This morning started with me waking up somewhere in the middle of the Baltic Sea. I grabbed some breakfast from the ferry’s main concourse and took it up to the top deck to watch us glide into Stockholm. The city was wrapped in fog and looked straight out of a moody fairytale. A peaceful start to the day.
Once I got off the ferry, I made my way toward the city center. Still no large backpack (because of course), but I did have the paper bag full of clothes from yesterday’s emergency shopping spree, which, shocker, is not the most fun thing to carry around all day.
Since I’m only in Stockholm for two nights, I decided to go a little quirky and booked a stay on a boat. Yep, I’m staying on an actual boat docked right on the water called The Red Boat, and it’s just as charming as it sounds! Even better, my room was ready when I arrived, so I dropped off my things and set off again.
Top of my list today was the Vasa Museum, one of the most recommended things to do in Stockholm. It’s on a separate island, and because Sweden is amazing, the ferries between islands are included in the public transit pass. (Apparently I’m a big boat girl now?)
The ferry ride over was beautiful, and the 10-minute walk to the museum took me along the waterfront with views of stunning architecture and serene landscapes. When I stepped inside the museum, I was immediately blown away. The Vasa is a massive 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage and was later recovered almost entirely intact. Seeing it in person was genuinely incredible and I spent about two hours with an audio guide soaking in the ship’s wild history.
Next, I switched gears and headed to the ABBA Museum nearby. On the way, I passed a well-known Swedish gelato shop (obviously had to stop), and sat by the water while I ate it.
The ABBA Museum was so fun; interactive, sparkly, and full of pop history. My favorite part was the silent disco room, where everyone wore headphones and danced to their favorite ABBA songs. They also had tons of costumes and props from their performances and from Mamma Mia, which was a very exciting surprise. I spent way too long staring at all the glittery outfits!
After all the museuming, I took the ferry back toward the old town and ended up meeting a few other solo travelers for dinner. We sat by the water, watched the sunset, and tried surströmming, the infamous Swedish fermented herring. I had mine in a wrap (kind of like a burrito?) and honestly… not bad! Definitely fresh and tasty!
We finished the night at a cozy pub over Swedish beers, sharing travel stories and laughing about all the weird things that happen when you travel solo (we also discussed U.S. politics… that was enlightening…).
Later on, back on my little boat-hostel, I got an update: my backpack has arrived… in Glasgow! Which is great, except I won’t be in Glasgow until Friday, so the saga continues. I’ve officially got five more days in the same outfit rotation (I may need to either find a laundromat or commit to another round of emergency shopping…).
Tomorrow’s my last full day in Stockholm before heading to Edinburgh. Stay tuned to see if/when I finally become a clean, fully-outfitted person again!