From Oslo Sprints to Stockholm Islands: My First Weeks as a Nordic Digital Nomad

A High-Speed Sprint in Oslo

Next up on the itinerary was Stockholm, with a quick couple-hour stopover in Oslo along the way. I dropped my bags at Oslo Central Station and embarked on a high-speed tourist sprint. I was honestly surprised by how much ground I managed to cover in less than three hours.

I walked up the sloping roof of the Opera House, which I learned is built to look like a winter slope or an ice floe. Right next to it is the Deichman library, which is every reader's dream! Although, my friend Gemini was massively exaggerating again, making up floating escalators and stuff 🤣 Oh well, I would have missed the library right in front of me without it, and as long as you take everything with a grain, or rather a sack of salt, you won't be too disappointed.

In the end, I made it as far as the Royal Palace and caught plenty of cute views along the way.

It was great to get a quick taste of the city, but the vibe confirmed that I made the right choice to keep my main stay in Stockholm. A huge thank you to the wonderful ladies from the Heja! Livet Facebook group for helping me map that out! ❤️

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Shrek in the 15th Century

On my first day in Stockholm, I joined a walking tour through Gamla Stan (the Old Town) with a fantastic guide. The historic, winding streets are absolutely stunning and completely packed with fascinating history.

While I won’t, and honestly can't 😉, recap the entire two-and-a-half-hour history lesson, I absolutely cannot withhold one specific gem from you.

As we were winding through the streets, our guide led us up to a massive bronze replica of Saint George and the Dragon.

She asked the group who knew the story. A few hands went up, but I’ll admit the details were buried way deep in my memory banks. Sensing that we needed some help, she quickly jogged everyone's memory.

"It’s basically Shrek."

Boom. Message received! Now I have to re-watch Shrek. 🎬😂

Settling Into Stockholm Life

I very quickly fell in love with this city. I already know I’m going to need every single bit of my seven weeks here to fully explore its beauty.

My home base for this stretch is a room in a three-room shared apartment. The absolute best feature is the balcony, where I spend quite a bit of my time when I'm not out and about; reading, writing, or just watching and listening to things.

Plus, the location is fantastically connected, making it incredibly easy to walk around or hop onto transit.

Speaking of which, I grabbed a 30-day transit pass that covers all metros, trains, buses, and even the commuter ferries, and the range is incredible. Expect plenty of updates as I keep exploring!

Cracking the Code on Work-Life Balance

On Wednesday afternoon, I walked across the bridge to a nearby park.

Fun fact from my tour guide: Sweden actually has the most islands of any country in the world, mostly because their definition of an "island" is basically any mass of land sticking out of the water with a tree on it.

But I digress.

The reason I'm telling you about this park is that it seriously made me look back on my past life choices, specifically my old corporate work routine.

Here I was at 4:30 PM on a regular Wednesday afternoon, and the park was absolutely hopping! There were people everywhere walking, biking, swimming, and playing bocce and other outdoor games together.

I remember a friend back in the US telling me how hard it is to get even their young kids to spend time outside these days. While I think there are a lot of complex reasons for that which I spare you here, the Swedes have clearly cracked the code on work-life balance.

A Warm Welcome in Stockholm

Speaking of the Heja! Livet Facebook group, a number of those ladies have made a massive difference in how my itinerary has shaped up and therefore the experiences I have made and continue to make. 🥰

Just a couple of days into my stay, I actually got to meet one of these lovely ladies in person. We spent four wonderful hours walking, talking, and relaxing over a tasty beverage.

Because I have more time than the average tourist and I walk everywhere, I usually stumble across the more uncommon corners of a city. But there is no way I would have found the hidden gems my new friend showed me, nor the incredible recommendations for day trips she passed along.

You’ll all get to join in on those experiences as the weeks progress!

Island Fortress and Spies

To escape the heat that has gripped Europe, and even made it up north here, I ventured northeast to Vaxholm, a historic fortress town sitting right in the middle of Stockholm's massive archipelago.

After a literal one-minute ferry ride from the town to the fortress island, a stroll around the entire perimeter of the tiny island, and a lengthy chat with the owner of an art gallery, I tremendously enjoyed the coolness inside the fortress walls. The fortress dates back to the 1500s when King Gustav Vasa built it to protect Stockholm from sea invasions.

Today, it is packed with incredible history, a temporary spy exhibition, and my absolute favorite part, the historic quarters and stories of the people who actually lived there.

Hard to believe, but eventually I actually got cold down there and was looking forward to warming up in the old streets. Next up was a swim once it got too warm again. Well, while I had the fortress almost to myself, I can't say the same about the swimming areas. Not unexpectedly, it was packed! But even just standing in the cold water felt amazing.

