Stockholm in Spring/Summer – Trip overview and places visited

We made a trip to Stockholm again in Spring 2017, this time to coincide with the end of my son’s International Student Exchange Program with a university in Stockholm. He went on a short trip with his housemates in Europe and their rental apartment in Stockholm was vacant. Perfect opportunity for us to stay in his apartment till he returned to Stockholm.

Our original travel plan was to meet him upon his return from Europe and then do the following trips out from Stockholm before returning home.

- Overnight cruise to Tallin (capital of Estonia) via Tallink Silja ferry, spend the day in Tallin before doing another overnight cruise back to Stockholm.

- 10 days self-drive road-trip round Iceland.

-  6 days self-drive road-trip in Norway. 

Alas, there was bad news from home and we had to curtail our trip to Tallin, Norway and Iceland and return home as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, my wife and I spent 11 wonderful days in Stockholm in May. We really enjoyed the warmer than usual Spring weather in Stockholm and did plenty of walks and outdoor activities. On days with “not-so-good” weather near the end of our stay, we visited some of the free museums in the city.

These are some of the places we visited and activities we did. Click on the links to read the trip report.

Walk along Monteliusvägen, Skinnarviksberget and Söder Mälarstrand for best views of Stockholm

Visit to Skeppsholmen and Kungsträdgården in late Spring

Visit to the garden of Drottningholm Palace

A walk along Norr Mälarstrand and visit to Stadshuset (The City Hall of Stockholm)

Day trip from Stockholm to Sigtuna, Sweden’s first town

Walk from Hornstull to Skanstull in Södermalm

Walk in Djurgården, Strandvägen, Norrbro and ending in Riddarholmen

Hellasgården and walk in the Nacka Nature Reserve

Visit Swedish History Museum and Nobel Museum

Visit to Swedish Army Museum (Armémuseum)

Visit to Natural History Museum (Naturhistoriska riksmuseet)

 

We travelled within Stockholm mostly on their efficient subway system called the Tunnelbana. Art work, in some form or other, are present at 90 of the 100 subway stations. We made an effort to go, see and shoot some of the better Tunnelbana subway art.

And this was the first time (and hopefully the only time) that we were the victims of a scam while travelling.

Although we had to curtail my trip unexpectedly, we managed to recover most of the unused airfare, car rental and accommodation costs through our travel insurance policy. Hence, the importance of buying travel insurance for any oversea trip.

I am also glad that I had booked all my hotel stays in Norway and Iceland via Booking.com with their free cancellation policy. I managed to cancel most of my bookings without any cancellation charge, except for a couple of B&Bs in Iceland that I could not cancel before the cancellation notice period.  I am grateful that they were compassionate to waive the charges upon request.

In addition, I am grateful to Finnair for making it easy and quick to get the documentations (e.g. proof of no-show) required for our insurance claims from their Customer Service website.  

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Monteliusvägen, Skinnarviksberget and Söder Mälarstrand for best views of Stockholm

24 May 2017

It was good to be back to Stockholm in May and blessed with Summer weather while still officially in Spring. We headed out to Monteliusvägen, one of our favourite spots to enjoy panoramic views of Stockholm city.

The 416m walking path is between Kattgränd on the west and Skolgränd on the east.  Once again, we took the subway to the Slussen T-bana station and walked the rest of the way to Skolgränd.

The views of Gamla Stan and Riddarholmen from the lookout point under the spring morning sunshine and blue sky was stunning.

I can never be tired of this view. When we came in January, in the middle of winter, we shot some awesome pictures of the frozen lake.

It was hard to decide which was better.

Personally, I prefer the winter photo of the iced-up lake. However, Spring was more colourful. Further down at the Olle Adolphsons Park, colourful tulips and other spring flowers were blooming.

At entrance to Olle Adolphsons Park.

Spring flowers at Olle Adolphsons Park.

Continuing down the walking trail, panoramic views of the City Hall (Stadhuset) and the Norr Malastrand houses could be seen across the lake.

Panoramic views of the City Hall (Stadhuset) and the Norr Malastrand houses.

