Stockholm's Sights: Djurgården

The first full week of school - done! Whether it's having more things to do, waking up to 40*F mornings, or simply the strange, new familiarity from picking things back up where I left them, the school year's officially in full swing, and it feels like I've never left. But regardless of how much work needs to be done, I've been catching myself drifting into memory land: walking up the steps of the Helsinki Cathedral, my morning chats with my paulistano and Mauritian buddies, and of course, looking over the viewpoint at Skansen, Stockholm's open-air museum, and seeing beautiful Stockholm peek out from behind the canopy of the trees (first photo). 

Our time in Stockholm was much too short, and I can't possibly do the city justice (or, really, any of the cities we visited!) with a "city guide" post. Stockholm, in particular, is honestly quite overwhelming with how much it has to offer - visiting its museums, alone, can easily absorb more than a week's stay! 

With that being said, budgeting precious sight-seeing time on a cruise is a priority. We flew into Stockholm and boarded the boat on day one. Jet-lag, the process of checking in, and our desire to get settled in cut our time short. We tried to redeem ourselves on day two (while still trying to reach our goal of having a "comfortably paced but satisfying trip for everyone" - hah), but our port departure time was early (2 pm). Nobody wants to be the ones running after the ship as it's pulling away. 

So as you can see, with the short time we had, I have no authority to create a "What to do in Stockholm" post...buuut, if you are trying to figure out how to budget your time in Stockholm, here's some inspiration: what we chose to do was explore Djurgården on day one, Gamla Stan (old town) on day two. We decided to purchase the Hop-on-Hop-off bus pass for several cities before we left home to save time, but these passes in general ended up being kind of stressful and wasteful. In general, our limited time and the bus schedules made it difficult to get the most out of each city; we didn't ride the bus enough, nor did we visit enough museums to really make up for the cost of the passes. Though Swedish taxis are confusing and expensive, the public bus system will get you where you need to be (those tickets are also pricier than what most Americans are used to). Plus, the city is more walk-able than you think, and you can always do what I wish I could've done - bike! 

I'm dedicating today's post to our first day in Stockholm, which we spent in Djurgården (yoor-gah-den). This island is like a giant park, teeming with nature and greenery in the summer. Despite the cooler Scandinavian weather, you'll see plenty of Swedes enjoying the island in summer clothing - I can't imagine what winters here are like! 

So what's there to do here? Djurgården is home to many museums (including the ABBA Museet), Gröna Lund (an amusement park), and natural spots perfect for reading and picnicking. We chose to see the following: the Vasamuseet (a ship that was capsized on her maiden voyage) and Skansen (the world's oldest open-air museum).  

Nordiska Museet (The Nordic Museum)

Biologiska Museet (Biological Museum)

Skansen! Scandinavian and Baltic countries have this thing with "open-air" museums; they're essentially collections of living history buildings. Stockholm's Skansen is the world's oldest, and I really do think it's a must see. I was a little hesitant at first since my research had made it seem more appropriate for young kids, but I was really enticed by their bears and moose...we just had to go.

(*note: my relationship with museums and aquariums is very complicated. Skansen's animals really don't have that much space, so vegans and animal rights activists, avoid those sections. We didn't go into the aquarium, so I don't have any comments to provide about that. We only had access to the rest of Skansen and its "Nordic animal" section through our Hop-on-Hop-off pass; pay extra for aquarium access).

"May I take a photo of you?"
"Yaaaaa." (Ja)

More photos of Skansen to follow towards the end, but I had to grab your attention with my favorites, first! The above two photos are of Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, the "river"/body of water between Stockholm's city center and Djurgården. There's several restaurants along the waterfront, and it's definitely a great spot for photos. 

Nordiska Museet

Vasamuseet

My dad once thought it was a good idea to take a moody teenager to Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City. The trip wasn't quite as successful as he had hoped, but I knew, this time, that I wanted to see the Vasa. Can you imagine seeing this stunning ship inside a building?! It was really quite remarkable, and even with the big crowds of people, you'll have plenty of opportunities to get closer to the ship and to read through the placards. One of the great things about Scandinavia is how multi-lingual the people are! Chances are, you'll be able to read or speak English with someone wherever you go. (Of course it's always better to have a few Swedish phrases on hand!)

Skansen is undeniably a kid and family friendly place, but anyone can easily find themselves enjoying it! 

Stockholm's Sights Pt. II coming soon :)! I'm slowly, but surely, making my way through the photo editing process. Videos will take forever, but the photos are manageable! In the mean time, head over to my instagram - you'll find me there occasionally with some more photos of our trip!