Day 2: City Hall and a Museum by Ferry
Stockholm’s Fabulous City Hall
Completed in 1923, and reflecting the architect’s love of Venetian palaces as well as Art Nouveau and National Romantic design styles, the City Hall is a treat for the eyes, from its municipal council session room invoking the hull of a ship to its ceremonial Golden Hall, bedecked in over 18 million mosaic tiles celebrating Sweden and its connection to both East and West (there is even a depiction of the Statue of Liberty and other American icons). Visitors may enter only with a guided tour, and these fill up quickly, so I recommend arriving early in the day and being prepared for at least a short wait in the courtyard or lovely riverside park. Our English-speaking guide was knowledgeable and somehow managed to steer clear of the many other tour groups gawking at this amazing structure. City Hall was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Stockholm, and I highly recommend it.
Stockholm By Ferry
The city of Stockholm is spread across 14 islands, with at least 20,000 more islands (some sources say 30,000, but who’s counting) in the Stockholm Archipelago, which spreads about 50 miles into the Baltic Sea. We used the ferry on several occasions to get around the city, including our trip to the island of Djurgården, home to a number of museums, parks, entertainment venues and lovely homes. While it took us a minute to figure out the ferry system, it was actually quite easy, very efficient, and a great way to see more of the city.
Vasa Museum
One of the most popular museums in Stockholm is the Vasa Museum, which features an entire recovered 17th Century warship, which sunk spectacularly on its maiden voyage. Watching the informational video and tagging along on an English-language tour brought the experience to life. (Let’s just say the story would make an excellent illustration for a sermon on consequences of arrogance and pride.)
The Perfect Lunch and a Change of Pace for Dinner
While on Djurgården, we had what I can only describe as the perfect Swedish lunch on the patio of the Flikorna Helin Cafe (see Johnny standing by the front door, below), a nice walk from the ferry stop and from Vasa. This spot would also work well for picking up a picnic lunch or bakery items to take home. Johnny had an open-face fresh shrimp sandwich, and I had a chicken club. Both were topped by a very significant dollop of what was identified as fresh mayonnaise, but which was of course absolutely nothing like the American version from a jar. Everything about it was wonderful. Even though the sandwiches were substantial, we felt compelled to follow up by sampling an almost plate-sized slice of almond cake filled to the brim with fresh Swedish whipped cream.
After such a delightfully rich lunch, we opted for something lighter for dinner and walked from our Airbnb to one of the many well-reviewed ramen spots in Sodermalm.
