Sweden 2013, part 4 (Stockholm, Uppsala)
In 2013, at the end of May and the beginning of June, I was on a short visit with my friends Katja and Toma, who live in Uppsala, Sweden. In accordance with our agreement, for two days I travelled by train to Stockholm to tour the country’s capital. Our shared conclusion was that it would be cheaper for me to stay with them and pay for a train ticket than to rent a room in Stockholm.
Here is also a map showing all the places I visited during my 4–5 day stay in Sweden.
So, after visiting two museums on the second day, I decided to continue sightseeing by a double-decker tourist bus, so I went to one of the stops, but I waited there a bit longer.
Still, the bus eventually arrived and I took it to the centre of the newer part of the city, where I got off and went back out onto the street.
My intention was to take a short walk around that newer part of the city.
Now that I am writing these stories (the year is 2026), I don’t even remember exactly where I got off the bus or which routes I took, but in any case I also ended up at the Malmskillnadsbron bridge.
It is a pedestrian bridge in the centre of Stockholm that crosses over a busy street. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century as part of the city’s modernisation and is characterised by its elegant arched shape. It is particularly striking because it does not cross water, but rather “hovers” above the street.
I also walked past a market and along the way I took several photos.
And then I came to a commercial street.
Although it cannot be concluded from the previous photo, this entire part of the city was filled with a large number of people and after spending time in generally quieter parts of Stockholm, it seemed to me that there was a great deal of crowding and chaos here. Only a bit later did I realise that this was not actually the case, but rather that traffic was creating the noise and the feeling of congestion.
Still, while I was in the vicinity of the pedestrian street, I sat down at a café/restaurant and ate baked potatoes with shrimp sauce and a hint of salad. It was quite light, but entirely sufficient.
After lunch, I walked around the modern part of the city a bit more and then I headed towards the King’s Garden (Kungsträdgården).
To start with, I bought ice cream there. From what I had read, Swedes are serious about ice cream and even eat it in winter, so I had to try it.
As for the King’s Garden, which is actually the central city park, it was nice to walk around and enjoy the various details.
I then headed towards the Royal Palace to catch the tourist bus there. Along the way, I often looked around and photographed various interesting details or perspectives. I began by taking a photo of myself.
When I arrived at the tourist bus stop by the Royal Palace, I saw the timetable and realised why I had waited longer earlier, after visiting the Abba Museum: the information I had was not accurate and that day the buses were running much less frequently.
In order to avoid waiting there pointlessly for more than half an hour, I decided to walk through Gamla Stan, the Old Town, and catch the bus at the other end of the Old Town.
That’s exactly what I did and it was a real pleasure, as the weather was wonderful, the temperature ideal and there weren’t nearly as many crowds or vehicles as in the newer part of the city.
I arrived at the desired stop and since, according to the timetable, I was supposed to wait about 15 more minutes, I stepped aside a bit to take photos of the surroundings. Suddenly, there was the bus. I wasn’t sure if it was the right one, but I started moving towards it, only for it not to stop properly at all and literally drive away right in front of me.
In the end, I waited nearly 45 minutes for a new bus, but it didn’t bother me too much. I’m mentioning all this mainly to illustrate that nothing is ever perfect. On the other hand, there were some Spaniards at the stop, so I got to refresh my Spanish a little.
When the bus finally arrived, I sat wherever I wanted since there were plenty of free seats. This allowed me to watch the surroundings we passed through without obstruction and also take photos. On the other hand, I have to admit that it didn’t really matter to me what exactly I saw along the way; I was simply relaxed and enjoying the different sights.
In the end, it worked out perfectly that this bus followed a much shorter route and went directly to the train station, just as it suited me.
Soon I was on the train to Uppsala and with that my tour of Stockholm was complete. Although I was in the Swedish capital for only two days and without sleeping there, my sightseeing was so intense that it felt as if I had been away from home for days, even weeks.
By chance, however, I returned to Stockholm just two years later, again for a couple of days, but this time for work. I was there as an interpreter with a very nice group of experts from Serbia who were visiting their Swedish colleagues. It was late autumn then and the days were much shorter, but the company was truly wonderful, so after work we all spent our free time together walking around the city centre, including, of course, Gamla Stan.
As for Uppsala itself, the next day after breakfast I went for a walk and sightseeing with Katja and Toma. Besides enjoying exploring a beautiful city like Uppsala, I also greatly enjoyed the company of my friends.
To begin with, Uppsala is one of the oldest and most significant cities in Sweden. It is located about 70 km north of Stockholm and is known for its rich historical heritage. The city is home to the famous Uppsala Cathedral, the largest church in Scandinavia. Uppsala is also an important university centre, as it hosts Uppsala University, the oldest university in Sweden. At the same time, Uppsala is surrounded by nature, with parks and the Fyris River flowing through the very centre of the city.
We first went to the Uppsala Concert and Congress Hall, from where we had a beautiful view of the city. From one side, a bit farther away, we could see Uppsala Castle, the University Library and the Cathedral.
