Day 3 - Skogskyrkogården

As far as I remember, I have always been fond of cemeteries because they are representing an interrelationship between life and death. They are places of grieve, reflexion, and peace. The same is true for the woodland cemetery Skogskyrkogården. From main entrance the road slowly leads upwards giving me time to soak in the monumental landscape. Skogskyrkogården is inspired by the ideas of humans being part of nature (as found in romanticism) and by globalization. At that time, it was the first western cemetery designed upon these ideas which is why the UNESCO declared it a Cultural Heritage Site in 1994.

The construction of the cemetery, which now houses more than 100,000 graves, five chapels and a crematorium (quite provocative at that time) took 25 years (from 1915). I love this great simplicity that I discover walking around Skogskyrkogården. It's like the architects wanted guests to feel being part of nature.

Day 4 - Old Town

As you may know by now, I have a liking for free walking tours. Guides do not get paid upfront, instead they get tipped at the end of their tours exactly as much as guests felt the tour was worth. From my experience, this incentivises the guides to make their tours more fun.

Ryan, a middle-aged Australian guy, welcomes us at the top of the wide stairs at Sergels Torg. He has lived in several European cities - in Paris, Amsterdam and London - but finally stayed in Stockholm because of love. Now he has two beautiful daughters with his fiancée.

But before I get into details about what I learnt during the free walking tour, I have a question for you: Have you ever typed Stockholm in Google Maps to see where it takes you? Well, let me tell you what Ryan told us. You will come out at the statue of Gustav II right in front of the opera building (it's true, I checked), because it marks kilometre zero. All distances in Sweden are measured from this particular point. That's pretty cool, isn't it?!

Sörmlandsleden Trail

To compensate for just having been in town the past couple of days, I do need a hike now. Stefanie really commended the third stage of the walking trail Sörmlandsleden (about 12 kilometers) because it takes you through deep forests as well as along crystal lakes where you are free to take a dip. It sounds perfect to me. There are three of us - Stefanie, a good friend of hers, and me. Within a 30 minutes-ride by bus, we reach Nyfors, one of the many entry points on the popular walking trail. The signs with a black "S" on orange ground lead the way - first in the Tyresta Nature Reserve, later in the Tyresta National Park.

The national park includes one of the largest remnants of primeval forests which are left of human influence. Some of the pine trees are more than four hundred years old. We are rambling across forests which soil is moist and soft after yesterday's rain. I love this pleasant earthy fragrance. Due to blueberry season, we run across a lot of families picking the healthy superfood. In Sweden, you have this law Allemansrätten, which allows you to wander around everywhere. So, happy picking!

A couple of hours later, we arrive at Caféet i Tyresta By. It's quite busy here. Seems like half of Stockholm had the same idea for spending their sunny Sunday afternoon. I can't blame them. The café offers some really good home-made cakes, pastries and even some gluten free cookies with cardamom or almond. If you get a chance to try them, do it.

Day 5 - City Hall

City hall is clearly one of the most impressive buildings in Stockholm. It's grand halls are unique pieces of art (you will see why in a sec) and, on top of that, they are the venue of the Nobel Prize banquet every year on 10 December. I snatch a ticket for the first tour of the day and shortly after ten I find myself standing wide-eyed in the Blue Hall (which is anything but blue) designed by architect Ragnar Östberg to evoke an Italian piazza. One million hand-fabricated bricks adorn the walls. Swedish marble on the floor and countless granite pillars reinforce the impression. You even find an indoor fountain. It's beautiful. The architect must have thought the same, because - though originally planned - he refrained from painting the walls and the ceiling in blue.

Although the hall is really huge, it's difficult for me to picture 1300 guests sitting here and attending the Nobel Prize banquet. In fact, it is a logistical masterpiece. Every guest has only 57 centimeters of space for plates, glasses and cutlery. Nobel Prize winners get an extra two inches.

Even more impressive is the Golden Hall with its 18.5 million glass and gold mosaics tiles made by an German firm. They used a sandwich technique, first a layer of glass, then a leaf gold followed by another layer of glass. According to the tour guide, only ten kilogram of gold were used. At the heart of Golden Hall is the portrait of the Queen of Mälaren (= Symbol of Stockholm). Next to her on the right side, you find a mosque and wild animals like an elephant, a tiger, and a camel. On the left side, she is surrounded by the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the American flag.