Altogether, we walked for around 15 kilometers during our day in Stockholm. Here are some of the highlights from along the way.
1. Gamla Stan (Old Town). This is what we did after breakfast because nothing else was open yet (most places in Stockholm wake up around 10am). The girls didn't enjoy this as much as we did - they were dying to get to Junibacken and walking around charming narrow streets in -3C did not pass the time quickly enough for them. In the future, I think I'd set up a goal ahead of time like finding their favorite building, or an architectural feature scavenger hunt, to give this section of the day more purpose for them. It sounds like one of those totally lame mom ideas but sometimes those are just what kids need.
2. Stockholm Army Museum. We decided to pop in to this museum because it was on our way from Junibacken back to Sergels Torg, it was free, and it filled in a necessary time gap between two activities (opening hours thing again). And lucky us, it was awesome! I am a sucker for museums, though - every one we go to is my new favorite. But I like to think this one really was extraordinary. Sweden has been in a ton of interesting wars, mostly in olden times, and they had these diorama and statue tableau things that were amazing. My favorite part was all the flags and banners and - no joke - a full-on Ottoman battle tent from the 1600s that had all been captured from the enemy upon victory.
The museum provided a scavenger hunt activity for the girls and it was the perfect guide through the exhibits for them. That night on the ferry and for the next few days, we got to have lots of conversations about war, and how strange it was that there were ever rules for something as awful as war, and how those rules are changing, and what wars are going on today, etc. I love a good discussion-starter and the Army Museum definitely was one.
3. Kulturhuset. This is a huge building on the central square and we did a few things there. First, Rum för Barn (Room for Children), which is the most Scandinavianly wholesome activity my children have ever engaged in. It's like an adventure library - beautiful wooden bookshelves formed into tunnels and nooks and towers that children can climb around in. But you can also just sit and read, or do crafts in the craft room, or check out the current temporary exhibit (ours was a huge model of the human heart). The thing I found most oddly charming about the Rum för Barn was the red/yellow/green indicator showing to the outside world whether the room was full/medium/empty, to save you from coming in (or encouraging you to).
Then there was a small obstacle course thing right outside the door of Rum för Barn - perhaps as a sop for parents who show up with their kids when the room is full or closed? My kids spent longer jumping around on that thing than they did inside Rum för Barn itself (they are not Scandinavianly wholesome enough, perhaps).
Finally, there was a large scale model map of Stockholm in the basement that we enjoyed walking around on. It was one of the only indoor things open at 7pm so we spent some time getting oriented...at the end of our day. I gave a prize to the first girl who could find where we were on the map.
I had thought we'd be dying to get back on the ferry because it was so cold outside and things close early in Stockholm, but we filled our time perfectly. It wasn't too cold as long as we kept walking briskly, which we did plenty of. It was a great day in Stockholm!
