The Dry Run
2013-2014
In our early years together, my husband and I dreamed of one day living abroad for a season. However, once we had children and lived through a few corporate moves in the U.S., we decided that maybe foreign living wasn’t for us.
Fast forward to 2013, when my husband had an opportunity to work in Stockholm, Sweden for a year. It wasn’t a good time to pull the kids from school, so I stayed in the States with them while my husband traveled back and forth. However, our whole family was able to spend Thanksgiving of 2013 together in Sweden. Having never been to Scandinavia, I found it to be an enchanting and amazing place.
The majority of people want to visit Sweden in the summer, with its warm weather and long, beautiful days. However, the other three seasons have their unique charms as well. We fell in love with the fall season in Stockholm, because even with the freezing winds, snow, and ice, we were enchanted by the beauty of the archipelago in November.
During the limited hours of sunlight (from about 10 AM – 3 PM) each day, we walked the city in our snow boots, exploring streets and visiting museums, pausing in the early afternoon for the Swedish institution known as “Fika” (pronounced “fee-ka”): tea or coffee, plus a snack and conversation. This also gave us a chance to warm ourselves indoors before venturing out again before sundown.
Once darkness descended in the afternoon, we would head home, to my husband’s tiny apartment (where our two older sons stayed), or to our cozy hotel. My daughter, youngest son, and I were staying at Hotel Rival, which is owned by two of the ABBA singers. After the long days trudging in the cold, it felt wonderful and cozy to bathe ourselves in warmth and lamplight. We would sip hot tea, read, or nap while waiting for dinner time to arrive.
Our explorations were filled with wonderful museums. There was no end to the places we could visit “indoors” and warm up while learning about Swedish history and culture. Our favorites were the Vasa (home of the famous recovered ship that sunk in the harbor on its maiden journey), the Royal Palace on Gamla Stan, the ABBA Museum, and the Army Museum (my boys are history buffs). With its plethora of impressive museums, it was difficult to see them all. Still, we enjoyed trying ones off the beaten path, like the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities and the Fotografiska (museum of photography).
Another interesting indoor attraction was the Mall of Scandinavia (easily reachable via public transportation), offering many of the great retail brands made in Sweden or Europe.
We braved the cold to visit Stockholm’s famous outdoor “museum,” Skansen, a historical site and zoo located on the island of Djurgarden. With its Christmas markets and yummy winter food offerings, such as reindeer cones and mulled glogg, plus the occasional outdoor fires to warm the toes, we managed to complete our visit without succumbing to frostbite.
Although Swedes obviously don’t celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving, they do begin to celebrate Christmas very early. We enjoyed partaking in a “julbord” or “Christmas table” at the Gondolen restaurant, perched high above the city, with amazing views. A julbord features a generous smorgasbord, or buffet of foods, many of which are served only at Christmas. Herring, meatballs, prune sausage and many other treats are common on the Swedish julbord. (For those of you who have tried herring, please excuse my generous use of the literary license by calling it a “treat.”)
The highlight of our meal came when the family seated next to us raised their shot glasses and began loudly singing a traditional Swedish Christmas song. My kids weren’t wild about my suggestion that we raise our water glasses and sing “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (especially since we happened to be eating reindeer).
We loved shopping at the Gamla Stan Christmas markets, and taking side trips to Sigtuna (an old Viking town north of the city), and Vaxholm, which is the island at the outermost point in the archipelago. The warm boat to Vaxholm took us through the archipelago, offering incredible views of Stockholm from the water. Purchasing seven-day SL Cards (available at any Pressbyran store or one of the kiosks in the Tunnelbana) provided us with unlimited use of the subway, buses, and boats.
Ice skating at the Kungstradgarden rink near the famous NK store provided more hours of cold-weather entertainment for our kiddos. And nearby, we were easily able to find snacks or hot cocoa to refuel.
By the end of our holiday, we were exhausted but nonetheless sad to leave the lovely Nordic region. Two months later, however, in January, my older sons were able to spend another week in Stockholm. While my husband worked, the boys went on adventures, experiencing the freedom of being in a very safe city with excellent public transportation – a place very different from the suburbs of home! They even managed to find a ski slope right in Stockholm, called Hammarbybacken, and went skiing for a day.
By the time my husband’s stint overseas came to an end, and he returned to his position in the U.S., we had become smitten with Sweden, especially our oldest son, who later ended up starting his career there. Because just four years after our first visit to Stockholm, my husband again accepted a position there again, this time for three years. Suddenly, our long-ago dream of living overseas seemed within reach after all. More than just a week-long vacation, this would give us an opportunity to actually live in another country and experience a life very different from the one we knew.
And thus began our “Sweden Adventure.”