Stockholm – Exploiting Life

Stockholm was a comfortable place to start my journey, being so similar to places back “home”. Because of that, though, it’s been a little harder to get to gettin’ on this blog; below is a summary of the highlights of my visit, enjoy!

What I LOVED

The ABBA Museum. I would never have put this place on my bucket list, but while I was on the island Djurgården one morning, meaning to walk through the green covered plat and sit with my Stockholm planning guide, I noticed the ABBA Museum staring me in the face and having just opened, there were very few folks darkening its doors. Woot! In I went in honor of the bestie, for her up-until-then inexplicable love of the band. What a great museum! It prides itself on being interactive and interactive, it was! I had a wonderful time with the other tourists, reading about the band’s history and life then trying my hand at various talents the museum has to offer. I attempted (and failed) to mix a track as the producer would, sing a song, dance to a music video, and generally laughed a lot at the others who braved getting on stage behind a virtual ABBA to replicate their movements in concert. It was a treat. The ABBA Museum. Who knew?

The Vasa Museum. This Museum is dedicated to the warship Vasa which sank in the Baltic Sea less than a mile off Stockholm’s shore in 1628 and was found and raised over 300 years later, almost perfectly preserved. The explanation of how the ship was found, then how it was resurrected was well explained and even more incredibly executed. Turns out this ship sank just hours after it’s maiden departure because the ballast which balances the big vessel wasn’t correctly measured and a light wind just knocked ‘er over. Bananas.

Djurgården (and all the greens). One of my visits to this beautiful island had me up and out of the apt by 6:00. It was definitely early enough that I had almost the entire island to myself. I was glorious! Recently, I led a pretty sedentary life back in the States and though I’ll always choose to be outside, I didn’t take hikes or long walks through the forest. Maybe I took it for granted, and maybe I was busy trying to fix other things in my life that weren’t getting fixed. In any case, walking through the lush greenery and alongside the water, watching the birds and listening to their songs just felt right. I stood 5 feet from a Heron, saw a mother Mallard keeping her 6 babies safe, and most wonderful of all, I spotted a family of Loons. If asked what animal I’d like to be as a child, I would always reply that I’d like to be a Loon because they could both fly AND swim, but they weren’t typically prey nor hunter. I’d never seen baby Loons before so I sat on the empty pier watching them for longer than they’d probably have liked.
Meandering through the park portion of Djurgården, I came across the Rosendals Trädgård which was a big garden, nursery, restaurant, bar, and event venue. Stunning, and the place I felt most at home in Stockholm, even though it was technically closed. Being an open space, I still took advantage of the various seating areas surrounded by foliage and flowers – happy place. I eventually landed on some picnic tables with smart coverings where I sat and wrote, my fingers flying over the keyboard of their own accord.
I stopped at a restaurant on the water between Djurgården and östermalm to have some coffee which I liberally spiked with cardamom – multiple cups. Smiling while I watched a multi-generational family catching up and chasing the toddler away from the water’s edge.

Walking and strolling, seeing and feeling. In some activity research, I read about Monteliusvägen being an excellent place to get some good views of Stockholm from up high(er). I spent quite a while at this little park on a hill over the water where a 180 degree view of the city kept me enthralled. From there, it was a day for strolling. And strolling. And more strolling. I was ultimately trying to make my way to the Fotografiska Museum but what should have been a 45 minute walk took nearly 3 hours – meandering and wrong turns galore. It didn’t help that once I got within eyesight of the museum, which was at the bottom of the cliff from where it was glimpsed, there was construction on the cliff so the stairs down were closed to the public. Mishaps being part of the fun of travelling, I could only laugh. There was a family wanting a picture of themselves at the clifftop and when they thanked me in Spanish, I responded in kind and happily walked away to their surprised guffaws. Well, another half mile of zigzagging down through the detour, and I made it!

On another super HOT day, there was no way I was going to hard walk in the heat again, not for anything. So, after the morning in the apartment, I went in search of the swimming beach which was supposedly located close to the apartment. As is my new custom, I got lost – again. After sweating my way through a couple miles of disorientation, I asked directions and a nice customer at the mini mart tried to send me to somewhere I instinctively knew was wrong. Cut to finally finding my intended spot, yes, extremely close to the apartment, and basically shedding my exterior clothes as I ran into the water. Gloriously cool, clean water with a sandy floor enveloped me with pleasure. Finally! I made it to the Baltic Sea for a swim.

The Subway. Stockholm’s mass transit options are stellar, taking you anywhere you want to go, at any time, in short order. Even though Stockholm is quite walk-able, sometimes the day’s plan just lent itself to saving time with the subway or bus. Each Subway station also included exhibits from local artists to increase the curb appeal. Some of these installations were brilliant!

