Farewell to Stockholm: Archipelago Trails & Royal Halls 🇸🇪
Here I am on my last evening in Stockholm after an amazing 7 weeks!
If you've followed along you've already read about the first half of my time here, and may even remember that I was on my way to Hälsingland to meet new friends.
But before we you get to hear all about that, it seems fitting to start with a quick overview where I've ventured during my time here.
Thanks to wonderful new friends, I got to explore as far north as Hälsingland and as far south as Gotland. Plus, there are so many beautiful islands surrounding Stockholm. In the south I got to explore Nåttarö, Utö, Ålö (which connects to Utö by a small bridge), and Dalarö. In the north, Vaxholm and Grinda, which quickly became one of my absolute personal favorite.
This should give you a better picture:
Now that you have the big picture, let’s dive into my final weeks, starting right from where I left off in the last post when I was about to head north!
Hälsingland & New Friends
If you’ve been following along, you know I was heading north to Hälsingland for a weekend with new friends from the wonderful Heja! Livet Facebook group.
After a 4-hour bus and car journey up north, we arrived at Kursgården Gläntan, the conference and retreat center our new friend invited us to.
It was magical! A place of complete peace and solitude surrounded by beautiful forests, just a few minutes' walk from Lake Mållången. The center has several individual huts, a house (which I’d be very comfortable living in for a while!), and two large buildings. The one we stayed in had a sauna and a super cozy living space, while the other housed the kitchen, conference rooms, and a fitness area.
But frankly, besides the sauna, we didn't get to take advantage of any of it, since after a delicious lunch, the lake was begging us for a swim.
I quickly learned that this lake has a wonderful feature: warm streams! As you swim around, you suddenly hit pockets of water that are much warmer than the rest, making it delightful to just float around even if it isn't boiling hot outside.
Just a couple of days earlier, I was eyeing folks on their boats and wondering what that would be like. Well, guess what? Our host had a boat and took us out for a ride! Not only that, we got to have fika on the boat!
In case you missed it in an earlier post, fika is the wonderful Swedish tradition of taking a break for coffee (or tea in my case) and a snack; sweet or savory.
Since a storm was rolling in, it was a fast (literally!) ride to get back to shore before the rain hit. But there was plenty of time to marvel at those views! 🤩
The next day was a bit rainy, but nothing that was going to stop us. Besides, I heard it was much worse back in Stockholm! 😉
It was an action-packed day, starting with sightseeing at Hälgegården.
While it isn't officially on the UNESCO World Heritage list, it features the exact same iconic decorated farmhouse style (Hälsingegårdar) with ornate wooden facades and painted halls.
It’s also themed around Hälge, Sweden’s most famous cartoon moose, who spends his days outsmarting hunters in the woods!
While there, we tried traditional Swedish ostkaka, a warm, rich take on cheesecake served with jam and cream that was so delicious. I love to try out new food!
Naturally, we needed to walk off all those cake calories, so while our host was busy in an afternoon meeting, we snuck out for a short hike, where I learned that in Sweden, you can just wander into the woods and constantly stumble upon public forest huts open to anyone for a free overnight stay! Check this out!
We finished the hike with a chilly dip in the lake, then scampered straight into the sauna to warm back up. That's where I was taught the glorious Swedish art of the bastuöl, pairing a steamy sauna with an ice-cold beer.
Cheers to that! Let's see if I can bring that tradition back to Germany or the US! 😂
Our action-packed day was far from over. Next up was a fantastic folk concert at the church in Alfta featuring three incredibly talented musicians playing 12-string guitar, clarinet, and violin. The music was marvelous, but the church artwork itself was equally stunning!
Since I mentioned that I had never seen a moose in the wild, our host kindly drove us to a prime spot for moose spotting. Well, no moose showed up that evening, but we did get to pick wild blueberries! 😋
A habit I promptly continued on every single one of my subsequent hikes!
It was the perfect day, and we ended up chatting late into the morning hours after another delicious dinner. There's nothing like friends and good food!
Not surprisingly, we slept in the next morning and enjoyed a long, sunny breakfast outside before checking off one more thing we wanted to do so badly: canoeing!
And it was glorious! That’s the kind of workout I could easily get used to. 😊
Before heading back to catch our bus, our host led us into the boggy woods in hopes of finding cloudberries (hjortron). I had actually never heard of them before, but they are known as "the gold of the forest" because they are notoriously rare and difficult to find.
She managed to spot two, and we each got to taste one!
