Our youngest daughter moved to Sweden in mid-2021, the first in our family to live abroad permanently. To show support for her and to incorporate a travel opportunity into retirement, a family trip to Sweden was planned for July 2022. The itinerary was, roughly, to allow the family to see and experience Stockholm and Gothenburg. This blog entry will provide a summary of the trip. I hope you enjoy it.
Authors note: I typically try to draft the blog as a trip progresses. For a variety of reasons, that did not work out for this trip. You may notice a difference in approach after the first few days. My apologies to those who love great detail….
Day 1 (7/26)
To begin with, our first travel day followed a weekend family wedding, so we had to pack not only for the wedding, but also the Sweden trip. An unenviable task to begin with. But, with that successfully done, and with a friend’s help to store our car while we were away, we flew from MSP to Stockholm via Icelandair. We chose Icelandair (IA) because it provided the shortest flight duration (a very important point when flying with grandchildren age 5 and under) and it would be a new experience as I have never flown IA before. First, traveling from MSP’s Terminal 2 is a beautiful thing. The terminal has the fundamental services you need AND has a small play area for children. Second, it so much less crowded than Terminal 1.
Our initial flight was delayed approximately one hour as the airplane was late in its arrival. Luckily, the delay did not interrupt our travel as IA turned the plane around quickly and we got on our way. Our travel through Keflavik International Airport in Iceland went quickly as we moved from arrival to passport control to our departure gate. In fact, IA handled the situation so efficiently we ended up arriving in Stockholm slightly ahead of schedule. A couple of additional comments re: IA that warrant mentioning: (1) the temperature on the flights was warmer than any other flight I had previously experienced, which made sleeping uncomfortable, if even attainable; and (2) the Gin and Tonic combinations on the flight were very good (they offered six different Icelandic gins with two different tonics). While I tried only one combination, the options were intriguing
In Stockholm, the check-in time for our Airbnb was not until 4 p.m., so we had several hours to fill. We decided to take the Arlanda Express train into Stockholm and to rest at our daughter’s apartment until the 4 p.m. check-in time. A few hours later we returned to the Central Station to take the metro to the station near our Airbnb, a mere 12 minute walk. We located the Airbnb without trouble, unpacked, and walked a few minutes to a nearby Italian diner where we ate 3 pizzas (margherita, kebab, and chevre) . After loading up on groceries at the small market next door, we returned to the Airbnb, stayed awake as long as we could, and finally retired for the night. Day 1 was a successful travel day (despite the five year-old vomiting on their shoes during the first flight).
Day 2 (7/27)
Day 2 began as is common following an international flight to Europe: really early due to our bodies being off schedule from jet lag. But, we all began our adjustment by reading or playing games in the middle of the night and then returning to bed. We awoke excited to explore our Airbnb, its surroundings, and Stockholm (see my earlier comments on Stockholm here). For me the day began with a walk down to the water near the Airbnb. A few pictures from our lodging and the surrounding area are shown below. The nearby park bordered on one of the many inlets from the Baltic Sea.
After the walk, a swim in the pool and a little time in the hot tub was warranted. A few of us then went shopping for some groceries. Following a little more playtime in the pool, we returned to the train station and headed into Gamla Stan to do some sight seeing, have burgers by the harbor at the Miss Behave Bar, and do a little shopping. We then returned to the Airbnb, chatted a bit, read a bit, watched a hot air balloon in the distance (see below) and retired with the hope of a long, restful night.
Day 3 (7/28)
Today we chose to explore parts of the city along our train route, as well as the archipelago by heading out to Saltsjobaden, a resort town of 9,491 residents southeast of the city. The town is accessed by a sequence of train, bus and trolley rides, all part of Stockholm’s metro system. The journey provided a great view of the forested and lightly settled portion of this part of the archipelago. The town itself sits on a peninsula and is adjacent to an island called Restaurantholmen, ironic because the island includes a marina, a couple of fine restaurants, and some beautiful vistas for viewing the Baltic Sea.
While on the island we chose to stop at the Holmen Kok and Bar, a dock-side eatery, for a cocktail and ice cream.
Day 4 (7/29)
Today we spent time enjoying the amenities of the Airbnb and further explored the areas of Stockholm along our train route, which included enjoying the requisite meal of Swedish meatballs.
