After my quick failure, I decide to wander in Old Town a bit (small island with the palace and the original starting point of Stockholm in the middle of current day Stockholm. I sit down at a nice cafe, enjoy a traditional Swedish pastry and just bask in the joy of being in a foreign country. I like to sit down and just realize I am living one of my dreams from time to time. Being here feels so normal that I have to take it all in and realize that this last month is not the common in my life, but very, very much the opposite.
After basking enough, I continue on my journey visiting random shops here and there. I eventually end up in a major shopping area. Pretty much a mix of outside/inside mall's. I visit a few clothing stores. I want to see the different clothing styles and what the costs are comparable to the States. Prices are higher, but not that much. The real difference is they don't have the same discount stores we do, like Kohls or Old Navy.
Eventually, I go back to the hostel for some relaxation, which quickly turns into boredom. So I decide to have some fun. I have a 3-day pass for the metro and not a huge clue where the metros go, past away from the city center. So I got to the closest station and get on a metro and just ride it till its last stop. I get off and explore. Bad luck on this try, it took me to a construction area near the harbor. Not good for walking. I get back on and go one stop back. This time it worked out pretty well. I got dropped off in a very beautiful area of the city, explored some nice parks, saw some beautiful buildings and got myself some ice cream. So romantic...good thing I am someone to travel with....damn, just kidding, I love the solo traveling. The cool thing about this area is, the buildings are much more traditional, while in the city center it is a mix of traditional and modern.
After an hour or so I make my way back to the city center and return to my hostel. I had met two American guys from LA travelings around Europe at my hostel the other night. They just finished school and are enjoying travel time before entering the working world. The three of us decide to go out for the night. We convince two Germans we met to join us. We decide on the ice bar, which is pretty close to us. Never been to an ice bar, so it seems like a good idea.
We look it up on the map and head out. After getting to the designated area, its not there. Finally, we find a local Swede willing to help us find it. We find out the ice bar was about two blocks from our hostel, so about 2 minutes instead of the 20 minute journey. But it works out just fine and we make it there.
After the 190 SEK entrance fee (about $28), which comes with a free drink, we enter. We have to wear special parkas and gloves because it is kept at -10 Celsius. The whole place is made of ice. The seats, tables, bar, cups, walls, etc. Now, as far as ice bars go, I think this is a little on the lower side. It wasn't that big and I have seen photos/heard stories of much more elaborate ones, but I feel Scandinavia is the place to go to an ice bar, so no complaints.
Once inside, we notice there are a lot of other English speakers. There are around 20 American college students there that are studying in Copenhagen and are visiting Stockholm. After talking to them, I meet two of them that are from Kansas City. No joke! We talk about the homeland a bit. After finishing our drinks in our ice cups (photos to come when I can upload them) we take off for another bar. We decide to roll with our new American friends.
Well, here is the problem. Places don't like to be open on Mondays. So around 20 of us are walking around the city of Stockholm at midnight looking for a bar to no avail. Eventually we just give up, split up and head home. Except, for my two friends and I mean McDonalds.
While enjoying our tasty burgers I notice some random drunken lady standing behind us awkardly. Using my notice as a preface to talk to us, she asks us if we are going to any more bars, because she knows some that are open. It is apparent she is very drunk and probably on something else as well. We decide to go to a bar across the street that is open. She warns us not to look drunk or they wont let us in (we are all sober). She also says lie about how much we drank to make sure. The three of us guys get asked about being drunk and we say no and they let us in. They ask her and she says yes and gets rejected (ideal for us). It was hilarious though, she failed at her own advice immediately. After about 20 minutes we bounce though and head home.
A pretty casual day, but a good one. Seen more of the city and been to my first ice bar. No complaints!
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