My favorite moment was when Mom and I almost mailed a package back home via UPS thinking the cost was $50, but then double checked and realized the cost of shipping was really $500 - needless to say the total contents (with a value of about $100) are finding another way back to the US.
We arrived in Stockholm at about 10am, and made our way from the ferry to our hotel at the city center. After checking in, we did a lot of walking our first day, first to the Nordic Design museum and then onto the city center. The Nordic Design center was a combination of IKEA-like showrooms of Sweden's design through the ages and very odd exhibits. Our random exhibit favorites included "Men in Bathing Suits" (a history of men's changing swimsuit fashions) and "Garbage" (a look at the sociological and environmental impact of waste). The two hours were entertaining, and the museum was rather unusual. The beautiful museum building itself was well worth the long walk.
After a quick ferry ride between main islands, we spent the later half of the afternoon touring Gamla Stam, Stockholm's historic old district. Relative to other cities I've visited, the historic district wasn't all that remarkable, and we decided to pass on the royal palace tour.
As evening approached, we returned back to our hotel neighborhood and wandered the area's shopping district. There must be at least 15 H&Ms within Stockholm's main downtown shopping area, and all the merchandise looks the same but with prices nearly twice as high in the US. The home design stores were fun though, and Mom and I agreed that the merchandise in Sweden and the Scandinavia is far better than that in the US. For dinner, we found a wonderful food market, where we picked up some incredible cheese, crackers, and strawberries to have a fantastic meal back in our hotel after a large, late, and pricy lunch.
We sadly discovered that the best downtown stores close at 7pm, so we spent the evening wandering into the few that were open and took breaks at some of the small parks we found along the way. By 9pm, were both exhausted from the 10 or so miles we had covered during the day, and returned to the hotel before it was even dark outside. The summer nights are very long in Sweden. The sun didn't set until after 10pm, but we didn't feel a need to see the sunset after our long day.
I like Stockholm, but it's kind of so out-there-uber-expensive that the city doesn't quite make up for its price. When a glass of wine starts at $10, museums cost around $20 to enter, and a main course starts at $40, the city has to be life-changing to really seem worth those prices. The city is very pretty, organized, safe, and picturesque, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it charming. Stockholm was classy; Mom called it "design-savvy." But good taste comes at a high price. I really enjoyed the visit, but I'm glad we only spent two days there, because I don't think we needed much more time to see the city and my bank account needs a break.
I'll write more about our last day in Stockholm tomorrow, but now Mom and I are on our way to Prague for three nights. Looking forward to a return to Eastern Europe.
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