Introduction: Late Summer in Scandinavia
Flight Review: American Airlines B737-800 First Class, MEM-DFW
Flight Review: Finnair A350-900 Business Class, DFW-HEL
Flight Review: Finnair E190 Business Class, HEL-CPH
Lodging Review: Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn
Our Time in Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Best Western Hotel Hebron, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Next House, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Story Hotel Studio Malmö
Our Time in Malmö and Ystad, Sweden
Lodging Review: IKEA Hotell, Älmhult, Sweden
Our Time in Älmhult, Sweden and High-Speed Train to Stockholm
Lodging Review: Motel L Älvsjö, Stockholm
Our Time in Stockholm
Flight Review: SAS A320neo Economy Class, ARN-OSL
Lodging Review: Comfort Hotel Grand Central, Oslo
Our Time in Oslo
Lounge Review: SAS Lounge, Oslo airport
Flight Review: Lufthansa A320-200 Business Class, OSL-FRA
Flight Review: Lufthansa 787-9 Business Class, FRA-MSP
Flight Review: Delta B737-800 First Class, MSP-MEM
Our German friend joined us in Stockholm. Not only had she arrived a day early, she had been to Stockholm before so she was a big help in navigating the city and public transport.
Here are some of the places we visited.
ABBA Museum
I remember when ABBA’s music was in primary rotation back in the 1970s. Later they became the butt of jokes as music of that era was looked down upon. But they surfaced again first with the play and then the film of “Mamma Mia” and now they’re revered as classics. I’d been told that the museum was well done and a lot of fun and I think that’s a fair assessment. There are lots of costumes, musical instruments, and other displays. 
There’s a section on the band’s history as well as a constant-running video of them singing “Waterloo” on the Eurovision song contest in 1974. Other displays include the small helicopter seen on the cover of one of their albums and the director’s chairs for both Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan from the set of the “Mamma Mia” film. One of the really cool exhibits was the virtual band playing one of two songs while customers can don era-appropriate costumes and perform alongside. Great fun if you’re with a bunch of friends!
Pro tip: buy tickets online ahead of time as they’re a little cheaper.
Old Town
We wandered around the Old Town area in the afternoon and evening, popping into shops that caught our fancy. Like everywhere else we’d been on this trip, most businesses preferred a cashless payment.
We happened upon this square in the area that had the Nobel Prize Museum.
I liked the architecture in this area and learned that my camera can remove people from my photographs!
Aifur Krog & Bar
We had a lot of fun at this unusual bar & restaurant dedicated to Viking food, drink, and decor. If you’ve booked in advance you’ll be announced by the blowing of a horn and welcomed by those already seated. We happened to arrive early for dinner and did not have a reservation so we were spared that. There’s lots of communal seating but everyone has a great time. We actually ended up at a table which could only be reached by climbing a ladder! But that gave us a great view of the goings-on. The food was pretty good too! A warning that the light is rather dim and there are lots of steps both up and down so if any of these is an issue for you, it might be best to skip it.
German Church
We walked by the German Church, also known as St. Gertrude’s Church, part of the Church of Sweden. While the steeple is relatively new, completed in 1878, parts of the building date to the early 1600s.
Royal Dramatic Theater
While on the tram we passed this ornate theater that is used only for “spoken drama”. I guess that means that no musicals are allowed? It has five stages within, ranging from a stage for school plays to the 720-seat main stage. This building held its opening performance in 1908.
Sergels torg (Sergel’s Square)
This city square has the Stockholm City Theatre on one side and the House of Culture on the other. There are many souvenir stands in this area as well as a sunken pedestrian plaza with access to the metro below and a major tram stop at street level. It’s also home to this glass and steel sculpture called “Crystal” by Edvin Öhrström.
Vasa Museum
The Vasa was a Swedish warship built 1626-1628. She sank after sailing only about 1400 yards into her maiden voyage on August 10, 1628. She was carrying 120 tons of stones as ballast but that was not enough to allow her to cope with even a light squall. When light winds came through the harbor, she simply tipped over and sank. 30 people lost their lives, mostly those trapped below deck.
Vasa Museum
While her most valuable items, including the bronze cannons, were salvaged in the 17th century, she fell into obscurity and only became notable again when she was located in a busy shipping area of Stockholm harbor in the 1950s. She was salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961 and permanently relocated to the Vasa Museum in the Royal National City Park in 1988.
The captions on the photos below tell a little bit about what is seen. For more detailed info, check out its Wikipedia page or its official website. It is definitely worth a visit!
The ship is very difficult to get all in one shot!
Vrak Museum
The Vrak Museum – or Museum of Wrecks – is just a short walk from the Vasa Museum. These made a perfect 1-2 punch for us as it was raining that morning and these were nice indoor activities. There are lots of artifacts recovered from wrecks in Scandinavia, short films about ship salvaging. Turns out I didn’t take any photos but it was worth a visit. Young folks 18 and under can visit for free! About $30 for adults.
Stockholm Syndrome
The phrase “Stockholm Syndrome” was coined in 1973 after captors took hostages in the Kreditbanken in Stockholm. The hostages eventually sympathized with their captors and would not testify against them. The Kreditbanken formerly occupied the ground floor of what is now the Nobis Hotel Stockholm, which is on one side of Norrmalmstorg (square).
Nobis Hotel Stockholm
Royal Palace Area
While we didn’t go inside the palace, it’s very easy to walk around the area.
We even saw a horse-drawn procession come through the courtyard. Later we saw them leaving. We still have no idea who they were or why they were in horse-drawn carriages!
The palace is quite near the harbour and it was a lovely day to be able to look out on the water.
They obviously knew we were in town so there must be scaffolding somewhere! The public entrance to the place was covered in it.
Near the palace are statues of some kings like Karl XIV Johan (Charles XIV John) who was king of Sweden and Norway 1818-1844.
And Gustav III, King of Sweden, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, when he was just 46 years old.
Gustav III and avian friend
Paradox Museum
We also hit up the Paradox Museum one day for something different. Lots of optical illusions. Wouldn’t be much fun by yourself but lots of fun with several friends. About $23 for adults, cheaper rates for children 15 and under and for students age 16+ and seniors 65+. Kinda hard to find. You need to go inside the shopping area and then down the stairs as if you were going to catch the train.
Harbour Cruise
We finished off our time in Stockholm with a harbour cruise. It was a gorgeous day and so nice to relax as we cruised around. None of us wanted to download another app to get the commentary so we just enjoyed the views and the sun.
In the end
We had a lovely time in Stockholm and I would love to go back!
2B Traveling 
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