To celebrate Christopher turning 40 this year, we went on a big adventure to Sweden and Norway!

First stop: Stockholm, Sweden.

The Basics

Airport train to city center: Arlanda Express
We stayed at NOFO Hotel and Hotel Kung Carl
Excursion: Stockholm: City Archipelago Sightseeing Cruise with Guide
Taking the bus around town, we used tap to pay, but you can also use the SL App (Apple - Android)
We also took an Uber, so that is another option for getting around

We ended up having to change our outgoing flight at the last minute because of Hurricane Milton. Instead of flying out of Orlando, we left from Tri-Cities airport near my parent’s house, which meant stops in Atlanta and Amsterdam.

We flew Delta, which was delightful as always. The airplane food was as good as you can expect in coach. On the way to our layover in Amsterdam, we could see the northern lights from the plane! Then, flying into Stockholm, we watched the sunrise. It was a long day/night of flying, but we arrived in Stockholm at 9 AM local time, so we hopped on the Arlanda Express into the city and dropped off our luggage at the hotel.

Stockholm is a city that understands me. So many places don’t open until 10 or 11 AM, and as a night owl, I appreciate that. There is nothing worse than being invited somewhere at the crack of dawn and having to either say no or go cranky because the sun’s barely warm.

Our first lattes of the trip were enjoyed at Leonardos Kafferosteri. They opened at a civilized 10 AM and when we arrived at 10:30 they still had all their treats in stock. The coffee was incredible and so were the cardamom bun and cookie. Thank god for fika.

After our coffee and treats, we rode the bus across town to get a little overview of the places we might want to explore and then hopped on our archipelago boat tour. It was colder than we expected, but thankfully, the boat had blankets you could use, and we bundled up extra tight.

After the boat tour, we were hungry and exhausted. We’d been awake for almost two days straight so it was time for a quick dinner and sleep.

We shared a BBQ plate from Brisket & Friends; we got brisket, burnt ends, mac and cheese, burnt ends baked beans, pickled things, and cornbread. The meat was great! The sides were fine.

You have no idea how excited we were to see this bed. It was so comfy.

Day two in Stockholm started with breakfast at the hotel. These Scandinavian hotels know how to put out a breakfast spread.

I kept it simple this morning because I knew we’d get a latte and a pastry after we left the hotel. Not pictured: the most incredible orange juice I’ve ever had in my life.

The fall leaves were beautiful, there were plant and flower tents all over the place, and so many beautiful places to sit and enjoy the views or catch up with a friend. I loved how many places had real candles lit on tables. It was so cozy.

After our stop at Fabrique for our coffee and treats, we walked around Gamla stan and Riddarholmen. Unfortunately, Riddarholmen Church was temporarily closed, so we could only see the outside. If we go back to Stockholm, it’ll be on my list of places to go - I want to see inside!

We went to the Nobel Prize Museum and enjoyed it very much. There are videos and exhibits about the types of prizes and the people who have won them. We visited the week they announced the 2024 Nobel Prize winners, which felt extra special.

We saw the outside of the Swedish Royal Palace. I didn’t realize you could go inside or we would have gone there earlier in the day so we could go on a tour.

Then we went to Storkyrkan, a brick gothic cathedral, next to the palace. It is stunning inside. And look at that pipe organ!

I wonder if the little stair clips are for carpets? Do you know? I like that the pews have seat numbers, I’m assuming for official functions, and a place for your phone.

At this point, we were snacky, and it had been hours since we last had a latte, so it was fika time! I got a latte and a pain au chocolat, and Christopher got a pile of lettuce covered in fish.

I’m so glad we got this snack because we had to wait about an hour for dinner. We went to Meatballs for the People, and they don’t take dinner reservations. It was cold, and we thought about giving up, but it was worth it.

This garlic bread was dreamy, as in I am still dreaming about it. I got beef meatballs, and Chris got the chef’s choice meatball selection, which included reindeer, chicken, pork, and the classic beef & pork combo. Our meals included mashed potatoes, gravy, lingonberries, and pickled cucumbers with our balls. Christopher got a local pilsner, and I had a lingon mezcalita, and it was delicious. They also had an absolutely bangin’ early 00s hip hop/rap/pop playlist. I felt like maybe they stole my CD case to make that mix.

One of the coolest museums we’ve ever visited is the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. First of all, read about this ship real quick. Quick recap: big, tall ship, not wide enough, sinks immediately. Now it’s in a museum.

No amount of pictures could do this beast justice. But here is a sample of our attempts.

The Vasa Museum had a LEGO exhibit called Brickwrecks. There were famous shipwrecks built out of LEGO. We had a lot of fun looking at the LEGO boats.

First, we have Vasa, it was on a rotating arm, so you could sink it, LOL. There was also a LEGO version of Vasa being pulled out of the water.

You can’t have an exhibit about shipwrecks without the Titanic.

We started and ended our trip in Stockholm. After visiting the other cities on our trip, we came back for one last night in Stockholm before flying back to the US. We checked into the Hotel Kung Carl, and our room was huge. It had an entry area, bedroom, and giant bathroom with a TUB. We got burgers and gelato, went to the drugstore for some of that good European sunscreen, and obviously had a bath.