Norr Mälarstrand. This is a street along the waterfront of the island Kungsholmen where I was staying. I’d read mention of a restaurant called Mälarpaviljongen in an activity ad for the most Insta worthy bars and found it was very close to the apartment on Norr Mälarstrand, so off I went to find it. The area where Malarpaviljongen Restaurant is located is full of the most beautiful people on the planet, tourist or not. I just looked and drank in the beauty and atmosphere without attempting to engage. On another adventure, I walked the entire street on my way back to the apartment, stopping every so often to watch snippets of a movie on my phone, people watch, or enjoy the sun sinking into the horizon (at, oh, 23:30??).

The views of the Stockholm Archipelago on my way out. As I left the city by giant ferry, the vistas of beautiful islands, sea birds, adventurous souls on jet skis using the the ferry’s wake as a jump, sailboats, etc… were amazing.

What I could do without

Stockholm’s Culture. Please take this as my humble opinion based on only 11 days in the city with limited funds and few locals to influence my judgement. If you live in Sweden, are of Swedish descent, or are a Swede-o-phile (technically, a Suecophile), I’m sure you’re a lovely individual.

Although most everyone in Stockholm speaks fluent English, the city does not rely on tourism for its economy, so finding anything repeated in English was almost impossible. Street signs. Subway stops. Instructions for anything. Food menus. The list goes on… I know, I know, I’m a spoiled English speaker who relies too heavily on the fact it’s become the “universal” language in Europe, but c’mon; I barely heard Swedish spoken anywhere. Help a tourist out, will ya?

Swedes do not find the fact that the English words entrance and exit are translated to infart and utfart in Swedish remotely giggle-worthy.

I have the sneaking suspicion that Stockholm residents are actually Stepford people. If I were ever attacked in the city (would never happen, the place is safer than safe) and a local saw it happen, they would continue calmly on their way without flinching as though propelled by a super natural force to keep cool.

It’s no joke that being in Stockholm feels eerily similar to being back in Portland. I showed up in Stockholm on July 17, which is smack dab in the height of summer. Although the majority of Swedes choose this time to take their copious amounts of holiday and head to the outer islands, the city still showed me many colors; tourists included.

Being a native-ish Portlander (20 years) on the move, I noticed so many similarities that I’m convinced the cities were separated at birth.

Do you really want more friends?

It’s a well known fact that (native-ish) Portlanders are friendly to a fault, causing traffic jams trying to allow the other person to take the right of way, giving money to strangers, rallying for civil rights, etc… This friendliness isn’t, however, sticky. If a Portlander has just given a new transplant directions to the nearest pub that has ping pong, played a round with them, and bought them a pint, that does NOT mean the Portlander will exchange numbers or ever take a call from what could, in other worlds, have been considered a new friend. The Portlander will politely change the subject when the stranger casually mentions “we should do this again sometime” or give a vague excuse about walking their dog if they ask “what are you doing next week?” It’s all well and good until someone wants to genuinely connect.

My tour guide in Stockholm is from England and quite an energetic and outgoing guy. Being from the UK, we know that stereotype – the “Hey mate, come on in, meet my family, have a pint, stay the month!” kind of person. Well, he admitted that he’s lived here for 7 years and just made his 6th Swedish friend through hard work and perseverance. Again, most of the Swedes in Stockholm have vanished for the summer, so I can’t attest to that theory directly, but I can verify those I’ve met have been extremely warm and welcoming. The gleam in their eyes, though, tells me they’re just as happy to watch me walk away, back to the airport and on to another country.

Sibling Rivalry – In Sweden, it’s easier to pretend to not speak English.

Coffee Culture

If you own a coffee shop in Portland and you do not already have cardamom on your list of add ins, go. Do it now. Stockholm has a coffee shop on every corner and none of them start with Star or end with Best. The caffeine addiction is strong in both towns with multiple options on every corner. Stockholm has even gone so far as to name their coffee and pastry habit as Fika. What could Portland’s be named? Cash hemorrhage?

Sibling Rivalry – Stockholm’s default brew is dark with a hint of tar and it’s up to the customer to customize to their liking while Portland requires the customer to convey 40 word sentences to the barista to get what they want. Either way is fine, as long as the pot is never empty.

The color of your skin

Summertime in Stockholm boasts a 3-4 more hours of daily sunlight than that of Portland. For those who failed math, that’s several more hours of sun exposure every week. There are beaches all over the city in Stockholm and many rivers and lakes available to Portlanders with very short commutes. So why is it that, in both cities, sunglasses are required more for the brightness of the locals’ legs than for the actual ball of gas in the sky? The only people with brown legs in either place were actually born that color. You’ll see farmer’s tans or merged freckles or bronzed shoulders or lobster skin, but nowhere will you find forearms matching shins.

Sibling Rivalry – In winter, those who live in Stockholm need to take vitamin D pills to replace the sunlight.

