Idyllic Sigtuna

Going on a vacation is always great fun. The planning starts a couple of months in advance especially if one is travelling to a Schengen country as they need your flight and stay details- for visa. This is good in a way, otherwise I know we would have been dilly dallying till the last minute over which airline is better, which hotel is most central. Seriously the more choices we have-the harder it becomes to decide. Another positive is that once the bookings are done my workaholic husband can't pull off any excuses for not travelling. 

Thankfully deciding on which country to visit didn't take too long as we all were very keen on the fjords.

           

The first leg of our journey began from Stockholm. The Arlanda Express, which is really super fast, took us from the airport to the city centre in 20 minutes flat. The fare is expensive but was covered in our Scandinavian (Eurail) Pass. Our apartment was very conveniently located, a mere 5-7 minute walk from the station. The next day the children flew in from the US - what would holidays be without them.

My first impression of Stockholm- historic monuments and buildings seamlessly blend with the modern day infrastructure- and retains its pristine beauty. Stockholm gives a sense and feel of an affluent city- with people having contentment and ease writ large on their faces. Stockholm as a city has so much to offer so for the next couple of days we were totally engrossed covering every bit of it.

Having covered Stockholm we decided to explore the countryside. We did a day trip to this picturesque village called Sigtuna, on the shores of Lake Malaren. Sigtuna is 45 minutes from Stockholm. It's easily accessible by train, bus and boat. This is a medieval town on the lake side with private motor boats and yachts moored there. It appeared that everyone in Sigtuna owned one.

Sigtuna is Sweden's oldest town established in the 10th century by the Vikings. This place is steeped in history. There are the ruins of St Peter's church from the 12th century which had gotten destroyed in a fire. What stood out was how neatly everything was maintained. Rune stones, which are memorial to the dead, are scattered all around. There are more than 150 of them. These runes have inscriptions which are the oldest text in Swedish. Sweden's first coins were minted here. It's 'Main Square' has a tiny Town Hall, the smallest in Sweden. There is the 13th century St Mary's Church which is still in use and has some medieval artifacts. Another attraction is the Sigtuna Museum which showcases this place's history through the ages.

After all this walking around one can take a break in the ice cream shop or at the lovely cafe called Tant Brun (Aunt Brown) named after a Swedish children's book character by Swedish writer Elsa Beskow. It's famous for its home made cakes and pies - raspberry, blueberry and apple, and coffee which is served in a copper pot. This cafe is set in a 17th century old wooden building. It has a low doorway and we had to bend down to enter. The baked goods are made fresh and we thoroughly enjoyed the warm apple pie which was served with vanilla cream. At Stora Gatan, the main street and Sweden's oldest there are beautiful wooden shops selling clothes, toys and antiques. We walked around Lake Malaren which had a fabulous view. A lot of people were riding their bikes, fishing, and some were just lying on the grass and enjoying the sun. There is also a small harbour and a jetty here. Parallel to the harbour is a cafe which sells ice cream in a waffle cone. Believe me Ben & Jerry and Haagen Dazs would not even be a distant second.

On the way back we stopped at Uppsala, the University town. We returned to Stockholm after a very enjoyable day. I enjoyed visiting Sigtuna as it is a charming town with a laid back air. It has an old world quaintness interspersed with all the modern amenities. A must see.

Lake Malaren - Sigtuna

The ruins of St Peter's Church




The overflowing 'parking' at Sigtuna harbour




'Rune Stones' - Inscriptions