Stockholm (17.08.-21.08.17)

The days in Stockholm flew by, which is really a shame because the city was a highlight for all of us.

On Thursday, we arrived at the main train station around 5 pm. The way from there to our AirBnB was relatively long, as we lived outside the center, but uncomplicated. Our host, Robin, kindly waited for us at the metro station, so we didn't have to search for the accommodation. The apartment is very cozy, although we personally missed a dining table. In contrast to the apartment, the neighborhood is anything but cozy. We had a bit of a feeling of being in the ghetto (to all moms: no worries, we had a bus stop right in front of the house). After a short grocery shopping tour, it was already quite late and we decided to go to the center the next day.

The next morning we got up early because we had a museum visit planned. Due to different interests, Anna went to the ABBA Museum and Niko and I went to Junibacken. The ABBA Museum was apparently very interactive and worth seeing (for more detailed information, you have to ask Anna). Junibacken is an Astrid Lindgren Museum. Already at the average age, which was around 3 years, you could tell that the museum was more oriented towards children. But Niko and I also had fun on the fairytale train and in the Villa Villekulla. In general, the museum is probably more suitable for families with children between 3 and 8 years old. After we picked up Anna again, we decided to go back home as the weather was bad. It didn't get better, so we spent the evening with microwave popcorn and Netflix at home.

On Saturday, after breakfast, we continued with the next museum, the Fotografiska. As you might guess from the name, it is a photography museum. Unfortunately, the main exhibition was not our thing. A bit too much horse for our taste. However, the other two exhibitions were really interesting.

After the museum visit, we continued to the old town island 'Gamla Stan'. Colorful houses line up there and the small alleys are very lively. Lively is a bit of an understatement. Actually, the streets (at least on weekends) are downright crowded. However, there are also some beautiful and empty side streets. After a short stroll, we ended up at the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, we didn't witness the changing of the guards. We decided to have a Fika and sat in one of the many small and cozy cafés. After that, we stumbled upon the cultural festival by chance. But since it was also crowded here, we decided to go back to the AirBnB. In the evening, we went to a few bars in the Södermalm district with some other travelers. There we also found a toilet that confirmed the biggest female stereotype: a cabin with two bowls ;)

After sobering up the next day, we set off for the city. There we wanted to have lunch at the cultural festival that we discovered the day before. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that it was already over on Sunday, so the food stands had already been dismantled. So we went straight to the Djurgarden district. The island is somewhat of a "nature oasis" in Stockholm, with green spaces and trees everywhere. In addition to a large park, there are several museums there, such as the famous Vasa Museum or the open-air museum Skansen, and the amusement park Gröna Lund. Since our blood sugar level was already low, we decided to go to a snack bar. However, this turned out to be a big mistake (at least for me). There, I ate the worst and most expensive kebab in the world, or eventually threw it away.. :( Personally, this somewhat spoiled my mood. But the island was still really beautiful and I can especially recommend a visit to Rosendals Teädgård. After a break in the park, we went back to Gamla Stan and visited the Nobel Prize Museum.

Since we had more than enough cultural visits with three museums, we went shopping in the city on Monday. In the shopping street Drottninggatan, there were all the stores that a woman's heart desires. We also went to Globen City. There you can find, among other things, the Tele2 Arena and the Ericsson Globe, a large spherical event hall. On its facade, there is also the SkyView, a kind of gondola that offers a good view of the city. Since the weather was great, we decided to take a ride ourselves.

In the evening, we cooked and packed our bags, as we were already moving on to Vaxjö the next morning.