although, we already had one place in mind since booking this trip: The ABBA Museum.
Anyone, who knows me, knows I’m not a fan of museums…but, this was something I could definitely get along with! This museum was also very interactive, with TV screens playing films to watch, or you could try your hand at karaoke or mixing your own music.
The first floor was all about the Mamma Mia films, with some of the costumes, props and scenery on display. Plus, the soundtracks were playing in the background to set the mood. And, Donna’s car was there for photo opportunities…which, of course, we took…
The next floor was all about the group themselves, from their childhoods to when they all met to their Eurovision success and the start of their international careers/worldwide domination.
We also got to see their elaborate stage costumes, some of which were modelled by their very own wax figures. All their album covers and their silver, gold and platinum discs from countries all over the world were displayed alongside. And I think this is only a snapshot of how many they actually received in total!
They remain, to this day, Sweden’s best-selling artist!
After we left the museum, we realised we had spent over 3 hours in there! Definitely great value for money! We hopped back on the bus to get back to our hotel to relax a little bit before the evening.
Friday evening, we decided to go out for dinner, to Vapiano for some Italian food. (I love this restaurant! They are everywhere so please go and try it out!) Then we remembered that the nearest bus stop to the restaurant on the bus tour was called Ice Bar, so we decided to go check this out!
It is a little bit pricey for the size of drink you get, but it is all about the experience. It was something neither of us had done before and wanted to, so we thought why not?
Saturday
We hopped back on the bus again and this time we got off at the old town, called Gamla Stan. Here is where the Royal Palace is, along with many small streets filled with shops (Rip our bank accounts!)
I bought a postcard to add to my collection and a silver ring with an unusual-shaped Blue Topaz stone. Although, the ring was a bit on the small side…but I loved it so we can think about the practicalities later!!
We then headed back to the city centre with all the more modern shops and high street brands and had a look around.
Then for dinner, we decided to try some Swedish cuisine. I mean, we tried Sweden’s answer to fast food: MAX. This was pricier than your normal McDonald’s or Burger King, but it was good. We both got chicken nuggets and chips and I got onion rings and a vegan chocolate shake as extras. That milkshake was the best chocolate drink I have ever had! It was amazing!
Sunday
Finally, the sun came out, typically on the day when all we had to do was head to the airport. We both decided to get our final taste of Sweden and ate Swedish meatballs for our lunch.
Then we boarded our little plane and took off at sunset. An hour and a half later, we landed back at Hamburg, after a fantastic weekend!
I really loved this weekend away and would love to go back again someday! This city just felt so safe and comfortable, plus it was really pretty! There was so much to see and do! Everyone spoke English, so it was perfect for us, who did not understand a word of Swedish!
The downside is it can be really expensive, and the currency is hard to understand and convert to pounds. But that was the only issue I saw.
Definitely would recommend this place to everyone!
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