The Venice of the North

Stockholm, the unofficial capital of Scandinavia, is a beautiful Nordic city known for its world-famous music, social democracy, unparalleled life style, delicious food and cutting-edge design and architecture. The legend says that Vikings founded Stockholm after filling a hollowed-out log with gold, laying it in the water and letting it guide them ashore. The tale is fictional but metaphoric: This city is golden. It is filled with rich history, cosmopolitan glamour and stunning beauty.

Military Band

The changing of the guard ceremony at the Royal Palace has been a daily tradition since the XVI century. In summer the guards are accompanied by the the military band who march in their impeccable white uniforms all across the Old Town towards the Royal Palace. As you can see there is a decent number of females amongst the guards and the band performers.

Storatorget

Storatorget, located in the center of the Old Town is a picturesque old square often seen on the Stockholm postcards. In the 16th century this was an execution place called Stockholm Blood Bath where the king beheaded his political enemies.


Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1866, which earned him a huge fortune. A French newspaper mistakenly published Alfred's obituary and condemned him for his invention of dynamite saying that he became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before. Alfred was disappointed with what he read and concerned with how he would be remembered. In his will he allocated 94% of his assets to establish the Nobel Prize.

Penicilin
(discovered by
Alexander Fleming in 1928)

More than 800 Nobel Laureates and some of the world’s most important ideas and discoveries are presented in Nobel Museum located here, at Storatorget Square.

Nobel Ice Cream

The famous Nobel Ice Cream is a special dessert created for the Nobel Banquet in 1976. It was served to guests at every Nobel Banquet until 1998. Today, the ice cream is made only for the Nobel Museum and Bistro Nobel, a small café inside the museum.

Statue of St George

Storkyrkan is the oldest church in the Old Town of Stockholm. All the royal weddings and coronations took place here. Locals believe that this statue of Saint George fighting the Dragon symbolizes Sweden's need to struggle against evil. I think they already won that battle long time ago – today they are a truly happy nation.



Comprised of 14 beautiful islands and a labyrinth of canals, the Swedish capital is often referred to as the Venice of the North. The waterways are so clean and pure that you could safely drink straight from Mother Nature’s tap.

Housed in a magnificent building the Nordiska museum is the exposition of the Northern culture. Inside is a collection of all things Swedish, from Sami folklore to eclectic exhibitions of Swedish fashion, shoes, interiors and even table settings.

A very unique exposition at Nordiska museum is dedicated to Sami people, the indigenous people who live in the northern parts of Scandinavia. There are at least 20,000 Sami in Sweden and like most First Nations in Canada their main occupations are hunting and fishing. Today they are also involved in handicrafts, tourism, media, art and music. Sami have their own political organizations and recognized as a national minority in Sweden.

The Vasa Warship

The Vasa Museum is Sweden’s most famous attraction. It is home to the world’s only preserved 17th-century warship, which is almost 70 meters long. Vasa, the Scandinavian Titanic, sank in the middle of Stockholm harbor in the middle of the 17th century and was salvaged for restoration only in 1961. More than 95% of the warship is original and was restored to its original glory. The wood that has been under water for over 300 years can easily split and collapse if allowed to dry after salvage. This is why the museum has a controlled humidity to ensure the ship survives for as long as possible.

When it comes to museums Swedes like to go into every detail. The Vasa Museum tells you everything about the ship crew, their health issues, dental problems and diet. The researchers were able to restore all these details using just bones and skulls.

Skansen is the world's first open-air museum, where you can stroll through five centuries of Swedish history, around historical buildings and dwellings and meet people from the past.

The Skansen Zoo

The Skansen Zoo is like Canadian Lion Safari, but with Nordic animals. Beware of lemurs who can use your back or head as a springboard.


In summer Stockholm people of all ages wear sneakers and cotton pants. I don’t know whether it is a fashion trend or they simply don’t care about their looks. The truth is unlike Americans it doesn’t really matter what they wear because they would look stunning in any clothes. I haven’t seen so many beautiful people (both men and women) in any other country of the world. And I think they are aware of this because they seem so confident. This is what the whole H&M style is based on – simple, comfortable and relaxed.

Another thing they do is getting together in a huge crowd and singing along with their favorite TV host. Sing-a-Long at Skansen is a televised event broadcast live every Tuesday evening in summer and they have been doing this since 1979. Today the host of the show is the 26-year-old idol Måns Zelmerlöw. What else do Swedish people like? The herring in mustard sauce, marinated herring, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Ericsson Globe

Another example of the Swedish passion for creativity and design is the Ericsson Globe, the world's largest hemispherical construction. The Globe is the national arena of Sweden and is named after Swedish largest telecommunications company and the maker of the popular phones. The two spherical glass gondolas take visitors to the very top of the building from where you can see the entire city. Of course, it’s nothing compared to Eiffel or CN Tower, however its the shape that makes it unique. It feels like walking on a very small “moon”.

The National Historical Museum is mostly known for its Vikings collection. Like every other Swedish museum they like to exhibit bones of animals and humans dug out from the past. And of course gold and silver. However, no recording was allowed in the famous Gold Room, which contains 52 kilos of gold and over 200 kilos of silver. Nevertheless, we were able to take a sneak peek….






The Spritmuseum, The Museum of Spirits, or Absolute Museum, is a unusual and creative exhibition which celebrates and disapproves alcohol drinking at the same time. It takes you on an unforgettable journey from the vodka production process to a drunken party room, all based on art, scenery, experience, scents, sounds and tastes… The Absolute Art Collection is just another showcase of Swedish creativity, artistry and sense of humour.

 

Did you know that these things came from Sweden?

1. World’s best pop bands of the 80s – Abba, Ace of Base, Europe, Roxette 
2. Ikea. With 267 stores in 25 countries, it made the interior creation easy and affordable for everyone. 
3. The Nobel Prize. An international annual award of US $1.2 million administered for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The famous Nobel Laureates include Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Theodore Roosevelt and Mikhail Gorbachev.
4. Ericsson phones, as well as the invention of Bluetooth 
5. Tetra Pak – a multinational food packaging company producing over 160 million packages a year. 
6. The zipper - the method still used today, based on interlocking teeth, was invented in 1913 by the Swedish engineer Gideon Sundbäck. 
7. Dynamite – the explosive material invented by Alfred Nobel in 1867.
8. H&M – a multi-national retail-clothing company with 2,629 stores across the world. 
9. Buffet-style restaurants. The buffet table originates from the traditional Swedish Smörgåsbord, the table of sandwiches.