The Villa Dagmar (where I am staying in Stockholm) is lovely, really lovely, though I can see how you may find yourself in a room that is a disappointment. There are ones facing the courtyard, which makes you feel like you're in one of those big hotels with an atrium, shut off from the outside world. Being a very intense student of hotel offerings when I book rooms, I was lucky enough to have noticed this and so I asked for something with windows to Stockholm and that was a real win. The room is perfect.
(the view from the top 4th floor room)
That courtyard, though, does have its benefits. It actually is a space between the two arms of a U building and like my hotel in Copenhagen, it has a glass roof. They dont trust such a space to good weather. Outdoor dining n Stockholm has to be a rare thing. Is it ever warm and sunny here? The skies very much remind me of Scotland, though if you look at a map, you'll see that Stockholm is actually further north than the north coast of Scotland and because of its topography, it gets way colder here than it does, say, in Tongue.
The main hotel courtyard has a little sister courtyard (also glass covered) on the other side of the U and this is where you can have your breakfast. They ask you "do you want to eat outside?" and if you say yes, they lead you there. Oh, those Swedes! If you can't lead the outdoor life, you can at least pretend.
It is a lovely space and the breakfast buffet is lovely too. A marker of a good one to me is when the fruit offerings go beyond the ubiquitous and tasteless hotel melon.
Of course they have the cinnamon rolls. We are in Sweden, no?
My breakfast, while I wait for my poached egg to arrive: fruit over yogurt and granola and the bread products...
What's the plan for the day? Well, it might rain in the afternoon, but for now it's looking good! I had the idea of going to a small park beyond the old town, but in writing to my nephew I changed my mind. The thing is, my nephew and my sister lived in Stockholm for a number of years. In fact, I don't know that they aren't both (or one of them?) Swedish duals by now. So when my nephew wrote that he really liked the bigger park called Djurgarden, it became a done deal -- I'm off to Djurgarden.
Djurgarden used to be the Game Park of the royals, but these days it is one green space, with small sections devoted to specific pleasures. A rose garden. A plant and plant products shop and orchard. A lake with some wildlife. A museum, a gallery... So, many treasures, surrounded by nature. What could be better for a Sunday?!
My nephew wrote that he used to take walks around the perimeter of the island (because the park is actually one big island), starting with the north shore and continuing around to the south. That is what I did.
The park is about a half hour walk from my hotel, but the whole excursion took four hours (and just about 20 000 steps -- I just checked!) because I took small detours and paused to take a few photos.
The northern shore was my favorite (and this is where 95% of the photos come from) and the Skansen Park -- a separate enclosure with buildings and activities depicting old world Swedish life which I visited toward the end -- well, I could have done without that. We have an Old World Wisconsin, and I think both themed park areas are more of a kid thing. Old people don't really need to observe the habits of way back when. Their lives go back to way back when!
So, let's go for a walk! On a Sunday in Stockholm.
(to the park, over the bridge...)
(looking back toward the city)
(so pretty! I note they're all annuals...)
(a young mom and geese, though not the Canadian ones we have back home...)
(Impressive: the gender balance in the statues I passed! This one is of an opera star from Sweden)
(This one represents the desire for peace and disarmament)
Do you suppose Swedish parental leave laws have anything to do with this next picture? FYI, here, parents are entitled to 480 days paid parental leave; each parent can take up to 240 of the days, though if you're a single parent, you can take the full 480.
(A bird in a rowan tree; yes, I'm still into birds. And rowan trees, which I never see in the U.S.)
(A statue of a child on a swan... or is it a heron?)
I loved this center for growing things. It's called Rosendals Trädgård and it's a short detour inland: you could admire the "biodynamic cultivation of vegetables, fruits and flowers" in the garden, you could buy plants; you could sit at one of the tables in the orchard with foods and drinks from the cafe; you could go to the little gift shop and buy more foods and cards and books and dish cloths -- all organic, or about Swedish foods, or about Swedish plants.
(Like the Canal du Midi only different)
(Herons in the wildlife area)
Along the south shore, I thought for a moment I was looking at New Jersey across the Hudson... until I saw the cruise ships.
The rain came down as I climbed the hills of Skansen. No photos. Too much thunder and wetness. Here, do you see the storm coming?
Earlier than predicted but no matter! I came prepared!
By 2:30 I needed a chair. And a coffee. You know, a fika moment! My goal -- to find Pascal Cafe/Bakery. Another one of those beloveds. Back over the bridge, to the center of town.
Of course, the rain put that same thought into the heads of others. My destination -- Pascal Kafebar was crowded! Every tiny seat in their tiny space was taken!
So I studied pastries...
... chose my two (cardamon and a lemon/poppy) and my coffee, and waited.
It didn't take long.
I sat across the entrance-way from a small group of three women and two children. I dont know if they were sisters with mom, or friends, or aunts, or what. Indeed, I understood not a single word they said. So strange is Swedish to me that I could not even tell if they were speaking Swedish. Not being shy about such matters, I asked. Indeed. Swedish.
As I watched and listened (to their tone), it struck me how little I know about the culture here. About the manners and respected traits. Are Swedes stuffy and pretentious or mellow and laid back? Are they judgmental or indifferent? Everyone I have spoken to has been gently friendly, but of course, these were all transactional situations so all I can infer is that they appear to be uniformly kind to visitors. I can tell you one thing for sure: women and girls here do like white lacy frocks (note the one above). I see them not infrequently!
It's tough to travel in a country where you do not speak the language. Your observational opportunities are limited. Or at least you cannot make too many assumptions based on what you see. Only educated guesses. (The more you see, the more educated you become!)
I return to my hotel, take a short pause and head out again. Quickly. To the department store which happens to be in a mall about 12 minutes from my hotel, though I walked so briskly that I'm sure it was half that. What for? Well, just blame it on the grandkids. It was a hurried crazy run because I left the hotel at 4:25 and all stores close here at 5 on Sundays. Nonetheless, I am a skilled fast shopper! (Nor was there much choice, making it that much easier.)
And now I am not moving from my hotel until it's time to go to the airport early tomorrow. Wait, what about dinner, you ask? Well, I'm eating at the hotel restaurant. My room comes with a package: a small credit for anything you purchase on the premises (except for alcoholic beverages). It actually comes out to be the price of a three course meal. Of course I'm going to use it!
And it was okay. True, the chantarelle appetizer appeared to have absolutely not a single chantarelle in it (they say it was there...), but hey, let's not be fussy. The shrimp pil pil (above), on the other hand, were good because shrimp in Scandinavia are invariably great, and the strawberry dessert, too (below), was good for the same reason.
Tomorrow, a mere 48 hours after landing in Stockholm, if all goes well, I'll be landing in Warsaw.
With a gentle Swedish embrace, and love...
