From north to south, Sweden is no less than 1,550 kilometers long, which makes it a wonderfully diverse country. The culture in the south is different from that in the north and this largely has to do with climate. In winter it barely gets light in the north, in Swedish Lapland, while in summer the sun hardly sets. All seasons are completely different, so Sweden will not easily become boring as a holiday destination. The capital Stockholm is hip, modern but also very relaxed and since you can get there in a 2-hour flight, it is a great city trip destination.
Sweden
december 22, 2023So, as some of you might know Kest and I were planning on going to Taiwan for November. However, due to him finishing his PhD we were not able to go on this trip. Super bummer, but hey, what ya gonna do about it?! It got me thinking, what CAN we do? I landed on a perfect little plan for myself: Anne and I would go to Barcelona together and Kest would join me on a trip to Portugal and a weekend getaway to Stockholm. That somewhat satisfied my appetite for traveling but let’s be honest, that will never be fully satisfied.
I found a flight to Stockholm from Düsseldorf, which is a swift 35 minute drive from our house. I had never flown from Düsseldorf before but I was not disappointed! We parked at P4 (we paid around 80/90 euros) and took the skytrain to the airport (a 2 minute ride). We had dinner at a restaurant at the airport and the food was surprisingly good! Kest and I always banter over who gets the aisle seat. He tricked me into giving the aisle seat to him, a move that seemed to have the gods favoring me as I got no neighbour on the plane! So imagine my delight as I got all comfy and watched my tv show on my ipad.
We arrived in the evening in Stockholm and the city was just marvelous, covered under a thin layer of snow. It was pretty cold but we were prepared so no harm done. We took the train from the airport to the city center (Arlanda express), which was just a 18 minute ride. It is not cheap though, it is around 30 euros one way. But everything is expensive in Sweden, so that wasn’t surprising! We walked from the station to our hotel, which was a magical walk. Our hotel was just wonderful! It was incredibly multifunctional: a hotel, coffee shop, rooftop bar, restaurant and deli store.
Our first full day was a magical day in Stockholm! Wrapped up in layers, Kest and I embarked on a city adventure. We explored the enchanting streets and immersed ourselves in the festive atmosphere.
Our day began with a wonderful breakfast at our hotel, where I mistakenly took some Swedish bread that I definitely didn’t like.. Afterwards, we took a leisurely stroll, taking in the iconic sights of Stockholm. We stumbled upon a charming café and warmed up with hot cocoa, savoring the cozy ambiance.
Later in the afternoon we visited Eggs Inc for a delightful lunch, we both decided on some Eggs Benny. Thereafter, we went to a Christmas market, which was adorned with twinkling lights. We meandered through the stalls and soaked up the holiday spirit. In the meantime, snowflakes fluttered down, setting a beautiful tone for a romantic Christmas outing. To warm up, we indulged in Glögg, Swedish mulled wine. I had never drank it before, but I loved it! It was, once again, quite expensive though. You pay around 10/11 euros per glass. So keep that in mind when traveling to Stockholm. We finished our evening with a culinary delight at Tradition, we ordered the famous Swedish meatballs! They were so damn tasty.
Another day, another adventure. We embraced the magic of winter as we explored Stockholm’s snow-covered streets. We had lunch at a cute little crêperie, we both chose a sweet crêpe. I had one with chocolate and bananas, so good!
A ferry ride across the glistening waters led us to another enchanting part of the city. Wrapped in scared and mittens, we strolled through snow-covered alleys. It was all giggles when we got into an unexpected snowball brawl! Let the winter shenanigans begin! I won, of course. This evening, we were in the mood for some Vietnamese food (mainy Kest) so when he found out that there was a really good Vietnamese restaurant near us, we just had to go there! After dinner, we came by an ice rink in the city center, where we marveled at the graceful movements of skaters beneath the twinkling lights. Secretly, I spotted this guy who was seriously awesome at skating. When he noticed me recording him, he pulled off a cool trick, busted! At the end of our evening we enjoyed a cozy moment at a local spot, sipping on a glass of wine and a beer. The bill however, totaled 24/25 euros. That hurt!
As our adventure in Stockholm came to an end, the last morning and afternoon were a lovely extension of our journey. We took a last stroll around the city, soaking in the final glimpses of this magnificent city. We enjoyed a last lunch at the airport, savoring the last tasted of our Swedish escapade. Boarding the plane, we found ourselves back home sooner than expected. The travel experience was seamless, leaving us quite impressed with my first departure from Düsseldorf. [...]
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