On the other side, we could see the market (it was the weekend) and later we went down there, but only to take a short walk and see what it looked like. In fact, we were much more interested in touring the city itself and its sights.
And so we set off through the city centre.
At the end of the street the University Library could be seen on top of an elevation, but we headed that way later.
For now, we first walked through the pedestrian street and then we headed towards the cathedral.
Although we saved the visit to the cathedral for later, we took advantage of the nice weather and first just strolled around leisurely and I took the opportunity to photograph Katja and Toma.
That’s how we reached the Fyris River.
The river is interesting because it divides the city into eastern and western parts and has been an important trade and transportation route for centuries. Today, there are promenades, parks and student buildings along the river, making it a popular spot for walking and relaxing.
On the opposite bank, we also saw the Upplands Museum, dedicated to the Uppland region, which lies north of Stockholm. The area is known as the cradle of the Swedish state and is home to numerous Viking-era archaeological sites. The museum’s exhibits showcase the history and cultural heritage of the region, but we hadn’t planned to stop there.
I just took a few photos and then we continued our walk and crossed to the other side of the river.
Our walk then took us past the Gustavianum building – the Uppsala University Museum. It is one of the oldest museums in Sweden and is part of Uppsala University. The building dates back to the 17th century, while the museum houses extensive collections related to the history of science, medicine and the university, including items belonging to the famous scientist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), one of the most important naturalists in history. He is considered the founder of modern biology and taxonomy, as he introduced a system for classifying living organisms that is still in use today. He is best known for the binomial Latin names of species, which I also use when talking about animals, especially birds. Much of Carl Linnaeus’s scientific work was connected to Uppsala University, where he both taught and conducted research.
However, the building is also famous for its anatomical hall with a dome. It is the renowned 17th-century anatomical theatre, one of the best-preserved in Europe. The hall was built in the shape of an amphitheatre, with circular rows for students who observed public dissections. It is located beneath the building’s dome and reflects early methods of studying medicine and anatomy. Today, it is one of the most fascinating and recognisable parts of the museum.
But we didn’t go into this museum either; instead, we continued strolling leisurely through Uppsala and as I’ve mentioned there are plenty of green spaces here.
That’s how we reached the Uppsala University Main Building.
The building was constructed at the end of the 19th century and is one of the most recognisable structures in the city. It features monumental architecture and a richly decorated interior, including a ceremonial hall where important academic events are held. The building symbolises Uppsala’s long-standing tradition of knowledge and scholarship, and it remains an active centre of university life today.
We passed by some houses as well and then arrived at the cemetery.
Visiting a cemetery might sound unusual, but I think they are culturally very interesting places (aside from reminding us of important things in this fleeting life). Every nation and every religion has its own approach to death and this can be observed in cemeteries, as long as they exist. This is true here in Sweden as well.
For example, cemeteries in Serbia usually have much more stone, not only in the form of headstones but also as grave slabs. Here, there are many different types of gravestones, but instead of stone slabs, soil, gravel, sand and sometimes vegetation are mostly used.
In addition, in several places, you can see tools for maintaining graves that the administration leaves for cemetery visitors. As much as I love my own people, I have to admit with a heavy heart that I don’t think something like this would last long back home.
But, this cemetery is notable because Dag Hammarskjöld, the Swedish diplomat and Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961, one of the most respected in the history of that office, is buried here in a family tomb. He was known for advocating peace, supporting the independence of the UN and pursuing diplomatic solutions to conflicts during the Cold War. He died on 18 September, 1961, in a plane crash near Ndola in what was then Northern Rhodesia (today Zambia) while on a peace mission related to the Congo crisis. The circumstances of his death were long the subject of debate and investigation, as there were suspicions that the crash was not accidental. Posthumously, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961, the only person to receive it after death. In his time, both the UN and the Nobel Peace Prize had genuine meaning and significance. Incidentally, the gravestone of the family tomb also bears the name of his father, Hjalmar Hammarskjöld (1862–1953), who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1914 to 1917.
After visiting the cemetery, we wandered briefly through city streets with interesting houses, but very quickly we found ourselves back in a park with some other intriguing details.
Namely, we came across a few rune stones and there were also informational plaques.
This is how I learned that the first inscribed stone dates back to the 11th century. It states that Vigmund had the stone carved for himself and that he was the “cleverest of men.” It continues: “May God preserve the soul of Vigmund, ship’s captain. Vigmund and Åfrid had this memorial made while he was still alive.” The plaque also notes that it was rare for people to have memorial stones carved for themselves during their lifetime. But Vigmund was the “cleverest of men” and apparently also very modest.
The other stone I saw and photographed here is also from the 11th century. Although the text on the plaque is somewhat jumbled, it’s important to note that it mentions that Gillög had a bridge erected for the soul of her daughter, who was married to a man named Ulf. The main significance of this stone is that the bridge was built in memory of a woman, although constructing bridges in honour of a deceased person’s soul was not uncommon at that time.
We took a few more photos here in the park and then we headed towards the cathedral in Uppsala.