A love-lock attached to the fencing. There were a few of these but not so much as compared to other cities like Paris or Seoul.

A peek through the fence at the colourful tulips in someone’s garden.

So much greenery in Spring when compared to the white and icy snow covered path we encountered a few months ago  (see post of Monteliusvägen in winter)

Approaching Kattgränd on the west side of Monteliusvägen.

Wild spring flowers along the trail.

From Kattgränd (Cat Alley) on the west side of Monteliusvägen, we walked to Skinnarviksberget, another good lookout point. Skinnarviksberget is the highest natural point in central Stockholm and offered another vantage point with an extensive panoramic view of the city. Skinnarviksberget is the only hill in Stockholm to retain its original bare, treeless character.

There are information boards explaining that we were walking through a protected area. This place has preserved historic houses. Skinnarviksgatan (Skinner Bay Street in English) meant that in skinners and tanners used to live and work here.

This path with well-preserved 18th Century houses of stones and timber on the right leads to Skinnarviksberget.

There were also tobacco plantations and factories here in the old days.

View of the City Hall from Skinnarviksberget.

View of the houses in Norr Malastrand from Skinnarviksberget.

Skinnarviksberget is a nice place to sit, relax and laze around during the warmer days of summer. In fact, locals flocked to this place to have picnics and watch the sun set in Summer.

We were blessed with above 20 degrees C temperature on this spring day with little wind.

We sat for almost an hour, watching the birds, boats and even one small tour group come and go. The only thing that triggered us to move was the need for lunch! Gamla Stan was the place we picked to have our lunch.

We back-tracked to Kattgränd (Cat Alley) and walked down the path to Söder Mälarstrand. We met some Ajax fans walking up. There is a Europa League Cup Final match between Manchester United and Ajax in Stockholm on this day. I wished the Ajax fans all the best for their team tonight.

View of Lake Malaren from Söder Mälarstrand.

To get to Gamla Stan, we walked along the shores of Lake Malaren, along a stretch of shoreline called the Söder Mälarstrand. Gorgeous views of the blue lake could be seen. And there were a few boats operating as hostels/hotels along the shores, with guests on deck enjoying the Swedish sun.

One of the house boats, operating as hostels along this stretch of the lake.

We crossed the Centralbron bridge towards Gamla Stan and Riddarholmen. The viewpoints on this bridge were quite awesome as well.

View of Söder Mälarstrand (where we came from) from the Centralbron bridge. Monteliusvägen trail is just above the green tree line.

We saw more soccer fans at Gamla Stan. Thankfully, no drunken fans at this moment. All were orderly, enjoying their beer, lunch, Swedish sunshine and sights within Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm.

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Lunch at Österlånggatan 17 in Gamla Stan

24 May 2017

While waiting for my lunch order to be served, I took this photo of the statue of St George Slaying the Dragon, reflected from the glass walls of Österlånggatan 17 in Gamla Stan.

One of the joys of visiting Stockholm in warmer weather of late Spring or Summer is the ability to enjoy a meal outdoor or al fresco style. Outdoor sitting is allowed from 1 April till 15 October and most customer would choose to sit outside on a fine day.

Soccer fans at Gamla Stan.

Gamla Stan on this day was pretty busy, as this was a day where soccer fans from England and Holland flocked to Stockholm for the Europa League Cup Finals between Manchester United and Ajax Amsterdam. Despite that, we managed to get a seat outside the restaurant of our choice.

Österlånggatan 17 in Gamla Stan.

This was our second visit to Österlånggatan 17, having enjoyed our meals here during our January trip to Stockholm.  I particularly liked the bread that was served while waiting for our main courses to be prepared.

This time, the bread came in paper bags for those sitting outside the restaurant. The bag contains two pieces of brown bread, buns and a crispy flat bread. Plus a small bowl of cream and butter spread. We finished most of it, washed down with some pale ale and juice.

We ordered the daily special of grilled chicken on couscous and a steak with fries and tomato salad.

Beef steak, fries and tomato salad. The steak was so-so but the tomato salad was good.

Grilled Chicken on couscous. The buttered couscous was deliciously good. It was salty with a little sour flavour.