Day 4 (7/30)
Weather was again beautiful in Stockholm. I’m beginning to wonder if it ever deviates from a high in the 70’s and a low in the 50’s. Today we boarded several buses and a train to visit a foreign exchange student who lived with my wife’s family when she was growing up. She and her family live near Drottningholm Palace, a 17th century palace which remains the private residence of the Swedish royal family, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site consists not only of the palace, but also of extensive, beautiful gardens and hedge mazes. It is a popular place for family summer picnics.
Our trip to the palace was followed by a wonderful cookout at the exchange student’s house. It was a wonderful day with great companionship.
Day 6 (7/31)
Today’s agenda included only two events: (1) host a barbecue for friends of our Sweden-based daughter, and (2) receive our son and his family as they joined our merry band of travelers. As to number one, seven of our daughter’s friends and co-workers visited the Airbnb to enjoy the pool and a meal consisting of halloumi burgers, beef burgers, potato salad, potato chips, toast skagen, and more. They were a wonderful group of individuals, and we thoroughly enjoyed the company for the day. As to agenda item number two, our son, his wife and daughter arrived in the early afternoon. I met them at the station to escort them to the Airbnb. All went well as they settled in and joined the BBQ before we all retired for the evening,
Day 7 (8/1)
On this day we arose a little later to accommodate the arrival of our son and his family the prior day. We then took to the streets and rails to return to downtown Stockholm. We explored several parts of the city, including getting a tour of our daughter’s “office”, a beautiful old house on the island of Sodermalm. We further explored shopping areas and a local food hall, which includes restaurants, butchers, and cheese shops. Later in the day we ventured to The Hairy Pig, one of my favorite Stockholm restaurants to enjoy a family meal together. As always, the food was wonderful, the company spirited, and little ones cooperative. A win all around!
We then headed back to the Airbnb for a night of game-playing, swimming, and hot-tubbing.
Day 8 (8/2)
Today we had a archipelago lunch tour planned which was unceremoniously cancelled because “the boat broke.” So, instead, we grabbed our metro passes and headed down to the waterfront to see what we could come up with. Luckily, the metro has a boat that makes various “jump on/jump off” stops around the main harbor inlets of Stockholm so we quickly availed ourselves of that opportunity. We decided we would begin our day with brunch at Hotel Hasselbacken, a beautiful old hotel in the middle of the island of Djurgarden. We had eaten at the restaurant in this hotel back in February, so we knew we were in for a treat. During the summer, the indoor part of the restaurant is closed, so we instead ate on the balcony of the restaurant overlooking the city. The service was wonderful and the food, as pictured below, was more than plentiful! I have never been served so much salmon in one meal.
From the Hasselbacken we headed to Skansen, an open-air Swedish history museum, with buildings, people in costume & a zoo with Nordic animals. Skansen is typically in the top handful of things to do in Sweden, especially if you have kids in tow. Because Skansen is so big and requires a lot of walking for short little legs, the little ones next required a nap, and the adults required an iced coffee. We then headed off to the #1 attraction in Stockholm according to TripAdvisor: the Vasa Museum. While I wrote about the Vasa Museum in my blog about our February trip to Sweden, suffice it to say it is an incredible exhibit, at which I learn something new every time I visit. The “Explore” page found at this link provides a robust explanation as to why. From the Vasa Museum we wandered further down the street past the Museum of Spirits (the beverages, not the ghosts) to the Viking Museum. For those interested in Viking lore and its role in Swedish history (and aren’t we all?), the museum takes a deep look at how Vikings are portrayed in the media, both historically and more recently. The museum also provides a ride describing a “viking voyage where Ragnfrid takes you along in the history based story where her husband Harald needs to go on a raid to save their village!” While the museum states that children under 7 should be accompanied by an adult, I personally think they’d be better off getting a Fika pastry at the restaurant Glöd while interested adults take the ride. It was a wee bit dark and intense for the little ones. We then headed back to Gamla Stan for another meal at the Miss Behave Bar so our son and his family could enjoy this harbor-side burger joint. Our Airbnb then provided a welcome retreat for more games and fun during the evening.
Day 9 (8/3)
Because one of our group became sick with a cold, we used today to gather helpful medications, enjoy the Airbnb and its surroundings for our last day in Stockholm, eat the food we had accumulated, and prepare for the next days’ journey to Gothenburg.
