And Outside The Rain Fell...

Stockholm. Finally. The satisfaction of reaching this place was immense. Getting up to the last few drops of water in the morning at 6 am, I folded up my jacket and blanket on which I’d spend the night, rather comfortably, crouched across 2 seats. The realization was now creeping in, I was actually backpacking across Europe, with little planning done and a lot of enthusiasm.

Bansi came to pick us up, and we were all immensely happy to see her. Bansi and Tardi make a great couple, and when she first saw Tardi, her smile said it all.

Switching to the metro, we went to the University Station, her hostel block a few hundred metres away from there. Wide roads bordered with sprawling meadows (including woolly cows that looked absolutely dazed), few cars and nearly no people around. Bansi’s room was cosy with a beautiful view overlooking tall coniferous trees and lush green meadows.


Bansi actually treated us to bread and baked beans(which PritS loves), and, as Barney would say it, wait-for-it.... idlis!!!

Rava idlis in Stockholm, I was already loving Stockholm, and bless Bansi for providing the ultimate feast to a pseudo-south-Indian.

It was Bansi’s turn in the dorm to clean the kitchen, and we all pitched in to mop floors, do the dishes, dust the cutlery and pans. It’s all brilliant, learning the ropes, doing things you’d never imagined you would do in a totally new country.


Bansi guided us to a nearby cove, very close to the apartment, and it was breathtaking, to say the least. She was to join us soon, and we walked there trying to find our way there. Stopping by at a children’s play park, PritS and me were see-sawing on a pseudo-swing that resembled a wooden log.






Walking further, amidst huge trees flanked by meadows and a road passing through it, you may want to imagine our delight in finding a beautiful inlet of water, coming up from I think is the sea. We were greeted there by two huge Alaskan wolves with a lady walking them. We took turns petting the dogs, and they seemed to bask in the attention we were giving them.



Photographing along the banks of the cove and watching the numerous contrails criss-crossing the sky, as crystal clear water lapped the bank.


Walking back, Bansi took us to Gamla Stan (old town), one of the most beautiful cities I’ve witnessed yet – saffron and terra coated buildings comfortably mingling with deep blue water and a skyline dotted with towering church spires. The lanes were all cobblestoned, flanked with historic buildings on one side and several open air cafeteria, ice cream parlours and souvenir shops on the other. We could see several Indians around, sharing a familiar smile with them in a completely unfamiliar country. My first impression of Gamla Stan was old buildings that almost seemed to fall onto each other, separated by narrow, almost claustrophobia-inducing roads and bright orange buildings.






We walked by the Riddarholmskyrkan Cathedral next, where the Swedish royalty is buried. Its central tower rose several feet into the air, made of wrought iron and giving it almost an eerie feeling. Made of red bricks, Bansi told us this church had been burnt down and rebuilt several times, almost of all them accidental fires. Standing tall against a background of aircraft contrails, staring into the tower gave an awe-inspiring feeling, of the might of the bygone Swede kings and what they all ended up being. Philosophical? Almost. Too bad it was closed from September to May. Nevertheless, it was reputedly the only church that has charged believers and non believers for entry – for the past 200 years!



A statue of Gustaf III brought about a huge smile on my face; the mighty kind shared my name(well, my chosen moniker for Europe). Lucky him. To all the Gustavs and Gauravs of the world, lucky you.

Walking around, we went about the garden of the former Parliament, Riddarhuset, also called the House of Nobility, a pretty building with an ornamental and neatly laid out garden, with huge conical trees. Walking around souvenir shops and checking coffee prices, we reached the Palace of the Royals, Kungliga Slottet, the entrance of which was an impressive building with a baroque facade, lined with several French windows, surrounding a huge cobblestoned courtyard.

Smartly dressed marine guards in blue suits, a glistening rifle and baggy green berets stood guard to the palace, with remarkable stillness when they were not patrolling the palace. Oops, almost forgot. Today was the first time I spent money on something non-essential – and what better than icecream to do the honours.

We witnessed the Change of Guards ceremony. It wasn’t too elaborate, but their performance against the facade of the royal palace, amidst ancient howitzers and the near circular courtyard made it look imposing. The marine band however took the show away with their performance, with the xylophone being one of the favourite instruments I witnessed today.





PritS then introduced us to his delightful friend Naina, who walked us around the commercial districts of Stockholm, skipping the tiny maze of cobbled streets for the frenzy of localities basking about in the last few days of bright sunshine. She was familiar with the places, loaned me a few Kroners for my souvenir, grabbed a huge glass of coffee and seemed all chirpy and happy!



We returned to Bansi’s place soon, and promising to come back soon, took off soon for our ocean cruise to Helsinki, Finland. The first sight of the cruise ship – huge, mammoth, gigantic, big! Picture perfect, it was one of those cruise liners I always wished I’d travel in some day. We were welcomed on board by enthusiastic attendants, who positioned themselves (with their quirky smiles) at the entrance, clicking photographs of passengers boarding the ship. Walking through the labyrinths of corridors and what seemed like an entire mall inside the cruise, we immediately dumped our bags into our sea facing cabins, and rushed up to the deck, to wave a goodbye to Stockholm. Atleast for now.




Standing on the deck, the wind blowing across the face, and deep blue water frothing by the sides of the ship steaming through it, it inevitably, pardon the cliché, reminded me of the Titanic.



We could spot beautiful little houses housed on the many little islands that formed past of Stockholm’s coastline. Most houses looked like summer homes of rich people who could afford them – coloured nearly always in a distant shade of red, and black tiled roofs, surrounded by lush coniferous trees. It was a sight meant to be enjoyed.

Chatting about on the deck for long, we went down to the Promenade after watching the sun set over the horizon.







Greeted almost immediately by a live Swede-Finn singer, we walked from shop to shop, checking out expensive perfumes (Boss, Gucci, Bulgari, Burberry), casinos, pubs and restaurants. The sauna above also looked attractive, but we decided to give it a skip.


I have also finally begun to think of things in Euros, don’t find the need to convert constantly to INR. The thumb-rule: anything below 1 Euro is inexpensive.

We witnessed a performance by superb circus artists – with a knack for getting the attention of what I would have assumed to be the rich and snooty crowd. They also gladly posed for the shutterbugs, myself included.


We returned to our cabins to enjoy the cold dinner of baked beans and bread, which still was sumptuous. Bansi slept away immediately after dinner, while the 4 of us crept around, watching old folks dance to retro music in the ballroom. The night culminated in the moonlight club, where karaoke night enthralled the local audience for hours before actually clubbing began. By this time time, I could hardly keep my eyes open, falling asleep even while walking.

Somewhere, reading back, I know that they way I’ve described the things I’ve saw does not do justice to the magnificence and grandeur of the sights, but I’ve done my best. Now, all prepared for Helsinki. Over and Out.

P.S. I take credit for many of the photographs on this blog, although not all. Several of them are PritS', a wonderful abstract photograph, with a knack for observing things everyone else misses.