11. From Denmark to Sweden
- writedanielwatson
- 2 days ago
- 12 min read
Updated: 16 hours ago
Featuring Everything Swedish! (Have you heard of ABBA?)
Day 35. Thursday 6/25/26
Copenhagen —> Göteborg —> Stockholm
World of Volvo Museum. Newly opened in 2024 after moving locations. Forget all the cars for a second (Volvo is a car brand), the building, even if completely empty, was absolutely gorgeous. Designed by Henning Larsen, who designed the Danish Royal Opera House.
Can see more photos from the Henning Larsen Website: https://henninglarsen.com/projects/world-of-volvo
Cars have long been a passion and skill of my father. Finding, repairing, restoring, driving. He knows everything car-related, and if he doesn't know, he'll research and figure it out. His recent 15-year interest is Volvos. He regularly has ordered parts from Sweden, communicated with folks through translations in Swedish, and is quite familiar with the country through the "World of Volvo"!
He appropriately said, “Um, I don’t know if I’m ever going to be this close again to “World of Volvo” — so we booked a train and went! We had a most informative and thorough private tour with my new Swedish home-boy, Eskil. Age 27 -- knew everything Volvo! Dad enjoyed lots of banter with him discussing history, design, culture, etc. Fun Fact: Volvo invented the three-point safety belt. Instead of monetizing it for themself, they released the technology to the public so all could be safer.
After that, we had a challenging train connection to Stockholm when we received this message:
After discovering that our train jumped the track, we had to figure out which other track to jump on. [nervous laugh]. So we did some quick research on our phones, chatted with some other travelers, discussed options with staff, and miraculously were able to take a bus an hour around the train accident and board the next train on the other side of the accident. So glad we figured it out, and somehow we managed to still arrive at our 11pm arrival time — any later than that after a very long travel day, and we both were going to become travel zombies.
On the train ride through the Swedish countryside. Wild views. Felt like we were in the middle of the German or Canadian forest. Just so rustic, and dark, and then beaming with light from the sunset on the horizon. If you’ve seen the show “Dark” (creepy, heady, and bizarre), it gave that vibe of largeness. I’ve seen a lot of sunsets. You’ve probably seen a lot of sunsets. I’ve never seen a sunset like this. Pictures don’t do it justice.
Stockholm Geography. Stockholm is an archipelago, with its mainland as the city center. Different islands/peninsulas are different city regions/vibes/history and modern functions.
Day 36. Friday 6/26/26
We spent the day on Djurgården, which is called the “nature island” or “museum island”.
Vasa Museum. One of the top 10 museums I’ve ever been to (of many).
A 1600-something Swedish king wants to build a ship to look/be impressive and powerful. He doesn’t know anything about ship building, so I asks for some unique alterations. He wants an additional cannon deck, a narrower ship, and to make the whole thing huge. They build it, call it “Vasa”, Before sailing, it fails inspection. They lie to the king and tell him his construction is great.
In 1628, the Vasa sets sail! Wahoo! Crosses 400 meters out of harbour, gets a gush of wind, takes on water, and sinks to the bottom of Stockholm Harbour.
The ship was forgotten.. Then in 1900s someone obsessed with finding it found it. (Like how did they “lose” where it sank? Like literally still in the harbour.) After sitting for 333 years in the ocean, they salvaged it on my birthday in 1961 (not the year I was born) and raised in from the water, drained the 600 tons of water, and spent the next 17 years conserving it.
Vasa is the largest wooden ship ever raised and conserved. The ship is 95% original!
Even though it’s been underwater for 333 years, the ship is incredibly preserved due to the harbour being brackish water (mix of fresh water and salt water, with low salt.) This condition makes it very hard for anything to grow and deteriorite, thus acting like a natural preservative for the wood.
I’m skipping a bunch of other interesting history and science, so you’ll have to ask me about it because I’m obsessed with the museum and this story (that I’d never heard of until that day). Last note: the ship is falling over. The supports holding it up are failing. So they are working to figure that out.
Astonishing. (See the tiny people above tot he left of the ship. This thing is enormous.) See blow, you can tell how much the ship is leaning. Compare against the top of the image frame. Yike.
