TO THE MANOR BJÖRN
Nancy Rockett visits Stockholm to find there’s so much more to this city than ABBA
Where are those happy days, they seem so hard to find… You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life… Enough was enough, I thought, reaching for my phone’s playlist as a serene Scandinavian Airlines steward proffered a suitably right-on sandwich and complimentary tea (100 per cent biodegradable, compostable and sustainable packaging – but then, we are headed to the country that spawned the great Greta Thunberg).
On the days leading up to my Stockholm trip, an ABBA medley raged around my brain, which, as someone who had gleefully wailed along to “SOS” and “Dancing Queen” in the car on family daytrips should not have been torturous. But torture it became and so, finally, I decided the only thing that might stop the ceaseless internal disco would be one, full-length blast of ABBA Gold at high altitude. And, dear reader, it worked; not one ABBA song crept into my brain over the next few days.
I had actually hoped to visit the interactive ABBA Museum (abbathemuseum.com) at the end of my whistle-stop trip but, travelling alone at that point, I realised I didn’t have the confidence to do green-screen, fancy-dress karaoke on my own. And so I hit the shops, ate like a queen and gleaned insights about Swedes other than Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Anna-Frid instead.
First there are the facts: the name Stockholm comes from “log island”, which, if the conspicuous swathes of forest you see flying into the city and the 14 islands that comprise it are anything to go by, makes perfect sense. A town founded by the Vikings in around 1,000 CE, it received capital status in 1436, nearly 100 years before Sweden gained independence from the Kalmar Union, a onemonarch kingdom that comprised Denmark and Norway until a sort of Scandi version of Brexit. Fast forward to the 21st century, Stockholm is widely admired for its fresh, Baltic air, pretty Gamla Stan (Old Town), and an enlightened, efficient infrastructure in which even pushchair ramps are built into metro stairwells.
To best contextualise what the city has become, though, join a free walking tour (freetourstockholm.com), which, as its name suggests, costs nothing but your attention and a courteous tip at the end. Depending on your Gamla Stan guide, you’ll learn about
Stockholm past and present, including Sweden’s first, and last, lady king: the transgressive, gender-fluid, sexually ambiguous Kristina (born 1626, died 1689), who refused to marry and converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism before abdicating in 1654. You’ll hear some fabulously macabre tidbits about Hell Alley, why Mårten Trotzigs Gränd alleyway is so very narrow, why the Stortorget Bloodbath is socalled, and the reason for the occasional car wingmirror positioned outside windows of first-floor residential buildings (clue: long, dark winters).
Once you’ve oriented yourself, it’s time to appreciate what Sweden – after ABBA – is best known for: design. Yes, the land that brought us flatpack furniture, Nudie Jeans, H&M and Cos is well worth investigating on the shopping front. Few IMAGE readers will be shipping furniture back to Ireland, so for more suitcase-appropriate steals, check out Iris Hantverk (irishantverk.se), which has outlets in Norrmalm and Gamla Stan, and where a smorgasbord of hand-hewn, natural-material homewares and gifts are as stylish as they are affordable. There I loaded up on beautiful butterfly prints, organic soap bars and hand cream, defying the preconception that Sweden is resoundingly expensive. Not so; you can also find good value, high quality knick-knacks in Esteriör (esterior.es) on Åsögatan 144, in the hipster neighbourhood of Södermalm: teal and rose gold dominoes, ripple-effect glassware by Danish brand Ferm Living, bamboo fibre bowls by Madam Stoltz, and colourful, graphic coasters by Barcelona’s Octaevo.
For cool girl leather bags that’ll last for years, see nearby ATP Atelier (atpatelier.com) on Skånegatan 86, and five minutes’ away are expertly curated preloved kimonos and cute shirt dresses in Smiley Vintage (smileyvintage.com) on Södermannagatan 14 (in fact, vintage boutiques don’t get more swish than in Stockholm – check out exceptional secondhand Swedish labels at Arkivet in Vasastan and Östermalm). Then on to the high-end Grandpa (grandpastore.com), a chic and funky concept store of accessories, menswear and womenswear, homewares, jewellery and contemporary curios. My credit card was seriously troubled at the sight of an exquisite sage green, woollen Brixtol Textiles coat that I merely wanted but didn’t need… I sensibly resisted (though really because of an earlier spree in the Swedish high street staple Monki on Drottninggatan: two pairs of trousers and two jumpers for less than €100 – bargain; monki.com).
Eating out needn’t break the bank either; I had a very decent falafel wrap in Babel Deli on Kungstensgatan 33 (babeldeli.com), where turquoise paintwork and multicoloured chairs add cheer to gallery-white walls, and the Stockholm chain Urban Deli (urbandeli.org) – part grocery, part café-bar – is a hit with locals from breakfast through to dinner. Also very reasonable is the casual Japanese joint MGL Sushi, near the atelier of Irish jewellery designer Michael O’Dwyer (see our profile on page 26) – the prawn tempura deluxe roll is particularly lip-smacking.
Light lunches allow for splurging on dinner at the wonderful Smak (smakstockholm.se) on Oxtorgsgatan 14 in Norrmalm, where our gregarious host explained the initially confusing menu that groups dishes not as starters, mains and desserts, but into three “flavours”: chilli, ginger and cress. All dishes are the same size, with three the equivalent of a main course, five the equivalent of an entrée and a main, and seven the equivalent of a three-course meal. It’s an exhilarating way in which to dine, sampling a riot of dishes and combinations that you may not ordinarily try. There are also tasting glasses matched to each and every dish – including desserts – making ordering wine a cinch. Though considerably more orthodox, robust flavours can also be enjoyed at The Flying Elk gastropub (theflyingelk.se), near the Slussen metro station. I oohed and aahed over butter-fried forest mushrooms, pickled chanterelle, raw lingonberries, and deep-fried black cabbage atop a cream cheese bagel – and that was just the starter. My main of roasted pumpkin, Mimolette cheese, bulgur wheat, hazelnuts and sage was equally rich and comforting.
Had I more time, I’d have visited the photography museum, Fotografiska (fotografiska.com), not only for its world-class exhibitions, but also its restaurant, which came highly recommended by multiple sources. Like the museum’s artistic output, its culinary offerings also push the envelope against a stunning, watery backdrop from Södermalm to Gamla Stan and across to Gröna Lund. And no trip to Stockholm is complete without a nibble of fika, a ritualistic afternoon pastry beloved of, and shared among, Swedes at work and at home. Just as the title for “Ireland’s best pint of Guinness” will rage forever, it depends on who you ask where serves the best fika in Stockholm. But, really, it’s all about the convivial aspect – the coffee break when workplaces across the country down tools for banter and buns. So try any, or all of them.
Swedish design is known for its simplicity and economy, which is possibly why its citizens are broadly assumed to be studious and composed. Garrulous maître d’s and shop assistants countered this stereotype at every turn. “I love these! So much nicer than black winter clothes!” piped the Monki sales advisor, where a rainbow of items dandified the counter. Really, we should know better. How could a country famous for ABBA be known as anything less than chirpy? Wait. Uh-oh. I can feel “Dancing Queen” coming on. I’d better plunder that Gold playlist again…
“No trip to Stockholm is complete without a nibble of fika, a ritualistic afternoon pastry.”