Stockholm

Last week we had a long week-end, Thursday to Monday so my friends and I went to Stockholm for five days. First my train was cancelled (for a reason still unknown to me) so I had to wait for more than one hour at the train station. Then when I arrived in Sthm, I met my friends at the hotel and we hanged out on the terrasse on the roof and relaxed and planned the week-end. 

In the evening we walked through the city and Gamla Stan (the old town) and went to Debaser. During the winter this is a hip concert venue but in the summer they have a big outside terrasse and like a beach club feeling with DJ's playing. Really nice.

On Friday, we started with day (like the following ones) with a huuuuge and very good breakfast. After that, we walked through the city with some shopping stops and headed to Djurgården, one of Stockholm's 14 islands, past Skansen, the world's oldest open-air museum and to the Prins Eugens Waldermarsudde. Prins Eugens is the current king Carl Gustaf's uncle and his private residence was transformed into a museum when he died. 

On Djurgården, near Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde

My friend Vera joined us and we went in to see the Lars Wallin exhibition. Lars Wallin is a Swedish fashion designer who is celebrating the 20 years birthday of his fashion house. He usually designs clothes for the Nobel Price dinner and for the Swedish princesses Madeleine and Victoria. Last year for instance he designed 14 dresses for guests for Victoria and Daniel's wedding. The show was great!

On Djurgården, near Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde

After that we had lunch in heaven. Heaven being Rosendal's garden, an amazing place still in Djurgården, so green since you have nature all around, so calm, (så good food!), you wouldn't believe you're in the city. That's one of the things I love about Stockholm, even if you are in the city, the nature is everywhere! In the evening, we had dinner at a great Latin America inspired restaurant called Supper. Incredible food and a great experience.  

Östermalm seen from Djurgården

On Saturday, we went for some shopping, more walk throughout the city, a nice vegetarian lunch with a view over the city at Herman's and visited the photo museum Fotografiska. 

Katarina Church on Södermalm

View from Södermalm

View from the Herman's restaurant on Södermalm

View from the Herman's restaurant on Södermalm

On Sunday, more walk in the city. Have I told you by the way that the weather was great every single day? Blue sky every day and 25 degrees. A great feeling of summer. Anyway after that we stopped in a sports bar to see the Roland Garros final between Nadal and Federer. Well, only the first 2-3 sets because then we had to go back to the hotel because the others went a Jerry Seinfeld show. 

The Af Chapman boat on the island of Skeppsholmen

Monday was also a day off in Sweden since it's was Sweden's national day. I met my friends Anna-Carin and Sanna for lunch. We chose Moseback theater, which offers once again a great view over the city. After that, the temperature "required" we had an ice cream so we left Södermalm (the South island) and went to Gamla Stan, bought our icecreams and found a spot near the parliament, in sun, to enjoy the icecreams. There we were joined by Helen, who I had met on Twitter but never IRL. It was really nice to meet her. She also wrote about our meeting (in Swedish) here. :)

In the background, the National Museum

I spent my last hours in Stockholm with Romain on the deck of the Af Chapman boat. You know the floating youth hostel? They have now opened a café on the deck. I think it's quite recent because I didn't know about that. Not many people seems to do either which is good because it meant it was quite calm there in comparison with the crowd in the rest of the ctiy. 

On the way back to the hotel, we saw the military closing the streets so we asked what was happening. It turned out the royal family was going to leave the old castle in Gamla stan (they don't actually live there) to go to Djurgården. We waited to see them pass and managed to get a glimpse of them. After that, back to the hotel to get our luggage, buy some dinner and huuuge (and delicious) muffins from the Muffin Bakery on the way and jump on our train back to Gothenburg.

A glimpse of the princess Madeleine (Carl-Philip behind her, Victoria and Daniel were cut)

A glimpse of the Queen in the traditional Swedish costume

A great great week-end!