STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s capital city, Stockholm, is spread across 14 islands connected by 57 bridges. Here, the freshwater of Lake Mälaren meets the brackish tides of the Baltic Sea. Even the city’s Viking-coded name reflects this layered geography and history: stock, meaning log or post, and holm, meaning islet. It’s a Viking city.
I stayed at a boutique hotel in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s oldest neighborhood — a storybook setting of cobbled lanes and medieval buildings; compact, walkable, and full of surprises. Up any elevated alleyway, you’ll find small specialty shops and local vendors selling ice cream or hot snacks. A short walk away are popular chains with more international offerings.
I happened to visit during Midsommar, the festival marking the peak of Swedish summer. While viewers of the film might worry, I saw no bears or cults — just floral headpieces and white linen dresses. It’s one of the most earnest, unironic national celebrations I’ve ever seen.
The ABBA Museum. (Getty Images)
The sky stubbornly stays lit until nearly midnight — it is just as bright at 10 p.m. as it was at 10 a.m., making an early bedtime feel irrelevant. However, many of the nearby shops and cafés close around 7 pm.