It was great having our lunch outdoor in the midst of the Old Town, watching people and soccer fans strolling by.

Overall, another satisfying meal at this restaurant in Gamla Stan, Stockholm.

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Visit to Skeppsholmen and Kungsträdgården in late Spring

24 May 2017

Skeppsholmen is one of the islands in Stockholm city and is very near to Gamla Stan. After our lunch at Österlånggatan 17 in Gamla Stan, we headed for this island.

It is accessible through one of the most beautiful and photographed bridges in the city. The Skeppsholmsbron (Swedish for "The Skeppsholm Bridge") is known for the gilded crown(s) on both railings, near the center of the bridge. 

Skeppsholmsbron (Swedish for "The Skeppsholm Bridge") is known for the gilded crown(s) on both railings.

I enjoyed walking along this bridge as there were nice views to enjoy and photograph on each sides.  The Royal Palace and Gamla Stan (Old town) could be seen on one side of the bridge. Views of the lake and buildings along Strandvagen at a distance could be seen on the other sides, plus lots of boats.

View of the Royal Palace at Gamla Stan as we approached Skeppsholmen.

Immediately after crossing the Skeppsholmsbron, we walked past the old sailing ship af Chapman which is now used as a youth hostel. This was a good place to sit and enjoy the sun. For late spring, the weather was excellent and it felt like summer was already here.

Nice views from Skeppsholmen.

For those who enjoy walking, like us, there is a lakeside trail that circled the shores of the island. This trail also lead to a bridge providing access to another island called the Kastellholmen, where there is a small castle.

Besides enjoying the views of the city, we intended to go visit one the museums that are located on the island. There were a few to choose from, such as the Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art and Östasiatiska Muséet (East-Asian museum).

Lakeside trail at Skeppsholmen.

Skeppsholmen on this day was not too crowded. As we walked further past the ship, the lakeside trail had less people, except a few tourists. That was when we were subjected to something I would not easily forget!

Seagull poop, or so it seems, landed on us. Foul smelling liquid was on my back and some landed on my wife’s head.

A helpful couple who we just walked past came to our aid immediately with wet tissues. We spent quite a few minutes to clean ourselves up. We thanked the helpful couple for their help and they quickly left.

We decided to abandon our plan to explore Kastellholmen and our visit to the Moderna Museet since we were feeling dirty despite the clean-up job using wet tissues.

The nearest Tunnelbana Station was the Kungsträdgården Station. On the way to the station, we saw a hive of activities at Kungsträdgården.  This day, May 24 2017, is the day where the UEFA Europa Cup Final would be played at the Friends Stadium in Stockholm.  The finalists were Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United.

A UEFA's Neutral Fan Zone was set up at the Kungsträdgården park in central Stockholm for fans who did not have tickets to gather and watch the game.

Prior to the game’s kick-off at night, the Fan Zone had much to offer, including an array of activities and football related games for fans to take part in.

UEFA's Neutral Fan Zone was set up at the Kungsträdgården park in central Stockholm for the UEFA Europa Cup Final 2017.

As a soccer fan myself, we naturally made a stop here. The Hankook booth gave me and my wife a headband each, with orange colours of the Ajax team. I will be rooting for the Ajax team. Reasons are obvious if you have read my blog before.

Me with the poster of the Ajax team.

Europa League Trophy.

The Europa League Trophy was also on display for photo opportunities but there was a long line for photo shoot with the trophy. I think that must be a replica, not the real trophy. I could be wrong.

Locals playing a game of giant chess at Kungsträdgården.

There were the other usual activities at this park. This park is a favourite place for locals to gather. When we came during winter, there was a public ice skating rink set up in the middle of the park. My son came in early spring to enjoy the cherry blossoms when they bloomed.

After enjoying the activities at the Kungsträdgården park, we took the subway (tunnelbana) from the Kungsträdgården Station back to our apartment. A good shower was needed to rid our bodies of residues from the foul smelling seagull poop.

Later that evening, we watched the Europa Cup Final live on the Internet back at the apartment. The team I was rooting for did not win. What a shame.