Skansen. Sweden’s “open air folk museum”. It’s like Conner Prarie in Indiana — a space that aims to recreate culture from the 1600s/1700s. It’s a giant park on a hill where they literally disassembled old histic houses throughout Sweden and brough them here and reassambled them. We visited the glass blowing smith, furniture factory, ironmonger’s store, and candlesmith. We went to the tavern and got Swedish meatballs. Meatballs, creamy cheese/mushroom sauce, pomegrante, boiled potatoes, greens. Delish worth the hype. Would like to make at home.
Meet the street musicians. Both singing. One on accordion and one on string bass. Discussed pop songs vs folk songs in Swedish traditions and music theory. I had no idea what the Swedish words meant, but I could tell much of the music was silly and humorous.
We strolled the shoreline and stumbled upon a gem of a find — a beautiful Lebanese restaurant overlooking the harbor, wrapped in trees. The place was absolutely gorgeous with all the flowers and wood, which Dad and I enjoyed just as much as all the instagirlies viewing through their cellphones. Folks were decked out in gorgeous outfits with reservations probs for weeks. We walked in, were polite, and they seated us at a table for 6. Pretty rad. We shared a bottle of Lebanese wine and the chef’s menu of 12 cold and 12 hot bites. It was incredible. So salty, nutty, herby, yum.
Day 37. Saturday 6/27/26
Morning Bike tour. Rode to nearly every core Island around Stockholm across bridges. Buildings used to be made of wood, circa 1400s (like all around the world). Then they burned down (like all around the world) Then we built stone on top of the rubble. The stone buildings regularly start to sink, bend, and buckle, so they have to reinforce them with iron on the inside and outside.
Throughout Scandinavia, the color of the building indicated the kind of building it was or how wealthy you were. Iron in the soil (ochre) was mixed with paint, which would oxidize and change color. Different concentrations of iron result in different colors. Red was rich in iron, more expensive, and demonstrates wealth. The iron in the paint also helps maintain the quality of the wood/stone. The picture below is from Old Town and demonstrates three periods of building styles: original old stone beneath, new stone, and iron reinforcements.
We don’t really know much about Stockholm because the Vikings didn’t exactly keep a clear ledger. Stockholm was officially founded around 1100 and was a port for Vikings. This was the universal theme from all the tour guides.
Stopped to get Sushi at the bike folks' favorite place. Best poke bowl I've ever had.
City Hall was also built around 1900 in a neo-romantic nationalist style. This is where both the higher and lower parliament convene to govern the nation
You’ve heard of the Nobel Prizes? POP QUICK. Mr. Nobel spent a lifetime career of what?
a..finally democratizing the Swedish Empire.
b..discovering the modern chemical process of purifying potable water.
c..Ending the rumbles by founding the International Board of Science (IBS)
d.. inventing dynamite and using the technology to kill lots of people.
Answer: If you thought the last one was both graphic and correct, then you are correct!
Look him up. Yikes of a man. At the end of a violent career, he set aside a bunch of money to found the Nobel Prizes. Almost all of them are awarded here in Stockholm. Some say he had a change of heart in the end and wanted to do something. Some say he had the same heart in the end and wanted to look like he did something good. Wild.
Absolutely enchanting Gold Hall, with 1,000,000 mosaic tiles on the wall, telling the history of Sweden.
Afternoon Archipelago Boat Tour. Learned more about the shipping/trade/port history of the city.
Below. Introducing: Billboards -- on the water.
Below is the Norwegian Parliament.
Jokes. But this is actually a 400-year-old countryside building from Norway (Sweden at the time) brought it to the top of this mountain.
Drinks in a 700-year-old (1300s) cellar/basement/prison (not joking). Watch your head and your step. I’ve been in caves that are safer to navigate whilst holding a pint.
Swedish Jazz Club: Went to the Glen Miller Cafe, called “the smallest biggest club”. I had been trying to get in but tickets completely sold out long in advance. I was so sad.
