We left Chattanooga, Tennessee on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 2:42 p.m. and arrived in Stockholm, Sweden Friday August 29, at 5:30 p.m. Creative use of airline miles took us through DFW, Heathrow, and then to Sweden.
We’ve learned to pack light, taking one carry-on and a backpack each. We will join a fast-moving, 14-day Rick Steves Tour in the middle of our trip, and there will be no porters to tote our bags. Doing laundry in a foreign country is also educational.
Splurging on business class for the longest leg of our journey was worth every penny. Better food, better service, better videos, and the ability to lie horizontally were priceless.
Our tiny Airbnb was near Stockholm’s colorful Old Town, called “Gamla Stan,” four blocks from the Hotel Wellington, where we would stay during the beginning of our tour. We had four days to explore at our own pace with no schedule to follow.
Finding ourselves caught up in the excitement of a massive marathon was a welcome surprise on our way to the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace courtyard was packed for the Changing of the Royal Guard Ceremony, which takes about 40 minutes and includes a military marching band and the guard marching six blocks from the Royal Armory to the grand palace.
The door was unlocked, so we ventured into the Stockholm Cathedral. The earliest mention of the church being built on the highest point of an island called Stradsholmen dates back to 1279. Major conversions, extentions, and revisions have been made throughout the centuries. The silver and ebony altar was donated in 1650.
In 1489, the altar monument St. George and the Dragon was carved from oak and includes elk antlers and horsehair. According to legend, a vile dragon demanded human sacrifices or it would destroy the town of Selene. St. George happened along the day the King’s daughter was to be sacrificed and offered to slay the dragon if the town’s heathen inhabitants converted to Christianity. We saw copies of this original sculptural composite around Stockholm which serve as inspiration to fight against evil.
Getting lost and wandering down narrow passageways led us to Den Golden Fredan established in 1722. The second-oldest restaurant in the world is located in the medieval basement of a tavern.
Den Gyldene Freden is owned by the Swedish Academy that chooses the Nobel Prize for literature recipients. We ordered the best Swedish meatballs ever, made with a mixture of beef and pork, served with tart lingonberries, pickled cucumbers, and creamy potatoes. Phenomenal!
We’ve had great results in different countries using the hop-on, hop-off bus to whisk us away to the most popular sights. Skansen opened in 1891 and is the world’s oldest open-air museum. The park has 150 historical buildings spread over 74 acres that were painstakingly taken apart and brought from all over Sweden to be reassembled and restored for viewing.
Over 500 years of Swedish culture are on display in Skansen.
Artisans are on hand to demonstrate life as it was during various periods in Sweden. This hostess runs the Skansen drug emporium, and like the other reenactors, welcomes questions and interaction with guests.
The tapestry weaver was highly skilled and informative. We planned for a couple of hours at Skansen. Five hours flew by as we marveled at the buildings and people who bring them to life. We also enjoyed our first taste of reindeer at Skansen in a burger with a beer. My apologies to Santa’s sleigh propulsion team, but reindeer is good eating.
Taking time to sample gelato in ancient plazas as you get lost in a new city is a rewarding pleasure that never gets old. Note the bronze copy of George and his Dragon on the right.
Stockholm is easy to love and highly accessible on foot. We averaged between fifteen and nineteen thousand steps per day.
Our free time to frolic in Stockholm has been a blast. Tomorrow, we will join our Rick Steves tour and continue discovering Stockholm’s many wonders with our tour guide, a local guide, and new friends. Roaming through intriguing places is wonderful, but don’t forget to take breaks to treat yourself and enjoy the pleasure of watching the action from a sidewalk cafe.