Day 12: Skansen, Dioramas & Meatballs
Taking a step back into the past
June 27, 2022
It was easy to get used to the breakfast at our hotel in Stockholm, with the wide variety, I got some more Swedish pancakes, this time with a berry compote, as well as some overnight oats, pastries, crispbread, grapefruit, and a half sandwich. With the morning free, two other classmates and I decided to go to Skansen, an open-air museum on Djurgården - not far from the Vasa Museum.
Wanting to take a different route to Djurgården that day, we took the metro to Slussen before getting on the ferry that would drop us off just a short, 6-minute walk to Skansen. Since the museum opened at 10 am, we decided to get there right when doors opened since we only had about 4 free hours. Walking up to the ticket counter, a middle-aged atmosphere was created by 2 musicians playing folk music, and walking through the gates, we were greeted by a diorama of the park, which included an open air-museum, zoo, sea center, and educational facilities. Founded in 1891, Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum, which means it’s a museum that collects historic buildings and artifacts, showing what life used to be like in a certain place.
Taking a Walk in the Past
Starting on the left, we first came across Stadsvarteren (the Town Quarter), which featured a glassworks studio, where we could watch artisans make blown glass creations, which were sold in the adjoining shop. Continuing on along the cobblestone path, it felt as if we were transported back to “old” Sweden, with farmsteads and grassy roofs. Just past the town quarter, we found a rose garden that provided a great view over Djurgården, where we were able to see the Nordisk Museum and Vasa Museum in the distance, as well as a small tram that ran down the hill in front of us, that people could use to get around the park. Along the way, we also saw some older log cabins as well as a rock cabin with a turf roof as if the structure had been carved out of the ground. Since Midsommar had been earlier in the week, there was still evidence of the festivities that had happened, with a maypole standing in one of the fields and partially dried flower crowns all over.
The museum itself was much larger than I initially anticipated and enjoyed being able to see how Swedes used to live in addition to various Nordic animals. Through the rest of the park, we saw even more farmsteads, windmills, and historic houses, before briefly even stopping in the Baltic Sea Science Center to learn more about the aquatic life that could be found in the Stockholm archipelago.
Leaving the museum around 2 pm, we took a brief pitstop at the gift shop, where I was able to pick up a few souvenirs as well as a youth book on Norse mythology in Swedish. Seeing how it was harder to find books in the States that were in Swedish (at least ones that I didn’t have to buy online before being able to look at them), I thought it would be a good idea to pick up some reading material of different levels to help with my studies when I got back home.
Walking back to the ferry, we got on at the Djurgården stop, with our destination being Slussen, where we were scheduled to meet our tour guide. Standing at the bow of the boat as we approached Gamla Stan, it almost felt as if for a minute we got a glimpse of the city the way so many people had in the past, approaching from the water. Once the ferry docked, we realized we wouldn’t be opposed to a coffee and pastry break since we still had about 45 minutes before our tour commenced and we hadn’t properly eaten since breakfast.
Fika Time
In Sweden, a daily break where you sit with friends and family over tea or coffee and some type of pastry is known as fika and is a very important ritual in the culture. While it is a coffee break, it’s so much more and acts as a time to recharge and slow down at least once a day - if not more. Since it was nearly 3 pm when we arrived at Slussen, we thought what better time for a fika break and stopped at Bröd & Salt, a chain in Stockholm that offered pastries and coffees. Getting a churro croissant with dulce de leche creme and a blueberry bun, we enjoyed the desserts by the waterfront, however, they were out of iced coffee (something that was needed on such a warm day!), so I wandered partially into Södermalm to find an iced latte.
Latte secured, I headed to a cafe next to the Slussen metro stop, where the rest of the group had gathered as we waited for our tour to begin. Our tour guide, Zenid, was originally from Croatia but had moved to Stockholm some years ago and was very informative about the city and surrounding areas. Our first stop was Sergels Torg, a city square with a sunken plaza right outside the main subway station, T-Centralen. Inside one of the buildings, there was a floor-sized miniature diorama under a clear glass showing the city of Stockholm as well as future developments to the amazement of our group (how many times had we passed this by without even knowing it was there??). The details and craftsmanship were certainly impressive, as seen throughout our time in Scandinavia, it really made us reflect on how the use of dioramas seems to be a lost art form in urban planning in the States.