And just like that, three magical days were over, leaving us with new friendships and lifelong memories. #SoulMoments
Reconnecting with US Friends
The day after returning from Hälsingland, I got to meet up with old friends from the US.
They were visiting Gothenburg and decided to tag on two days in Stockholm to explore and hang out!
If you've been reading the blog for a while, you might remember my friend!
The last time he traveled to meet up with me and a mutual friend, he drove clear across North Carolina. This time, he and his wife drove clear across Sweden!
We had a wonderful time wandering around Gamla Stan and enjoying a delicious lunch at Kvarnen; a spot my "northern friend" had recommended to me just the day before.
Don't you love it when things align so perfectly?
Now, I did question my tour guide abilities at times, even though I managed to dredge up a few random facts from an earlier walking tour.
Let's just say a career pivot into professional tour guiding isn't in my immediate future! 😂
A Royal Day Out
The next morning started with a spectacular ferry ride out to Drottningholm Palace.
Drottningholm is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. The grand gardens reminded me somewhat of a miniature version of Versailles! Is it only me?
Just a short walk away is this rather peculiar structure: the Guard Tent (Vakttältet).
Official history says it was designed out of painted tin to look like an ornate Ottoman army tent... but I can't help it, to me it sure looks like a circus tent!
And if this wasn't enough, next I come across the Chinese Pavilion (Kina Slott) complex, some intriguing colorful buildings from the 1700s.
This one is known as the "Confidence," housing a special dining area.
The kitchen was located directly below the dining room, and the entire set table was mechanically elevated through the floor so the royals could dine without servants present in the room!
Personally, I'd be very happy if someone would just serve me breakfast in bed once in a while. I'd have zero qualms about them carrying in a tray! 🤣
The historic kitchen is actually still in use today by a local café.
Though as far as I could tell, there wasn't an option to have your smörgås lifted up to the "Confidence"!
In the evening I met up with another wonderful woman from the Heja! Livet Facebook group for an evening walk. In keeping with the royal theme, we took a long, beautiful stroll through Djurgården, which was historically royal hunting grounds and remains royal domain land to this day!
We were so engrossed in conversation and the stunning views that we completely lost track of time. We almost missed our chance for dinner and made it to a restaurant just 30 minutes before closing for an all you can eat sushi and Chinese buffet. It is truly fascinating how much food you can consume when you are half starved and on a 30 minute clock! 😂
Finding Vaxholm & The Beauty of Grinda
The next day, I set off for Grinda. I left with plenty of time to catch my bus to the ferry, or at least I thought I did, until I couldn’t find the bus stop in time and missed it entirely.
The end result? Thanks to the ferry schedules, I was going to arrive a good two hours later.
My old self would have been so frustrated about "losing" two hours and immediately scrambled for the next best option, where "best" meant fastest.
I realized today that for my new self, best ≠ fastest. Best = experience.
So instead of getting upset, I took a beat, found an option that fit my new definition, and enjoyed a little self reflection on how far I’ve come.
That mindset shift led me straight to the harbor in Vaxholm, sitting in the sun, enjoying the view, and just taking in all the different boats and harbor life.
In the end, it didn't make a single bit of difference. I just ended up staying out longer than originally planned!
Grinda quickly turned out to be one of my absolute favorite islands. I walked a section of the SAT (Stockholm Archipelago Trail, which has nothing to do with college exams!).
The trail was remarkably well marked, which I appreciated deeply because if you've been following along, you know I can get lost anywhere.
I took my time, stopping frequently to enjoy the breathtaking coastal views and snack on very tasty antioxidants in the form of wild blueberries. Picking these tiny wild berries takes a bit of commitment, so I might eventually have to go back to store bought ones, but eating them fresh along forest paths is something I will miss dearly!
Royalty and Maritime Adventures
After long days of walking, I was ready for a slightly easier pace. Since I enjoyed Djurgården so much a few days earlier, I decided to go back and explore a bit more. I stumbled upon some wonderful treasures!
First, I walked along Prince Daniel's Kärleksstig (Love Path), a scenic walking path gifted to Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel for their wedding.
Next, I came across Sjöhistoriska, the National Maritime Museum.
You can tour historic vessels moored right outside. I explored Sankt Erik, Sweden's first large icebreaker built in 1915, and Finngrundet, a lightship that functioned essentially as a floating lighthouse to guide ships safely through dark, shallow waters.
It reminded me a lot of Hyde Street Pier near Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, where you can also walk along the docks and explore historic ships! Good memories 😍
From Royalty to Government
After so much royalty the previous weeks, it was time to venture into government.
