It’s great to wake up in Sweden. Just a little before nine AM, the sun starts to peek through the Swedish darkness. We stay with a friend from Germany who is an intern in Sweden at the moment. The guy lives in one of the typical, Swedish houses.
When we finally decide to get out of our comfortable beds, we leave for Stockholm to do some sightseeing over there. We leave later than expected because I actually hadn’t really looked up what we could do and visit in Stockholm.
One thing is certain though: Gamla Stan. The old part of Stockholm is an absolute must!
From the central station of Stockholm it only is a fifteen to twenty minute walk to Gamla.
This old part of the city is in fact a little island with lots of bridges to connect it with the rest of the Swedish capital.
It is for a reason that it is scribbled among the best things to do in Stockholm! The typical Swedish houses, the historical buildings and the great atmosphere contribute to the popularity of this place.
Right in the center of the island you can find the royal palace. It is guarded by the royal guard, wearing a blue costume, wearing guns with machetes attached to them.
Right when we arrive, there is a changing of the guards. Surprisingly, there also are a lot of women who are guards! GIRL POWER!
As if I didn’t see enough blue soldiers, another hoard of them appears at the back of the palace. With the Swedish flag and an impressive canon nestled between them, they stand still like mannequins until their co-workers arrive.
From Gamla Stan, we head a little higher. Clothed in thick and warm sweaters and jackets, our noses are still half frozen. Luckily, we need to walk a couple hundreds of steps before we arrive at the best viewpoint in Stockholm. The Katarina Elevators.
A giant platform towers over Stockholm. In the past, it was accessible with an elevator, but it has been inoperative for a couple of years now. From the Katarina Elevator Platform we get a splendid view over the city that is completely covered in white snow.
After taking the necessary selfies and photo’s, we climb a little higher even. This part is a lot less attractive than the old city, thus we decide not to stay too long in this area.
After a costly coffee in a little cafe with Wi-Fi, we know that we need to walk in the opposite direction to see the better parts of Stockholm again.
The Sofia Kyrka or the Sophia Church stands completely on top of Stockholm and because of the snowy winter, lots of kids (and their parents!) took their sleds out to have some fun in the outdoors.
Behind the curch, the sun already starts to go down again. And it only is three PM. Another hour of light and the city will again be covered in darkness.
Back to Gamla Stan, and from there to the modern city of Sweden. We walk among the snowy paths, next to the Mälaren lake, where lots of boats wait until the water gets unfrozen. In the distance, we can see a christmas tree with decorations as big as soccer balls.
The whole city center is filled with joyous christmas decorations. A little further, we see a flock of reindeers. Not real ones of course! The three metre hight creatures are made out of lights and make all the tourists take pictures of them. Since I’m one of these tourists, I can’t resist to pose next to the creatures as well.
Stockholm really is an ideal location for celebrating christmas!
