I just need to clear the air and say: no other place is more perfect than Sweden in the summer. Endless warm sunlight, cool mornings and evening, warm sun during the day; warm enough to swim but not hot. The humidity was low and we had a delightful sprinkle of rain one afternoon.
Vienna weather has really struggled this summer – unseasonably hot and humid days, thunderstorms. It’s not unlike a Virginia summer but frankly I hate it and I can tell the Viennese are especially grumpy about it too.
Stockholm Part 1
The first weekend, we stayed in the downtown Stockholm area in between the train station and the harbor, close to all of the essentials.
The Vasa ship capsized and sank in Stockholm 1628 – 333 years later, the ship was raised from the harbor and is now the best preserved 17th century ship in the world and the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The museum is really thoughtfully laid out around the ship. Art galleries aside, I think this is my favorite museum I’ve ever visited.
Another highlight was walking the expansive and beautiful Royal Gardens and visiting Rosendals TrädgÃ¥rd – a magical garden center with a little shop and cafe that sells beautiful fresh pastries, sandwiches, coffee, and drinks. You select your tray of food then choose any one of the numerous tables nestled in the gardens, wines, and trellises. So relaxing.
We also enjoyed riding the metro around to check out the art in the Stockholm subway stations. One of the things I love about Europe is that many cities choose to make things beautiful not for any utility but simply to make it more enjoyable. Look at these amazing murals.
Gothenburg
For the second part of our trip, we took a three hour train west to Gothenburg. I didn’t know anything about Gothenburg until I started researching Sweden for this trip but we really enjoyed it. We stayed in this deliciously Scandinavian Airbnb with excellent views of the city.
One of my favorite parts of the entire trip was hiking the Gotaladen Trail. We took the train to Norsesund and ended up hiking 17 miles all the way to Floda. The trail was wonderful because it’s all accessible by public transportation and the trail widely varies from flat to incline, gravel to dirt, city to forest, lake to river. It’s absolutely lovely and should be on your bucket list.
Like Stockholm, Gothenburg has an impressive archipelago with ferries that can take you almost anywhere you wish. We randomly choose two islands on the map and were greeted with sun, sparkling water, picturesque fisherman’s huts, delicious seafood, and relaxation.
Our last morning, we walked around Gothenburg’s impressive Botanical Gardens. It’s funny over the years, Jeff and I seek out parks and gardens constantly in our travels for green space, beauty, and peace. Are you proud Mom?
Stockholm Part 2
For our second stay in Stockholm and final leg of the trip, we headed back to Stockholm and stayed in a totally different area called Nacka Strand – basically across and down the harbor from downtown and accessible by boat or car. The vibe was so incredibly different than downtown; relaxed and beachy.
We took a ferry (so. many. ferries.) to a little group of small islands just a 10 minute ride from our hotel in Nacka Strand. It was more touristy than the islands in Gothenburg but still lovely for relaxing, strolling, and eating!
Our last day in Stockholm, we took a historic boat about an hour to Drottingholm Palace, the residence of the Swedish royal family. It was stunning and reminiscent of Schönbrunn Palace here in Vienna.
From the official website “Drottningholm Palace is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. It is the most well-preserved royal castle built in the 1600s in Sweden and at the same time is representative of all European architecture for the period.”
Swedish Fish
Now we come to the crux of the matter…Swedish food. A more importantly SEAFOOD. Please enjoy some photos of delicious hot smoked and fresh salmon lunches, shrimp open-faced sandwiches caught from the water we sailed in on.
We spent quite a bit on this trip and most of that was on food – things were pricey but the quality was very high. No regrets! A glass of champagne at 11 am. Swedish fika (coffee/pastry break) for a steaming cup of coffee and a soft kardemummabullar or canellebullar (cardamom or cinnamon buns). Licorice for our pockets.
In a surprising turn of events, we also had the most delicious tacos we’ve had in Europe so far. Owned and operated by a Mexican family, La Neta serves up platters of authentic tacos. The carnitas were my favorite, extra onion and cilantro please.
And that’s it. Nine magical and much-needed days in Sweden.
Berlin in Frankfurt 
I am ready to move to Sweden. :>) Harriet
>
LikeLike
It really is magical in the summer. Daylight from like 04:00 until 23:00 – but I know the winters are challenging. You’d love the gardens and green spaces 🙂
LikeLike