{"id":17275,"date":"2024-05-31T04:14:32","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T08:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=17275"},"modified":"2024-05-31T11:09:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T15:09:11","slug":"taking-stock-of-stockholm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2024\/05\/31\/taking-stock-of-stockholm\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking Stock of Stockholm"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 59\u00b019’31.6″N 18\u00b004’15.3″E<\/a><\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With all roads from Ullverad<\/a> leading to Stockholm that’s where we pointed our little car. Sweden, as Carol said a few times, is much bigger than you think. And much emptier. Thick forests on both sides of the highway made me wonder how long ago Britain had looked like that? Two thousand years perhaps? Soon broad, dark green fields appeared. Spring’s first plantings, having grown a good half metre high, gave a flat lushness to the dark groves of pine trees in the background.<\/p>\n

Kilometres sped by. Highways in Sweden take some getting used to. The standard issue blue EU direction signs and lane markings were all familiar. It was the barriers dividing the median and lack of shoulder that made me a little claustrophobic. What there was of the shoulder, about six inches, was lined with the same steel cable and pilings in the median. What, I wondered, would happen if we broke down?<\/p>\n

It didn’t take long to find out. At a long arcing curve, we almost ran into a fella who had stopped, put his flashers on and was futzing with his cargo. Smack in the middle of my lane. Fortunately, my Spidey sense<\/a> kicked in soon enough that Carol didn’t bang her head during the sharp swerve I made to avoid him.<\/p>\n

After that I was tempted to drive in the left lane. Except, the Swedes are very disciplined. They follow the speed limit. They overtake on the left and keep to the right the rest of the time. Given the lawlessness on Albuquerque’s highways it was a pleasant change.<\/p>\n

MOOSE<\/h6>\n

Opting to stay out of town, we booked a small cabin on F\u00e5gelbrodlandet<\/a> (roughly Bird Bridge Land), an island about 40 minutes east of Stockholm. The low, dark blue cabin was quiet, snug and surrounded by moose. Well, a<\/em> moose. Okay, one baby moose poked her nose around the garden on our first night. We never saw her again.<\/p>\n

Our host, Frederick, advised us to take our car 20 minutes up the road and catch a bus into the city. With parking running $10\/hour we readily took his advice. If you ever wondered why Sweden\u2019s highways aren\u2019t jammed with cars, it’s because everyone uses public transportation. It’s fast, cheap, and reliable. And full of people. Your bus ticket can be used in the subway or on any of the dozens of ferries plying Stockholm’s inner harbour.<\/p>\n

All Shall Have Prizes<\/h6>\n

\"alfred-nobel\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Stockholm’s old city centre is its beating heart of tourism. Swifties thronged the place. Restaurants divided themselves into Italian pizza or Swedish meatballs. Thanks to jet lag, we arrived later than we should have. After a late brunch at home, we opted not for food, but the Nobel Prize Museum. An odd collection of pens and glasses, it felt underplayed given the august names trundling overhead on a track. I did learn more about Mr. Nobel and his explosives. Were it not for his contributions to armaments, the First World War might have been fought with peashooters.<\/p>\n

We wandered through the streets snapping photos and people watching. Crossing a bridge we popped into the Riddarsholmskyrkan<\/a>. Around the corner we took in the romantic beauty of Stockholm’s city hall. By the time we finished our circular walk and found the ticket office for the grand palace, it would close in 35 minutes. That didn’t seem near long enough for the price, so we bagged it and turned our attention to an early supper.<\/p>\n

Off hour eating is one of the few tricks I\u2019ve mastered as a tourist. Forget about waiting in line for a restaurant, pitch up at 4:30PM for dinner and there\u2019s always a table. If you\u2019re getting your Swede on, we recommend the Tradition<\/a> restaurant. Torskrygg (cod) for Carol and K\u00f6ttbullar (Swedish meatballs) for me. Perfect!<\/p>\n

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