Sweden - Elemental Quests

Sweden

Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe consisting of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. During the Viking Age, Norsemen went on raiding expeditions throughout Europe as far as Russia, Middle East, and North America. Today, Sweden is at the top of lists for sustainable living, happiness, and most progressive. During 2021, every Scandinavian nation had a female prime minister.

Sweden

MUST SEES: STOCKHOLM

Gamla Stan

The Old Town dates back to the 13^th century and is built on three of Stockholm’s 14 islands. Stortorget is the colorful grand square at the center of Gamla Stan. Ribbinska Huset is a red house with white bricks. Västerlånggatan (Western Long Street) was the western border of Gamla Stan. Österlånggatan was the eastern border.

Vasa

In 1628, the Vasa warship on her maiden voyage didn’t even make it out of Stockholm’s harbor. Overloaded with 64 guns, it sank quickly. Fortunately for us, 333 years has preserved it well. At the museum, you can see the entire ship and its archeological finds.

Stadshuset

Stadhuset is a magnificent city hall. The Blue Hall was supposed to be blue, but they couldn’t paint those beautiful red bricks. Sweden’s national symbol, the golden Three Crowns, sits atop the tower. The Gold Room’s colossal mosaic contains 18 million gold leaf tiles. Einar Forseth designed the mosaic featuring Queen of Lake Mälar with Stockholm in her lap.

Drottningholm Palace

The Swedish royal family lives in Drottningholm Palace on Lovön island. The pale yellow Baroque palace commands a stunning position at Lake Mälaren’s edge. There are many different gardens: Baroque, English, French, and Rococo.

Skansen

At the world’s oldest open-air museum, this is the next best thing to a time machine. You can see glassblowers make vases in their workshops and sample strudels at the bakery. Examine giant wooden Dala horses and unique farmhouses from around Sweden, including a house on stilts.

Uppland Runic Inscription 53

U 53 is one of three runestones repurposed as construction materials in Gamla Stan. The U is for Uppland, an area north of Stockholm. The runestone was built right into a corner wall. The inscription on a dragon states: “Torsten and Frögunn had the stone erected after their son”.

Mårten Trotzigs Gränd

Squeeze through the confined space of Mårten Trotzigs Gränd. The skinniest street in Stockholm is 37 steps and narrows to a mere 35 inches wide. By 1595, Mårten Trotzig was one of the wealthiest merchants in the city, dealing in iron and copper.

Saint George and the Dragon

At Köpmantorget , there’s a bronze replica of Bernt Notke’s wooden sculpture at the Storkyrkan cathedral. In western cultures, Saint George represents the courage to overcome evil.

Globen

Avicii Arena was the largest spherical building in the world until they built a larger one in Vegas. Shaped like a large golf ball, it has a diameter of 361 feet and an inner height of 279 feet. It’s a major sports and concert venue.

MUST SEES: MARIEFRED

Gripsholm Castle

Mariefred is a small city 30 miles west of Stockholm along Lake Mälaren. Gustav Vasa built Gripsholm after he broke Sweden off from the Kalmar Union tying Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The quadrangle has red and yellow turrets with large copper domes.

Gripsholm Runestone

Of Sweden’s 2,500 runestones, two are by Gripsholm Castle. Gripsholm Runestone (Sö 179) speaks of Ingvar the Far Travelled’s Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea. The other stone honors family with snakes and a cross.

MUST SEES: KARLSTAD

Carlarnas Sluss

Pråmkanalen is a canal for transporting goods via barges. The Carlarnas sluss is a lock for raising and lowering water levels so boats may pass. The lock was named for Charles IX, the king Karlstad is named after. Today, public transport boats run through the canal.

Peace Monument

Voted as Sweden’s ugliest statue, a woman holds a broken sword and steps on a gruesome head of a soldier. It’s an aggressive celebration of the peaceful dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway in 1905. Oscar II avoided war by relinquishing his claim to the Norwegian throne.

MUST SEES: GOTHENBURG

Poseidon

Göteborg is Sweden’s second-largest city by the Kattegat sea on the Swedish west coast. The Greek god of the sea watches over Götaplatsen with a fish in one hand and a shell in another.

FOOD

Köttbullar

Swedish meatballs are a traditional and hearty meal that are commonly found in a smörgåsbord. The meatballs consist of ground pork and beef, cream, eggs, and onions. Enjoy them with creamy mashed potatoes, thick brown gravy, and tart lingonberry jam.

Gravlax

Another smorgasbord favorite, gravlax is salmon cured in salt, sugar, and dill. The salmon slices are thin and have a texture somewhere between sashimi and smoked salmon. Enjoy it with a mustard sauce.

Prinsesstårta

Swedes celebrate birthdays with a princess cake. Princess cake is a layered sponge cake with raspberry jam, custard, cream, and a bright green layer of marzipan. There’s no need for you to wait until a birthday to enjoy a slice.

Pyttipanna

Pyittipanna is a plate of chopped and fried ham, beef, and potatoes accompanied with beets, cabbage, onions, and lingonberry sauce. The dish was once a mix of leftover ingredients, while now it is garnished with a fried egg.

Fika

Don’t call it a coffee break or an afternoon tea. Fika is a daily ritual with friends, family, or colleagues. The social aspect is as important as the hot coffee and tasty pastry.

Saluhall

Saluhall is located at Östermalmstorg, just a 10-minute walk from the heart of Stockholm. The food market dates back to the 1880s. Splurge on fresh produce, gourmet delicacies, and traditional Swedish specialties.

Plank Steak

Stop for a meal at Villa Godthem on the island of Djurgården, where many of Stockholm’s popular attractions reside. In a classy villa, sample traditional Swedish dishes. They invented the plankstek, a steak cooked on a wooden plank with béarnaise sauce, green beans, baked tomato, and potatoes.

Knäckebröd

You’ll usually find crispbread with your meal. Top it with anything: sliced eggs with tube caviar, ham, cheese and cucumber, or just plain butter.

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