Why You Should Visit Stockholm

So we've all been to IKEA right? Swedish meatballs and all. Well let me tell ya, Stockholm exceeded all of my expectations. Over the course of 2 days my best friend, our boyfriends, and me got to see Stockholm's most famous buildings, good eats, and lots of good drinks. Lets take a minute to break down what you must need to do and see when visiting Sweden.

First off we all took an overnight cruise ship from Helsinki, Finland over to Stockholm, Sweden. The cruise took about 8 hours and we docked in Stockholm at 9:30AM. First impressions, everyone is very welcoming, helpful, and super comfortable and easy to get around the city. Everything we did was within walking distance, yep you get to eat as many Swedish meatballs your heart and stomach needs without the guilt. Let's get started.

Day 1: First thing on the agenda was to visit the old town of Stockholm and the Royal Palace to see the changing of the guards. This is a must see experience. Stockholm has one of the original ceremonies of the changing of the guards. They bring out horses, music, and tell a story of the history of Sweden and the castle. Although it was a blazing 87 degrees in the sun for 45 minutes, it was 100% worth it. Moving on we grabbed a bite to eat at the cafe attached to the castle courtyard, panini, fruit, and the best fresh squeezed orange juice ever! Next we stopped at the Stockholm Chapel, also known as the Storkyrkan church, located at Trångsund 1. This church was stunning, it was filled with tombs from famous kings and queens, royal families, church

members, presidents, and other well known people. Each tomb belongs to a single family, holding at least 25 members in one chapel. Only 15 euros to enter. We found a beautiful lookout point, and walked around some more admiring the old town, my favorite area was Gamla Stan. We headed back to our hotel, Scandic Hotel N. 53, to get ready for the night. Next stop was the Ice Bar, located at the ICEHOTEL in Stockholm. Entrance was 22 euros per person if you book ahead, included one free cocktail, and a 45 minute session inside the ice bar. They provided us with jackets and gloves and off we went into the -5 Celsius bar. The theme for this summer was BIFROST ak

a medieval winter. Everything was made of ice, they had sculptures of viking ships, merchants, thrones, and a story carved into the walls. This was the highlight of the trip. I have always wanted to do an ice bar and this is the original one in Sweden. An absolute must do when visiting.

Day 2: We all woke up bright and early the next morning and headed off the medieval museum, located under the bridge next to the royal palace, entry is free so we had to check it out. The museum is underground and was built around the real walls and tunnels used in the medieval period. My favorite part was an old viking ship that had sunk that was on display. Wax figures were used to tell the stories of the people. I don't know about you, but the medieval period was always my favorite to learn about. Next we headed on the search for some Swedish meatballs, and we couldn't pass up the Number 1 place in town. Meatballs for the People was the winner, located at Nytorgsgatan 30, Stockholm Sweden. THIS PLACE WAS TO DIE FOR! We ordered 2 meatball plates that came with 4 different types of meatballs, 6 of each kind. We got mo

ose, reindeer, wild boar, and pork. Now I know, the moose and reindeer, what about Rudolph? But when your in a Scandinavian country you cannot pass up the opportunity to try their native foods. We also got mashed potatoes served on the side. Boy oh boy were these amazing. After our feast of meatballs, we headed out for some shopping and a little walking around of the city, then packed our bags and headed back to the cruise ship back to

Helsinki.

Till the next adventure.