So on our last day of Sweden we decided to use up the rest of our Tunnelbana punches – to see the areas of Stockholm that we hadn’t yet made it to on foot…
We hit some great design stores – which Sweden is known for… Stores like Design Torget, and R.O.O.M. to name just two.
Then we walked to the technical university – in search of a t-shirt we had seen that said “R.I.O.T” (Royal Institute of Technology)... But they only had shirts in Swedish when we got there… We’ll have to track that shirt down though – too funny!
Then we headed back through the ritzy shopping area of Ostermalm – along Bibleoteksgatan – catching a quick sandwich, getting in some quality people watching, and some amazing brand names / high fashion window shopping!
To round out our tour – we headed back over Gamla Stan by foot (hoping to find some non-cheesy Swedish souveniers… with no luck) – to the hotel for our final night in Sweden.
Some things we noticed on our trip:
- They seem to love food in a tube: caviar, yeast paste, reindeer meat, flavored cheeses… whole racks of tubes in the refrigerated section of the grocery!
- Everyone in Sweden is prego… or pramming their kids through town! (Maybe there is something about getting 18 months off with a new baby?)
- Riding your bike is more popular than driving a car – even in Stockholm. You’re even cooler if your bike has a basket on the front!
- Get your “reflector” dangles – small reflective symbols that attach to your purse, pram, etc. Apparently in the winter it is quite dark – so everyone has these little crowns, cats, skull & crossbones, ghosts, etc. to make sure they are seen by cars when crossing streets!
- It is a “fee to pee” country. Always have 50 Krona handy so you can use the public toilet!
- The language does kind of sound like a sketch of the Muppet Show’s Swedish chef… without the “Bork! Bork! Bork!”
- Almost all the buildings you’ll see aren’t the “original”... most of the wooden buildings (the construction material of choice in a timber rich country) seemed to have burned to the ground in the 1600’s.
- Swedish radio SUCKS! Unless you like anything bad from the 80s or Queen… I mean, we heard Lionel Ritchie’s “Dancing on the Ceiling” on live radio… Wild.
- Swedes seem to like a large variety of sauces for their meals… Lots of sauces “on the side”
- They have the BEST variety of breads at breakfast we’ve ever seen: at least 7 different kinds at each hotel buffet we had, plus tons of spreads (jams, nuttella, etc.)... Cool !
More pictures from our trip…
