I wish I could tell you how I exactly felt when I first arrived in Stockholm. It’s kinda funny now to remember how even the air that I breathed back then felt different. Immediately after getting out of the airport, I touched the snow. I don’t remember being cold despite it being around -2 degrees C when I arrived and me not having a proper winter outfit apparently. But then again, I was so giddy with excitement. I am in Sweden, where there is Right To Roam (Allemansrätten) after all. The public has the right to access nature and do activities in the wild as long as one does not destroy, nor disturb.
I don’t think that I have been an outdoorsy person all my life. That only changed when I began university since I was sort of ‘forced’ to go out there and do some fieldwork. It also didn’t help that I have an irrational fear of massive landmasses that started during primary school. I feel overwhelmed by the grandeur of tall mountains that my heart starts to race. And yes I still feel this way even after living in Bergen, Norway, a city surrounded by seven mountains and climbing multiple peaks. BUT, I also try to challenge myself and face my fears. We only get overwhelmed anyways when we look and think about the bulk of the job or an activity. We often forget to take it slow and do leg after leg. One can definitely conquer a mountain not by scaling it but by going to the base and starting hiking.
Stockholm is flat tho, lol. There wasn’t much hiking there but there are multiple nature reserves one can visit. I’ve been to several with my friends, having picnics or just plain exploring when the sun was out. A sunny day is a commodity in Scandinavia. One MUST go out when the sun’s out even during winter. Everyone seems to be in good spirits as well. Typically, locals won’t really greet you as they keep themselves to themselves but that would change when it is sunny. That’s the time to greet and smile at people. It was also kinda funny to see them jogging inside cemeteries. That was a culture shock for me. You don’t see that back home where cemeteries always feel scary and sacred.
I made this mistake one time of being out so late at Skogskyrkogården. It was August of 2021 and I wanted to see where Greta Garbo was laid to rest and also tick off another UNESCO World Heritage Site on my list. It was still bright at around 21 since I was able to take some okayish photos but it got dark real quick, lol. I was already panicking because the cemetery felt empty. Don’t get me wrong; I wasn’t scared of being murdered there or anything. In comparison to the Philippines, I felt so safe in Sweden even when people tried to tell me to be careful. I was more scared of phantoms or ghosts jumping in front of me. I was walking amongst graves after all. So, while I was navigating the maze-like paths there, a jogger just casually dashed next to me. Then I saw an elderly couple walking with their dogs. I laughed inside and scolded myself because I was being pathetic.
Stockholm City itself felt so picturesque. I had a hard time thinking about how to describe it. It feels so modern but at the same time offers a robust sense of being historic. When I told people back then that I liked T-Centralen so much, they usually laughed at me and figured that I must be crazy. They said that it is always too busy. Like, what do they expect? It is a bustling city that offers a lot for locals and travellers alike. A thriving capital is something to be proud of. It means that the country is doing something good and there is no other way but to be grateful for opportunities and the whole lot of people around you. There were tons of places to see, eat and sit. I was never bored and it feels like there is always something that you can do. Everything is almost always accessible. You can either walk, take one of the city bikes or e-scooters when weather permits or take either the bus, the tram or the metro (and you can use your ticket to any public transpo within your city!).
Gamla Stan is a favorite and I spend most of my days there. I kid you not that there were times wherein I was there in the morning, in the afternoon and then I came back in the evening again. There was just too much to see and do for a history nut like me. In 2022, museums that are run by the State were mostly free so I was always rotating where I could hangout. Of course, I paid for some like the very touristy Royal Palace and private-run museums such as the Fotografiska Museum. I just remembered how I wasn’t so bitter about the museum's entrance fee, unlike when I was living in Norway.
Apparently, the city is spread amongst 14 islands connected by bridges but I didn’t even notice that when I was living there. I was probably not that dumb (or I don’t know, maybe?), more so that it wasn’t really noticeable since every island is connected to one another ever so smoothly. Well-oiled, engineered and planned come to mind. Writing this, I remember how I would lie down on the grass in Djurgården. The sun was on my face and the wind was blowing ever so slightly. Life was good and for a while, everything was perfect. No problems and I could confidently say that I was happy. That was Stockholm for me, I guess. A happy place for myself because of how impermanent but structured it was. It was some sort of playground where my imagination was in full spin: possibilities were seemingly endless and potentials were achievable. The world opened up for me.
