So where is Stockholm…. ?

Originally written on Monday, 3. April 2006.

… not as easy a question as you might think.

I’m spending a few days here, entirely work related you understand, but I have just had my first potter round the Swedish capital. I have to say it is a beautiful city, really wonderful. I arrived around 1600 today, flying in over a flat landscape that seeing the end of the snow melt away. A woman I got chatting to later on the Tunnelbana, or underground, said they had just passed 100 days of snow. Despite that, it is really not that cold. In fact, the socks I packed may have been over kill. I think tomorrow I revert back to my normal sockless mules.

Having said that, there was ice floating down stream.

I took a cab from Arlanda Airport [Stockholmes really rather smart and very clean airport] to Kista, pronounced Sheesta. There was a slight feeling of de ja vu and then I realised that I reminds me of some of the outskirts of Vancouver pushing out towards North Van’ and into BC. The only immediate visual difference of course are the houses dotted along the main dual carriage way into town.

Not long after [dropping my luggage off at the hotel] I hopped on the Tunnelbana, taking a 15 minute ride into Stockholme centre.

So what are my first impressions of Stockholm ? Well, I have to say, I think it is a beautiful city, with friendly people, where everyone speaks English and vegetarians would stave to death.

First impressions are I have to say a little confusing. The architecture is a really fascinating mixture of Vienesse baroque, Italian Renaissance, Classical Dutch and of course Hans Christian Andersson Scandic.

There is also a feel of Amsterdam, with its tall narrow space saving building, as seen here. And perhaps that is not surprising. Stockholme is built on a series of islands, most of which have been joined up with subsequent building work over the centuries, road building and of course infill work. But, none the less, a series of islands.

 There are some wonderful narrow streets, with the full range tourist shops, selling the usual fags, fridge magnets and post cards. There are some wonderful pubs / bars and cafe’s and eateries in the ‘old town’ moving away from the modern central zone of town.

So is Stockholm cold ? Well, I have to say, not as cold as you might think. For most of the time, when walking round the city itself, the worst it could be described as is ‘fresh’ but when you climb one of the residential hills and look back down into Stockholme, you realise just how cold it is . There is a saying in Yorkshire, ‘it is a lazy wind’ because it does not go round you but through you, and this this certainly how it felt, stood atop the hill, looking down into the harbour and the historical heart of Stockholme. When you see the entire harbour still iced over, you realise just how cold it and has been for a long time. Winters here DO hang around.

The food in Stockholm is good too, although there is very little for the vegetarians, unless you are one of those veggies who eat fish, because the Swedes do love their fish. Herring, mackerel and salmon are the main dishes. We did find one amazing place to eat though, Garlic and Shots, in one of the suburbs. As the name suggests, garlic is the main ingredient in every dish, including some of the drinks. Fancy garlic vodka ? No, neither did I, but lots of people do.

All the food dishes have huge quantities of garlic in them, not chopped or diced, just cloves and cloves of the stuff. And if you order garlic bread for your starter, you will have the most amazing dish. Take a bulb of garlic, take off the loose leaves of paper, but leave most, if not all, on. It may have been drizzled with olive oil, I am not sure. The drop it in the oven for probably 20 – 30 mins.

Take it out, cut it half and eat. Amazing, absolutely amazing, added to that some good ‘home made’ grainy fried bread with garlic all over it, Amazing.

And finally, a drink ?

Went to a pub, but not this one.