In 1973 a robbery took place at the Kreditbanken in Stockholm and four bank employees were held hostage over six days. ‘The Norrmalmstorg Drama’, as it was known, has since been associated with the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, a psychological term relating to the complex relationship that builds between a hostage and captor.
This bank and the adjoining building, both magnificent examples of late 19th century Swedish bourgeois stone architecture, have recently been turned into a fabulous contemporary hotel, the Nobis Hotel. Where better to start our tour of Sweden than choosing to stay somewhere which has a rich history. When the General Manager informed me that the cast and crew of the US film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, including Daniel Craig, stayed here during filming, I was sold on it.
“You do realise that Norrmalmstorg is the most expensive spot in the Swedish version of Monopoly?” Dougie happened to mention after I’d made the booking.
“Don’t worry, there’s a special Summer offer on: we’ve got one night free”, I replied.
“Which one is that, so I can make the most of it?” he countered, wondering why on earth he had let me loose with his credit card and in charge of all the arrangements.
However, the general consensus of the Burgess family was that this was an excellent choice. We had arrived in Stockholm in no time at all: a 1 hour 40 minute flight from Stansted to Vasteras Airport with Ryanair, an effortless transfer onto the special Flightbus into the city centre (about 90 minutes but a great way to see some of Sweden’s countryside including the beautiful Lake Malaren) and a quick taxi ride to the door of this imposing hotel.
The photos below will give you an idea of how swanky the place was: we had adjoining rooms, with our room far bigger than anticipated, with its chic sitting area and unusual lighting (yes, that is a table lamp enclosed within a cotton sack). The bathroom basin was quirky, it had a cover, rather like a large porcelain doily, which looked rather pretty but was liable to cause splashing if you turned the water on too fast. Tooth brushing became a game of chance: could you spit directly through the middle of one of the holes without hitting the sides? I like to think my aim improved as the days progressed.
Our rooms had windows looking out onto the lounge directly below us. A huge chandelier dominated the vast space, 28 metres above the ground. In the lounge itself, Dougie and I chilled out after dinner with a cocktail, watching the beautiful people of Stockholm congregate. Attentive staff, warm smiles, mood-enhancing music drifting up through the atrium: this was the place to be.
This was our first taste of Stockholm and already we were captivated.
It looks an amazing city… I'd love to go!
The next post I've got planned will say more about the city itself. I thought it was a beautiful place and was surprised at how much water surrounds it; it's really a series of islands.
I am hooked already! What a fabulous hotel… After a winter Finland experience, I would only consider a summer trip as well, though!! 😉
We were really lucky with the weather – comfortable low 20s most of the time. A little rain now and again but fab weather for sightseeing. When the sun shone, the city and the country looked heavenly.
I want to go there! It sounds amazing – and a nice short flight. Wonder how much potential there is for losing things and having accidents…
Flight is over in a jiffy. Yes, the airport is miles away but the bus trip was part of the holiday for us!
Lots of potential for losing things and accidents – there's lots of water!
Having got into Scandi-Drama rather late via The Bridge, I am now really keen to visit that part of the world. My daughter's best friend is half Swedish which gives us an extra incentive as her family can recommend the best places to go. Just need to persuade the Shah now….
We had an absolutely brilliant time. One of our best holidays, as you'll find out in future posts (there's a lot of them!). Great summer temperatures, clean, fabulous scenery, chilled population who don't drive like idiots and, apart from when you book fancy hotels, not as expensive as you'd imagine!
Oh Trish…this has really got me wanting to get a bit skandi!
I hope I keep your Scandi interest going over the next few weeks, Libby. We loved it.
That hotel just looks absolutely gorgeous! Can't wait to hear all about your entire trip, Sweden is just lovely isn't it? x
It was a perfect destination for a summer break, Emma. Couldn't have wished for more.
I am well behind the power curve in Sweden-mania (having not seen any of the detective series yet – but I'm working on it) but I imagine when I'm finished reading all of your posts I'll be adding it to my list! Coming from 6 weeks in the hot,dry US on painfully long international flights made me especially envy your 'comfortable low 20s' and the short flight. Still can't get over the sink doily, though – do you think it had a purpose, or was it just edgy design?
We definitely enjoyed the temperatures. Often when we've been in Mediterranean countries for our summer holiday, it's too hot to do anything. This was perfect weather for getting out and about. I've come home with a better tan because I wasn't hiding under a parasol!
Sink doily had no purpose that I could see: wasn't sure whether one should remove it when using the taps, but didn't know where to put it.
You said Ryanair and effortless in the same sentence, how can I believe anything else you say?! You've photoshopped those heads on the models haven't you?!
Haha! Yes, you've found me out. I've been in the garden for a fortnight. Amazing what info and photos you can get from the internet.
The Queenager is currently thinking about a study abroad term, and Sweden is on her list for some reason. Will get her to read your posts.
She's decided against Northumbria Uni for some reason….? 😉
Ooh that sounds exciting. I would certainly recommend Sweden, if only for the fact that the English spoken by everyone is so perfect, so there wouldn't be any language barriers. It's clean, safe and very pretty.
What a lovely hotel, and such a history! Looks like my kind of place.
We chose five hotels in all during our trip – they all had something different about them, though not all as swanky as this one. I wanted to avoid just using hotel chains.
Very swish, although I'm not sold on the weird sink. Look forward to the rest of your posts about your trip.
One of these days I'll get to holiday somewhere other than rainy England… *sighs wistfully, staring into the middle distance*
I suppose that's the bane of an expat's life: when holiday time comes, there is an obligation to go home 🙁
Yup. And this June was certainly a winner – rained every day but two for me! Some years we manage to steal a week here and there. This summer we were going to grab about four days in Amsterdam, but I was then "informed" that it wouldn't give me very long up north…..so it didn't happen.
The Swedes do such a great lamps don't they. Also good on you for improving your spitting skills, you never know when you might need that.
I do think I should have taken an empty case so I could have stocked up on household items from the shops there: just our sort of thing!