It was also later that we discovered that we were the victims of the “pigeon poop” scam while on Skeppsholmen. The seagull at Skeppsholmen was innocent after all.

More about this scam in a separate post.

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Beware of the Pigeon Poop scam or Seagull Poop scam in Stockholm

24 May 2017

As the name implies, the Pigeon Poop scam is common in places where there are lots of pigeons, especially Europe. It seems that places with lots of seagulls like Stockholm has similar version of this scam. We could probably call it the Seagull Poop scam.

Let me describe what happened to us in more detail.

My wife and I was enjoying our day out on Skeppsholmen island when we walked past a couple who seemed to be fellow travellers, with a map and pointing around at the sights while they looked at the map.

Out of a sudden, we were hit by poop from behind.

The poop were greenish, foul smelling, sticky. Some were on my lower body and some were on my wife’s back and head.

Damned gulls!

The couple quickly came to our aid with wet tissues. We spent about 5 minutes cleaning ourselves up with the tissues.

We thanked them for their help and decided that we should go back to our apartment to get a good shower we felt there was still residues of the stinking mess on our bodies.

It was later that I discovered that the “helpful” couple had helped themselves to the cash in my wallet! We had been scammed by what is called the “Pigeon Poop” scam".

Basically, how the scam works is that the thieves would spray some kind of liquid or  “poop” onto your bodies as you walked pass them. They would pick their victims carefully, often in isolated areas where there are no other persons around. In our case, I guessed they had used some kind of water pistol, hidden under the map that they were holding, and used it to squirt the liquid on us as we walked past them.

Isolated area on Skeppsholmen with lots of seagulls. Ideal conditions for the “Seagull poop” scam.

They were very fast to come to our “aid”, with wet tissues to try help wipe us down. While doing so, one would distract us while the other would steal from our wallet or bag.

In our case, the woman scammer held my hand to point out the places with poop on my partner’s head and hair. Her job was to distract us and prevent me from looking at what her partner was doing.

She kept telling my wife to stay still while she cleaned the mess from her hair. On hindsight, what she was doing was preventing my wife from turning around to see what her partner was doing to me!

In the meantime, her partner was busy pretending to clean the poop on my pants, but was actually cleaning out my wallet!

They worked fast, and was very professional! They quickly say good bye and left once they had taken the money!

I did not realised the theft until later when I found the cash missing and I googled on Internet to confirm that such scams exist.

What was amazing was that they took only the cash, and put back the wallet back in the zipped pocket of my hiking pants. I was able to use my SL Access card, stored in my wallet, to take the train home without realising the theft.

I think we were not the only persons scammed that day. An elderly couple walked pass us shortly after, while we were still cleaning ourselves up (after the scammers left us). They told us they have been pooped upon too and even jokingly told us that today was our “lucky day”. There is a belief that if a bird poops on you, your car or your property, you may receive good luck and riches.

In a way, we had been quite “lucky” compared to other cases of such scams. Some had lost much more. There were cases where the scammers snatched the bags of victims and ran. Or stole the entire bag with cash, cards, mobile phones and all!

Thankfully, I did not loss any ID cards, credit cards, SL Access card, etc. I only lost some cash from my wallet. Small payment for an unforgettable experience and lesson learnt!

We were wondering why they never took the whole wallet.

My guess was that we were on Skeppsholmen island and there was only a single entry and exit point from the island, the Skeppsholmen Bridge. If I were to discover the theft immediately, I could have stopped them from escaping at the bridge. Also, by taking only the cash, it would be impossible for me to prove their crime.

I knew that Europe is not a very safe place for travellers but I would never have imagined that such things could happen to us and happened in Stockholm too.

It is easy to fall for such scams since the scammers are very professional. They made use of the fact that most people would be distracted by poop sprayed on your bodies or drinks deliberately spilled on you. It is also human nature to not reject someone “kind enough” to provide assistance to persons in distress. They would use this to get close to you or even touch you so as to pick your pockets or steal from your bag.

So be warned, fellow travellers! 

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Visit to the garden of Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm

25 May 2017 

“Drottningholm Palace is Sweden's best preserved royal palace constructed in the seventeenth century, the permanent residence of the royal family and one of Stockholm's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites.”

