Stockholm, Sweden
Destination: Stockholm, Sweden
Other names: N/A (or if anyone knows please feel free to comment)
Known for: ABBA, Tennis talent, Good looking people, IKEA, Nudie Jeans, a Swedish House Mafia
Ah Stockholm, legend tells of a city where blond haired, blue eyed GQ and Victoria Secrets Models roam the streets, in a picturesque city and probably one of the world’s most liveable too. This weekend was an excursion to explore unofficial capital Scandinavia!
Attractions
Usually the way I like to approach weekend excursions is to pack the days full of sightseeing and understanding the history of the city. A few people I know often ‘wing it’ and stroll through the city. I have tried this before and while it is very relaxing it does not provide any context to appreciate the historic sights and buildings you pass by. So I try to get on a city tour of some sort at the very least and the best tours are usually the Free walking tours. They are free in that there is no set amount for the tour, but if you think the tour was worthwhile (normally they are very information and fun) a tip will be graciously accepted.
I managed to get onto a walking tour with an excellent guide who explained the history of Sweden, how it territory once included Norway and Finland as well. He went on to speak about the Swedish Royal family throughout the ages including the most recent princess who married her gym instructor!
We were educated about other interesting facts including the concept of ‘Stockholm syndrome’ which refers to a phenomenon where hostages empathise with their captors and take their side. This actually happened in a bank central Stockholm back in the 70’s.
The city itself is extremely clean and sits on a number of islands. It has a charming old town where ‘hole in the wall café’s and souvenir stores can be found on every corner. One of the main attractions in the old town is the Nobel Museum, dedicated to one of Sweden’s most famous personalities, Alfred Nobel (Creator of the Nobel Prize).
I had always heard of the Nobel peace prize and the prize for economics but did not realise that there were 5 prizes in Alfred Nobel’s original will (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace). Being the inventor of dynamite and unlucky in love he was set to leave a large fortune behind, it wasn’t until his own brother was killed in an explosives accident and a French newspaper mistook his brother for himself, that he realised what the world thought of him. Labelled the “merchant of death” as many lives had been lost through the use of his invention, Alfred wanted to leave his mark on the world for the better, hence the creation of the Nobel prizes which is awarded to those who brought the greatest benefit to mankind. Famous recipients include Marie Curie, Mother Teresa, Martin Luthor King, Albert Einstein just to name a few
The other placed we checked out was Skansen island. Unfortunately the number 1 attraction on trip advisor ‘Vasa museum’ was under renovation so I checked out the open air museum instead, which is HUGE and a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon in the Scandinavian sun.
Nightlife
A quick google search of Stockholm nightlife warned visitors about how difficult it can be to get into nightspots, especially for guys. Glad to say playing it safe and packing an extra pair of shoes and blazer granted us entry into two of the swankiest clubs in town! Ambassadeer Club & Berns Hotel.
Both highly recommended – just an FYI entry is usually £20-£30
Below is a link to pictures from nightspots in Sweden. I can confirm that the girls and guys do look just as good in real life!
Http://stureplan.se/bilder/nattklub/
Swedish Myths & Legends!
MYTH: Everyone is Sweden is good looking and 6ft plus. Women look like Scarlet Johansson and the men look like Thor (Chris Hemsworth – even though he is Australian lol).
RESULT: Fact, on a whole Swedish people are definitely trendier, well groomed and fashion forward. Thier natural beauty are very easy on the eyes. I would say 8/10 people could easily become fashion models in other countries.
Height wise the average height of Swedes is noticeably higher than say Spain or Portugal so yes I’d say that this is fairly accurate (generally speaking). I also noticed the split of brunettes to blondes is roughly 50:50 and not 100:0 as I once thought lol.
MYTH: Sweden is ridiculously expensive.
RESULT: Fiction, I would say it’s slightly more expensive than other “liveable cities”. Alcohol is an exception, as it is highly taxed (a round of top shelf gin and tonics (3 drinks) cost £50/$75), however that was probably more my own fault for buying the most expensive drink in the poshest club in Stockholm. Food is reasonable and of very good quality as well. Swedish designed clothes are apparently cheaper here as well (although to be honest, I had ran out of money by Sunday lol so this could be seen as hypocritical). A Big Mac meal and Mc Flurry cost 80SEK / £8 / $12
Having missed breakfast on our last day, on a count of arriving home at 4am and spontaneously singing Peter Andre’s mysterious girl, there was definitely a feeling of not enough time and unfinished business in Sweden. I’m very sure I’ll be back again! Stay beautiful Stockholm I’ll see you real soon!
