Yule Time in Stockholm
It’s almost a decade since I was first in Stockholm and nothing I see in the city now is familiar. In fairness, last time we stayed in a delightful Airbnb out of town that backed onto the woods. So we weren’t walking through the streets every day and anyway, that was a stop en route to Gothenburg where my birthday was spent in 2014.
So Stockholm felt wonderfully new. Another hotel that is right next to the train station, which is especially welcome in the freezing December weather. We ignored the Ice Bar located at the hotel. This time, we are on our way to Helsinki and based centrally.
First night dinner is the often customary burger at the Bastard Burgers chain. The lack of any cleaning of tables between sittings took the shine off somewhat but the food was good. The next night we were at the South Indian, another small chain where I spotted Indianesque people eating - always a benchmark. No photos so I must have been starving. This after a proper lunch stop at Tacobar. Coffees at Brod & Salt, Gast and Volca Coffee all good.
I loved visiting the huge NK store both inside to see the giant frock Christmas tree hanging from the ceiling and the festive window displays enjoyed at night.
A clear highlight is discovering the subway system with all the art. We spent a couple of hours one evening just visiting several metro stations. From the bright colours to the history lessons to the displays - all of it was stunning to discover. My favourite is probably the one with children’s art. Two artists who recreated some of their childhood work. A fantastic way to display and make art accessible and to jolly up the subway.
Just when I thought it couldn’t be topped, we see a glass lift that goes up along the escalater rather than horizontally. Of course we used it.
Next we cruised over to Helsinki overnight and then returned the next night. This time we stayed in the altogether more lux Hilton hotel with river views and access to the Executive lounge - the main reason we pick Hilton when we can.
It’s only now we return to Café Saturnus, but I still didn’t recognise this from the last visit. It’s only photographic evidence that proved we had been here. It’s popular and pricey but as we happened to land there at lunchtime, we shared a very Frenchified omelette before we settled in for the main memory of the last trip- the ‘biggest cinnamon bun in Stockholm washed down with familiar cups of coffee. Also it had the best loo of the trip.
Swedish hit list:
Happy socks - ticked - many pairs bought here and in Helsinki. It was sale time!
Cinnamon bun - ticked a few times, not much different to being at home
Abba museum - ticked, but once again, unmotivated to actually go in
Ikea - ticked so we could have a decent lunch before heading to the airport. It was conveniently right in the shopping centre.
December 2022
