Picture Grab Bag: Sweden

Travel Diary: Stockholm, Sweden

Sunday, September 27, 2:15 pm:

I suppose my lack of entries while in Stockholm is a sign that I've been quite busy. This is true. Between seeing the sights and going out at night, my daily schedule is much more jam-packed (well, relatively speaking, especially when compared to my time in Norway).

I'm currently sitting in Gamla Stan (Old Town) a charming and richly authentic medieval portion of the city. This is where Stockholm all started. During the 16th century, this was really the only part of Stockholm that existed.

I'm sitting on a bench in Stortorget, which was the central meeting place. The bench sits directly in front of a large and ornate water pump - likely the ancient, communal life source for the inhabitants of medieval Stockholm. Directly across from me is the Nobel Museum (as in Nobel Prize), but this grandiose establishment used to be the town hall. I'm face to face with the second floor central window from where penalites were once announced to criminals in front of an audience of revenge-hungry citizens. Somtimes a lawmaker would call for a public flogging, while other times, for the truly deplorable, a penalty of hanging or beheading would be imposed and then enacted immediately.

This square is also the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520, when Christian II, the reigning Danish king, fooled the Swedish nobility by gathering them for a feast, only to lock the palace doors, arrest each person and kill them each one by one in this very spot where I sit enjoying the view. It is from this event that King Christian II earned the nickname, Christian the Tyrant.

Nowadays, the only tyranny in these parts is the attempt of territorial domination by the hundreds of pigeons obnoxiously flapping their wings and begging for food.

Pigeons and grim history aside, this square truly is a sight to be seen. Stores and restaurants now line the streets where blacksmiths and printing presses likely once resided. Teenage girls and Chinese tourists wearing face masks are a common sight nowadays and there's no sign of anyone who might be anxiously awaiting a beheading.

The wind picks up speed and I've just heard a church bell, which usually indicates that I should wrap things up. My time in Stockholm has been wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised by its active nightlife, effortless style of its inhabitants and its historical relevance available for exploration. It seems to me that Stockholm is not a city on the cutting edge; in fact it's more like they've already cut out the pattern, seen what works, and have followed it for years putting the people first and implementing progressive ideas in order to ensure the city's thriving welfare, cultural appeal and staying power.

Stockholm is definitely a city to visit. It's urban and fresh, thoughtful and cool. I would even go so far to say it's the best city in Scandinavia.

You Can Dance. You Can Jive. You Can Learn?

I realize that when I share secrets on my blog, they're not really secrets since they could potentially reach the entire world if the entire world really cared to read about my absurd life.

I also realize that shame is something that should be reserved for teenagers and fools. The times I have been embarrassed or ashamed of the things I've done have been almost completely eliminated in a gradual progression since middle school.

Therefore, I have a secret that I am neither ashamed nor embarrassed to share with you:

Today, I will be visiting the official Abba museum - ABBAWORLD.

Here's a throwback to where it all started:

Holm, Swede Holm

For those of you keeping tabs, I'm leaving tonight on the midnight train (well 10:58) train to Oslo. Then I'm off to Stockholm in the afternoon. Very much looking forward to Stockholm. Think it might be the highlight of my trip.

Good thing I have a Swede tooth! (Cue drums)

Scandi-lous!

After months of sitting in Barnes and Noble, flipping through guide books and drinking way too much iced tea (it's how I celebrate summer), I have finally taken the plunge. Yesterday, with my hands over my eyes, I clicked the "Purchase" button on a trip that will take me from Seattle to Copenhagen for 16 days.

For some reason, I have always had an intense desire to see Scandinavia. People always ask me why? Well, it's totally unfounded. I am not of Scandinavian descent, I don't know anybody there and I'm allergic to seafood. For some reason though, pictures of the fjords, the Northern Lights, and happy, smiling, progressive people have always bounced through my head whenever I think about that (almost) Arctic region of the world.

Now, I'm not big on expectations when I travel. If you expect certain things to happen while you travel, you are basically setting yourself up for disaster. Right now, the only plan is to travel through Denmark, Sweden and Norway and have a good time. I'll stay in hostels, crash at peoples' places, and purchase a 2 week train pass. Everything after that will be a nice surprise.

I will say, however, that it's impossible not to get an image in your head of what things will be like when you visit a new place. I have just 3 small, completely reasonable requests:

1) I have to see the Norwegian fjords - and they have to be giant, other-worldly and fascinating. I pretty much want them to be the most beautiful things I've ever seen. No pressure. Basically, I can't "af-fjord" to compromise on this request. (Man, "fjord" jokes never get old.)

2) I need to see at least one giant mass of (naturally) bright blonde haired and blue eyed people in Sweden and not feel scared. See in my head, I feel like this is normal in Sweden. As opposed to here where I would think I accidentally stepped into a Dr. Laura guest-speaker series or a Christian "service" sorority house.

3) I must ride a bike in Copenhagen and NOT fall off it, annoy people, or get a ticket of some sort. Bike riding is the main mode of transport in the 'Hagen (we're close) and I would like not to make a tourist-y fool of myself doing it. Note to self: must find hunky Danish boy to help teach me how to ride a bike once I suddenly forget.

I feel like that's not a lot. I mean, just grant me these three wishes and I'll be happy.

All in all, I'm very excited for this trip. I love to travel and for me it's a priority. People always tell me they're jealous or they wish they could travel. Well, here's my advice - don't be jealous, just do it. If you really want to travel you should. It can be cheap (give up a few things for a few months and you'll have enough money for your entire trip, I guarantee it). As long as you make it a priority in your life, you have no excuse. Don't be scared - people travel everyday and most of them don't get hurt. Foreigners are our friends, America!

Well, it's back to the guide books for me!