We have now added two more countries and four new cities to our list of adventures, and the best part was that we were lucky enough to explore them with friends.
Stockholm, Sweden
We were the last of the group to arrive on Friday afternoon, so after dropping our bags at the hotel, we headed out for a recap tour of the city, compliments of our traveling partners: Pat, Lara, Erick, and Jess. We saw the Stockholm City Hall (where the Nobel Prize is given every year), Stortorget Square (where the epic 1520 bloodbath took place), as well as an adorable floating bar (where we obviously enjoyed some sunshine and a glass or two of wine).
Despite the rainy weather the next day, the group decided to go for a jog on Saturday morning. We had only planned to run a short distance, but eager to explore, we ended up running a little over 6 miles. We were all drenched by the end, but we enjoyed getting a little exercise and exploring a new part of the city.
That afternoon, we took a walking tour of the “hip” neighborhood of Soderholm. The tour itself didn’t offer much insight, but there were a few “noteworthy” moments:
- We saw a Nazi/Anti-Nazi protest. When we first heard the commotion, we wanted to stay as far away as possible; however, our guide assured us that it was a peaceful demonstration. So with some hesitation, we ventured to an area where we could observe from a safe distance. From here, we happily discovered that the good guys outnumbered the bad ones; however, we were still surprised by the realization that no matter where you go, there will always be monsters in the world.
- Our guide pointed out some fabulous look-out spots. Because of him, we discovered a cool rock high above the city center and spent the afternoon relaxing and taking in the views.
Saturday evening was an absolute blast. We had some traditional Swedish food (meatballs, reindeer, arctic char, etc.) and then discovered a bar with … ALL THE ACTIVITIES! There was foosball, shuffle board, ping pong, darts, Air Hockey, Super Chexx Bubble Hockey, and much more. Needless to say, we were both in heaven. The best part, however, was that we learned a new game known by the locals as Rundpingis. Basically, it’s a moving ping-pong match with many players running around the table. Some of us (mostly the girls) weren’t so great, but others in our group actually won!
On Sunday, we decided to explore one of Sweden’s most famous museums. No, we didn’t visit the ABBA museum but instead ventured to The Vasa Museum which houses a ship dating back to 1628. During our tour, we learned that on one hand, The Vasa was the biggest and most powerful war ship of its time. On the other hand, we learned that it sank on its maiden voyage after only 20 minutes. Even though the ship sat at the bottom of the harbor for over 300 years, it was perfectly preserved due to the brackish water of the Baltic Sea. The ship was obviously a failure, but it was certainly a spectacle to see.
Vaxholm, Sweden
While in Sweden, we really wanted to explore the Archipelago but seeing that we didn’t have a car / didn’t want to waste endless hours traveling, we “settled” on Vaxholm (known to be the gateway to the Archipelago). It was a quick and easy 1-hour ferry ride from Stockholm and definitely exceeded our expectations. In many regards, Vaxholm reminded us of Nantucket (mostly Chris because Sarah has never been). It’s a sleepy little port town with adorable cottages, a sprinkling of shops, and a lot of locals looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. During our time here, we did a 6-hour kayaking tour around the islands and really tried to embrace the relaxing vibes of Vaxholm.
Gothenburg, Sweden
During our planning phase, we realized that we would need a stop in between Stockholm and Copenhagen (our final destination), so we settled on Gothenburg because we had heard they were known for their food and drink. And now, after having visited, we know why. Gothenburg is basically a college town. There were streets lined with hip bars, the food was cheap, and the city was alive with 22-year-olds. It wasn’t our favorite of the cities, but we definitely enjoyed our time there. We found some really cool craft beer bars, had some very tasty (and reasonably priced) dinners, and visited the Maritime Museum. The museum houses 19 vessels and was ultimately just a … meh; however, it did have one redeeming aspect – a submarine from the 1960s. It was really awesome to climb down the hatch and explore all the inner workings, but after 15 minutes of a little claustrophobia and a lot of head bumps, we were all convinced that living on a submarine for weeks at a time would be the worst form of punishment.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Our first impression of Copenhagen was a bit unfavorable. At first glance, it seemed like a big dirty city. The walk from the train station to our Airbnb was through a sketchy part of town with some unfavorable characters. We went on a boat tour that we all fell asleep on and later deemed “Toilet Tour.” That evening, however, we found an American BBQ restaurant/brewery, and though it was way overpriced, we enjoyed a nice little taste of home.
