We arrived in Stockholm around 3:00 in the afternoon on Friday. We grabbed our bags and took an Uber to the hotel. Y’all. I never thought we would encounter over 2 hours of traffic to go 25 miles. But I didn’t realize their rush hour is earlier than ours in the US. Rookie mistake. We should’ve taken the train at the airport to downtown. Oh well, we know better for next time.
We stayed at the Hilton Stockholm Slussen and it was a gorgeous hotel. We had a room on the executive floor which meant complimentary breakfast and evening reception, as well as a large corner room with incredible views of Stockholm.
Since we were there for 5 nights I will go through some of the highlights of our trip so it’s not so text heavy. We took a lot of time in Stockholm to leisurely spend time together. We took strolls, sat in cafes for hours talking, and had hot cocoa parties in our hotel room. I will always cherish all the quality time we got to spend together relaxing on this trip.
The Nutcracker at the Swedish Royal Opera House-
This was such an interesting Swedish twist on the classic Nutcracker story. They took the traditional Nutcracker as we all know it and interwove the Swedish children’s Christmas story, Peter and Lotta’s Christmas, into it! The performance was top notch and we both agreed it was one of our favorite Nutcrackers we’ve ever seen. Not to mention the opera house was STUNNING. I’m pretty sure David and I walked around with our mouths open the entire intermission taking in all the gorgeous architecture.
Christmas Market-
We went to the Christmas Market in old town Stockholm, Gamla Stan. They had everything from elk jerky to ornaments to mittens. David found a Sami bracelet, a traditional Scandinavian handmade bracelet made from reindeer hide, tin bead work and shed reindeer antler. A very cool souvenir!
Storkyrkan Cathedral
The oldest church in Stockholm the cathedral is Gothic style from the 13th century. Since it is located directly next to the palace it is used for major events like royal coronations, weddings and funerals. It is stunning inside and has a famous wooden statue of St George and the Dragon. We spent some quiet time here praying and lighting some candles for loved ones. It was a very peaceful experience.
Hot dogs-
Hot dogs are a major part of a Swedish cuisine. They top them with the familiar ketchup and mustard as well as everything from mashed potatoes to shrimp salad. (You can read about that delicacy, tunnbrödsrulle-here). Although we weren’t brave enough to try that variety we tried a few with mustard and they were pretty good!
On our 3rd night in Stockholm I felt a slight tickle in my throat. I decided to take a nap and when I woke up it was the flu! I spent the next 2 days pretty miserable and didn’t leave the hotel. David was a saint and found a pharmacy and after some translating came back with ibuprofen, cough drops and a cough suppressant. The plane ride home wasn’t fun but I’m so grateful I wasn’t ill the entire time.
All in all it was a wonderful trip that I’ll remember always. It was so much fun to pause during a usually hectic season and take a trip together, just the 2 of us. We didn’t have a real agenda to go off of, we woke up every day and did what we felt which was such a treat. It was also really fun seeing the different cultures during Christmastime. All the decorations and lights and markets made for such a fun experience I’ll never forget!
Gott nyt år, or Happy New Year in Swedish! Thanks for reading, have a fabulous week ahead. :)
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