The Stockholm archipelago has, in round numbers, a bazillion islands. (Okay, around 25,000.) We took a 2.5-hour ferry ride out to Sandhamn, which is one of the furthest out. It’s so far out it’s a blast from the past with no paved roads and no cars. People get around on bikes, motorized bikes, and ATVs. M can never have enough pictures of the many options!
The town is also incredibly photogenic…
We were surprised that seemingly all islands that are more than just a bald rock have houses (and electricity). There are ferries running all over the place.
This was the most remote house we saw:
You’ve got to be desperate or a serious loner to live there!
Back in Stockholm we did what all visitors to Sweden probably do – visited Ikea. It’s right in the central downtown, not out on the outskirts as it is in the US. I was impressed with their emphasis on very small apartments, which makes sense since real estate is super expensive here.
And they had one (larger) kitchen, with really nicely outfitted cabinets, that I could easily see having at home:
And speaking of Swedish design, I just want to rant a bit about one awful example. Our hotel room at the Nordic Light hotel was very modern and fully fitted with Ikea-like furnishings. But the bathroom sink was a total fail.
First, you can’t close the drain. Haven’t they heard people wash clothes in hotel sinks? (Fortunately I travel with M (which stands for MacGyver), who pulled not one but two rolls of tape out of his luggage and closed up the drain.) Second, it drained poorly, even after maintenance “fixed” it. Third, the water all stays in the back. if you lean in enough to spit out your toothpaste where it can actually go down the drain, you hit your head on the mirror. Fourth, having the spigot on one side caused all that toothpaste to go over to the other side and sit there (see gripe #2).
Sorry, I just had to get it out of my system! Back to our regular program…
We spent our last day in Stockholm back in the park at Djurgården, mostly seeing things we hadn’t gotten to, communing with nature, and also revisiting the gardens at Waldemarsudde, the prince’s residence.
And you know that any “food hall” is going to get a visit from us. I walked into the Saluhall in Östermalm and said, “Oh, yeah, this is my kind of place!” We had an excellent, and typically Scandinavian, lunch, of open-faced sandwiches.
We’re forever envious of all the great public spaces and transit in Europe and Stockholm has them in spades. The sidewalks are wide, there are bike lanes everywhere, and buses, trams, and subways will take you anywhere you want to go. And then there’s all the public art and parks and … Sigh. In Connecticut, we can barely access the waterfront, bike lanes are rare, and buses are scarce.
To close it out, here are a few more things seen during our wandering:
Beyond Our French Adventure 