JD
Meribel, France
Bonjour from Meribel, France This is the first time in almost a year that I have been able to have a week off without the stress of trying to find a job. Goes without saying I was really excited for this trip, more so to have some time off work and recharge
This post is dedicated to the spectacular scenery of the French alps. I highly recommend getting a 3 valley pass if you go, as there are a tremendous amount of runs you can navigate down and the queues for the lift are minimal, at least when I went
A Big Thank-You to my good friends Tak and Michelle, for organising the trip, although battered and sore at the end of the trip, one of the highlights over here that’s for sure!
Lisbon, Portugal
Destination: Lisbon, Portugal
Other names: Lisboa
Known for: Peri Peri, Portuguese Tarts, drinking in the streets,
Food:
At the beginning of this trip, if someone were to mention Portuguese food, I would immediately think peri peri chicken and nandos. The ‘real’ Peri-Peri Chicken is perfectly cooked and not dry at all, the peri peri sauce is brushed onto the chicken and adds a nice heat kick. We were recommended Bonjardim by a friend and it did not disappoint.
The Portuguese tarts are highly recommended by the locals. From the way they described it I thought I had tried something similar back home (egg tarts you get at yum cha)). These “sugar bombs” are the perfect afternoon accompaniment with the strong (and I mean strong) local coffee.
Seafood is astoundingly affordable and for someone who is not big on seafood I found it delicious. We had booked a restaurant on a friend’s recommendation and also our friends we were with saw the restaurant on travel show. This restaurant serves the freshest seafood and to my knowledge is the only one with their signature dessert as a steak sandwich… that’s right the real surf n turf. Garlic prawns were amazing (I’m salivating as I write this).
Nightlife:
Two words Barrio Alto . The drinking district in Lisbon’s city centre. The norm in Lisbon at least, is to purchase your drinks from one of the many “hole on the wall” type bars and take into the streets and drink. Although it was raining for the two nights we went out there I could imagine the vibe on a summer’s/spring day. Most of the locals speak English quite well (the younger generation at least) and for some strange reason heard this song at least 14 times each night lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITzNPZPhT64
sadly the parties we attended were not like that in the video clip 😛
Attractions/History:
The Alfama district is the where the Portuguese locals and older generation hang out. Whilst I didn’t spend a whole lot of time it was described as an area of the city that still has ‘village’ feel to it, where everyone knows everyone and you can really feel how proud they are to live in the alfama district/ old town.
Fado tour:
A common performance which can be found at most bars within the al fama district is the traditional music known as fado. It involves two guitars, a traditional 12 string Portuguese guitar and regular 6 nylon string guitar. A singer will then takes to the stage and do their thang. The music can be described as emotional, slow or depressing but we were told it is about yearning for something, whether it be for home or for a loved one. It may not be for everyone, however I found it to be very entertaining as I am a fan of any kind of live music (bar death metal).
Portuguese empire – was the first global empire (thanks Wikipedia) for myself the architecture in Lisbon reminded me of some of the buildings in my hometown in Melaka, Malaysia as the Portuguese’s landed there in early 1500s. There is a monument in belem which celebrates the accomplishments to all the the Portuguese explorers and maps out over the centuries the regions which fell under their empire.
The area of Sintra is about an hour’s train ride away from Lisbon city centre, here you will find many historic castles and parks. Be prepared to walk, or wait hours for the one bus which services the many kilometres of road linking the various tourist attractions. We visited Pena national castle which is definitely a site to check out. The castle was inspired apparently by Disney type castles and the first thing you notice is how vibrant colours of the castle walls. The inside is furnished with the finest furniture and accessories for those times. There is even a dedicated ladies waiting room, where the monarch would hold his mistresses I’m assuming before having his way with them.
Apart from the lousy weather in which it rained 3 out of the 4 days we were there, Lisbon is a city which has something for everyone. From party goers to young families, its an affordable destination and one I want to come back too in the not too distant future (hopefully when the sun shines a little brighter! :P) I should also mention the hostels in Libson are world class, in fact 3 of the top 4 hostels in the world are in Lisbon so definitely consider staying in a hostel if you can! You are bound to meet some amazing people to share the city’s experiences with.
Lastly I want to say a big THANK YOU to Celine for basically planning my whole Lisbon trip with her fantastic recommendations! Getting local insight to a city always help!
Obridgado Lisboa!
The JD Chronicles 