Our next stops included Johannesburg (the former meat-packing district) and Hammarby where we were able to see housing developments as well as future plans where the city planned to expand. Due to the innovative features in the developments, however, such as using water flow to reduce heat, there is extremely high demand, meaning the waitlist for some of the properties were as long as 10 years!
Meatballs!
Concluding our tour around 7 pm, it was safe to say we were all hungry, and from our talk with our tour guide about pickpockets (where we used the code word “meatballs”) in addition to a restaurant recommended by him, we found ourselves headed to Meatballs for the People, a spot that specialized in Swedish meatballs (because, when in Sweden!). The restaurant itself offered over 10 different types of meat to choose from, however, I ended up getting the vegetarian meatballs with pasta and lingonberry juice.
After dinner, we headed out and saw an interesting store, Tasty America, which specialized in American imports - we found it funny to see products such as Reese’s Puff cereal and Campbell’s soup be considered novelties. Most of the group seemingly headed back to the hotel, but with it still being before 9 pm and light out, I realized I hadn’t really explored Gamla Stan (the old part of Stockholm) yet other than passing glances, so I decided to head there for a bit. As I walked along the streets with the sun setting, there were a few hot air balloons floating around the sky - Stockholm must be a sight to be seen from a bird’s eye view with its dozens of bridges and islands. Reaching Slussbron, the bridge that connected Södermalm and Gamla Stan, I was greeted by a red sunset that perfectly silhouetted two ornate buildings (which at the time I didn’t realize were Riddarsholmskyrkan and City Hall) however in all honesty all the construction cranes around Slussen took me out of the moment a little bit.
The Old Town
Once I reached Gamla Stan, I found myself instantly transported into old Europe with narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets, making it feel like a completely different world from modern-day Stockholm. Along the streets, there were a few that were ominously quiet - perhaps because most shops were closed, however, compared to Copenhagen there seemed to be a lot fewer people out at all times (or maybe more of them just traveled underground in the metro compared to the sheer amount of bicyclists in Copenhagen). I saw an interesting bar, that was styled like a medieval Viking tavern and stopped in a few shops to look for some souvenirs (particularly a hat), and found the Dala Shop, a store that sold hand-carved and painted Dala horses - a popular symbol of Sweden that I was determined to buy on my trip - however since it was closed, I saved the address with the intent of returning another day.
I eventually found my way to the Royal Palace (Kungliga slotten) right when some of the guards were leaving their posts and found it interesting to study the architectural style of the Swedish royal palace compared to the Danish one. Formed in the style of a Roman palace, the building features a baroque style, while the Danish palace features the Rococo style.
Returning back into the heart of Gamla Stan after a bit, I found my way to Stortorget, a famous public square with colorful buildings, a fountain, and the Nobel Prize Museum (a Swedish award, which is presented annually at Stockholm’s City Hall!) which is also the oldest square in the city and often hailed as the historic center of Stockholm. After a bit, I stumbled upon a cafe that was still open (even after 10:30 pm!) and stopped for a frappe as I continued to follow the sight of the water - at that point, I was properly turned around in Gamla Stan, and not entirely sure where I was headed. Having exited on the west side of the island, I saw the open metal spire I had seen earlier framed by the sunset just across the street from me, and even though it was getting noticeably darker, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to check it out - at least for a bit.
Crossing the street and a canal, I found myself standing at Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholmen Church), which from a nearby plaque I learned was inaugurated around 1300 (making it one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm) and served as the royal burial site for centuries. On the same plaque, was also a very helpful map of the smaller island that the church was found on, which labeled various historical buildings as well as named them, which certainly helped me later when identifying or learning more about them. Walking around the church a bit, I - once again - got distracted by a glimpse of water just a little further down a gentle hill, and following it I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Reaching a waterfront area and lookout point, I was greeted by the sight of City Hall silhouetted by the sunset, while the water lightly rippled, looking like a blanket.
By this point (11:11 pm), it was getting much darker, and since there weren’t as many people out I thought it would be best to head back to the hotel since I was on my own and had to take the metro back, so with that, I found my way back and called it a night.
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