I awoke fairly early on the ferry, before anyone else was stirring and went out to the deck to see where we were. There was shoreline now, differing from the view before falling a sleep, which was wide open sea with perhaps a hairline of shore way off in the distance. I wandered back inside where Shay greeted me, now awake. We still had a couple hours to go before reaching port, so we grabbed a cup of coffee in the promenade. Many of onboard stores and cafes were still closed at this point, so we had to use an automated Starbuck’s kiosk. Not ideal, but caffeine is caffeine.

Back out on deck we took in the Swedish shoreline. It definitely reminded me of the forest back home in Minnesota. This was perhaps the first time I felt a little homesick. I shook off the feeling rather quickly as we had a large leg of our trip still to go. We grabbed breakfast (a croissant sandwich with mortadella and Parmesan) in the promenade, went back to our room and packed up, and once again returned to the promenade to sit with Madi and Derek. We caught up and Madi and Derek told us about their evening on the ship. They went to check out a deck called the New York Club, which was apparently hosting karaoke. They described a mix of familiar of familiar American tunes and European style dance music. Karaoke ended at 11PM and after that the place died completely.

Before we knew it we got an announcement that we were approaching the port, so we parted ways to grab our luggage and await arrival in Stockholm. Docking was brisk and soon we were in a long procession headed to a nearby underground metro station. It was incredibly hot in Stockholm, which we later learned was not typical. It was going to be a hot one!

We ambled along with the sea of humanity turning through streets and eventually arrived at the station. We got our tickets, and awaited the train. There were a lot of people headed in the same direction we were evidently; when the train arrived we were almost separated, but we really wedged ourselves in the train, packed like sardines in a tin can.

We had one transfer, but luckily both went smoothly, apart from some very short door opening times. Half was through entering the train, the door started closing (it nearly closed on a stroller being pushed by a woman next to me!).

Soon after we were in Gamla Stan, the Old Town of Sweden, and of course, the oldest part of Sweden. Cobble streets, narrow alleys, absolutely wonderful architecture and colorful buildings. It was quite hot in the sun, so we started down some paths to find a shady spot to sit. We still had 5 hours until we could check into our AirBnB there.

Possibly the most photographed block of buildings in Sweden!

There were not very many open seating areas to be found as there were quite a lot of people, and the ones that were open were in direct sunlight. It didn’t sound to appealing, but luckily on our travels a nearby cafe opened up: Pharmarium. This was located in a beautiful plaza near the Nobel Prize Museum called Stortorget. We were all relatively jittery, nerves-wise, but we had the most relaxed, calm speaking, waiter with a familiar accent. It sounds silly, but his presence was so calming we all kind of snapped out of it. I didn’t catch your name, sir, but you helped us with more than just serving.

Each couple ordered a Caesar Salad and traditional Swedish Meatballs. The meatballs themselves tasted quite familiar to us, but the star of the show were the lingonberries. It’s quite difficult to track down lingonberries in a meaningful quantity in the states, which is why we use lingonberry preserves (which are still delicious), so it was nice to have some fresher ones to compliment the National Dish of Sweden. The meatballs were served with pureed potatoes and lightly pickled cucumbers, which were also tasty. Soon we heard music coming from the direction of the Palace; it was time for the changing of the guard. We took a stroll over there and observed for a time. After the change took place, the marching band there curiously played the theme song from “Superman”, which was slightly surreal.

My stomach is grumbling just looking at this picture.

After enjoying lunch we continued to explore Gamla Stan. Unfortunately, Shay was still in the throes of the traveler’s cold, so we found another Pharmacy to pick up some more medicine. This time around, we had more luck, as the pharmacist was quite helpful. She greeted us with a smile, which was quite different from Helsinki.

Meanwhile, Madi and Derek had stopped in at a cafe to get some coffee and familiar rolls to sample. The cafe went by the name Cafe Valvet. Shay and I met up with them there and did the same. The coffee, once again, great. The sweet rolls were great as well. Madi and Derek got a “sugar bun” which looked and tasted identical to our Vanilla Kringle. Shay and I had a kannelbullar, which was similar to our Cinnamon Swirl, albeit formed into a different shape.

Shay and I decided to continue with a stroll around Gamla Stan, while Madi and Derek rested and relaxed at the cafe. We took in all the sites to see, and snapped some pictures. It really is a stunningly preserved historical area, structure wise. There was a 7-11 there so I wouldn't say it was entirely accurate to the 13th century or anything like that. In fact, there are a lot of shops. It’s almost entirely shops of many different kinds, cafes, souvenir stores, shops, convenience stores, record stores, ice cream parlors, burger joints. There’s just about something there for everyone.

The time arrived to check in. We navigated our way to the building, got inside and relaxed for a moment. Shay ended up taking a much needed nap, though we were all exhausted from hauling luggage through narrow stone streets in the blazing sun.

Later on we decided to check out a nearby restaurant with Swedish food, which is why we came all the way to Sweden (I’m sorry, but we have plenty of Hamburgers at home). Slingerbulton was the name of the spot. We each decided to try a different dish this time around. I had the ‘Halstrad Lax’ or grilled salmon, with roe sauce, herbs, and potato puree. Derek got the ‘Halstrad Torsk’ or cod with blue mussel sauce, aoili, and potato puree. Shay had the ‘Strömming’ or Baltic Herring with clarified butter, lingonberries, and potato puree. Madi had the ‘Grillad Hjort’ or grilled deer, with juniper sauce, lingonberries, horseradish cream, and roasted potatoes. Universally, it was all delicious. Absolutely fantastic. We were all so elated with our dishes, we simply had to share everything with each other. It was all so, so good. One of the best meals on the trip thus far. I especially loved the Strömming Shay had ordered, but it’s really too close to call. I guess I really didn’t expect food this immaculate to be literally down the street from our accommodations in possibly the biggest tourist destinations in Stockholm. What I’m fast learning is that, surprise, surprise, I really enjoy Nordic cooking.

We were all basking in the post meal euphoria as we head back to the apartment. Shay and I were spent at this point (and I had one of these blogs to write!), so we decided to stay in for the evening and rest. The ever adventurous Madi and Derek set out to an interesting looking bar they had spied on our travels, called Mommut. Though we were not there, Madi jotted down her thoughts on the evening:

From Madi - “Derek ad I went to Mommut Bar to wet our whistles. We descended into a very dark and aged basement. Candles were almost the only source of light. There were many heavy wooden tables with benches covered in wool blankets and band tees. It was cozy and the beer was crisp and refreshing. We enjoyed the tunes they played and the ambiance made for a wonderful game of cribbage. After that we made our way back into the light for some souvenir shopping. To complete our evening we shared a heaping scoop of Chokladbollar ice cream. We had a chat with the shop keeper and they were interested to hear that we are from Minnesota, as they have family from there. It was cool to hear this because for us it is the other way around! It was lovely to walk the winding cobblestone streets with tasty ice cream and a sunset.”

Once again we reached the end of another wonderful day, this time in a new place.

To be continued… On Day 5, the second day in Stockholm!

Day 4 – Off the Boat, On the Train, and Onward to Gamla Stan

Krown Bakery & Eatery