Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm is place that I will always hold close to my heart. After I graduated from college, I moved to Stockholm as an Au Pair and lived there for 1.5 years. I try to go back and visit my lovely host family about once a year. This time, I was able to bring along Frank and my mother. I was so excited to show them around the place they’ve heard so much about. We found a really great deal on airfare and couldn’t pass it up, even if it meant only being in the city for 72 hours. This was my moms first time to Europe so I was a little nervous about how she would handle the long flights and jet lag. Turns out, she handled it just fine!

After a full day of travel, we arrived in Stockholm. We stayed with my host family and it was really nice to catch up with them. I’m always amazed at how the kids have grown up. We went for walk in the evening to watch the sunset then came home for a traditional Swedish meal. This is where my mother struggled. She preferred to snack on her Ritz crackers that she brought from home rather than eat the moose that was prepared.

The next day we toured around the city and saw all the major sights. We took a small boat around the islands and walked through the narrow cobblestone streets in Gamla Stan (old town). Stockholm in February is no joke. It was cold!

Our final day in Stockholm turned out to be a very special day. We started off with a visit to Drottningholm (the queen’s house). We played in the snow covered garden and took lots of photos. Then we headed into town to see Fotografiska, the photography museum, and to get gelato at the best gelato shop in Stockholm, Fryst! It didn’t matter that it was freezing outside. The gelato is that good!

Later that evening, Frank and I got engaged. It was the perfect ending to such a great trip. I’m so happy I was able to share my love of Stockholm with my mom and Fiancé.