Day 10 (8/4)
We left the Airbnb in the morning and made our way to the Central Train Station where we would pick up our cross-country train to Gothenburg. After a lunch in the food court of the station, we boarded our train for the 4-hour journey across Sweden. The high-speed train was comfortable and the scenery was beautiful as we made our way west to Gothenburg, also located on the Baltic Sea. When we arrived in Gothenburg it had just started to rain. We located our metro tram and got on our way to our Airbnb. Several stops later we got off the tram for our 8-minute walk. We arrived at the Airbnb, unlocked the door, entered and found a place dramatically different than the property represented in the photos on the Airbnb website. Compared to other owner-rented properties I have stayed in, this property had received the least maintenance. After assessing the situation, including our other lodging options, we decided to work with the host to get the most critical items repaired. In the end, the host was responsive to our requests and made the property adequate for our stay. Meanwhile, we needed supplies for breakfast so my wife and I went out in the rain to get food at a nearby grocery store. We ordered delivery Thai food for dinner and sat down to relax after our day of travel. Ah, the adventures of travel!
Day 11 (8/5)
One of the most popular attractions for families in Gothenburg is the Liseberg amusement park. This park, which began operating in 1923, receives around 3 million guests each year. The park contains the usual attractions you’d expect at an amusement park, but all in Swedish! We, and especially the kiddies, had a great time at the park riding on rides, watch shows (in Swedish), and enjoying the food delights. For the grandparents, it was a great opportunity to spend time with the family in a fun environment that was new to us all.
We then returned to the Airbnb. The kids ordered food and went for walk in the nearby botanical garden.
Meanwhile my wife and I walked to the apartment of yet another Swedish foreign exchange student who had lived with my wife’s family years ago. At her apartment we enjoyed a lovely dinner of pasta, mushrooms, and other treats while learning about her family, Gothenburg, and the area surrounding her apartment. After dinner she drove us back to our Airbnb.
Day 12 (8/6)
Because we were unable to take the archipelago tour in Stockholm, we booked a lunch boat tour in Gothenburg. So we jumped on the tram, made our way downtown, and stopped at a coffee shop to await the time of embarkation. Once onboard, we spent the next 2.5 hours watching the boat traffic, wildlife, and beautiful scenery of the area. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I was off the coast of Maine. A few pictures of the journey are provided below.
After the tour concluded, we spend the afternoon doing some sightseeing including the Gothenburg Cathedral, the horticultural gardens near the central train station, the school where our exchange student host teaches, the beautiful canals that run through the city, and the Skansen Kronen, a one-time fortress with panoramic views of the city.
After our sightseeing concluded we sat down for dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant called Takame. We were able to sit outside for dinner and while our view wasn’t great due to construction in the area, our food was excellent!
Day 13 (8/7)
Near the Airbnb at which we stayed sit both the Gothenburg Botanical Garden and the Slottsskogen Park. Today we spent the day at Slottsskogen Park, beginning with the Gothenburg Museum of Natural History. With about 10 million objects on display, the museum is impressive and daunting at the same time! It is also Gothenburg’s oldest museum, established in 1833. Before continuing our day in the park, we stopped for a tasty lunch at the Bjorngardsvillan Cafe. For a small cafe in a park, the food was surprisingly good and plentiful. We them moved on to the zoo and Children’s Zoo, The little ones, of course, were delighted with the goats, moose, reindeer, harbor seals, penguins and more found at the zoo. The also were overjoyed with the massive playground found at this park, which includes a 45-foot whale to climb on and play in! From the park we walked to a nearby restaurant, Marinade, where we were rejoined by our exchange student friend for dinner. Marinade appeared to be a hangout for locals as a number of the guests knew each other and stopped by each others tables for a laugh or two. The restaurant appears to specialize in tapas plates, and we enjoyed a vast array of different dishes. After dinner, we bade goodbye to our Gothenburg friend and headed back to the Airbnb to prepare for our departure in the morning.
Day 14 (8/8)
This morning we packed, cleaned up our Airbnb and headed off the to the train station to travel back to Stockholm. Before departing, however, we ate a lunch from Max Burgers near the train station. As the name suggests, Max is an international burger chain somewhat similar in offerings and atmosphere to McDonalds. It’s convenient although, in the event you ever eat there, you can skip the fries….
