Despite living only 70 kilometres from Stockholm, we didn't actually get a chance to visit the self-styled "Capital of Scandinavia" until the 3rd of September. We had grown so used to life in Uppsala that we had forgotten that there was a big city just lurking round the corner. Really, we just had to get off our bums and do a bit of exploring.
Our Austrian friend (and fellow exchange student), Thomas joined us as we got an early start from Uppsala about 9.30am.
When we exited Central Station, the weather didn't look promising. In fact within 15 minutes it was already bucketing down with rain.
Stockholm in the rain
Thomas and I (Nat) as we enter Gamla Stan (the Old Town)
With a metro population of about 2 million people, Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It's the home of the Swedish royal family, the centre of administration and parliament of the country.
Stockholm (literally meaning "wood island") dates back to around 1250 when it was founded in order to protect Sweden from a sea invasion by foreign navies and to prevent the pillage of nearby towns. It was built on a series of islands at the mouth of Lake Mälaren and today has earned the nickname "the Venice of the North" due to the vast amount of water that flows around and through the city.
Stockholm is made up of islands
The historical site of the city centre is today Stockholm's Old Town, an entire island which houses parliament and the royal palace among other interesting old buildings. It's definitely a tourist trap as we discovered.
Street in the Old Town (Gamla Stan)
The Old Town Square
The exorbitantly-priced Nobel Museum
Studying the Lonely Planet
The Changing of the Guard, at the royal palace
Miracuously, about noon, the sun decided to come out! We almost had to re-take all our photos.
A city between bridges
Sargels Torget ("Sargel's Square") 
Stockholm street
The Stockholm metro
Sweden: when a coffee can cost more than a beer
Views of Stockholm from above the roof of a restaurant in Södermalm
Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic sea
We pose by the lake
Thomas and I
Evening approaches
This guy was busking in Sargels Torget. He had a tiny radio blaring techno held to one ear and was "playing" a harmonica while dancing. Well, he was making noise on the harmonica. It was the funniest thing to see this guy going off!
A classy 7-Eleven
A docked sailboat in the Lake
Stockholm at night
We've been back to Stockholm a number of times now and are continually discovering new aspects of this great city. The Vasa Museum is still on our to-do list though!
For more pictures of Stockholm, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52940&l=b8c92&id=681501850
Hi Pigs! We're Nat and Candice Kitingan and this is our round-the-world travel blog. We're from Melbourne, Australia and between June 2008 and February 2009 will be visiting Oceania, North America, Europe and Asia. The bulk of our time will be spent in Uppsala, Sweden where Candice is studying for a semester (Uppsala Universitet). During this time, Nat will probably just loaf around or he might even get a part-time job.
Stockholm Syndrome
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Posted by Nat and Candice at 5:57 PM
Labels: Candice Chauncy, Nathanael Kitingan, Stockholm, Sweden
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2 comments:
Very nice pictures, and good tips! I was in Stockholm visiting this past summer from Germany, followed some guide I found on the web, but already planning what to see on the next trip!
Any particular spot you really recommend?
Thanks! There's still alot to see in Stockholm for us too. I would very much like to explore the archipelago. If you're a museum buff, Stockholm has over 70 of them - some are free, others cost a bit. Södermalm is a great district to visit for good pubs, live music and chic alternative shops.
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