Following long study tour, a few of my friends from my core course and LLC decided to travel to Stockholm, Sweden for the weekend! Don’t get me wrong, this weekend was so much fun, but after traveling non-stop all week for long study tour- I almost had wished we did not travel this weekend. I was beyond tired! Besides being tired, Stockholm was a lot of fun! Here’s what we did!
Friday – February 28th, 2020
We arrived in Stockholm around 7 PM on Friday night. We headed straight to our hostel, the Old Town Lodge which was right in Gamla Stan (center city). This hostel was super cute and very affordable! Not to mention the location was PERFECT! If you’re traveling to Stockholm, I highly recommend checking this hostel out- I do not regret a second of it. Brooke and I settled in then went to Burger King for dinner (classy). Honestly, fast food in Europe I think is was better tasting than in the States. We then walked to the Royal Palace, which is a whopping 4 minute walk from our hostel. It is HUGE and also very grand looking. We also accidentally ended up watching the changing of the guards? There wasn’t exactly a whole ceremony but we watched them swap out- close enough?
Our cute little room in our hostel 
Saturday – February 29th, 2020
This morning we slept in which was sooo nice after having to wake up pretty early daily for long study tour. Brooke and I met up with Augustina, Floriana, Ann, and Guyania for breakfast at The Market. We quickly found out that this was a hotel breakfast buffet that they also offered to the public. For a fair price, it was all you can eat. The buffet had a large selection and all of the food was very good!
We spent a lot of Saturday sightseeing and doing touristy things. Our first visit was to the Church of Saint Clare which first opened in 1572. It is always so fascinating to me the history in all of these European cities and how well preserved all of the buildings are.
Next, we headed to the Royal Palace. On the walk over it started flurrying! This was the first time I have seen snow since last semester in Syracuse. I hate to admit it, but I do miss the snow. At the Royal Palace we saw the actual changing of the guards coincidentally and I made it my mission to get one of them to smile. Somehow, I succeeded.
Outside of the Royal Palace 
Part of the changing of the guards ceremony
We spent quite a few hours at the Royal Palace! For about $8, we got to see the treasury, royal apartments, and another exhibit inside the palace. This is easily the best $8 I have ever spent. Since coming to Europe, I have become so intrigued by monarchies. The palaces all hold so much history and beauty- I am mind-blown by it and want to learn all I can.
This chair was over 400 years old!
After the Royal Palace, Brooke and I headed back to the Old Town Lodge for a quick nap before our evening. To start our evening, we went to the Stockholm Ice Bar, which is the first permanent ice bar in the world. It was a lot nicer than the Copenhagen Ice Bar, so I recommend the visit if you have never been to one. After the Ice Bar, we had dinner at Swede Hollow which is right next door. Here I had Swedish meatball and they are totally worth the hype. They were hands down the best meatballs I have ever had.
Sunday – March 1st, 2020
Sunday was our last day in Stockholm and this weekend trip also flew by. Brooke and I again met up with the rest of our friends for a winter boat tour. The boat tour was an hour long and we learned interesting facts about the city as we cruised through the quays. We got lucky and had a beautiful day for this! Despite it being quite chilly, the sun was out which was nice to see!
After our boat tour we said bye to Floriana and Augustina, who had an earlier flight than the rest of us. Ann, Brooke, Guyania and I headed to Portofino for lunch. Here we had amazing pasta and bruschetta. Potentially the best pasta I have ever had? The best food I have ever had seems to be a common theme for me in Europe. After Portofino, we found a Ben & Jerry’s around the corner. This was super funny to me. They had a few of the same flavors as we do in the States but they also served breakfast foods!?! Salmon in a bubble waffle was highly advertised both on the inside and outside of the shop. The ice cream in Stockholm was as good as it was back home though for sure.
After lunch, we headed back to our hostel for a much needed post lunch nap. We then made our way to the airport to conclude our week long of travel (finally).
I never realized how much traveling tires you. After a week long of non-stop sight seeing, to say I was exhausted is an understatement. I am so glad to be in Copenhagen for a bit before I embark on my next adventure!
Thank you as always so much for reading! Please feel free to reach out or leave a comment below if you have any questions or for some feedback!
Until next time!
Xoxo,
Julia
Coping in Copenhagen 
Great post 😁
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