Get lost. Find cool stuff.

Maps. Paper maps. What are they? A paper map is this nifty tool that predates the smartphone and Google Maps. You can get them for almost any town or city and they help you go places. You don’t even need wifi (crazy, I know). When I first arrived in Stockholm, I underestimated the usefulness of these “paper maps.” Let me tell you, they are way better than the iPhone-Map-Screen-Shot Method. That usually ends in folly. Yet, as I found out, getting lost isn’t all that bad. As long as you have a handy paper map to get back home at the end of the day, getting lost is great. 

Losing yourself along the narrow cobblestone streets and old picturesque colored buildings is easy. Every turn and every bridge crossing (Stockholm is made up of a series of small islands) offers something new and interesting to explore. My first night here, I found myself in Gamla stan, the old town part of Stockholm. I ran into Gamla Stan by following the large crowd of people that were migrating in that direction (it's a great technique for finding hotspots). Without a destination in mind, I just walked, weaving my way through the maze of kaffes, restaurants, stores, and street performers. I stumbled upon my first awesome find about half an hour into my walking- the Nobel Museum. I was a little hesitant at first to buy my 100 krn ticket (you can buy four or more scoops of gelato with that…), but, in the end, it was definitely worth it. 

A cobblestone street in Gamla Stan

This may sound cheesy, but I came out of the Nobel Museum feeling kind of inspired. Alfred Noble, a native to Sweden, wanted to inspire scientific and intellectual innovation and reward people who ask hard questions. To do this, he donated his entire fortune and everything he owned to start a fund for prize money dedicated to five, and now six, fields (though I do recommend a 7th field... Environmental Science, perhaps?). Today The museum is scattered with quotes, old artifacts, and stories about all of the past Nobel Prize winners. A quote that left a lasting impression was by a guy you have most likely heard of, Albert Einstein. But first, fun fact, one of the reasons Albert was so excited to win his Nobel Prize was because he was finally able to buy a house for his wife… who would only give him the divorce he wanted if she had her own house, ha!

At the Nobel Museum

A lot of attention and praise is always given to results, which is not a bad thing, but those results could only come about because someone asked a question or thought of a problem that no one had thought of in that light before. So results may look pretty at the surface, but it is the initial question that is at the root of it all. Never stop asking questions! 

My second awesome find was also a museum (bear with me). I found the Biology Museum near the amusement park (Gamla stan method, once again) in the central part of Stockholm. Housed in an old wooden building with a creaky and almost ghostly spiraling stair case at the center, the museum has replicas of every animal, invasive or not, that can be found in Sweden. Since I have already spent half the blog describing a museum, I'll spare you this time with a game of I-Spy instead. I spy a brown bear, 2 wood peckers, a badger, a long-horned owl, a great grey owl, a snow lynx, 4 birds with names I don't remember, the backside of a hare, and a skyvader (half bird, half hare, reportedly shot in 1890). 

I-Spy: Part 1

I-Spy: Part 2

For those of you who are now concerned that all I do is go to museums, don't worry. I have spent ample time exploring the many food venders, craft fairs, dance performances, and concerts put on by the Stockholm Cultural Festival, in addition to spending large amounts of time appreciating Stockholm's beautiful sunsets and sunrises. I've also taken up the hobby of trying out Sweden's unique flavors of gum- I'm not a fan of eucalyptus, but I put it above sour black liquorish...  

People gather at the festival to listen to a Swedish band play some rock and roll

A Stockholm sunset

That's all,

Kenz





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