We loved Norway so much that we decided we wanted to explore more of Scandinavia. So, we hoped a flight for our next stop in Stockholm. Our hotel was a room in a hostel just a couple of blocks from the main train station so we hoped a train from the airport, walked to our room for check-in set off immediately to explore. As this was a spur of the moment destination, we really had no expectations and knew nothing about Stockholm before arriving. However, within our first few minutes, we fell completely in love with the city in a large part because it is very much a water lovers city. This capital city of Sweden is located on several lakes and tributaries to the Baltic Sea and is made up of 14 islands which are connected by 57 bridges. As we had only planned a couple of days in the city, we made a list of the top places that we knew we could reach by either foot or ferry (we had to spend at least a little of the time on some water). We were walking along one of the waterfronts near The Royal Palace when we happened upon a parade complete with a huge marching band. This happened to be the daily (at least in the summertime) changing of the guards. We liked it so much that we even came back a second day to catch the "show" which this time consisted of the band members playing while riding on horses. Afterwards, we enjoyed wandering around Gamla Stan or the "old" section of town where one could walk for days just admiring the architecture not to mention the numerous cafes (we had a great meal here too) and adorable shops We found the Nobel Museum and City Hall where the Nobel banquets are held. Next, we took a short ferry ride over to the island of Djurgarden. This picturesque island is home to numerous museums paying homage to everything from 17th century warships and an open-air craftsman museum depicting the Swedish life through various decades, to an entire museum dedicated to the music group ABBA. The weather was just too beautiful for indoor venues, so instead we found a wonderful craft brewery and a spot on the water before walking back into town. With 2 full days in Stockholm, we managed to see everything on our list and still have time to just soak up the vibe of the city and meet some very nice and interesting people. We loved our time there. Next time, we will plan a little more time to see more of not just this beautiful city but also see more areas of Sweden.
Alas, our time was up and we had already booked train tickets to our next Scandinavian city of Copenhagen, so off we went again. Our train seats were pre-assigned and we were delighted to find that we were sharing a 4 seat section with another couple who were originally Swedish but now living in Switzerland. Since train travel allows one to easily bring along liquids, we purchased a bottle of wine to go with the lunch we'd packed. For the small price of a couple glasses of wine, our new friends Claudia and Rasmus not only made our 5-hour train travel time fly by but also gave us information on both Copenhagen and Hamburg (our next destination).
In Copenhagen, we had booked another Airbnb in the downtown area. As we'd arrived late in the day, we dropped off our luggage and took off to find a restaurant/brewery that our new friends had recommended which was luckily an easy walk from our place. We enjoyed a great meal as well as the lively section of town. It was a great first taste of the city. The next morning, we took off with our list of must-see places which thankfully were all within walking distance. Copenhagen was yet another amazing city with a beautiful waterfront and, of course, the original little mermaid statue. We meandered for 2 days soaking up the sights, sunshine and the food. We tried another restaurant our train friends suggested but warned us that it's very difficult to get a reservation. Deciding to try our luck, we astonished the lady at the table next to us (who'd made her reservation months ago) as somehow we were able to walk in for the literally last available table. And yes, the next morning, we ate the most amazing Danish pastries!!!
Our time in Copenhagen was up and we caught another train this time to our first German city of Hamburg. We'd booked another apartment this time in a section of town known as St. Pauli. Little did we know but we were in the heart of Hamburg's party area not to mention their "red-light" district including the world famous Reeperbahn. While I have to admit that most of this was lost on us as we spent our time walking around exploring and were too tired to party much as night. We were excited to find that we were within walking distance to the only Hooter's restaurant we'd ever seen in Europe so we had to check out their wings (which were delicious). We did walk through the party area and posed around the tribute statues to the Beatles.
Hamburg too is very much a water lover's city. Built as a port city, it still boasts a very active waterway. We explored as much as we could by foot including the beautiful Alter Elbetunnel (Old Elbe Tunnel). This pedestrian tunnel is beautifully lined with decorative tiles and makes for wonderful stroll. It opened in 1911 and lies about 80 feet below the surface of the Elbe River where it serves to connect the more industrial area of the port to the more residential area on the other side of the river. Luckily, we also arrived just in time to see the "Blue Port Hamburg." This is a once every two-year art installation in which most of the port is alighted with blue lights and we got the best view from a roundtrip ferry ride. While it got a bit cold on the river at night, the sights were fabulous!
From Hamburg, we boarded another train to Germany's capital city of Berlin. Our accommodations were a short bus ride from the train station, so we dropped off our luggage and set out to explore. While Berlin is a large city, their great public transport coupled with the central location of our house enabled us to easy tick off our list of places we wanted to see. While we enjoyed all the amazing historical sites, we were most fascinated by the present-day history of the area that occurred during our lifetime. We loved seeing Checkpoint Charlie (while only a replica of the former Cold War checkpoint, it was fascinating to think about how life was just a few years ago). We walked the sections marking the boundary of the former Berlin Wall as well as East Side Gallery (the nearly 1-mile section of actual remains of the Berlin wall pained with over 100 murals from artists around the world). We also rented bikes and rode through Tiergarten Park and even enjoyed riding along the many bike paths that run alongside most of the city streets.
While we really enjoyed our time in Berlin, it was again time for us to continue our journey. So, we hopped another train this time to the beautiful city of Prague. Our accommodations were again in the heart of the city so we were able to easily walk from the train station. We instantly fell in love with Prague as we wondered around the city soaking in the amazing sites. From the famous astrological clock and the town square to the beautiful Charles Bridge and then up the (what seemed like a million) steps to the Prague castle area, this city was just breathtaking. The locals are very proud of their city and we were told by some that the city survived WWII mostly intact because Hitler loved the beauty of the city and as such protected much of the beloved architecture. Additionally, despite being under Soviet control for years, the city still holds most of its older charm and glory and not nearly as many Soviet bloc structures (cue 1970 era plain buildings everywhere) as many other cities we saw. Prague was just gorgeous and a must-see city.
Alas, our time in Prague was up and our Eurail pass was expiring, so we decided to rent a car for the next 30 days and visit some harder to reach areas. But, I'll fill you on that next time!
Until next post!
