Stockholm Experience; A December Visit To Sweden

Stockholm in December and my first ever visit to the country of Sweden. I expected a snowy festive Christmas atmosphere considering Stockholm’s northernly location in the world (& proximity to the home of Santa and his reindeer).

In reality, temperatures hovered around 37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) and two out of the three days we visited it rained, so we unfortunately never got the “snowy” part, but we definitely did get the festive Christmas atmosphere and a great feel for what the city has to offer! Here’s a few of my observations:

Bumpy London Departure > Smooth Stockholm Arrival

Our journey began at 4am on a Friday morning in a taxi from our flat, an hour drive with 15+ roundabouts on the way (i.e.normal London roads!), a ride that always succeeds in upsetting my stomach. Luckily, once in Stockholm a few hours later, the journey was a lot smoother.

Having bought online tickets for the express train into Stockholm city center in advance, we boarded a train from the same terminal we disembarked the plane from, showed the ticket collector my credit card for proof of advance purchase (no paper ticket needed), and in twenty minutes we had arrived in central Stockholm! Efficient and quick – the train reached speeds of 205km/hour.

Joggers, Cyclists & Walkers

By 11am we began walking along the waterfront east from the Kungsholmen neighborhood towards the Gamla Stan (old town) section of town.  We were among many other people who seemed to be taking full advantage of the beautiful promenade walking path bordering the Riddarfjärden – the bay of Lake Mälaraen. People who were dressed in full active gear going for a run, couples holding hands on a leisurely walk, bicyclists, and locals walking their dogs.

It wasn’t until two days later that we understood why the promenade was especially active that day during the cold but sunny “daylight hours”, which brings me to my next observation –

A Mid-Afternoon Sunset

My whole sense of time and place was thrown off throughout our weekend in Stockholm. By 2pm every day, it was dark. By 6pm it felt like midnight. On the other hand, it was also kind of ideal for our travel style.

On both Saturday and Sunday we had a huge lunch/dinner at around 3:30pm. Usually that appears to be a slow time for restaurants but in Stockholm many of the restaurants were full. By 11pm, we were in bed and ready to get 8+ hours of sleep then do it all over again the next day. Notice the time in the below seemingly “night” picture – 2:50pm!

On the reverse side of things, I’d love to see the vibe in Stockholm in the middle of the summer when the city gets around 18 hours of daylight and it doesn’t get dark until after 10 in the evening.

Don’t Obsess about Prices…

Or you’ll be in for a very rough trip! Let me help you anticipate what to expect by giving you two simple comparisons:

Average price for a beer: 89 Swedish Krunas = $13.50US dollars or about £8 British pounds

Average price for a burger out at a restaurant: 185 Swedish Krunas = $28 US dollars or about £17 British pounds

Unfortunately, if you want to see Stockholm or the Scandinavia area in general (I’ve heard Norway is even more expensive), there’s no way around the price shock.

Having your priorities in place is the best strategy and that involves setting a budget in advance. As huge craft beer fans, we decided we’d rather allocate our travel budget towards enjoying the scene at the Swedish beer bars in town…which meant that the food experience ranked a little lower on the list.  Hate to admit this – but it’s true that there’s usually always a McDonalds in close proximity…

Brooklyn Brewery in Sweden

Earlier this year in Scotland I attended the European Beer Bloggers Conference, and the brewmaster from Brooklyn Brewery, Garrett Oliver, was one of the speakers. At that point I learned that Brooklyn Brewery was setting up a brewery operation in Stockholm. (See an article about the new brewery here.)

But, I still did not expect to see the Brooklyn Brewery beer and logo through the city of Stockholm as much as I did during my visit. At almost all of the craft beer bars we visited (upcoming post on Stockholm beer bars soon), Brooklyn Brewery beer was on tap. No Brooklyn beer for me, though – I decided it was smarter to wait for my upcoming move back to New York City in January 2014 where I can visit the actual brewery in person, and pay in US dollars for the beer!

Regardless, American craft beer in general was very easy to get in Stockholm (Loved seeing Victory Brewing Company beer from my hometown state of Pennsylvania, too!) and it’s great to see that the Swedish people seem to have similar interests in craft beer.

Welcoming Coffee Shops & Saffron Filled Pastries

In London, I spend a lot of time at coffee shops mainly because it’s a great environment to focus on my writing. Considering the amount of modern and cosy shops all over Stockholm, I’d be comfortable living in this city. On our visit to Stockholm we walked between five to ten miles every day, so it very convenient to see all the coffee shops and quaint cafes, and have frequent opportunities to go inside and take a short break.

Croissants with saffron? I’ve never had a saffron filled croissant before as I typically only associate the spice saffron with its use in Indian and other Asian curry dishes. As a result, I was a little skeptical about how this combination would taste inside a breakfast croissant. The cafe owner convinced me to try it and I have zero regrets – it was wonderful!

Christmas Spirit in Stockholm

The Christmas market in the old town was a great starting point to get in the mood for Christmas – small and quaint and filled with a mix of both tourists and locals. While there, it’s necessary to try some Glogg (a Scandinavian mulled wine concoction) and gingerbread.

Next there’s the Scandinavian folklore of the frightening troll creature. As a child, I remember reading some troll stories and I even owned a few troll dolls but I always thought they were more cool-looking than they were scary. There are troll souvenirs everywhere in Stockholm, and as an added bonus to celebrate the holidays all the trolls are now decked out in Christmas attire!

Another souvenir I loved were the many long, thin hats sticking up in the air attached to Santas where only the big nose was exposed. Amusing. Made me laugh throughout the day and I had to buy one to bring home!

Festive Christmas lights covered the city’s main zones, particularly on the many pedestrian shopping streets.

Final Observations

Stockholm is a fun, active city with lots of charm and character.  It was the absolute perfect weekend trip to experience the joy of Christmas and get me in the mood for the holiday season.

Now, on to new holiday experiences – my first “English Christmas” next week  in Cornwall, then a move back to the New York City area in January where Jim and I will celebrate a late Christmas back in the USA with our families. Can’t wait.

Merry Christmas!