Stockholm.

[hallelujah]

A short trip recently for the UEFA Cup Final (in old money) to see Man United complete the full set of European trophies.

Flew in with Aeroflot and, after a shaky start, they managed to get the screens sorted and the flight to Moscow was spent watching movies, drinking wine (no beer) and tucking into the 2 meals provided.

A view of Moscow.



The next leg to Stockholm was just 2 hours and as you get close you see the countless islands off the Swedish coast (most of which are uninhabited).



Off the plane, cleared customs and outside in less than 10 minutes. Bangkok this isn't.



Less than 45 minutes later I was in the old town thanks to the bus that leaves every 10 minutes from outside Arlanda. Another quaint European city.







Obviously, plenty of water around the Stockholm archipelago.




So, I took the chance to look at some art on the Stockholm underground...





...and take a boat tour around the islands!





There's a bar on board selling beer and snacks and they even had reindeer wraps. When in Rome and all that.



That was one of the better beers and an average beer in the old town around Gamla Stan can set you back between SEK70 and SEK100 for less than a pint (7-10 quid). This was a gastropub with about 50 beers on tap and a serious top shelf.




Away from the old town and the prices drop massively. I was paying about SEK30 elsewhere, so it's worth getting away from the tourist areas.

It's a safe place, but keep your eye out for the bikes which willl mow you down if you're straying into their cycle lanes. And the fuckers will let you know about it even if they don't.





The Winner Takes It All.




And we took it all.





Someone had a bit of a thirst on Russian style in Sheremetyevo on the way back, though with the prices charged for beer and food, maybe it would have been the best course of action anyway.



A final nice surprise was Aeroflot changing my seat at the gate so I had unlimited legroom.



God Bless Mother Russia.

[lom]

That was one of the better beers and an average beer in the old town around Gamla Stan can set you back between SEK70 and SEK100 for less than a pint (7-10 quid). This was a gastropub with about 50 beers on tap and serious top shelf.

Mariestads Export, an excellent choice!

[hallelujah]

That was one of the better beers and an average beer in the old town around Gamla Stan can set you back between SEK70 and SEK100 for less than a pint (7-10 quid). This was a gastropub with about 50 beers on tap and serious top shelf.

Mariestads Export, an excellent choice!

It was indeed very good. Especially compared to most of the swill available in the bars.

[Begbie]

Great pictures, I was there last year for a long weekend and really enjoyed the city. Yes get away from the tourist traps, the food and drink in non touristy places is excellent. Fish soup, and beer lovely.

[bsnub]

Nice pics! Green owed!

[hallelujah]

Thanks lads (and lasses).

It's the kind of place to take the missus. Easy on the eye, easy to get around and, even though it's Scandinavia, it doesn't have to be that expensive.

[cyrille]

No pics of the game...sensible move!

[Nicethaiza]

Hope to see more pics...very very nice..

[David48atTD]

Great OP ... I'm jealous.


Way back when I lived in London and had a Finnish gf I did Ferry trip from Helsingør (Denmark) to Helsingborg (Sweden) a few times.

Met a Swedish guy once on that Ferry trip, affable chap, warmly pissed.

Indeed, that was the intent of his trip.

For the week-end, he was traveling back and forth on the Ferry do he could drink the Duty Free.
.

[hallelujah]

Great OP ... I'm jealous.


Way back when I lived in London and had a Finnish gf I did Ferry trip from Helsingør (Denmark) to Helsingborg (Sweden) a few times.

Met a Swedish guy once on that Ferry trip, affable chap, warmly pissed.

Indeed, that was the intent of his trip.

For the week-end, he was traveling back and forth on the Ferry do he could drink the Duty Free.
.

The Danes obviously get a bit pissed off with boatloads of Swedes coming over on the razz each weekend!

I've been to Gothenburg, Stockholm and Copenhagen (1 defeat and 2 wins, btw)and my favourite was Copenhagen.

There's a bit more of an edge to it and the hippy commune Christianshavn was fantastic. There are a lot of lost minds there, but it's interesting, to say the least.

[hallelujah]

No pics of the game...sensible move!

Pet hate of mine, Cy. Eyes, not phones, on the game.

[cyrille]

Agreed.
Good pics...though I suppose being with the wife restricted your viewfinder.

[hallelujah]

Agreed.
Good pics...though I suppose being with the wife restricted your viewfinder.

She was at home but, as I said above, it's the kind of place where you'd have a good weekend with the other half.

Funnily enough, the most stunning women I saw were a couple of African and Vietnamese barmaids.

[Scottish Gary]

Good pics. Stockholm looks nice but i heard its horrendously expensive.

[Davis Knowlton]

Nice pix. One of my brothers just got back from Russia and Sweden. Another brother is currently visiting France,,,for the second or third time in the last two years. Me....I just never was interested in Europe. I've visited Germany, Belgium, Italy, England, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, and probably a few others, and lived in France for four years as a kid. To me, Europe simply stopped being of any real world significance in the mid-20th century. All the action in my adult life has been in Asia and the Middle East for the most part. Europe's nice, in a postcard sense, but largely irrelevant.

[hallelujah]

Good pics. Stockholm looks nice but i heard its horrendously expensive.

I find a night out in Manchester and London to be similar. If you go to the tourist traps, you'll pay through the nose, but you can move elsewhere and pay reasonable prices if you've got a bit of nowse.

Everytime I go home I do my brains in as far as dough is concerned. 4 to 5 quid in Manchester city centre for a pint - unless you drink Boddies/Holts/Lees - and even more in London. As for everything else? Equally as expensive.

[hallelujah]

Nice pix. One of my brothers just got back from Russia and Sweden. Another brother is currently visiting France,,,for the second or third time in the last two years. Me....I just never was interested in Europe. I've visited Germany, Belgium, Italy, England, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, and probably a few others, and lived in France for four years as a kid. To me, Europe simply stopped being of any real world significance in the mid-20th century. All the action in my adult life has been in Asia and the Middle East for the most part. Europe's nice, in a postcard sense, but largely irrelevant.

You're very similar to me in the areas where my life has been concentrated since I left the UK, but I was fortunate enough to see most of Europe before I moved away and it is undeniably beautiful.

Had I not been so fortunate I'm sure I'd still be chomping at the bit and it's still a breath of fresh air to go back "home" every now and then and live the European life and see the history.

It's no wonder such trips appeal to Asians and Americans alike. Every trip reminds me just how stunning it is.