Sweden 2005: Stockholm - The Land of the Vikings...

"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do..." - Henry Ford

(The town is covered with snow)

27 February 2005
Day 1 - Our Winter Sonata

The plane landed at Arlanda Airport, 40km north of Stockholm late noon. The whether was chilly, the air was frosty. The temperature was –6 C. The snow was heavy and visibility was poor. We took the shuttle bus to Central Station but could see little of this Royal Capital of Sweden. We booked our hotel at the tourist information counter. The hotel was near the Central Station and only a few blocks away but the snow made it difficult for us to locate the hotel. Hubby had to go out to look for direction before we ventured out in the snow dragging our luggage. Half way to the hotel, we stopped at Mc D for filet-o-fish and a cup of steaming hot coffee.

(Our comfortable hotel room)

(Right in the middle of Stockholm)

(Cozy lounge with a free-flow of coffee)

While resting in bed we made plan on what to do and where to visit in Stockholm before we retired for the night and slept soundly.

28 February 2005
Day 2 - A City of contrast

(A sight-seeing tour for the day)

(Encompasses of fourteen islands)

(More than 50 bridges criss-crossing the city)

(The 9th most densely populated EU city)

(Snow-covered vehicles lining the streets)

(An extensive Baltic Sea archipelago)

(The Beauty on Water frozen city)

We had early breakfast and got ready for the city tour. The sightseeing tour bus departed from the Royal Opera House every hour. The tour took us round the different islands and gave us some idea of the city’s history. We could see well-preserved medieval buildings stand alongside modern architecture. Stockholm is built on 14 islands and a city of culture and there are lots of exciting places of interest to visit. Unfortunate for us, during this time of the year, the river cruise is not operational as some part of the rivers and lakes are frozen!

(The cobblestone streets and ochre-colored buildings)

(A modern, dynamic and ever-evolving city)

(Ferries and boats shuttle passengers between the islands)

(Snow-covered streets good for skating)

(An attraction with historic charm)

In the afternoon we visited the Vasa Museum which houses the royal warship Vasa that sank in Stockholm harbour and was salvaged some 300 years later in remarkably good condition. We spent time in Galleria shopping Mall and later had Tom yam dinner at My Thai Restaurant.

(A must visit to the Vasa Museum)

(A stunning museum and good restoration)

(The famous ship that sunk on its' maiden voyage)

1 March 2005
Day 3 - Between the Baltic Sea

(A visit to IKEA)

(A cup of steaming hot coffee)

(Walking in deep snow on the street)

Stockholm is a home of Nobel Prize and the world’s biggest IKEA is just outside the city. Today we decided to visit a few more museums. Our first stop was the Skansen Open-air Museet. The museum has buildings from different part of Sweden, dated from different centuries. The museum includes a zoo where you could see Nordic animals, including the elk. Our next stop was the National Museum of Fine Arts, which owns Sweden’s largest collection of classical art. There were exhibition on furniture, glass, textile and industrial designs from the last 100 years.

(Skansen Open-air Museet)

(Exploring the ground of the Skansen)

(Learning the custom and tradition of Sweden)

(Wild animals in the Zoo)

(A yak watching the visitors)

(The moose in captivity)

(The whole Skansen is covered with snow)

(Step back in time to learn about Sweden's past)

From the National Museum we walked through the children’s park and had prawn chillies for lunch at Cheng’s Restaurant. The owner is a Malaysian Chinese who has been in Stockholm for almost 30 years. We took the train to Kista Galleria for some shopping. And later watch the movie ‘Hide and Seek’ starring Robert De Nero, a widowed father desperately tries to break through to his nine year old daughter (Dakota Fanning) when she creates a creepy, maniacal imaginary friend, Charlie, with a terrifying vendetta…

(Playing with dwarf pony in the park)

(A leisure stroll on a sunny day)

2 March 2005
Day 4 - Footsteps of the Vikings

This morning we visited the Historiska Museet which is next to the Vasa Museet. The museum building is impressive and an attraction in itself. From the Historiska Musseet we walked quite a distance to the Nordiska Museet, a museum of national antiquities where we could see historical gold treasures and the Viking exhibition. Later we took the bus to one of the shopping mall. There is plenty of opportunity to shop in Stockholm and most shops are situated in big department stores in the city center. After spending the whole day visiting museums and window-shopping, we came back to the hotel to rest and later dragged ourselves to My Thai Restaurant next door for a hot Tom Yam dinner.

(Visiting historical buildings)

(Another landmark of Stockholm)

3 March 2005
Day 5 - Snowflakes Dance

(The Moose soft toy)

Today is our last day in Stockholm and we haven’t got enough souvenirs for everyone. We took the bus to Gamlastan, a part of the old town. We crossed the bridge and passed the Sveriges Riskbank on the way. The narrow, winding coble-stoned streets of the old town lead us to ochre-colored buildings where they sell a good selection of arts and crafts, antiques and souvenirs. The area is a shopping heaven to tourists. After spending most of our kroners in the old town, we walked to the Dance musset, where they exhibits traditional dances from countries all over the world. We had Tom yam Lunch at My Thai Restaurant again. In the evening we went for last shopping spree at Hamgattan.

(A shopping street for local and foreigners)

(Looking for local souvenirs)

Tonight we slept very late, feeling happy that we have had a wonderful holiday and also feeling a little bit sad that our winter holiday is coming to an end.

4 March 2005
Day 6 – Locked in Time

We had breakfast and checked out from the hotel early. Took the 9 o’clock train to Arlanda Airport and stayed in the lounge for a while waiting for the final call for boarding. On the plane we met with Ismail Lajim, my old classmate during my diploma years in ITM and exchanged news of old friends from School of Applied Science.

(A lovely city to explore)

(A winter holiday to remember)

We were tired and sleepy. During most of the journey, we slept while holding each other’s hands...

5 March 2005
Day 6 – Stray snowflakes

(Taking the train to the airport)

The plane landed at KLIA at 7.30 a.m. After buying lots of chocolates, we took the ERL and later a cab to my office to take the car. We stopped for a hearty breakfast of roti chanai at the Mamak restaurant. We skipped lunch and the whole afternoon was spent catching up with sleep. Later we had dinner at Victoria Station with Sara and Saufi.

👈 2005: Singapore

2005: Richmond, USA 👉