With Christmas just around the corner we decided to start embracing it. And what better way than to visit one of those cities that looks extra charming in the run up to the festive season - Stockholm.
We first visited this charming city twelve years ago, Scandinavia's biggest city, so fairly familiar with the area. And superficially it seemed that very little has changed since then which made it easier for us to navigate on a rather impromptu visit.
With only the weekend to spend there, we opted to concentrate on the old town - Gamla Stan - browsing the quaint shops along the cobbled roads and visiting the Royal Palace which we didn't get to do back in 2005. And if we had spare time, which was the case, also include a browse on their modern shopping district adjacent to the old town.
First and foremost, a look at the very pretty Gamla Stan, with its winding and cobbled narrow streets lined with craft (and souvenir) shops, coffee shops, and restaurants...
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| Stockholm is composed of fourteen islands connected with over fifty bridges like this one |
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| Gamla Stan is well known for having mostly ochre tone buildings |
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| The cobbled streets are lined with both charming craft and tacky souvenir shops. This one is an example of the former. |
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| Scandinavians seems to have the knack for creating beautiful window displays so effortlessly |
And within Gamla Stan is the Kungliga Slottet Royal Palace which is worth a few hours visit when you're in the area.
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| Changing of the guards ceremony? |
And since the more modern shopping district is just adjacent to the old town Gamla Stan we also had a good browse in the area, picking up a gift or two in preparation for Christmas.
Stockholm has so much more to offer than just shopping and dining of course and you can easily spend many days there with a myriad of activities and sights to see. It is one of the coolest cities in Europe and laden with great vibes and culture.
A little word of warning though, as with all Scandinavian cities prices of food, services, and other consumer items can be exceptionally high. So plan and budget carefully before you start your day. Just to give you an idea, two tiny cakes and small coffees as seen below in an independent coffee shop has cost us a £28 (US$37). Of course some places are more reasonably priced than others but the lowest levels we've seen are akin to Central London prices (which are already high as it is). So look around and compare first before you commit and flash the cash.
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
I loved the gun sculpture with the knot along the barrel - if only we could put up a display like that in every US city! Thanks for sharing photos of your tour. A visit to Scandinavia has long been on my bucket list. After all, I'm of Swedish descent on one side and Finnish on the other. Unfortunately, my husband has little to no interest so one day I may have to visit there on my own.
ReplyDeleteThat would be fun if you get to visit Kris, you’ll definitely enjoy it! Glad you noted the gun, we were saying something along those lines too.
DeleteCharming indeed ! It's wonderful to see old cobbled streets that aren't junked up with parked cars.
ReplyDeleteLots of these old quarters now are pedestrianised to preserve the old cobbles :)
DeleteWhat a fun weekend getaway! I doubt I’ll be there anytime soon (although I would have said the same about Paris...) so I appreciate the look at what you saw.
ReplyDeleteYou never know, fingers crossed :)
DeleteThis post brought back happy memories of being in Oslo this time two years ago. They are similar in many ways.. especially the prices!
ReplyDeleteVery, and I think it's worse price wise in Norway...
DeleteThanks for the peek guys. Oh those ochre tones must warm up the dreariest of days. We would love to visit Stockholm and Copenhagen too but think that we might try and do it on a cruise.
ReplyDeleteAhh that would be great if you do that! We did the Norway one last year and loved it so much that...
DeleteLove Old Town Stockholm! Did you know that that lovely, warm, ochre limewash is a result of using pigmentation stemming from byproducts of the vibrant copper mining industry, which in many ways provided the foundation for Sweden's wealth. I love those subtly shifting colors - especially on a cold winter day. They warm my heart. (Also, glad that not much seems to have changed, as my husband tells me he would like to move back.)
ReplyDeleteThat was an interesting tidbit of info, did wonder why ochre tones amongst others. We’d love to go back in the warmer months to see Stockholm in the green.
Delete£28!
ReplyDelete(I hadn't known before that Stockholm is a multi-island city.)
Oh yes!
DeleteThanks for a look at a beautiful city! I love the ochre tone buildings and the cobbled streets. Utterly charming! By the way, it is good to see you back in the blogosphere. Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteThank you Debs, glad to be back!
Deletewonderful photos, really gives one a good idea of the lovely old city. I've never been there, so extra appreciate tagging along vicariously.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're visiting all these places I've never been. Someday I'll get a chance to go to Stockholm. Right now, I'm still obsessed with Iceland - Faroe Islands next!
ReplyDeleteVery cool that you got to spend the weekend in this beautiful city! Thanks for the armchair tour.
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