Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
October 05, 2013
First day in Sweden!
First impressions are good….the Swedes are noticeably very blonde for a start! they are also very friendly which is nice….but they do seem to like Volvo’s a bit too much for my liking. The other notable impression of Sweden so far, or at least Stockholm is that it is very expensive. £25 for the train from the airport to the city centre then £4 for a subway that is the equivalent of going from park lane to seaburn!
£29 lighter and my bag dropped off its with a stroke of luck that I discover that my hostel is in the same street as Brewdog so I should be in for a canny night later. Venturing into town a bit further to get my bearings I stumble into the old town which is a maze of beautiful little cobbled lanes with great architecture all around. Cosy old wooden bars and quaint but very expensive restaurants are around every corner you turn. I park up in a lovely old world bar for a bottle of Anchor Liberty Ale and I plan where I’m going to watch the Sunderland v Man Utd game later on.
Beer finished I head off in search of The Vasa a fully restored galleon that’s housed in a museum on the bank of the water. The Vasa is simply jaw dropping to see in the flesh. It sank in 1628 but is very much intact, it is a full ship with only 10% having been reconstructed and is an absolute colossus of a galleon. It’s very intricate with carvings and figurines adorning the outside, a truly awe inspiring sight.
After the Vasa I wander back to where I’m staying then pop out to watch the match and surprisingly start making a few new Swedish friends along the way. Martti from northern Sweden and David, Diane and Daniel from Stockholm make me feel very welcome and buy me a few beers while I sit and watch the match (which was good up until half time!) I sampled some Swedish chewing tobacco thanks to Martti which is pretty decent and may be worth buying for the long ferry/train ride ahead as well as getting through Mongolia in the wilderness……and its way cheaper than cigarettes! It seems like there are really friendly folks in Sweden (even though Martti thought I was in my 50’s….the Swedes look so youthful compared to me…then again most people do!) and it’s starting to feel more like a trip now that I’m on my own and meeting new people and having a bit craic on. What I also like is that the Swedes seem to like their real ale and craft beers which is a good bonus for me, the bottle of Anchor Brewery Liberty Ale I had in the old town, a few bottles of Flying Dog Raging Bitch in the sports bar for the match and now 5am saint in Brewdog…happy days! Its just a shame its so expensive. £15-£20 for a burger in Brewdog is ridiculous but it’s also a shame I’m not here longer as David would have put me up for the week and took me to a local match but they aren’t playing at home until next weekend and I have a ferry and trains and such like already booked. I’ve also noticed that as well as being very blonde the Swedes also like to sport a lot of facial hair as I’ve seen some cracking moustache’s and beards so far….I wonder if they’ve heard of Movember here?!….I suspect not!
