Three weeks ago today I bought a last-minute ticket to Stockholm and two days later I was on a plane to Sweden. Stockholm wasn’t on my list of places to travel during Study Abroad. I had the typical Barcelona, Florence, Budapest, and Amsterdam, among others, but once I purchased that RyanAir flight, I completely threw my list out the window and boy, I couldn’t be happier!
My trip to Stockholm showed me how (in the words of Ferris Bueller) life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. I know. It’s cliche, but Ferris is RIGHT and I think that’s why we all identify with that quote. I don’t want to miss any opportunities and the semester is already whizzing by – I just finished FINALS! By the time I get back from Spring Break, I’ll be starting my next class and internship at Feref (an entertainment advertising agency). Time is moving so quickly and I want to live life adventurously – which means throwing the list out the window and exploring.
We left at around 5:15 pm and journeyed out to London Stansted via the Tube and the Stansted express. Because of our schedules we were cutting it close, so by the time we got to the airport we did the classic study abroad sprint. My dad would have shuddered. We made it to our gate with a few minutes to spare and then we hopped on our Ryan Air flight and jetted off to Stockholm!
We landed around midnight and were checked in to our hostel at around 1am. The hostel was in the perfect location and was a 2-year-old space with bustling nightlife and young travelers. We were lucky and got our own private room and crashed quickly after a long day of travel!
The next day we left the hostel at around 11:00am and started exploring the city. Stockholm is composed of small islands and each area is connected by bridge.
We went to lunch at Älskade Traditioner and ate delicious sandwiches that were on waffles.
After lunch, we explored the city and ventured into the historic Old Town and saw Stortorget, a square with colorful buildings!
We then went to the Musett Modern and the Art History student in me freaked out! I got to see the second largest Marcel Duchamp collection and lots of Andy Warhol pieces among others!
We finished the night with delicious Swedish meatballs (vegetarian ones for me) at Meatballs for the People.
Saturday was as busy as Friday! We walked through Old Town to get to a breakfast spot called The Greasy Spoon. Absolutely delicious! We then made our way to the ABBA Museum. Yes, you read that correctly. There is an entire museum dedicated to Swedish Pop sensation ABBA!
The museum documented the group’s rise to fame and was home to costumes, instruments, set pieces and much more. There was also a karaoke and dance experience! Check out my roommate Carly’s vlog if you want to see us dancing queens!
We ended the day a little earlier and went out for some delicious pizza before going to bed before our 6am flight!
Stockholm was an incredible experience and I cannot believe this beautiful city was not on my list beforehand! I took a chance on Stockholm and it has shaped my study abroad experience in a way I could have never imagined.
So whether you’re debating on going to Ottos versus venturing out to the North End for some delicious ‘za, or even picking a weekend getaway, don’t be afraid to try something that wasn’t on your first list. You’ll be happy you stepped out of your bubble and explored! Classic study abroad, right? But it’s true!
