We've never been to Stockholm before. Of the countless times I've now been to Sweden, Stockholm was never on the route. But this time it was, and we could finally visit Scandinavia's largest capital. Spread across fourteen islands, Stockholm would apparently be "a perfect combination of rich history, beautiful nature, cultural refinement, modern architecture and the dynamic atmosphere of a thriving metropolis. A unique mix made even more charming by the water that's present everywhere." So says Visit Stockholm.
Expectations were running high. Too high, perhaps…
We're home again! After five weeks, home was calling so loudly that we couldn't resist the temptation, left Stockholm behind and headed back. It was an odd holiday in which everything went differently than planned: we visited a country we'd never been to, and a capital city we'd never seen either. Remy was also ill for a few days, and on top of that we still cycled a pilgrim route. We owed you that story about the St. Olav Waterway. It turned into a real puzzle of a trip, but in the end we managed to do most of what we'd hoped to, and we can look back on a lovely summer!
St. Olav Waterway
Following the last newsletter, I already had a few questions about this route. It's apparently on quite a few wish lists! I don't yet know whether I'll turn it into a guide, but I thought I could at least put the information about this route on my website (Via Gaia). It's a pilgrim route after all! So, for anyone interested: See: St. Olav Waterway.
Stockholm
We'd set aside three full days for it, four nights, but after just one day we decided to cut it down to two, and on the morning of the second day we decided to leave straight away. Why? It was a combination of things. The city was heaving, as there was a festival happening across several locations. Wherever we went, we could have walked over people's heads. Or cycled over them. Gamla Stan, the Old Town, turned out to be nothing more than a tourist trap. Yes, it really was beautiful, but mostly from about three metres up. Lovely façades in all sorts of colours, exactly like the postcards. But below three metres? Just souvenir shops, restaurants and tourists. And there you are, walking right through it.
We escaped to the neighbouring island of Skeppsholmen, where it was a bit quieter. Then on to the first museum on Remy's list, the Paradox Museum. Yes, Remy had made a list of museums and sights. The museum was tucked away inside an enormous shopping centre, and at the sight of the entrance - blinding bright colours, screaming children and general chaos - we looked at each other. No way! By this point we were, or mostly I was, quite tired from all the walking (the bicycles had been parked since that morning), and I suggested taking a boat tour instead. Believe me, when I'm tired I'm not always entirely reasonable, and this seemed like the ultimate way to indulge in laziness. After some negotiation - Remy wasn't keen at first - we bought a far too expensive ticket for a boat tour that was leaving in ten minutes, only to discover we were standing at the wrong harbour. After nearly ten minutes of running (apparently not that tired after all), we arrived just in time to join the back of the queue, which meant we ended up in the least scenic spot: not outside on deck, but inside the boat, behind glass. Anyway, I sat down and got to rest for an hour and a half, half-listening to a joke-cracking guide. Afterwards Remy pronounced it 'not bad at all'. I mostly felt like we'd been had, given how expensive that ticket was. It wasn't even a proper round trip either, just a there-and-back, so we saw the same view twice. Remy thought Fotografiska (the photography museum) would be a nice way to round off the day - it was open until 23.00, so there was still time - but I felt we should make that decision after dinner, hoping Remy would have lost the appetite for it by then. Luckily, that's exactly what happened. The addition of 'but then we'll still have to trudge for at least an hour and cycle another ten kilometres back to the campsite' helped things along.
We did, by the way, thoroughly enjoy dinner at a beautifully situated (vegan) restaurant. The terrace had several levels with a view over Gamla Stan. And the food was divine. We made plans for the coming days and decided to give Stockholm one more chance the next day. I still had a list of my own, after all.
Sometimes you just need to say what you're thinking, and in our case that worked out rather well the next morning: "Remy, I'm torn. I'd quite like to go back into Stockholm, but I'd also quite like to go home."
"I feel exactly the same!" said Remy, and we looked at each other.
"Home?"
"Home!"
And so we did…
It's wonderful to be home again! The artwork with the green sails (the one from the museum in Turku) may no longer be hanging in our attic, but we can hang it in the utility room instead. That (flat) roof is currently leaking, mind you…
I'll close below, under the photo's, with a bit of Via Gaia news.
Photo's
Throughout the holiday, we realised we were actually spending quite a lot of time thinking about our house. Everywhere we looked, we saw roofs being repaired, roofs that could do with repairing, and roofs that had already been repaired. These photos are just a small selection. Oh, and the Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish DIY stores were also interesting stops along the way!
Stockholm:
The return journey via Vadstena and our lovely Swedish friends Anders and Sofia:
Via Gaia news
Webshop
It’s pleasantly busy in the shop again! Well, ‘pleasant’… if it were a physical shop, it might well have been quite pleasant. I’d have set up a fika corner where you could drink coffee and tea and eat homemade waffles or kanelbullar.
The space would have been decorated with Norwegian and Swedish flags.
But that’s not the case at all, and here I am at my desk processing orders. Because, strangely enough, it is busy, and I hadn’t expected that. August and September are usually very quiet. At most, you might get a customer buying a guidebook in advance for next year, or someone who wants to go on a last-minute trip after all. It’s often not until the autumn half-term that things start getting busier again.
Anyway, you’re more than welcome to pop in and collect your order!. There’ll be coffee or tea and a Dutch ‘stroopwafel’ waiting for you. Just make sure you book an appointment in advance, otherwise I might not be at home. If you come, please don’t order via the online shop, as postage costs are automatically added there. Coming to collect it? Then you’ll get a 10 % discount on the whole order!
So:
For anyone who actually wanted to buy a little souvenir.
Or for those who’d like to take something with them on their upcoming pilgrimage.
Or for anyone looking for a nice gift for a pilgrim.
Or perhaps you’re planning a last-minute trip.
And for everyone else…:
Stock for the Via Gaia webshop has been replenished. The popular pins, patches, wooden waymarks and pilgrim passports are all well stocked again!
And back in the range for a limited time: the handy buff.
A few of these pilgrim items are down to their last stock, so be quick, once they're gone, they're gone:
- Fisherman's hat (price reduced again!)
- Olive wood cross
- Silver necklace
- Walking stick badge
Shipping worldwide and for Norwegian customers I would recommend the pilgrims shop of Pilegrimssenter Oslo.
New publications
Two new pilgrim route guides are coming early next year. Ria Warmerdam is working on a hiking guide to the Østerdalsleden (in English!), and I'm working on a cycling guide to the Kystpilegrimsleia (Coastal Pilgrims' Route, also in English). Want to stay updated, or would you like us to reserve a guide for you? Just email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You'll get an email as soon as the guide is available to pre-order, likely late December/early January.