Well, not quite... just checking out the government buildings, starting with a tour of the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag.
Look at this view from inside the Riksdag!
They offer frequent, free English tours where you get to walk through the historic halls and learn about the Swedish political system.
One of the coolest facts I learned was about the seating arrangement in the main chamber: members are seated by geographic constituency and seniority rather than by political party.
This setup is deliberately designed to foster cross party dialogue and collaboration.
What an idea!!!
We also got to see a much smaller, gorgeous room lined with floor to ceiling wooden bookcases full of bound historical records.
It used to be the parliament's reference library, but today it serves as the meeting room for the Committee on Finance.
Isn't that such a cool room!
A couple of days later, I completed my civic lesson with a visit to the local government headquarters: Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset).
Standing in the famous Blue Hall (Blå Hallen) felt a bit unreal. This is where the world famous Nobel Prize banquet takes place every December. Up to 1,300 guests dine in this space, and remarkably, the staff serves all 1,300 people within just 8 minutes!
The King, Queen, and Nobel laureates make their grand entrance through a doorway high on the wall and walk down the grand staircase. Everybody else gets to use the same entrance we used!
Oh, and you'll notice the Blue Hall is actually... not blue!
Evidently, the architect fell in love with the look of the exposed red bricks and decided against painting or plastering over them.
Naturally, some people took issue with the fact that the "Blue Hall" wasn't blue at all! But because the room had consistently been referred to as the Blue Hall throughout the 12 year building period, he refused to change the name.
When people tried to pressure him into renaming it, he simply argued that the Red Sea isn't red, and the Black Sea isn't black. A man after my own heart! 😂
Next was the Council Chamber (Rådsalen). True to fashion, as we've just learned from the blue hall story, here the architect also changed his mind: originally he intended to cover the ceiling, but when he saw the exposed roof trusses looking like an inverted Viking longship, he left them open to view!
Not that anybody is asking me, but I'm glad he didn't; I think the ceiling is amazing!
And the clever design surprises didn't stop there.
In the Gallery of Princes, where the Nobel laureates and royalty gather for their pre-dinner reception, nobody has to fight over the best view.
Prince Eugen got them covered. He painted a giant landscape mural along the inner wall that reflects the exact view out the windows.
So no matter which side of the long banquet table they're at, they all get a prime water view!
And last but certainly not least, we walked into the breath-taking Golden Room (Gyllene Salen), covered in over 18 million glass and gold mosaic tiles depicting Swedish history.
Dominating the main wall is the grand Queen of Lake Mälaren; not an actual historical queen, but a fictional personification of Stockholm sitting enthroned as the bridge between the East and the West.
With my civic lessons complete, it was time to return to royalty!
Taking a wonderful recommendation from a friend, I headed over to the historic bakery Vete-Katten for a Chai Latte and a slice of very royal Swedish Princess Cake 😉 (Prinsesstårta).
Tyresta National Park & The Tyrestarundan
After spending that much time indoors touring grand hall after grand hall, I was so ready for a long nature hike.
A fellow hiker I had met back on Ålö had highly recommended Tyrestarundan in Tyresta National Park: a 14 km trail through beautiful forests with, as I would discover, lots of wild blueberries! 😋
It was absolute perfection. And utterly exhausting!
Not at first, though... not while taking my sweet time devouring blueberries and reading yet another book at a perfect spot by the lake.
As I sat by the water, one duck after another came out and started grooming themselves all around me. I must have invaded the girls' powder room! 😂
Back on the trail, I realized I had spent way too much time reading and watching the duck action, and had to start hustling if I wanted to catch the last direct bus out of the park at 6:00 PM.
The alternative? Walking another 2 kilometers to a different bus stop for a later ride!
That certainly was motivation enough to seriously pick up the pace, and I made it to the stop with time to spare.
To top off a great day, the timing and route worked out so seamlessly that I managed to snag a TooGoodToGo bag of delicious Chinese food on my way home. A fantastic way to end the hustle of the day!
The Hunt for the Perfect Dip
After all that walking, and with the weather being fabulous, I continued my hunt for perfect swimming spots nearby!
While the massive European heatwave didn't quite reach Stockholm, it was still warm enough for some dips. On overcast days, it definitely required a bit of willpower to jump in, but once you were in, it was absolute heaven!
And the few times when I just couldn't bring myself to jump in, there was always a book to enjoy instead.
