The Transition Artist

We flew out of Paris around 9:30pm on that Thursday, and were lucky to be on one of the few flights that wasn’t cancelled in the air traffic controllers’ strike going on in France. We booked an airbnb in Södermalm, a young, hip area of the city, and spent the weekend exploring the surrounding slew of concept stores, vintage markets, and bohemian coffee shops, as well as cool dive bars and fantastic restaurants.

We got an early start on Friday and set off on foot to a coffee shop in Gamla Stan, the “old town” section of Stockholm that is more heavily touristed. After breakfast, we wandered to a nearby Island and found our way to the modern art museum. As we rounded a corner we were met by the long metal legs of a Louise Bourgeois Maman spider, positioned just outside the museum. The exhibits inside were fantastic. Currently showcased is the Louise Bourgeois “I’ve Been to Hell and Back” exhibit, that holds art sequenced by sentiment and phases of life that the artist experienced. Being that the art included text in both English and French, the two languages we both speak, the twoof us were thrilled and absolutely captivated by the exhibit.

Throughout the weekend we visited other museums, including the “Spritmuseum,” the museum of spirits, which showcased exhibits on humans and their relationship with alcohol, as the Swedes are famous for their drinking habits. The museum had everything from a collection of Swedish drinking songs, to demonstrations and information about how beer is brewed and how to conduct a proper tastings, to a hangover stimulation. Though the museum itself was lots of fun, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the in-house cafe served a wide range of Swedish craft beers, and sat and chatted with the waitresses about their favorite places in Stockholm over a pint.

Being that Stockholm is a great place for both beer and music, Jonathan and I decided to check out a bar we had heard was good for “live music,” and wandered into Pet Sounds Bar on Friday night. A band was playing in the basement, so we grabbed a drink and headed down. The only thing is, we didn’t think to check into exactly what kind of live music would be playing. So, naturally, when the lead singer began screaming in Swedish we were both a little startled. As a mosh pit formed in the middle and the somewhat aggressive singing continued, we looked at each other and laughed, realizing that we had wandered into a punk concert. Though visibly out of place and still a little confused, the two of us just smiled and nodded along to the music, taking the experience in stride, but leaving before the encore.

Though the options for concerts and opportunities for live music are fairly extensive, it seems I might be the queen of misadventures, so of course the only other night we went to a bar with “live music” proved equally interesting. I had heard about a bar called Akkarat that wasn’t far from our apartment, and read that jazz bands play there most Sunday’s. The bar also offers around 200 different kinds of beer and 400 different whiskeys, so, like any adventurous youth, I wanted to check it out.

What wasn’t mentioned in the description of the bar that I read was the fact that the band finishes up around 11:00pm, and that the average age of the audience is about 40. So, as we strolled in around 10:50pm, excited to see that the band was in full swing, naturally we were a little surprised not only to potentially have been the youngest couple in the room, but also to see the band walking off the stage not 5 minutes after we had sat down… Realizing the “live music” was over, Jonathan and I looked at each other and roared with laughter, and stood to join the audience at they cheered loudly for the band. We couldn’t stop laughing at our luck as we sat and discussed the weekend from our tall stools at the bar.

And so it went that I spent another weekend flying by the seat of my pants. While we stumbled into a few laughable situations, getting a little lost and going on a wild goose chase hunting for a store we passed earlier on that neither of us could remember the specifics of, we had equally as many (if not more) wonderful finds. By far the best thing we did over the weekend was purchase 3-day bike passes for only $18. We spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of the trip picking up a bikes at whatever nearby station we could find and did our best to make our way around the whole city.

All in all, our 4-day trip to Stockholm was absolutely wonderful, and it certainly won’t be the last trip I take to the city. I had some incredible meals, found more stores I liked than my bank account would’ve preferred, and loved cruising through parks and along the water in the cool, sunny air. I was so taken by the rich culture and coolness of the city that I would recommend it to anyone thinking of going.

Now, with another adventure passed, another begins. I’ll arrive in Faro, a sunny coastal town in Portugal, in about an hour and will be spending the next few days there before returning to Lisbon for the weekend, and then taking off for Morocco next week. The tale continues.