A Single Night without a Sunset

In my experience, it seems that if you are travelling to one or more places, you often find yourself pit-stopping somewhere other than the final destination. And though I myself often count these pit stops when recounting all my wondrous adventures, it's actually a special treat when they become their own special experience and leave impression enough to lead you back there in later journeys. My time in Sweden was such an event.

I was on my way from Glasgow to Finland in the roundabout way that those on nonexistent travel budgets have to make. The cheapest flight I could find got me as far as Stockholm (or rather Skavsta airport, which is actually over an hour away from Stockholm, and the only transportation out of it was the bus, which, to my dismay, cost more than my flight.)

The trip across was going to be a long and hectic one, and I decided to spend the night in Sweden rather than plane hopping in Frankfurt and waiting an inordinate amount of time in an airport.
The flight in was beautiful, and coming from Glasgow, simply seeing clear skies was wonder enough. Once we reached the land of Sweden, we flew low over miles of stunning wilderness, including pines and endless lakes. The airport gate was a tiny RyanAir one but one of the cleanest and friendliest I have been to in the world.

We rode quietly into Stockholm, watching the sunset over lakes and keeping an eye out for moose.
We arrived in the city much later than we realized, the sun still dipping slightly.

My exploration of the city that night was limited, but it left a lasting and pleasant impression. The bus took us directly to the terminal, which was in the centre of the city. The harbour is very close, and with a simple map, it's quite easy to get around.

We spent the evening walking the docks, the sun always just peeping lightly over the horizon and tinting the waters pink. There was a great atmosphere here, with the energy of a European city but the honesty and cleanliness of a Scandinavian town. The harbour was beautiful, and I would deeply love to go back to Sweden and enjoy it fully.

Quick Tips:

My first suggestion is that if you do come to Stockholm, or Sweden for that matter, whether intentionally visiting or just passing through, bring some money to spend if you can. As I found out, you can make do with virtually no spending cash here, but it's not the cheapest place I have visited by a stretch and is rather pricey by European standards.

I highly recommend that you try to stay in one of the barge hotels that sit on the harbour. I will be reviewing the one we stayed in separately, but just to mention it, it was an incredible way to experience Stockholm, with a real taste of the town, from talking with the local proprietor to watching the sun sit on the water out of our bunk window at 3am. It was a peaceful and deeply pleasing way to spend my time there.

The food in Sweden seems to be good but is very simple. English isn't spoken here as commonly as it is in some other European countries, but as is usually the case, they can accommodate you in most places, particularly in the cities, and in my experience they were generally polite and friendly. As always, though, it's best to at least attempt to speak in the native tongue, and the effort is usually appreciated. At least open with Hej (or Hello) to set things on the right path. There aren't many signs in English, however, so having a guidebook with some basic phrases is a good idea.

I would happily recommend June or July as a time for visiting the country. The weather was very pleasant then and it can get quite hot in August. And though I've never experienced Stockholm in the winter myself, my Swedish in0laws assure me its not the most hospitable time. If you do visit in the summer, you get to experience the Scandinavian lack of a complete sunset, which is indeed a sight to see.

Best Way To Get Around:

Though I myself didn't have a car for this particular trip, I think it would probably have been the way to go. As I said, the Skavsta airport was over an hour away and the bus ride was very expensive. (Don't be too alarmed by the bus prices, however; even though they are pricey, I had only paid something like £14 for my flight, which was why the bus cost more.)

They drive on the right side of the road in Sweden, and the roads are more similar to the American road system than in many European countries, with wider lanes. And if you have a car, it would make it easier to zip out of the city and experience some of the surrounding countryside, which in passing was beautiful.

If a car is out of the question, though, busing is a good option as well. I may have been spoiled by British bus prices recently and so I found the ones in Scandinavia expensive. However, though they may cost more in the realms of a Greyhound bus ticket in the US, the experience is infinitely more pleasant. It's a smooth and comfortable ride that was precisely on time. And as everything in Scandinavia, it was simple and straightforward.

The subway is useful, though a bit hard to understand if you don't speak Swedish. All the signs and instructions are in Swedish, and it's often hard to find someone to ask questions to. We did, however, find a very kindly ticket taker who simply let us through and onto the underground, which was an experience in itself. It was full of locals of all ages, and at one stop we were bombarded with loudly dressed teens carrying Swedish lager and '80s-style boom boxes blaring music I'm sure hasn't been played in 20 years in most countries. It was like a bad commercial for how European teens were in the '80s, but it was entertaining, and it's always these little things that make travelling worthwhile.

I had to hesitate a moment in choosing the kind of lodging for this journal entry, and I settled on "hostel" for the fact that we discovered this place on a hostel website and that it was the same price as hostels. But the experience goes far beyond any hostel I've ever stayed in, and if you're not someone who digs on the whole hostel experience. don't pass this up for that reason.

Generally when I go somewhere, what I look for in a hotel in the cheapest place I can sleep without worrying about my luggage being stolen while I sleep or strange creatures coming out from under the bed. While looking for a place to stay in my brief overnight stay in Stockholm, I obviously wanted the cheapest option, and that was when I stumbled onto this, one of the best finds I've ever come across in my travels. If you plan to go to Stockholm, unless you want to live it up in luxury while there, I would highly recommend this as a place to stay.

From a hotel point of view, it doesn't necessarily have that much going for it. It's all very simple and basic, but the atmosphere and future stories it offers far surpasses roomy bathrooms and other standard hotel extras. The Rygerfjord hotel is a hotel/hostel on an old-style passenger vessel that sits in the Stockholm harbour. It is very close to public transport, both bus and subway. The rooms are clean and very straightforward, and the bathroom, though not private, was also more than adequate.

But the best thing about this place, aside from the extremely low price (£19 per night for a twin private room in summer) was the great scenery and atmosphere it brought. It was nearing midnight when we finally found our way to the harbour. We came onto the boat and into the extremely idyllic bar/restaurant, which had softly candlelit tables with window views out across the harbour that you could hear lapping against the side of the boat. The manager was very pleasant, if a bit tired, and showed us to our cabin after we bought our bed linen (in Sweden, the bed clothes are often not included and cost us SEK 60pp for the night, with the option that you can bring your own.)

The whole mood of the place was calm and serene, and though it wasn't the most soundproof room I've ever been in, the noise was not a problem. The hotel serves a breakfast buffet, snacks, and dinner and is open 24 hours all year.

I thoroughly enjoyed my night in a little vessel in the Stockholm harbour. I walked the docks until well after 1am, looking at all the other ships and forgetting the time as the red tint of the sun tinged the edge of the water. It was a beautiful night and one of the best £20 I've ever spent on a hotel.