But I went anyway. Thought it’s worth a try. Opened the door (see right) and stood in the doorway for 10 minutes while everyone stared at me and the guy who walked in right in front of me. I was basically on the drummer’s back like a backpack. The place was packed. Like you know when the airplane lands and all the old people stand up just to crowd the aisle and bump into you? Like that and some. It was the same size as Chatter Box is Indy, but this club is in a square instead of shotgun style. Same vibe, dive bar, but like also classy.
About 30 people sitting at tables having dinner and like 10 people shoved standing around the room. After 10 minutes, the server invited the guy in front of me back. So I followed him. There was absolutely no space, full to the brim. So that guy stood… in the kitchen. I stood around the corner under the coat closet by the bathroom out of sight of the band.
The band was a drummer, pianist, string bassist, and trumpet/singer. They played three sets, and I figured out I had walked in halfway into the first. I was prepared to stand there all night, but after the first set, the early birds cleared out, and I nabbed a seat at the bar. The band was the best jazz combo I’ve ever heard. A few classics everyone knows and many others newer to me. It was surreal to hear Swedish Jazzers shredding and patrons eating it up —Jazz, and American art from 4,280 miles from home in America.
I met and chatted between sets with a local Stockholmian and a French gal from Ireland who wants to be a psychiatrist in America. Lotta work for her. She, the French/Irish gal, I’ve never seen someone drink so many Pilsners so quickly and be so chill. The three of us talked a lot about music and culture in our various communities
Incredible night of music and culture, so inspiring and enriching.
Day 38.Sunday 6/28/26
Day on our own
Breakfast.
Book Flights & Plan Day
Tram to the Nordic Museum. Top floor mostly. “Fancy Table Settings Through the Centuries” on the third floor didn’t fancy me. Took so many pictures and notes. Composition ideas here. Giant wooden sculpture of King Gustav I Vasa (1496-1560).
I don’t normally do this, but I was the dorky tourist who went around and took pictures of like every artifact and placard. It was so interesting to me to see human history from so long ago (1100-Present) in a place so far from home. Some highlights include:
Yeast cube for beer brewing = dunk wooden log into vat of beer.
Silver Spoons. (ca. 1553). Even the poorest would eat with a silver spoon for both the husband and wife, even if they don’t have a bed.
Fashion this season: Featuring birch bark! They made everything literally out of it because it was cool (temperature, but maybe also vibe), dried easily, moldable.
Pagan religions turn to pagan mixed with Christianity (Lutheranism), turned to Christianity, turned back to Paganism.
Saw one of the firsh Bibles translated to Swedish (by 1541). The Bible introduces the use of the letters å, ä, and ö into the Swedish language.
Climate Change yikes. Super depressing museum exhibit that I’m still working through. After that I went directly to the Spirit Museum and got my David & Buster's card, but for booze. No relation to earlier exhibit.
I felt super enlightened to learn about the “booze belts” (my title). See below. These “belts” are where each kind of alcohol is primarily produced/consumed/popular. I was aware of the “Wine Belt” (much of France, Spain, California, etc.) as well as the “Beer Belt” (Germany, Belgium, Netherlands), but now I was introduced to the “Vodka Belt” (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia). Vodka (Russian word for “water”) used to actually taste really bad (yeah, like worse than now) before more advanced distillation and flavoring processes. A reminder that for most of human history, we were all drinking beer and wine because water was not safe to drink. (Mainly because everyone was pouring their sewage into the street, which then ran into their drinking water resources.) Beer was calorie dense (helpful when there’s no food to eat.) Beer and wine was often a much lower ABV than it is today, and folks would generally consume 3-6 liters every day.
Also, if you're curious, I just stumbled upon this graphic on the same website. Yanko Tsvetkov, a Spain-based Bulgarian artist, created this “Atlas of Prejudice”. I'm not saying I support or agree with this. (I think this is from his second book in 2014.) I am sharing it because it is interesting.
ABSOLUT VODKA (the brand is in all caps, I’m not shouting it yet) was a Swedish brand that arose during prohibition. They made it on a secret island. People went to the secret Island to purchase it. Later, they sold the brand to USA. ABSOLUT VODKA (this time I’m shouting) has one of the most unique pop-culture bottle campaigns, which featured artists’ interpretations of how to feature the bottle. Google bottle art/campaigns and check it out. Did you know that Hoosier Kurt Vonnegut designed one?
