#56 Culture Night in Stockholm + Weather Report

Just a quick update on the weather; when I first arrived here 3 months ago, there were mounds of snow everywhere and it snowed heavily almost every day. Then, about a month ago, it began to snow less and the temperatures rose a little. Now, nearly all of the snow has melted and although the trees are still bare, you can see green grass starting to sprout. It has rained a little, but there are blue skies nearly everyday. Today in Stockholm it is +13 degrees, while when I first arrived it was -13! I think Spring has finally arrived in Stockholm. . . .

Yesterday, Saturday 20th April was Culture Night in Stockholm. This mean that almost every museum and gallery in Stockholm had free entry and special events from 6pm until midnight. Here are some of the places I visited:

Ethnography Museum (Etnografiska Museet)
Located at MuseiParken, Bus 69 from Sergels Torg

To answer your first question, ethnography is like the study of people and culture. This museum was modern and interesting, it had exhibitions on ancient tribes, Vietcong, Native Americans, Japan, Australia, Greenland etc. It was a fun and interesting place to explore the world, and I would recommend a visit. Entrance is usually around 100kr.

The Royal Mews (Hovstallet)
Located near Nybroplan, take tram from Sergels Torg

To answer another question, the Royal Mews is the transport section for ceremonial events for the Royal Family. Here you can see the Kings Horses, (as well as pet them) and the carriages and cars they use, and learn about when they have been used. A nice, interesting place that is not well known in Stockholm.

The Mediterranean and Near-Eastern Antiquities Museum (Medelhavs Museet)
Located beside the Royal Opera House, take bus 69 to Gustav Adolfs Torg

I only visited the museum briefly, but it isn't very big. It has lots of ancient Greek things, as well as an Egypt exhibition (which was closed). It's a nice place to visit, but unless you have a particular interest I wouldn't recommend it so much.

The Medieval Museum (MedeltidsMuseet)
Located under the bridge beside the Royal Palace. Bus 69 to Gustav Adolfs Torg.

I think this could be another one of Stockholm's hidden gems. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you enter this place is remarkable. It boats the only remaining part of the old Stockholm city wall, part of an ancient boat, as well as wax figures, a whole section layed out to look like a medieval street, and even a gambling games room with giant chess and dice games, as well as others.

The Royal Palace (Kungliga Slotten)
Located at the edge of Gamla Stan. Take bus 69 to Gustav Adolfs Torg or walk from the metro.

I was disappointed with the Royal Palace. I thought there were going to be more special events than on a usual day, but to me it was overcrowded and average, with a 20 minute waiting line to get in. You're not allowed take flash pictures, so most of them came out awful. You saw some random rooms, but I found it was nothing spectacular. There were people walking around in costume though which was fun.

Finally, there were also some old buses and trams taking you around the museums for free, which was really nice. 

#37 First look at Sweden

The first thing I saw in Sweden (at Arlanda Airport)

This is only my fourth full day in Stockholm, but already I've started to get my head around things. Being in Europe, there are so many shops and restaurants that are the same as being home in Ireland, so it's not too difficult to adjust. The language barrier isn't a problem either, most things are only signposted in Swedish, but you can ask anyone for help because almost all the Swedish can speak fluent English! I'm in college so this week we had lots of introductory meetings to attend, but from next week my schedule should be much more free.

It's cold here now, around -7 to -15 on average I think. There are mounds of snow everywhere and every roof and tree top is covered in a thick layer of white snow. The rivers are mostly frozen solid which is really fascinating to look at. It's really pretty, but also too cold to take out your camera every time!

This was a soccer pitch

The first day here I went grocery shopping, and I found something special for all the Millennium Trilogy/Girl with the Dragon Tattoo fans out there: Billys Pan Pizza!!

Mmmmmmmm!

Also, as promised, I took a trip to the worlds largest Ikea! It was also my first Ikea visit, and it was a little overwhelming. Nothing was signposted in English so it was pretty difficult to find our way around, and then most of the things we wanted were in the warehouse rather than around the display floors upstairs. Mostly, it was really difficult to leave, we spent maybe 15 minutes walking aimlessly in the warehouse looking for the exit! We went to the big cafe, but it was still breakfast time so we couldn't try the famous meatballs! They had a Kanelbulle (popular Swedish cinnamon bun) and coffee for 5 krona though, which is super cheap!

Beautiful!

This is half of it, I was too close to fit the whole thing in one picture

So there it is, the first of many posts about this snowy country!