sweet sweden

angry vikings abound

canals of stockholm

emil says:

super solid improvement from busted neighboring helsinki.  surrounded by fantastic canals, waterways and part of a smokingly beautiful archipelago, stockholm is a gloriously situated city, with 360 degree water views from numerous vantage points.  great public spaces, an impressive national museum, site of the nobel prize, a punky vibrant bar scene and the most attractive people anywhere on the planet (6 foot tall blonde, blue-eyed and tan seems to be a requirement for a swedish passport) make for a fun metropolis.  there are long stretches of buildings along the water that truly remind one of paris.  the vasa museum is home to a nearly perfectly preserved war-ship from the 1700s that was to set sail for war against poland but sank a mere 20 minutes after embarking on its maiden voyage due to a bit too many cannons and poor design, but hey they made it into a great museum for all to admire. (also does poland get credit for winning a naval battle as a result of this flop?)  something else that was hard not to notice was the punk culture here, though i am told the correct term is cyber-goth rather than punk, regardless it makes for some spectacular people watching (or they might just be angry because they are not 6 foot tall, blond, tan, etc)  the downside of stockholm is the outrageous cost structure and the post-modern heinously ugly city-center which doesn't blend well with the historically charming parts.  stockholm was a fun stop on our journey and i'm now looking forward to the fjords of norway. 

the mighty vasa that sank

he is tall and blonde but lacking the tan part

accepting his peace prize

streets of old town

parisian-esque architecture

10% of the population own boats

is that bradley wiggins?

changing of the guard interrupts our ride

laurel says:

stockholm is a pretty spectacular place particularly in the summer when it is 75 degrees and the scandinavian sun is blazing. the downside is it costs an arm and a leg.  but as i always tell emil, things are expensive for a reason.  if you want picturesque waterways, 14 islands all with their own personality, more museums than one could hope to tackle, plus hoards of gorgeous swedish blondes running around- you gotta pay up.  we spent 4 fabulous days covering every inch of stockholm by foot, bike, boat, tram and train.  and it was a perfect time of year to be here.  these folks really know how to celebrate summer.  on a sunny saturday it feels like the entire 800k population is out enjoying the many parks, cafes and canals stockholm has to offer.  at night, the hipster area called sodermalm is one of the best nightlife scenes we have experienced all trip.  and to keep it interesting there are plenty of 'cyber gothic' gals about that look like they are straight out of 'the girl with the dragon tattoo' book.  stockholm has been a very solid stop.  it makes me proud to be part swede!

water everywhere