Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Baltic Cruise - Stockholm, Sweden

Growing up in the US far from Scandinavia my early impressions of Sweden,
I'm embarrassed to say, are limited to Ikea, ABBA and the Swedish chef on the Muppets.
Obviously there is much more, so I was really looking forward to the next stop on our Baltic Cruise.

Stockholm, Sweden

*We received two complimentary 1-Day Stockholm Cards from the Stockholm Visitors Board for our visit.

The first word to come to mind when looking back on Stockholm is pristine.
It is a gorgeous, sparkling and clean city.
Matthew and I both quickly noticed that the people are all ridiculously attractive.

As I travel more, I'm starting to categorize places in three categories:
-I'm glad I visited but I'm not anxious to return.
-  This is going on the list for an extended return visit.
-I want to live here!

Stockholm was in the last category and I could easily picture myself living there.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and like the other cities we visited, it is a maritime city.
The city is spread out over 14 islands.   In the summer, it's a city of lush green parks and crisp blue water.  The Gamla Stan (Old Town) is the original city and is a labyrinth of medieval streets dating to the 13th century.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

We spent our afternoon walking around this area and exploring the shops.
We sat at an outdoor cafe in a picturesque square to have lunch in the sunshine.
Of course, I had to try the Swedish meatballs and they were perfectly
served with mashed potatoes and a sweet, tangy lingonberry sauce.

Stockholm, Sweden


Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

After lunch, we found a nice spot out on a pier to sit and enjoy the blue sky and bluer water.  We had a little trouble figuring out the public transport back to the ship so we ended up walking back.
(I would call it a hike, Matt would call it a jaunt.)
But, I didn't deploy the princess bubble fuss too much because it was a such a pretty day and such a lovely city.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

Our luck with the beautiful, crisp weather held out and presented Stockholm at her very best.
But I've heard that winters in Sweden are extremely difficult, so I might just want to live there for only half of the year.

Tomorrow I'll tell you how we spent our morning in Stockholm.

Could you picture yourself living in Stockholm? 



(PS  I'm a nominee.  I'd love it if you voted for me in the Avis A-List Travel Blog Awards!)



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 *I received two complimentary 1-day Stockholm Cards
from the Stockholm Tourists Board for the purposes of review.
All photos, writing and opinions are 100% my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.