Our train ride was again beautiful, but also represented the end of the trip for our oldest daughter, our son, and their respective families. Once we arrived at the Central Train Station in Stockholm, they transferred to the Arlanda Express, the high-speed train to the airport. They spent the night at an airport Radisson Blu in preparation for their flight home the next day.
My wife and I, however, remained in Stockholm for another 4 nights with our youngest daughter to celebrate her birthday. On this day we chose to stay at the Berns Hotel, a boutique hotel near Stockholm’s shopping district and Berzelii Park. The hotel was beautiful, the staff friendly, and the location very convenient for activities in Stockholm. After walking around the city for a while, we chose to eat at an Italian restaurant, Spesso. This rooftop restaurant and bar provides good Italian fare, slightly higher prices than warranted, and a great view of the surrounding city. After dinner our daughter returned to her apartment and we retired to the Berns.
Day 15 (8/9)
This morning my wife and I ate breakfast at the Berns Hotel. The varied breakfast spread is available in the Bern’s beautiful main dining room, shown below.
After breakfast, we were joined by our daughter and walked down the historic Strandvagen boulevard bordering the Baltic Sea.
As stated in TripAdvisor, “Strandvägen is one of the most pleasant boulevards in the city thanks to its wide waterfront esplanade where one walks along cafés and picturesque boats. The other side of the tree-lined boulevard boasts magnificent architecture, with one palatial building after another.” After sauntering along the boulevard, we made our way to s/s Stockholm, our boat for a lunch tour of the Stockholm archipelago (remember the trip that was unceremoneously cancelled earlier?). We then set sail for nearly 3-hours, including a 3-course lunch. This Stromma Tour was wonderful in that the restaurant level was on the upper deck of the ship and the windows were large so we had a great view as we motored along. We agreed that this tour (including lunch) was the best deal in Stockholm given the price of around $50 per person.
After the tour we returned to the Berns Hotel to retrieve our luggage and to move to our lodging for the next two nights: the Ellery Beach House, identified in the upper-center of the above map. I don’t think I can come up with the words to describe EBH, so I’ll let TripAdvisor do it: “Ellery Beach House [is] Stockholm’s newest hideaway and only Beach Resort. City life feels far away in the rural landscape at the far end of Elfvik’s headland on Lidingö. A cozy house with its own jetty, where the lively and peaceful contrast. A place where nature, sea and beach meet padel, pools, cabanas, people, music, design and art.”
Our journey to EBH involved taking a train and a way-too-hot and way-too-long bus ride to a bus stop in the middle of nowhere. Seriously. Lot’s of cows, horses, and open pastures. Only by pulling our luggage across gravel-covered trails through the hamlet of Elfviks did we make our way to EBH. Beautiful area and one we looked forward to exploring, but we were definitely taking a taxi back to Stockholm. None of us were ready for another 24-stop bus ride on an overly-hot bus….
After checking into our rooms, we began our stay by playing pool and pinball machines, eating a very nice 3-course meal at the onsite Palmer’s Restaurant, and by swimming in one of the many pools. Our stay was somewhat benefited by a conference that was being held at the property, so there were few people in the Coco Beach Club portion of the resort. In addition, I took a sauna next to the Baltic Sea, did a cannonball into the Baltic Sea, and quickly swam to the dock as the water was a wee bit chilly. Not quite a polar plunge, but an eye-opening experience nonetheless. We the retreated to our very contemporary, and very comfortable rooms for the night.
Day 16 (8/10)
We started our day with breakfast in the restaurant. The buffet style breakfast contained everything you could ask for, and more. After breakfast we retreated to the Coco Beach Club for some more swimming pool, sauna and reading time. After lunch in the Beach Club restaurant, we donned our hiking clothes and explored the peninsula on which the EBH is located. It turns out that much of the land in the area is a public park, so we walked for quite some distance as we explored the paths around Elfviks and the EBH. We returned to our beach club ways later in the day, enjoyed another wonderful meal at Palmers, played more games and, finally, toasted the day with a nightcap on the lounging beds overlooking the Baltic Sea. A great ending to a wonderful day!
Day 17 (8/11)
Today represents our last full day in Sweden. We began with another wonderful breakfast at Palmer’s, this time with the knowledge of the offerings gained the prior day. We then went to the beach club to enjoy the outdoors for the remainder of our time at EBH. We then packed our bags and took our nice, cool, peaceful taxi ride to the final stay of our vacation: the Bank Hotel.