Thankfully, the next day was a full 180 from the previous. In the morning, we went on a fabulous walking tour which included lots of history and interesting facts not only about Copenhagen but Scandinavian countries as well. Did you know that the Danes are the happiest people in the world or that LEGO comes from Denmark? Post tour, we ventured to a place known as Copenhagen Street Food, which is basically an old warehouse housing (see what I did there?) tons of food trucks from every cuisine you can imagine. The best part? The outdoor seating is right on the water and provides a casual place for grub, drinks, and relaxation.
In the afternoon, we visited The Church of our Savior (known for its helix spire and external winding staircase) with intentions of climbing the tower, but sadly, due to high winds, no one was allowed to climb. Instead, we decided to walk through the nearby Christiania neighborhood (known as a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood full of hippies selling drugs). We don’t do drugs and we are proud that we pay taxes, so after a few minutes, we quickly realized that it was not a place for us. Live and let be, we suppose.
Friday evening was a real treat. We headed to dinner at Restaurant Relae, known as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. We opted for the five-course menu with wine pairings, and we were absolutely blown away. We both love Mama Milne’s Christmas Eve dinner of beef tenderloin and bordelaise sauce, but this was probably the best meal we have had … ever. Relae is technically considered a fine dining experience, but we found their approach to be relaxed and focused on the ingredients. It was simple yet creative, bold yet unassuming. Our friend Pat had actually just received a “spot bonus” for being an awesome accountant, so his company offered to pick up the dinner tab for us all. An amazing meal that’s paid for by someone else? Seems almost too good to be true.
Saturday was our final day in Copenhagen, so we wanted to live it up. We rented bikes in the morning and headed to the outskirts of town to see Assistens Cemetery. The cemetery is known to be the resting place of many Danish notables (including the author of The Little Mermaid, H.C. Anderson), and though we didn’t spend much time there, we were impressed by the gardens and peacefulness of it all. On a more upbeat note, we were also very impressed by the “bike-ability” of Copenhagen. Unlike cities in the U.S., bikes have the right-of-way. For example, cars cannot turn right on red and people getting off public transportation look both ways before crossing the bike paths. Most importantly, there were no trolley tracks for wheels to get stuck in!
Since the first boat we were on was a “toilet tour,” we decided to rent our own that afternoon. For a very reasonable price of $25 an hour, we were able to explore Copenhagen by water. We drove through the harbor and observed a competitive swimming race, pulled up to Copenhagen Street Food (mentioned above) for another round of food trucks, went fishing for 4 full beers we found floating in the water, were chased by swans through a canal, and ultimately shared a lot of good views and laughs.
Little did we know when we booked our travel, that Copenhagen was actually hosting its annual Nordic Food Festival that weekend. Once we discovered this, we decided to partake by booking tickets to a “long-board dinner.” We weren’t really sure what to expect, but the evening was a pleasant surprise. The one long table in front of the harbor seated approximately 100 and was adorned with candles, ivy, and gift bags for the guests. The food was pretty decent (though nothing mind-blowing), but the real treat was sitting down with locals. We met and hit it off with two university students in particular and bonded over a few shared bottles of wine. When the event was coming to a close, we decided that we weren’t ready to say goodbye just yet, so we headed to a nearby bar to continue the revelry. They introduced us to a couple of traditional Danish shots, which all turned out to be disgusting (salted licorice and green apple shots don’t even sound good), and we introduced them to some of our favorite games. It was a perfect way to end an unforgettable vacation.
SASgoesSwiss 