6 March 22, 2009 escape THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH www.sundaytelegraph.com.au
Capital views from HeavenOld and new: Clockwise fromtop, a ferry off Gamla Stanisland in Stockholm; a guardof the crown outside the RoyalPalace; an artist works whilewaiting for customers; yellowwalls line a Gamla Stan street
Stockholm has aswinging new style,reports Ewen Bell.
IF you’re going to fly all the wayto Scandinavia you’ll need twothings: a really comfortable seaton the plane and a very specialcity to make the long journeyworth the while.The Swedish capital of Stock-
holm has been popular with trav-ellers for almost 500 years, butthis is an old city full of youngpeople keen to add a touch of chicto the Nordic norms.Gustav Otterberg is just 26
years old and he’s head chef atLeijontornet, in the old town ofStockholm called Gamla Stan.I generally don’t expect cuisine
in Sweden to vary greatly fromsalad and salmon, but my expec-tations prove woefully inade-quate as I am presented with acontemporary version of perchand potatoes that would makeGordon Ramsay bite his tongue.
Thenewflavours ofScandinaviamelt in my mouth and I think tomyself: I wonder what the King ofSweden is having for lunch today?
Leijontornet exemplifies theblend of old and new that makestheold townofStockholmunique.
Downstairs, the kitchen is runby a dynamic culinary prodigywhoearned themaMichelin star-rating earlier this year, whileupstairs the Victory Hotel is afive-star favourite that retainscenturies of heritage as one ofStockholm’s oldest buildings.
Stately rooms are influenced byroyal themes and nautical tones.Photographs of long-departed seacaptains sit above the beds,proudly gazing past the curtainsto the cobble-stonedstreetsbelow.The click-clack of horses hoofs
once echoed on those streets, buthas since been replaced by theclack-click of high-heel shoes.
Fashion onandoff the streets ofStockholm is serious business,with designer boutiques and ac-cessories peeking from behindmedieval facades. Organic cloth-ing, hand-made glass beads andscreenprint textiles top the shop-ping list of fussy fashion hunters.
Gamla Stan is easily one ofEurope’smost beautiful old towns,because it’s a living town. Resi-dents still walk their dogs to thepark every day, carry home thegroceries and share a hot choco-late and cake with their neigh-bours. For every shop window atthe street level there are a dozenapartments and studios upstairs.
The stores are not just for tour-ists, either — a seductive selectionof homewares, furniture and otherquirky Swedish necessities are art-
fully displayed in shop windows.Cafes of Gamla Stan are busy
with locals who take advantage oflunch specials such as smorgasand kaffe (a sandwich and coffee).
When you choose accommoda-tion on the island of Gamla Stanyou are within walking distanceof almost everything Stockholmhas to offer. Visitors can also usethe network of trains, trams andferries that link Gamla Stan tothewider cityandother islands inthe Stockholm archipelago.
For $110, a three-day Stock-holm Card gets you riding therails and water, and includesentrance to more than 75 mu-seums and attractions. Canaltoursare included, soyoucanalsosee Gamla Stan from the water.
Ferries connect the old townwith the islands of Skeppshol-men and Stockholm’s ModernaMuseet (MuseumofModernArt).The galleries of Gamla Stan arefilled with contemporary art ofthe highest order, but the charm-
ingly antiquated ferries are morerecently designed than most ex-hibits at Moderna Museet.Expect to be immersed in class-
ical paintings by Europe’s mas-ters, sculptures by obscure Nor-dic artists and a photographiccollection exploring 20th-centurylife in Sweden. The definition ofmodern in this instance includesany artist born after 1870.There are some genuinely con-
temporary elements at ModernaMuseet, such as experimentalfilms and the exquisite architec-ture of the building itself. RafaelMoneowas the winning architectfor the design project and, for 10years, the abstract lanterns thatlight the interior have been atalkingpoint forvisitors—almostas much as the art.
Another ferry connects the es-planades of Skeppsholmen to thecrowd-pulling attractions at Djur-garden, where your StockholmCard can get a decent workout.Lined up along the waterfront
are an aquarium, amusementpark and Junibacken — an inter-active museum for children thatcelebrates the fictional characterof Pippi Longstocking.Grown-ups can also have some
fun at VasaMuseet, resting placeof an ill-fated 17th-century war-ship. The Vasa was an ambitiousthree-storey sailing ship adornedwith gruesome, troll-like figuresand more timber work than allthe saunas in Sweden. So extrav-agant was the construction thaton its maiden voyage the boatlisted to one side and sank.Thismay have been a low point
in Swedish nautical design but,more than 300 years later, theremaining pieces of the sunkenvessel were gathered up and re-stored to their original glory. Ifyou liked Pirates Of The Carib-bean, you’ll love theVasaMuseet.
To the north of Djurgarden, themodern world awaits once more atOstermalm. If you can fight yourway past the fashionista and their
label-lust for designer apparel,your reward will be culinaryheaven at Ostermalmshallen — anundercovermarket filledwith foodstores and specialist seafood cafes.
I must admit to allowing indul-gence to get the better of commonsense. By the time my lunch wasover, Ihadto take the trainback toGamla Stan instead of walking.
While the trendy shops arelocated to the north of GamlaStan, the urban artists are just tothe south. Sodermalm is a crea-tive enclave and home to thecity’s best newartists. The designemphasis here is about locals notlabels. Alternative culture, bo-hemian artists and student ac-commodation all add to the‘‘south of centre’’ style.
In Sodermalm’s design districtis Kvadrat, a commission storefor creations by local designerswith an emphasis on home andheart.Materials for theirmodernmasterpieces includeglass,porce-lain, silver and silk. Designs aretypically Swedish, with simplemotifs, tasteful use of colour anda touch of modern influence.
The streets surrounding Kva-drat are also alive with talent,dotted with artist studios wherefine pottery and timber crafts aredisplayed, second-hand clothingstores are hidden in basements,and candle-lit cafes sell cupcakesand comics.
Sodermalm stores are devil-ishly tempting, but the nightlifeis pure Heaven. That’s the nameof Stockholm’s best bars, called‘‘Himlen’’. To get to Heaven yousimply find office tower at 78Gotgatan St, the former city taxoffice. A drab and dour buildingfrom the outside, it’s divinelydecked with cocktails inside.
Heaven is found on the topfloor, naturally, offering the bestviews of Stockholm and only forthe price of a vodka and lime.Unlike the Ice Bar across townyou don’t need a snow jacket tostay warm, and the dinner menuis on par with the scenery.
From the bar I can see the lightsof Gamla Stan and the colourfuldome of its cathedral. I’m happythe people of Stockholm have pre-served so much of their heritage,but it’s even better when mixedwith a few modern aesthetics.
■ The writer was a guest of ScandinavianAirlines and Small Luxury Hotels.
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