The Bank Hotel is relatively new, having been open only about 5 years. It’s located just a few blocks from the Berns Hotel and, it turns out, is a sister property. The hotel is managed by Lisa Lindwall, a native Swede who took the time out of her busy day to meet with us after we had checked in. She was personable, pleased to be of help during our stay, and very proud (rightfully) of the property that has been put in her care. As had been communicated prior to our arrival, we were provided a room upgrade to a top-floor suite overlooking the city as well as a complimentary breakfast not only for my wife and me, but also for our daughter. After we had left to do some shopping and had returned to our room, we were also surprised with a lovely fruit tray and personal card from Lisa thanking us for our visit earlier in the day. The welcoming gestures made by this hotel and its manager definitely made it a place to which we will return for a least a portion of future visits. Interestingly, it is at the Bank Hotel that I ran into a consultant with whom I had worked. He was on vacation in Stockholm with his family. Small world….
Later in the afternoon we returned to Gamla Stan to walk the streets of the old town. We sought out a bar we had visited in February, Tweed, to enjoy a cocktail before dinner. We then wandered down to our dinner destination, a Michelin-mentioned restaurant called Kagges. The restaurant is only a couple of blocks away from the Hairy Pig, and seats no more than 20 people. Their menu, available here (see page two for English), talks of their “Kagges choice”, in which the kitchen chooses which “medium plates” each diner will receive. We opted for this way of dining that night and were treated to the smoked cabbage, the meadow food, the mackerel, and the guinea fowl. We also opted for the beverage pairings which were fun and unique as the restaurant went out of its way to find unusual wines from very small vineyards throughout France, Italy and Spain. The “Transparent Kitchen” model they espouse was wonderful and provided entertainment while dining. Although not fancy (you can write on the bathroom walls if you wish), I highly recommend this restaurant for its food, atmosphere, and personality.
We concluded the evening by returning to the rooftop bar at the Bank Hotel for a nightcap overlooking Stockholm. The service did not disappoint and we went to bed very satisfied with our day.
Day 18 (8/12)
This morning our daughter returned again to join us at the Bank Hotel for breakfast. As part of the room upgrade the hotel offered breakfast either at the buffet in their main floor restaurant or at the executive breakfast area held in the rooftop bar space on the top floor. We opted for the latter and were not disappointed. There were few people in the space so it was quiet as we enjoyed our view over the city and our last morning in Stockholm. Plus, the menu was diverse, the service attentive, and the food wonderful.
After breakfast we finishing packing our bags, checked out, and made our way to the train station. Our daughter accompanied us and helped us find our way to the express train to the airport. It was with great sadness we said goodbye to our daughter, to Stockholm, and to Sweden following this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Epilogue
A couple of points warrant raising after the conclusion of the trip. First, I made a point of recording my activity levels each day of the trip. The results were as follows for the 18-day period:
- Steps: 317,787; an average of 17,655 per day
- Miles: 138.3; an average of 7.68 miles per day
- Flights climbed: 591; an average of 32.8 per day
- Weight lost: a couple of pounds despite all the GREAT food and beverages
Second, and then COVID hit. Our kids returned on Tuesday, August 9 and we returned on Friday, August 12. On Saturday, our daughter-in-law tested positive, as did I on Sunday. I have written most of this blog on days 3 and 4 of my isolation period (I was unable to do anything but sleep on days 1 and 2). The good news is that while my daughter-in-law and I both got COVID and appear to be recovering well, no one else with whom we came in contact has yet been infected.
In closing, I hope you enjoyed this very long trip summary. It was a trip filled with a lot of family fun, a lot of new things, a lot of old friends revisited, and a lot of old things rediscovered. The topography of Sweden is similar to that of northern Minnesota in many, many ways. The Ellery Beach House could just have easily been located on the north shore of Lake Superior. This is a county I am coming to love as its people are kind, generous, helpful, and trusting. The cities are interesting, easy to navigate, and only a few miles from the woods and wilderness. And, finally, their spirit is strong. They are proud of their heritage and are eager to share it with visitors. I look forward to returning and encourage you to consider a trip to Sweden as part of your future travels. Perhaps I’ll run into you at the Bank Hotel!