Aug 7, 20224 min read

Stockholm Highlights

We arrived in Helsinki last night and between catching the tram and the location of our AirBnB, it was all surreally familiar.

We rolled off the boat from Estonia into the southwest harbor and right onto the 7 tram with dropped us just beside the central train station, a short walk to our AirBnB which is directly beside the Radisson Blu hotel that Emilie and I stayed at during our house hunting visit to Helsinki, and which I stayed at during the time I was commuting to Helsinki either from Seattle or Tampere.

Before diving too deep into Helsinki and the sweet reminiscences I need to ensure I don't miss the time in Stockholm and Tallinn.

Stockholm

The short version of our stay in Stockholm is that we stayed in the old town (Gamla Stan) but took the tram (or boat bus) to the Royal Gardens (Djurgården) on a daily basis.

Our first full day was really a celebration of children's literature. In the morning we visited Junibacken www.junibacken.se, a museum dedicated to Nordic children's literature, with a large focus on Pippi Longstocking and Moomin. The kids really enjoyed this museum when we would visit before, so we were excited to come back. Upon entering we were concerned. It was very small. I expected we would stay for 30min tops, and at first it appeared this would be the case. There were three rooms, each with a different theme, and a short ride that moved you through different children's stories. The kids and Emilie did an initial 30min run through, then spend another two hours going through the rooms again. So overall a success.

We killed some time at a free boat museum which was very cool. The lighthouse boat seemed especially interesting. It was a boat that would go out and serve as a lighthouse. The main point of the exhibit appeared to be explaining how the crew filled their many hours of boredom.

The highlight of the day was going to the musical performance of "Pippi da Cirkus". I wasn't sure what I was buying when I got the tickets six months ago. Everything turned out great. "Cirkus" is an old concert venue and high-end restaurant. Our tickets included a pre-show meal, and the show which was a small-scale Circe du soleil with a Pippi Longstocking story holding everything together produced by some of the members of Abba. It was a really nice way to spend a couple of hours and be entertained and fed a delicious Swedish meal.

The second day we dedicated to the Skansen, which was less exciting than we hoped. It was a combination zoo, aquarium and Swedish heritage museum (arts and crafts). It was fine, but not awesome. We were maybe ready for a bit more adult themed engagement. What was awesome was our dinner. First, we left the kids at home and introduced Mom and Dad to the cocktails at Pharmium. Next, we went to a high end, traditional Swedish dinner at Traditions. Overall, just a great night with everyone in high spirits, thought a little cold after sitting outside for dinner.

The first order of business the next morning was moving all the luggage to Mom and Dad's apartment. We also moved Emilie there for the day and she was feeling a bit under the weather. The rest of us headed to the Vasa Museum, home of "Sweden's failure", at least according to my barber (the Sabbatical hair got to be a little much). We could have spent more time at the museum but needed to get back to head to the ferry to Estonia. The stop we did make for lunch was disappointing and the "world famous grilled cheese sandwiches" of the Djurgården were not enjoyed to a level equivalent to the advanced billing or price tag.

The boat to Estonia was great, if uneventful. With a summer crossing I expected warm weather and a top deck that was hopping. I guess I forgot that "hot" for this part of the world is sweater weather. While there were people enjoying the sun as we moved through the beautiful archipelago that surrounds eastern Sweden, it wasn't hopping. At sunset, as we moved through the final small islands before hitting the open Baltic sea it was quite deserted. We found that the passengers were all getting ready for the entertainment and dancing that started at 11pm. By that time, we were well asleep.

Notes:

The kids found there are a Swedish alternative to Cheetos called "Cheese Doodles". Yes, Cheese Doodles exist as a real product. Maybe everyone knows this, but it is novel to us.

Notes 2:

The boat to Estonia had an interactive game called "Hackers on Board" that was comprised of solving puzzles on five screens hidden around the boat. It took up a lot of the kids' time and energy while on board and was a welcome distraction.