Reset, Recharge & Stockholm
We woke up after what was, unfortunately, a tale of two sleeps. Judi slept well, while Cotty had one of those mysteriously terrible nights that can't really be explained. Such is life when your bedroom changes location every few days. We soldiered on and headed for Karlstad to meet Cotty's third cousin, Anna-Maria, and her family.
We were immediately made to feel at home by her Canadian husband Ian. Their flat driveway quickly became Blue Gnu headquarters as we took full advantage of luxuries such as vacuum, laundry, showers, and enough space to completely reset the car.
A proper reset day is surprisingly valuable on a trip like this. We tackled laundry, reorganized our kitchen setup, cooked ahead for future city days, and generally transformed the Blue Gnu from "surviving" back into "thriving." The kitchen redesign already seems much improved, which should save us a considerable amount of future palaver.
As an added bonus, we were also lucky enough to meet Anna Maria's sister, her family, and their mum. Judi was particularly delighted to get some quality time with a two-month-old baby, which may have been the highlight of the day.
After a great sleep on the driveway, we spent the morning finishing our reset before meeting Anna Maria for breakfast at a lovely local bakery. A slight delay gave Ian an opportunity to show us a bit more of Karlstad and gave us time to play in a fantastic park with the kids.
Eventually we had to head for Stockholm.
Our original plan involved meeting our new friend Stanley and possibly seeing the King, but thanks to a small miscommunication, neither of those things happened. Oops.
Instead, we spent the afternoon wandering around Stockholm. We admired the enormous Vasa Museum, stumbled upon a large white-themed party complete with a very enthusiastic DJ, checked out the tram system, passed the ABBA Museum, and enjoyed some beautiful views across the city.
We also accomplished a few practical victories: a tiny umbrella, fresh moisture absorbers for the car, and a handful of groceries. Travel is rarely as glamorous as the photos suggest.
That evening, Cotty found a fantastic parking spot near a marina. The view was lovely, the atmosphere peaceful, and before settling in for the night we even watched a downloaded show. It felt like an oddly mundane treat in the middle of an adventure, but sometimes those little pieces of normal life are surprisingly enjoyable.
The following morning we took our time leaving our waterfront home. Judi finally found a chance to tackle some mending that had been waiting patiently for attention, while the marina quietly woke up around us.
Eventually we headed back into the city and made a beeline for the Moderna Museet, motivated partly by art and partly by the increasingly urgent need to locate a toilet. Public washrooms in Stockholm seem remarkably difficult to find.
One of the highlights was seeing the giant slides by artist Carsten Höller, the same artist responsible for the famous slides at the Tate Modern in London many years ago that Judi had travelled to London to see while visiting with her sister! While we enjoyed the museum, we both agreed that the Louisiana Museum remains our favourite so far and will be very difficult to beat.
Afterwards we experimented with travelling by double scooter. The experiment was short-lived and quickly led to the conclusion that one person scooting while the other walks is considerably safer for everyone involved, mostly Judi - haha.
Next came Gamla Stan, Stockholm's old town. It was beautiful and historic, but also extremely touristy. We spent much of our visit trying to find quieter corners away from the crowds, with mixed success.
We also spent an embarrassing amount of time debating whether to purchase a tiny hand-carved wooden horse. While we fully appreciated the craftsmanship and understood why they cost what they do, we ultimately couldn't justify spending over one hundred dollars on something so small. Sadly, the horse stayed in Sweden.
Finally, we headed off to meet Stanley on his home turf.
He did not disappoint.
One of the greatest surprises of this trip has been how many genuinely lovely people we've met in such a short period of time. Family members, friends of friends, complete strangers, and now Stanley. The places have been wonderful, but it's the people we're remembering most.
