Initially, I didn’t have any expectations of Stockholm, in fact, we were just passing through Scandinavia’s Capital as we wanted to see the northern lights in the Swedish Arctic Circle.  Little did I know that it would become my new favorite city.  People would ask why and I can’t specifically say which one has greatly piqued my interest. Perhaps the beautiful skyline and landscapes that you get to see in different angles depending on which island you are in. Yes, Stockholm alone has about 30,000 islands. Or maybe we came at the right season — the beautiful colorful fall. Well, there are more reasons that I can ever imagine, read on to know why..

 

The Millennium Walking Tour

There are two things that would come to my mind when I think about Sweden — IKEA and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. So on our last day of Eurotrip, I took the Millennium Walking Tour.  Hailed by Lonely Planet as the #1 Literary Walking Tour in the World, I was beyond lucky that my first ever walking tour did not only let me relive the awesome events from the international best-selling novel, but also gave us the chance to see the amazing views of Stockholm. Yes, it’s a two in one 🙂

 

Gamla Stan

If you ask the locals where to go in this city, the first thing that they will blurt out is Gamla Stan or The Old Town.  It said to be one of the most preserved medieval towns in the world.  Take time to visit Sweden’s stunning 18th-century Royal Palace.   However, there is more to this quaint lovely town that just sight-seeing — wander around and you’ll see some good finds from souvenir shops or find something authentic to eat.  We luckily chanced upon Lejonet & Björnen (Lion & Bear), a Swedish ice cream shop — coincidentally, I happen to eat all local ice cream in the euro countries that we’ve been to this year 🙂

 

City Hall

The Stockholm City Hall is where the famous Nobel Prize is being held.  Alfred Nobel, who was born in this city, had 350 different patents and dedicated his will to the establishment of the Nobel Prize. How inspiring could that be? 🙂

 

Artsy Fartsy Subways

Call it shallow, but I have to admit that one of the few things that I was excited to see in Stockholm is the subway.

Food

So we love IKEA food, those yummy meatballs with lingonberry sauce — I’ll never get tired of eating them.  However, when friends would ask what’s distinct with Swedish food aside from the popular meatballs, we couldn’t answer.  Swedish cuisine isn’t so well-known and we have tapped all means to beat the high cost of living, i.e. cooking at our hostel.  Then, on our yolo-ish last day, while hunting for the most authentic meatballs, we ended up feasting on Swedish buffet — a reward for being budget travelers as we realized we still some SEK left to spend..yay!

 

 

Technology

While I thought I’ve been living in one of the most futuristic cities in world, there comes Stockholm which ranks 6th from the Top Places to Feel Like You’re in the Future from Lonely Planet 2015.  I was amazed that 99% of household wastes are being recycled and being converted to energy.  Likewise, human waste actually fuel the ‘green’ vehicles.

 

 

 

**When you go back after your adventures and it somehow changed you, then I’d say it’s a travel-worthy trip. Guess I’m still wanderlusting until now 🙂

Stockholm is the 4th and last leg of our 2015 Eurotrip.)