Stockholm is very often called “Venice of the north” and that is a really great name for Sweden’s capital. To stroll through the city, which is built on 14 islands and connected through 57 bridges, is an adventure. The architecture never stops attracting me. Those old Hansa buildings in terracotta red and mustard yellow are pure art.
Stockholm has become a very trendy city and the people around, especially Stureplan, are exuding self-confidence and poise. Here the successful, young generation meets for after work to watch and to be seen. Some look like they own the city and who knows, maybe they do.
It would be completely false to say that Sweden is an inexpensive country, it has become extremely expensive. To dine out in one of all fancy restaurants, one needs a quite thick wallet. Still, during the summer evenings, the restaurants are full and mostly with young people.
This summer, my brief visit to Stockholm happened to be at the same time as the colorful Pride Festival. People had left their houses to join the parade through the inner city and some had brought their sun chairs and placed them strategically along the main road. Lots of people participated, but still it was a very controlled parade and audience.
The sunny and relatively warm weather contributed to the atmosphere.
In the evening of the last day of the Pride, the discos were crowded and my 4 girlfriends, who all have lived in Bangkok and I, went to a place at Södermalm, one of the most bohemic and popular part of Stockholm today, to dance along at Södra Teatern (The south theatre) for a couple of hours. We, four straight and proper women in a quite high age, at least compared to the crowd, danced like crazy among all the happy homosexual people. It was great fun.
Södra Teatern is located close to Mosebacke, which is a place that has been known since 1700 for pleasure and entertainment, a kind of pleasure palace today.
It is very easy to gain weight in Sweden. The city offers all kinds of cuisines. The four of us took a walk at beautiful Djurgården and had a delicious lunch at a Lebanese restaurant with absolutely amazing food. It’s a place to visit, not only for the food, but also for the look of the restaurant. It’s only opened in summer and is built of glass and plants.
When you stroll along Strandvägen, you also have a great choice of restaurants, like “Strandvägen 1” e.g. a most popular place to lunch or dine at or just meet for a drink. It’s a great place to visit, to be seen and to watch.
At the parade street Strandvägen, you have to pay a visit to the iconic store “Svenskt Tenn”, (Swedish tin) a store that was founded in 1924 by Estrid Ericson and there you will find furniture and interior goods, China, fabrics, among many other products. One of the most known designers represented is the late Austrian Josef Frank .
Nybrogatan, is another popular street with many great restaurants and close to Östermalmshallen (the Food hall). Here I had a lovely dinner with another girlfriend, who also has been living in Bangkok, at Restaurant Grodan (Restaurant The Frog). I enjoyed a very old, traditional Swedish dish, Råraka with crispy pork and cranberries. Råraka is a kind of a fried potato cake. I was in the seventh heaven.
Another place to visit is the Hallwylska palatset (The Hallwyl Palace). Here you find a unique museum and a patio where you can relax with a glass of wine or have a light lunch.
The palace originally belonged to the couple Hallwyls, in fact, it was their winter residence and office for the family’s company and a space for Wilhelmina’s antiques. The Swedish architect Isak Gustav Clason, got the prestigious mission to design and build the palace. 1n 1898 it was ready. In 1920, the couple von Hallwyl donated the palace at Hamngatan 4 to the Swedish state, but the couple von Hallwyl lived there until their death.
Since 1938 it has been open for the public to visit. Wilhelmina Kempe from Stockholm met the elderly Walther von Hallwyl in Bern Switzerland. Walther von Hallwyl arrived in Stockholm the 12th of December 1864 to get engaged to Wilhelmina Kempe. They split their time between Sweden and Switzerland.
When you visit Stockholm, you need time, as there is so much to see and discover.
I ended my trip with a very short stay at Torö, located about an hour south of Stockholm. A very nice archipelago, charming cottages and a peaceful atmosphere. It is a gift to have friends residing all over the globe and being able to visit them.
Soon it will be time to return to bustling Bangkok again, also a city that makes my heart pound!