I sampled some really fabulous and flavorful spirits that I’ve never head before in 1cl (centiliter) pours. If you’re not so much how much it is, it’s the exact amount of a drink with ice you’ve already finished, but then the ice melts a little in 3 minutes when you go to take another sip.
Lunch: Bread. Shrimp mixed with mayonnaise and dill. There might have been one more ingredient, but it was terribly good.
Public Transit to Gram Sala (different island), which had two routes — I chose the route that had the ferry. Two stops. Watched the children having a great time and one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. I didn’t realize, since school’s out, how much I missed the screams of children.
Gram Sala — visited the Stockholm Cathedral. Visited the German church, interesting because it had a boxy layout with pillars near the middle, so there wasn’t a clear “front”.
Transit to Södormalm, the “artsy/hipster/hippie” island. Sat outside Sofia Church on the hill and composed for a long while.
Walked to dinner — warning — a lot of Europe can look like this and have this first on the menu, so be careful not to order this 4 times in a row (even if it’s a speciality). It was tasty, but I wasn’t feeling a heavenly “German” like meal. Had the 2019 award-winning “best pilsner”! It tasted like a pilsner. [Here’s what 3 cl (centiliters) look like of aquavit, the herbal liqueur/digestif).
Welcome to “Lobby Talk”! Where I recount talk heard in the lobby. Listening to a gentleman in the lobby
Guest: “Can I get a bottle of rum?
Employee: “No.
Guest: “Why not?
Employee: “Because we don’t serve rum.
Guest: “Why not?
Employee: In Sweden, we can serve hard alcohol like that, only from the specific liquor stores.
Guest: “Then I want 10 beers
Employee: “Okay, I’ll have to open them for you.
Guest: “Why”
Employee: “Because thems the rules”
Guest: “I can only carry 4.
Employee: “You can come back and get the rest.
Guest: “We couldn’t find rum in the grocery store.
Employee: In Sweden, you can only buy that from specific stores.
Guest: “How am I supposed to know that? I’m not from Sweden
Employee: [incredibly polite blank stare working to keep it together]
[Pause]
Guest: “Do you have an ashtray
Employee: “Sir, you can’t smoke in here.
Guest: “Can I have a wake-up call?
Employee: “Um, we don’t have phones in the rooms. Do you want someone to knock on the door?
Me in the corner: 😂
Day 39. Monday 6/29/26
It’s good to look out for each other. Sat next to a Londoner, we’ll call her Jane, on the train. We didn’t talk. I overheard her ta leading off to the side, talking into her phone. It sounded like she was sending a voice message or voice-to-text. She said: “Yeah, sometimes I’m so sad, sometimes I want to die. Life is just so depressing sometimes. Like I don’t know what else to do.” Much longer than that, but that was the core message.
While she was talking/finshed my internal monologue: “Geeze. That’s really intense. Wow, I should ask her if she wants to talk or me listen or something. I don’t want to be rude or aggressive. I should just mind my own business. No, I should definitely say something!”
I told her I couldn’t help but overhear. Sounds like she is going through a lot. I told her I’d be happy to listen if she wanted to talk anything through. She responded so kindly. Turns out it was her friend who was experiencing those feelings, and she was sending a message to her friend to empathetically encourage her friend, knowing that sometimes she feels that way too. Jane and I talked for a long bit. She said she was working on her sobriety and that she was coming back from a sobriety retreat. She said it was awful and she hated it. We talked for a bit more about recovery, people, why we should normalize listening to full musical scores while jogging, and the holiday. When we left, she said chatting was more meaningful than her whole retreat.
And to think, I wasn’t going to say something for fear of being nosy or rude. This is a reminder to see something, say something. You never know what people may be going through.
Went to the National Library of Sweden. Composed. Fun fact: with national libraries, you have to have a library card, and you have to order the material online at least 1-3 days in advance; then they pull it for you, and you can check it out only in the reading rooms. This concept was new to me and frustrating when I wanted to look at some musical scores. The extreme lack of anything desirable here was humorous.
The reading room was stunning. I spent some time here writing music.
Next stop -- NORWAY!
