Stockholm - Part 2

Before I begin to describe the day, I want to vent a little. I have always been pretty allergic to “Massentourismus”, the way you describe in German the kind of touring done in large organized groups. I will readily admit to being a cultural snob on this point. This is why I generally prefer to organize my own travels. I had my reservations about this when I booked this tour, but my desire to see Scandinavia and lack of time won out. 

Today’s activities, however, reminded me of why I dislike this kind of “sight-seeing” so much. There is the physical aspect of being herded through spaces and being pushed and shoved by others doing exactly what you are doing. This has only been made worse by the need everyone seems to have to stop every ten feet and take a picture of God knows what, or worse yet, a selfie. The thing that really gets me, though, is being told what I should see, look at or notice. Background information is fine; but there is something about the abandonment of one’s own powers of observation that rubs me the wrong way. There I’ve said it.

Our first stop was Stockholm’s Town Hall. You might think that this is a somewhat unusual type of building to visit, bit it was well worth it. The “new” town hall was built in the early 20^th century. Besides being the home to the city’s government, it was meant to showcase Stockholm’s importance and rich culture. While it was built in the early part of the 20^th century, the architecture is more backward looking. It is described as the “National Romantic Style.” Built of more than eight million bricks, the town hall contains some stunningly beautiful spaces in which to hold grand public events. In fact, the Nobel Prize awards dinner is held in the grand “Blue Room”, which isn’t blue at all.

Overlooking the "Blue" Room

 There’s a nobility and graciousness to many of the spaces; and, fine examples of Swedish art and crafts populate its public rooms. I would have liked to have more time to admire some of these things, but we were forced to keep moving by the crowds. I found it to be a very handsome building and I am glad that the tour brought us there.

Following town hall, we boarded the bus for a general orientation to the city from the bus. We criss-crossed bridges and circled the old town, Gamle Stan, from the outside, since inside is a pedestrian zone.  Again, it was a beautiful day and Stockholm glittered under the bright Nordic sun. The summer holidays had just ended, so there was a considerable amount of traffic. That was not necessarily a bad thing, because the slow pace allowed us to take in more of the sights and to see the city “at work”.  Our final stop was the Vasa Museum, a museum built to house the Vasa, an ornate royal warship that sank just twenty minutes into its maiden voyage in 1628. The vessel lay submerged on the bottom of the harbor until the early 60’s when it was raised, restored and eventually put on display in the museum that was built around it. The ship itself is in remarkable condition. The other exhibits display artifacts found with the wreck. What I found most interesting were the facial reconstructions that scientists were able to make from the skeletons found on board. Once again, though, the hordes of people pushing through the museum were a torment.

The afternoon was free, so I set off on my own. The first thing I wanted to see was the Hötorgshallen, a food court and marketplace. In addition to seeing it, I had read good things about Kasias Fisk, a food stall that served excellent fish. The food market itself was rather small, but Kasias Fisk did not disappoint. I had some wonderful cod with hard-boiled egg and horseradish. You order at the register, pay and find a seat. You receive a number when you pay, and when your food is ready, a waiter comes out and shouts the number. Great fun and good people watching! After eating, I strolled along the main shopping street headed for the old town. It too was crammed with tourists. I didn’t spend too much time there; and, except for the German Church, I didn’t bother to go into anything. I went back to the hotel to rest for a bit, before heading out again.

Stockholm's old town - Gamle Stan

Stained glass from the German Church

Around 6:00 I set out again and went in the general direction of a restaurant I was considering for dinner. I stopped in one of Stockholm’s main department stores, half looking for a hat and maybe a scarf before we headed to Norway. It was supposed to be quite chilly.  I enjoyed browsing but in the end decided against buying anything. I made my way to the restaurant, Bistro Bestick, and went inside. It was small and every table was occupied. I asked the young lady who greeted me if there were any chance of my eating at the bar, which only had three seats –all of them already full. She said to me in an almost conspiratorial tone, “I think they will be done in about 30 minutes, if you want to wait and have a drink. I really wanted to try the food here, so I said, “Yes, that will be fine.” The staff was young and friendly and I soon had a glass of wine in my hand. It wasn’t even twenty minutes when the people at the bar left and my place was set. 

The veal at Bistro Bisteck

The menu was small but creative. I started with an egg baked with pancetta, chanterelles, chives celeriac and fried potatoes – not entirely Swedish, but they are allowed. The main course was fabulous, slices of veal scaloppini sautéed with broccoli, tarragon, Belgian endive, pickled mustard seeds and the thing that really made it special – grated foie gras. Oh my, was that good. Kitchen staff came out and chatted from time to time. I finished with a homemade chocolate truffle. In the time that I was eating, they must have turned away at least 30 people, so I felt very lucky to have gotten a seat. Sometimes it just works out.