Stopping over in Stockholm...

Stopping over in Stockholm... (3rd December 2008)

The key to happiness in Stockholm at winter time is to dress right. By local standards that means skinny jeans, converse and a waterproof jacket topped off with a lovely thick scarf and for the little ones full on ski suits (oh to be them). By our standards, however, it means puffed up warm as warm down jacket, waterproofs, snood, hat, gloves, layers, warms socks and plenty of cuddles whilst walking! And walk we did. After waking up from a pleasant night’s sleep in a six berth carriage, complete with snorer (who was decent enough to wait for us to all fall asleep before he did) we hung about, as all travelers do, in the not so shabby Stockholm central train terminal. An hour later and we could finally buy our ferry ticket to Helsinki, change some money, cram all our property in a locker and head out, heads down to keep the wet and wind off our pathetically weak English foreheads! First we strutted to the old town, which was gorgeous but we were far to early to see it in full swing so instead we took an extended walk to Hammerby, a place that Stuart has been itching to get to. It’s this really well designed sustainable housing development that apparently is somewhat iconic in Stu’s world. Actually, it was rather nice, with everything a development should have, though it seemed to lack a little bit of the pizazz that we have in say, Putney Wharf which has more of a central hub to it - well that’s the wisdom that I have imparted to him, to impart to the powers that be at his company, who aim to develop something similar in Reading, of all places!

Limbs feeling somewhat weary after hours of walking, we headed back to the city on the hunt for hotdogs. We found pizza instead, with cabbage salad. Delicious. Fuelled up and ready to go again we went back to the old town to explore the little nooks and crannies of the perfectly lined backstreets, stumbling across the royal residences as we went. These were really lovely and the bearded guards seemed particularly chilled out and so not bothered about the ridiculous rituals that they had to perform. We also happened across a sweet little Christmas market, selling the typical Christmas tat you expect from them, along with sweets, candy floss and huge chocolate pigs, though there was a distinct lack of toffee apples, that we had seen in the Copenhagen markets. After popping into a gorgeous church we headed back to the newer parts of Stockholm, taking in some uber cool design shops en route, though we held back and didn’t buy. After all, our backpacks are well and truly spilling over anyway.

With nothing left in us but exhaustion we decided to get ourselves to the ferry so grabbed our bags and hit the tube, though not before helplessly doing little to solve this poor man in a mobility scooter who was well and truly jammed in the lift. If only we hadn’t let him in before us!

15 minutes later and we were hugely surprised when we reached the ferry. I was under the impression it would be some dodge old affair, which would see us scanning the life boat situation immediately. Instead it was in fact this huge cruise ship, complete with shopping promenade, acrobatic shows, live music, a choice of restaurants (though we ate stinky cheese, salami and bread with bananas in our room) and so much more. I like to see that we are well and truly slumming it on our travels! Next night’s pit stop - the Orient Express Hotel in St Petersburg - it’s a tough life!