Stockholm for Several Days of Solitude

One thing that I really wanted to do during my year abroad was travel by myself. Alexin, Cam, Marie and I had bought cheap tickets to Stockholm, but they all backed out because of lack of money (Stockholm is an expensive city, even if getting there is cheap). So, I decided to do this trip on my own. I had five days in the city to explore, get lost, do whatever I wanted....by myself. It was an amazing growing experience that I will forever be grateful for.

As you read from my last entry, I unexpectedly came directly from Porto to Stockholm. I had no clothese to prepare me for the 10 degrees Celsius weather. It was cold, dark and a bit rainy when I arrived at 4pm on Saturday. After stopping at the hostel, I went directly to the shopping district to pick up some jeans, as I had NO PANTS with me!! As I walked to the city centre in a skirt, tennis shoes, and three long sleeves t-shirts on (practically all my non-tank tops), I got funny looks from locals who had on jackets, scarves, hats, and gloves. Tourist much?

Fortunately, I was in the land of H&M!!! I had about one hour to shop before the stores closed. I picked out a pair of jeans, some tights, and socks and headed for the register. In Stockholm they use their own currency, the Kroner, which comes in values of 10s and 100s. You can imagine my face when the register showed the amount: 479SEK! YIPES!! But it is acutally about $80ish.

This was my first hostel - The Malaren Red Boat!! Yep, a boat, on the water!! How fun!! It had 16 "cabins" and mine was the only room with four (as opposed to 2) beds. The first night there were two girls from Germany with me and the second night a guy from Costa Rica who works in Stockholm. It was a small place but definitely the most interesting type of hostel I've stayed in.

Here's the night view from the front of the ship. After my first day in a city all alone, I sat here and did some writing. I admit I was a bit lonely and insecure this first night. But I knew it was all part of the experience. I decided to get to bed early so I could get out and explore the following day.

When you travel alone, you realize how hard it is to take pictures that you are actually in. You'll notice there is an abundance of shots taken from this angle.

It's about 10pm in this picture. Notice how light it still is!!

Stockholm is known for many museums exhibiting the creativity and innovation that makes the city such a fantastic place. The next days in Stockholm I spent my time visiting just about every single one!

This is the apartment of August Strindberg, the Swedish playwright and author. I've read a play of his and really enjoyed, so I thought I'd pay my respects. His desk in the picture above had been left exactly at it was at the time of this literary genius' death.

A copy of "Miss Julie" - Strindberg's play that is one of the most produced plays in the world. A good read and highly recommended!

A nice park near the Observatory. It was a really cold day, but I braved it in my new jeans!!

Mom, I thought you'd appreciate the sentiment of this! Maybe it sounds like something a certain daughter of yours would say????

At the Svensk Design Museum, there was an exhibit displaying works by graphic design artists that had been given awards from Kolla! an Swedish graphic design competition.

This artist design the cover to A Hundred Years of Solitude, the Swedish edition.

This was one of my favorite pieces!

Alone in Stockholm. This was a rare pic of a moment in the Stockholm underground where I was the only one heading down the escalator.

Stockholm is filled with art - even in the metro stations!!

These two French guys were staying at my hostel. We headed out for a few beers and some international conversation. The guy on the right was IN LOVE with Los Angeles! I asked him why and he responded, "I love the show Nip/Tuck!!!" Seriously?!?!?

The view of the city from my cabin window! I was so happy to wake up this morning to a sunny day!!

The Nobel Museum, as in the Nobel Prize! Some of the highlights of this museum were a listening booth where I heard Martin Luther King, Jr.'s acceptance speech and interviews with William Faulkner and Ernest Hemmingway. There was also an exhibit showing some items that belonged to Nobel Prize winners.

This is Alfred Nobel's will and testament where he lays out the plans for an international award bearing his name.

There were a few free museums in Stockholm, which I of course jumped at the chance to visit. This was Sweden's Mint Museum where I was able to see and touch the world's largest coin. Yeah, this is a COIN!!! It weighs 19 kg!!!

If only I had this many Euros.....

