Stockholm

Going to Stockholm was a random choice designed to fill time between Istanbul and Berlin. We picked it pretty much solely on airline ticket price, and honestly I wanted to go to Copenhagen or the Turkish coast instead. HOWEVER, Stockholm ended up being my absolute favorite city so far. The vibe was relaxed, the people were nice, there were adorable babies everywhere, and everyone was ridiculously attractive. Plus it was SO CLEAN! I have never seen a city that clean in my life. My favorite thing about Stockholm was how surprisingly diverse it was. It was really refreshing to be in a city and see people of many different backgrounds, especially after homogenous Turkey.

Unfortunately, the exchange rate there was awful, so we were pretty limited in the things we did (and ate). Bottles of water cost around $3 in Stockholm. We were especially spoiled after coming from Istanbul, where huge bottles of water literally cost about 30 cents (.50 TL). We flew Turkish Airways and the food was incredible. I got chicken with eggplant puree and pilaf.

When we wandered around Stockholm the next day, we found some sort of international food market around the central metro stop. I got a huge cheesy pretzel ($7).

There was a stand with all kinds of English fudge.

Swedes are smarter than Americans (duh). They have these super cool stroller stairs.

We went to Skansen. I don't really know how to explain Skansen. It was described to us as an "open air museum" and it's sort of like what I imagine an Amish Disneyland would be. There were people in costumes, farm animals, and picturesque gardens.

Since we were poor in Sweden, we stocked up on instant noodles at a local Asian store and bought Swedish meatballs. This was our dinner.

Our third night in Stockholm was spent on a ship hostel. I was pretty excited about that. I loved being near the little marina.

We also stopped off at a highly recommended (but rather bland) buffet. Apparently Swedes like potatoes and cream sauce. Wait, so do I. Hello, Sweden!

We got to watch the sunset from the boat. So beautiful!

Today Pam and I spent some time doing various errands and wandering the city. OK, in reality we got lost, and I ended up having to throw out the dry shampoo that I bought, but it was still a great day! I was feeling international so I got paella and pierogi at the international food market. I made better paella myself, but the pierogi were basically just deep fried dough stuffed with mashed potatoes, so I was in heaven.

Pam and I stumbled upon Stockholm city hall during our lost-walk. I've always thought SF City Hall is gorgeous, but Stockholm's is on another level. It's hard to show just how pretty it is in pictures.

We just got to Berlin tonight, and I'm excited to explore. I've had a few people tell me it's their favorite city in Europe, and that it's really affordable. I'll let you know how it goes!

xo,
R