Eventually, I came across an area where a path with benches was built all along the water. It was the perfect spot to just sit and dangle my feet over the edge.

A Welcoming Sunday and Underground Art

On Sunday, I attended an English-speaking church service in the city. It was beautifully diverse and incredibly welcoming, which was such a lovely way to spend the morning.

After the stereotypical meatball lunch, I dove underground to check out the famous Stockholm metro art. Before I came here I had no idea that Stockholm's metro system is basically the world's longest art gallery, stretching over 68 miles. Stations are filled with sculptures, mosaics, tiles and paintings often carved directly into the bedrock.

Did you?

Here's just a small selection.

Look at these tiles!!!

Sweden's Oldest Town

Following a brilliant recommendation from my new friend, I took a trip out to Sigtuna, which sits right on the shores of Lake Mälaren. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes by public transit, and it holds the title of Sweden's oldest surviving town, founded all the way back in 970 AD. The place is absolutely packed with historic wooden houses, medieval church ruins, and ancient Viking rune stones just scattered right along the streets.

Even the manhole covers under your feet are modeled after ancient coins, since this is where Sweden's first coins were minted.

One cool thing I learned is that the main pedestrian street, Stora Gatan, follows the exact same path laid out by the town's founders over a thousand years ago. Over the centuries, layers of soil and new paving built up, meaning the original Viking-age street actually lies about three feet directly beneath the modern surface. You can't see any evidence of it today, but it is pretty wild to think you are walking right above the footsteps of the very first settlers.

I passed by what is said to be the smallest city hall in all of Sweden, which looks like it belongs in a storybook.

And not far from it, there is a famous local bakery operating out of a cozy wooden building from the late 1600s.

Sadly, I had way too much food for lunch, so there was no way to try out the bakery. But I had found a Mexican place for lunch, and who can say no to that!!!

I finished the day with a long walk down the lakeside promenade where there are benches everywhere along the water. And people are actually sitting there and enjoying it. It is such a blessing that I now get to be one of them.

You can get a glimpse of one of these benches behind this stone labyrinth with a historic runestone in the middle.

Water Views in the City

After a bit of a slow morning sorting out a frustrating phone plan issue, I headed out for what ended up being a fairly long walk in Djurgården. It is amazing that this massive, green oasis sits right within the central boundaries of Stockholm, just a short bus ride from the bustling downtown core. I had planned for a brief outing, but once I got there, there was just so much to explore and as usual I couldn't just stop myself.

I just started along the water and got to the grounds of Waldemarsudde, which sits on the southern tip of the island and used to be the estate of Prince Eugen, a famous royal painter. The gardens, sculptures, and coastal views there are just beautiful.  

Here's just one small example

As I continued, I came across the Waldemarsudde Oil Mill. It is this incredibly cool, historic windmill built back in 1784 to produce linseed oil. Apparently, it is a rare piece of industrial history and one of only five structures of its kind left in the entire world!

Who could stop there? So I just kept going, and eventually came across the only remaining swing bridge in Stockholm, Djurgårdsbrunnsbron. I didn't have to worry about any wait time... it hasn't been opened since 1966. 🤣

A Peaceful River Walk

The next day was time for a day trip again, and I headed north into the historic Roslagen region to Norrtälje. The town has a gorgeous riverwalk lined with historic houses that look like they belong on a postcard.

During the summer, they host an outdoor art exhibition right inside the river itself. That's only possible because the river is pretty shallow. And if you draw you attention away from the art and the historic building for a moment, you'll notice weeds and stuff floating in the water.

So just behind this very building I got to see how they clean up the river. Totally fascinating, I had never seen that before!

Next stop: Södra Bergen (The Southern Hills).

According to my trusted 😉 AI companion "...Up here you'll find the old wooden watchtower..." So up the steps I went. But instead of a watchtower, these are the three structures that actually greeted me:

A

B

C

A

B

C

You get to vote which one you reckon is the old wooden watchtower... A, B, or C? 🤣

Let me know in the comments!

I thought I had seen most of this small town when I stumbled across the historic tourist information and bookstore next to it, when I realize how wrong I was.

It turns out that beyond the harbor, you can actually walk all the way to this gorgeous little island

Just like in Narnia with the wardrobe, the moment I stepped onto the island, I felt like I stepped into Psalm 23.

The only sounds were those of insects and birds chirping. My own footsteps sounded like an intrusion.

There were sweeping meadows and gorgeous wildflowers everywhere, intersperesed with the occasional simple bench for quiet reflection and to just take it all in. I almost didn't want to leave. But then you wouldn't get to see and read about it 😉

This seems to be a good place to end for now. With over 5 weeks left, there's so much more to explore, and I'm excited to share it with you.

For my friends in the US, I hope you have a blessed 4th of July on this historical 250th anniversary!

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