Ok, so Stockholm could be considered a big city, but not big enough to need a segway to get around! Seriously guys?!?! This is outside the Royal Palace.

Everyday at noon, the Royal Army does the changing of the guards. It begins with a mile-long parade on horseback that leads to the courtyard of the palace where the changing takes place. It's about an hour-long affair with a band and funny gaits.

I love this picture because it shows 4 horseback police officers of whom 3 are women!!! One thing I noticed about Stockholm was the gender reversal of duties stereotypically associated with women and men. For instance, I saw more men pushing strollers with their children then I saw women.

Here's a view from across the water of my Red Boat. I stopped here for a moment of peace between museum visits!

This was at the Toy Museum that was more someone's collection of old toys than a museum.

My entrance to the Toy Museum also got me free entrance to the Transport Museum. Interesting...

What a great shop!!! I bought a shirt here for the Katt Fonden, a foundation that places homeless kitters!!

I hopped on a free coach one morning to visit the world's largest IKEA!!!!! It was a 5-story dream!! I spent about 2 hours here, but believe me, it could've been A LOT more!!! If only I was able to carry-on more luggage!!

A whole shop devoted to my girl!!! This was taken the day before you turned 27!!!

I took a visit to Stockholm's Post Office Museum in honor of my dad! It was actually really interesting!! There was an exhibit on Selma Lagerlof, a Swedish author who became the first woman and Swede to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature.

This is an artist's rendition of the letter from Alfred Nobel notifying Selma of her award!

Selma's own handwritten expense record showing her entry for the Nobelpris! How crazy is that?!?! Hopefully I can one day add this to my own financial records!!!

Very political in Stockholm. There was a rally the day I left that was disputing the war in Iraq, and this rally was to be held the following week.

Hahaha!!! If I ever owned a men's clothing store, I'd have to steal this name!!!

Here's a gorgeous fountain near my second hostel. It's a dandelion!!!

My trip to Stockholm was one of the best adventures of my life! I had such an amazing time in the city. The second hostel I stayed at was bigger and I meant some fun people from Germany, London, Australia, Slovenia and tons of Americans! I went out with a few one night for some beers and spent time in the big kitchen cooking and eating with these travelling friends. The hostel life is such a unique one. You meet people from all over the world, most of whom are travelling alone, and develop these short and sweet relationships that may only last a couple of days but from which you learn a lot about yourself, your country and your place in the world. One guy I met was a 19-year-old from Germany who had just graduated high school and was travelling before he had to sign up for civil work. This is the only alternative to joining the Germany military after high school. He spoke German, French, English and Croatian. A girl from Australia was moving to Stockholm for the summer and was there looking for a job as a waitress/bar tender. She had no clue what she was going to do for work, but she rented an apartment and just took the leap. What a brave girl!

The Swedish people were also really hospitable! Whenever I came out a metro stop and pulled out my map to get my bearings, someone would inevitably stop and ask if I needed help. A woman on the city bus even offered some suggestions on "must-see" Stockholm sights. The museum people were also really nice and offered student discounts and free English materials when available. One night I went to see a movie and was walking back to my hostel alone at about 11pm. While Stockholm is a very safe city, I felt a bit weary about walking home alone. So I stopped outside a nightclub and asked the big giant bouncer guy if it was safe. He assured me it was, but offered to have his friend and olf co-worker walk me back to my hostel. I obliged and had a great talk with Nick, a Stockholm native who dreams about visiting the Americas. Although there is a strong political vibe in the city, it is hardly anti-American. I had some meaningful conversations with some locals about education, politics, social standards, and art. Over coffee on my last morning in Stockholm I shared coffee with another German who was staying in my hostel and we sat and talked for an hour before realizing I had to catch my coach back to the airport.

I cannot express how important it is to travel around. I have learned this over the past nine months after having the amazing opportunity to travel to 10 different countries. I've found I feel my best and the most at peace when I am exploring a new city. There is something mesmerizing about walking around a new place and viewing sights that I immediately recognize as unique to that locale. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and look forward to visiting more of the world in the future!!