Heeyyy….yoouuu….guuuyyyys!!!!
From feeling like the Goonies at the Vasa Museum to checking out the bios of some people I happen to know at the Nobel Museum, we totally had a few geek-out moments in Stockholm. We admit that the city has a cute old town, a gorgeous Archipelago, and a progressive food scene. However, after more than a year traveling the world, we have eaten some amazing cuisine and seen lots of historic old towns, beautiful landscapes, and impressive cathedrals/temples. For us, Stockholm surprised us with one of our favorite museums and the most beautiful city hall we have ever seen. So, here is our Top 5 Reasons to visit Stockholm, which may look quite different than other travelers, but I think everyone can agree there is no shortage of things to do and beautiful views in this city.
5. Nobel Museum
We are probably the only tourists to put the Nobel Museum as a top 5 sight, but what can you expect from two dorky scientists. For non-scientists and fika-lovers, the museum is located on the cute main square of Gamla Stan (old town), which was a great stop for a fika as an added bonus.
We loved learning about the life of Alfred Nobel and how this famous prize came to be.
We also were truly humbled learning about all the amazing discoveries and inventions that are difficult to comprehend even today. I may have a solid grasp on genetics and molecular biology, but physics (especially quantum physics) is still over my head. We got to see Barbara McClintock’s corn, Marie Curie’s elaborate equipment, and Roger Kornberg’s model of the RNA polymerase enzyme.
For all my UNC and Duke science friends, I found a few people you may recognize. I was fortunate to be able to collaborate and publish a paper with this brilliant, friendly man during my time at Duke.
My graduate school advisor worked on gene modification techniques and created the first mouse model for cystic fibrosis in the laboratory of this remarkable man (life-long scientist AND accomplished aviator!), so naturally, my first project as a graduate student was to create a knockout mouse.
And lastly, one of my hardest molecular biology classes in grad school was taught by this man.
I am extremely fortunate to have learned so many valuable lessons from these brilliant scientists and proud that UNC and Duke have some of the greatest minds on the planet.
4. City Hall
We have never seen such a beautiful, elaborately decorated city hall until our tour of this massive, red brick building with sparkling tower on the shores of Lake Mälaren.
Nearly eight million red bricks were used in the construction along with a dazzling nineteen million chips of gilt mosaic.
The Golden Hall murals depict allegories of Swedish history. If you look closely at the top of this mural, you can see that the patron saint of Stockholm, Saint Erik, has lost his head.
Supposedly, a last-minute addition of benches at the bottom of the wall and a looming deadline did not allow for changes in the mural design. Ironically, the artist claims that the headless saint is appropriate because poor Saint Erik was beheaded.
On the opposite wall sits the Queen of Lake Mälaren overseeing the meeting of the East (camels and elephants) and the West (Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower), representing Swedish neutrality.
The Nobel banquet is held here every year in the Italian piazza-inspired Blue Hall, which isn’t actually blue, with dancing following in the Golden Hall.
After touring additional gorgeous rooms throughout the impressive building, the climb to the top of the tower is the icing on the cake. The best views of Gamla Stan, lying between the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren, can be seen from here.
3. City Boat Tours
Stockholm is built on a string of islands with lots of surrounding green space, so the perfect way to see some great views of the city is on the water. Here is a sampling of some of the buildings and areas we got to see on our cruise along the Baltic Sea harbor and then into Lake Mälaren.
High-end apartments lining the downtown Stockholm harbor
Hillside allotment gardens and cottages
The most beautiful senior citizen home in the world
Gamla Stan on the Baltic harbor side
Royal Palace Complex and Storkyrkan, Stockholm’s cathedral
2. The Archipelago
One of our favorite activities in Stockholm was actually getting out of Stockholm. Stockholm’s Archipelago is one of the largest in the world with pristine forests, giant granite boulders, and clear blue water waiting to be explored. Some 30,000 islands and skerries dot the landscape. We took a 1.5 hour ferry ride to visit the island of Grinda to immerse ourselves in Swedish nature. Grinda is a rustic, traffic-free island and nature preserve. One main nature path loops around the island giving you breathtaking views of the water and surrounding islands. We found the perfect slab of granite sloping gently at the edge of a cliff above the water for our picnic lunch.
After lunch, a short walk brought us to a large granite rock right by the water for us to sit and contemplate life.
Visiting the islands in Stockholm’s Archipelago is a great way to relax and unwind after long days exploring the museums and busy city streets.
1. Vasa Museum
Rating a museum the top thing to do in a city is a new one for us, but this museum is just sooo cooool! Science…history…catastrophe…modern ingenuity…and fantasies all come together in one place. As I eluded to in the beginning, seeing this ship brought both of us back to our childhood and the desire to be a Goonie in search of a hidden pirate ship.
The Vasa was a mighty Swedish warship built in 1628. However, the top-heavy ship sank just minutes into her maiden voyage and never made it out of Stockholm harbor. She sank in perfect condition and remained that way thanks to the brackish, cold water (no shipworms) and mud (protected from currents and ice) for 333 years. Today, after meticulous preservation work by archaeologists, the ship stands proudly in this museum and is 98% original, the best-preserved ship from that time period. The highlight of the museum was simply strolling around the ship and staring in awe at it from multiple levels and every angle. The intricate detail is remarkable.
The history lessons learned from the ship are amazing. One of the most interesting carvings demonstrates early war propaganda. One of the purposes of this mighty ship was to fight off the dreaded Polish. The carving here is of a Polish nobleman (historians can tell by the way he is dressed) that is being forced to crouch between two beams.
His face stares in a very dishonorable direction…at the latrine for all the Swedish sailors to mock. A guided tour around the boat was a great way to get all the warship stories, and a short film demonstrated the painstaking (and impressive!) work done by the salvage crew and archaeologists to get this boat from the bottom of the harbor floor to where it stands today for all to enjoy. A few exhibits show what life during that time period was like with artifacts found in the ship and bones from some of those who perished that fateful day. The exhibits brought life to the ship, but ultimately, our slow wander around the Vasa to admire every inch was our favorite part.
The Vasa Museum is a must-visit when in Stockholm and a unique experience that you can not find anywhere else in the world.
Leave a reply