Bridges over the river… I mean sea… I mean lake

Portland is quite proud of the numerous bridges seaming the east and west sides of the city though not quite as proud of those connecting to Washington. The bridges are beautiful and iconic to a city split by a wide river; each one with its own uniqueness. There are 12 bridges in Portland, all sizable. There are 57 bridges in Stockholm. Due to the island makeup of Stockholm, this is to be expected, but it’s the vehemence with which each city proudly displays their bridge culture which makes them related.

Sibling Rivalry – Even in the downtown area, it’s safe to swim in the water under said bridges in Stockholm.

Bikes and Scooters and eCycles, oh my!

Both cities’ topographies are poster children for two wheeled transport options, unlike hilly cities like San Francisco or Lisbon where the average tourist would be hard pressed to make it back to their abode. Both cities have rentable scooters and bicycles scattered all about on sidewalks, street corners, and in private yards. Both cities have a high percentage of residents who already embrace or are on the cusp of embracing non-motorized transport.

The ability to scoot from place to place is an enviable choice when faced with million mile walks or crowded mass transit. Two wheeled transport for a renter is also a good budget option. The cost of renting a scooter in either city will set you back only a fraction of the cost of that morning latte. I will tell you, though, that until I have secured medical travel insurance, I will not be trusting my life to my balance and traffic skills on a scooter.

Sibling rivalry – It’s abundantly clear, however, that Stockholm has invested more time and money in infrastructure to support these choices. The fact that everywhere you go, there are clearly marked lanes for pedestrians vs two wheeled vs four wheeled vehicles makes it feel safe and functional for everyone involved, no matter your choice of transportation.

Foodie Schmoodie

Portland has been known as a city full of great food, whether it be the robust food truck scene or the multitude of pop-up restaurants begging for your attention on the east side. In fact, even the west side is trying to step up its game. There is food for any palate with gourmet (and street food masked as such) selections everywhere. The brunch options are lengthy, almost as lengthy as the lines you find yourself in attempting to taste the food! There is Burger week, Dining week, Wing week, Vegan Food Festival, Seafood Festival… you get the idea. Food is important to a Portlander.

In Stockholm, it’s much the same – down to the food trucks. At what would be considered a “mall food court” in Stockholm’s Sodermalm neighborhood, there are a handful of restaurants so touted that their chef’s names are emblazoned proudly on the marquee. I had the opportunity to try some out and must admit that it’s the right thing to do.

Burgers recently came to Stockholm in a rush and were immediately accepted as the next great culinary discovery (next to the hot dog and meatballs, of course). There are burger joints on most corners, many with cult followings. Unfortunately, due to the infancy of the trend, most meat burgers are a little on the flat and gray side; they could use a little more depth and pink, but they make up for it with fantastic toppings! It’s not difficult to find a bay shrimp topped burger, or an avocado stuffed patty. In addition, Stockholm is on par with Portland in the vegetarian/vegan space in that non-meat options abound everywhere, including grilled halloumi. Yum!

Sibling rivalry – You must sell your left arm, right boob, and your first born to eat out in Stockholm. Even at lunch, a typical burger is easily $18.

Nature

Both cities’ residents are obvious nature lovers. Why wouldn’t they be with the most perfect weather from May to October, when all things planty spring forth? Portland’s parks are numerous and many take up some serious space. In Stockholm, you can’t spit without hitting a green space; there’s even an entire island fittingly called Djurgarden covered in a lush green park with, obvs, water on all sides. I was lucky enough to have the entire island to myself one morning and wandered through what I can only consider my dream business… A nursery/bar/event venue. Boom.

Both inhabitants also know that the sun is a precious resource, so they take every chance possible to get out in it. It’s impossible to find a Swede in Stockholm during the summer (who does not work in the tourism industry) because they’re off climbing, swimming, hiking, boating, etc… As a matter of fact, if you want to visit a locally owned business in Stockholm, do NOT try it in summer! There are “I’m off enjoying the actual sun, closed until Sept” notices everywhere.

As a lover of the green stuff myself, it’s been absolutely refreshing to see the abundance of flowers all over Stockholm city. In fact, most of the plant life grown in Stockholm is exactly the same as in Portland. In addition, almost every abode is littered with houseplants to tide the folks over in the darker months. The AirBnb I was in actually had more than 15 potted plants plus almost that many starts, which is a higher number than the square footage.

Sibling Rivalry – None. Nothing can be lost by this. But Stockholm DOES have Roomba mowers, does Portland?

Inclusivity

Stockholm and Portland both have a soft spot for the underdog. I won’t get into politics here, but it’s an obvious correlation, the total acceptance of strangers and those of differing backgrounds. You can easily find co-ed bathrooms, expect to accommodate all skin colors, see numerous tattoos (on a single person), and appreciate the love of all sexual orientations in both locations.

Sibling rivalry – In Stockholm, I did see a very young woman with a single smoking cigarette tattooed on her thigh. Sigh.