My personal favorites turned out to be Hellasgården and Flatenbadet, both on smaller, and therefore much warmer, lakes. 😊
Though I have to say, nowhere else did I encounter those magical warm streams like in Lake Mållången up north!
The Story of the Vasa
I had heard the infamous story of the Vasa warship from a friend in the Facebook group and was intrigued to see it in person.
If you haven't heard the story, it is quite something! Built in 1628 as the crown jewel of the Swedish navy, the massive warship was heavily armed and magnificently decorated. However, due to severe design flaws, it was dangerously top heavy. Just 20 minutes into its maiden voyage, a light gust of wind caught its sails, the ship listed, water poured into the open gun ports, and it sank right in the Stockholm harbor after only ~1500 meters.
The ship is massive, and remarkably, 95% of what you see inside the museum is original! It lay in the brackish Baltic Sea for 333 years until it was salvaged in 1961. During the tour, the guide described the restoration as "the world's largest jigsaw puzzle," as experts spent decades piecing thousands of recovered timber fragments back together.
As you can see, the full size ship today looks like dark aged wood. But originally it was a insanely vibrant, floating baroque palace!
Next to the main ship, they have a massive 1:10 scale model painted in its original colors.
It took researchers over a decade of analyzing more than 1,200 microscopic paint samples under electron microscopes just to figure out what those colors were!
Aren't you glad you can just hop over to Home Depot, or Bauhaus, depending on your country, and just grab some color samples 😂
The model builders spent around 40,000 hours painstakingly recreating all 500-plus carved sculptures in brilliant shades of red, gold, pink, and blue.
What moved me most, though, was the museum's exhibit dedicated to the people who lost their lives on board.
Researchers used modern forensic technology to reconstruct facial models of the victims from their skeletal remains.
Scientists spent years analyzing skin tones, bone structures, and historical clothing to bring these individuals back to life visually and to tell their stories.
I really appreciated seeing the tender care and deep respect researchers put into telling these victims' personal stories.
Coastal Bliss in Nåttarö
There seems to be a recurring theme whenever I try to catch an early morning ferry!
This time, it wasn't me not finding a bus stop, but rather a train incident. The result was the same: I missed my ferry yet again, with the next one two hours later. This time it didn't even require deliberate reflection time! 😉
I just used the 1.5+ hour wait to sit by the water, grab a delicious cinnamon bun, and dive into a fantastic book: Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. This one is, as the pastor of my Foster City church (CPC) put it, "life-altering." And I completely agree! But it's definitely not a light, quick read, so having 1.5 uninterrupted hours by the sea was an absolute blessing.
When I arrived on Nåttarö, my original plan was to hike the SAT trail, but quickly realized that the trail markers were pretty sparse and large stretches ran along plain gravel roads.
While trying to navigate the trail, I stopped to ask a fellow hiker for directions, and we ended up walking together for a bit, but eventually parted ways so I could make my way back on the SAT to a nearby beach.
After a nice lunch break and finishing my audiobook, I spotted some hikers coming from a different direction. Upon my inquiries I learned that I had missed the absolute best section of the trail!
It was time to abandon the idea of completing the whole loop, and I decided to double back just for that prime stretch.
On my way over, I bumped into my new hiking friend again. She very kindly offered to watch my backpack while I went off to tackle the more technically challenging terrain.
It was 100% worth it!
Proper hiking boots were definitely required, but the scrambles were totally doable and the coastal views were breathtaking.
After returning to my new friend, we just hung out by the water.
A lesson I've been learning over the years is that it's quite alright not to follow-through on every plan if it no longer makes sense.
This is my absolute favorite part of slow travel. There is always time to make new friends, swap stories, and let the day unfold.
Farewell, Stockholm!
With just a few days left, I decided to take one last goodbye stroll through Gamla Stan and the surrounding area. While it was a bit crowded with tourists, it was a lovely way to close out this chapter.
And that’s a wrap!
Over these past seven weeks, exploring the Stockholm Archipelago and connecting with wonderful new friends has created memories I will treasure forever. ❤️
Now, I am ready for the next four weeks in Gothenburg!
My Airbnb is booked, my transit pass is ready to activate, I have a long list of local recommendations, and best of all, I am meeting up with several more women from the Heja! Livet community once I arrive!
Onward to the next adventure!
With gratitude,
Renate ❤️
from Stockholm 🇸🇪
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And if you want to see more behind-the-scenes pictures from the road, you can browse my growing collection of travel galleries below:
🇳🇴 Norway Gallery
🇸🇪 Sweden (Stockholm) Gallery
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