When I read this about Drottningholm Palace, we decided to head out there. OK, I was actually more interested to explore the huge garden at the Palace ground instead of the interiors of the palace itself.

The palace is located on the outskirt of the city but access was easy. Tourists who stayed in Stockholm city center could take a regular boat service from Stadshuskajen (the City Hall Quay) to Drottningholm. For us, we made use of our SL Access 7-days Travelcard and took the subway (Tunnelbana) to Brommaplan and changed to a bus to Drottningholm.

Once we alighted from the bus, we could see the palace across the road. There were some beautiful spring flowers on sale outside the visitor center cum gift shop and cafe.

These were some of the photos we took before we even go see the palace. Fancy names were given to the varieties on display.

This flower is named the “Jolly Face”.

Guess the name of this flower. Answer at the end of the post.

It was a good thing we came on a weekday morning. We practically had the lake in front of the palace to ourselves.

To see the interior of the Palace, a ticket is required and can be purchased online, at the visitor center or at the palace entrance. We did not go into the palace as our aim was to explore and take walks in the huge garden on the palace grounds.

A female armed guard on duty near the front entrance.

Statue of a boy strangling a goose. 

Side and rear of the Drottningholm Palace.

Artist at work at the Theatre Courtyard painting the statue and the Drottningholm Court Theatre.

Stone lion outside the Drottningholm Court Theatre.

We entered the garden of the palace through this gate. This gate is more for show than for security! The palace is not fenced off.

These were some of the photos shot at the garden at the rear of the palace.

Big long driveway that led all the way to the horizon!

This is what the Queen’s visitors might see as they drive up to the palace in a horse carriage back in the old days.

Some of the figures and sculptures on this fountain and surrounding area were trophies from past wars.

The Baroque garden next to the palace looked very similar to the garden of the Palace of Versailles in France. The architect who designed the garden actually took inspirations from there.

The garden was very large. It was a good idea to shoot a photo of the above map near the front entrance.

One of the highlights in the garden is a building called the Guard’s Tent, built in 1782.

Guard’s Tent at Drottningholm Palace.

The building was actually barracks for the palace guards. The design came from the Swedish King Gustav himself. It was modelled after Turkish tents he saw at the palace of the French King when King Gustav went to visit King Louis of France. 

Confused?

To make you even more confused, the tents were actually made of sheet metal! Painted to resemble canvas. It is used to cover a 2 storey wooden building inside. 

Near to the Guard’s Tent is the Chinese Pavilion. This is another key attraction at the Drottningholm Palace.

Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm Palace.

This Chinese pleasure palace was actually a surprise birthday present from King Adolf Fredrik to Queen Lovisa Ulrika on her birthday in 1753.

“Surprise!”

Yes. I was surprised that there was a Chinese Pavilion in a Swedish garden. It seemed that Sweden and China had bilateral relationships back in the 17th century.

The original wooden building was replaced in the 1760s by a more permanent one, which today contains one of the finest European rococo interiors with chinoiserie and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Western-looking dragon, instead of a traditional Chinese dragon, on the facade of the Chinese Pavilion.

One of the side buildings at the Chinese Pavilion.

There was a cafe near the Chinese Pavilion, located inside an old stone building. That was the only place selling food within the huge garden. Since we did not pack a picnic lunch (we should have!), we topped up our energy with coffee and some snacks there.

Spring was the perfect time to visit a garden.

There were plenty of colourful blooms on display near the Chinese Pavilion.

Even the lawn looked nice with the yellow dandelions!

We took about 2.5 hours to cover only about half of the palace garden. The other half of the garden, on the other side of the Baroque garden, is around lakes and waterways. Not to be missed too.

I enjoyed seeing the locals bringing their dogs for a romp in the garden.

This is also a perfect place for getting a tan or a picnic.

Although we did not venture into the interiors of the palace, it was the walks in the huge garden that we enjoyed.

Answer to “Guess the name of this flower”. This flower is called “Mickey”. It does has looked a bit like the famous Disney mouse.

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