Summer Fun at Rosendals Wärdshus

Outdoor seating options and...

We have had some beautiful, summery weather this past week... which means that I, like many other Stockholmers, headed to the idyllic island (and National City Park) of Djurgården to enjoy the outdoors! Djurgården is to Stockholm what Hyde Park is to London and Central Park is to New York City. Besides being the home to many of the city's top attractions (Vasa Museum, ABBA the Museum, Skansen, Gröna Lund and more) it also contains acres and acres of parks, gardens, forests and waterways.

...indoor as well.

Djurgården is also the location of several cafés and restaurants... from coffee & cakes, lunch, dinner to fine dining. This particular day I went to visit one of my favorite places: Rosendals Wärdshus. Rosendal, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, is located just behind Skansen, on a hill overlooking the "royal" canal. They have both indoor and outdoor seating... either on their terrace or on one of their many tables in the park. Otherwise they have sunchairs to borrow if you just want to order a caffe latte or a glass of rosé wine and enjoy some sunshine!

Swedish summer evening!

A great place to have lunch al fresco... the menu contains many Swedish favorites like meatballs, cured salmon, shrimp salad and baked potato with skagen mix. They also have more international dishes as well as sandwiches, cakes and pastries. Currently they are open for dinner on the weekends only, but as we get into summer they will be open every evening. Rosendals Wärdshus is a popular place for larger groups to book (wedding receptions, birthdays, kick-offs) as they have several options where the group can sit seperately from other diners.

Rosé wine al fresco...

Rosendal will also be hosting the Stockholm English Speaking Theatre several times this summer when they will be performing a modern take on Much Ado About Nothing (set in 1960's Italy)... Shakespeare in the Park, Swedish style, if you will! I will write more about this later, or else you can keep an eye on their website for the upcoming dates.

Enjoy the gardens and fountains.

The easiest way to get to Rosendal from the Rival Hotel is to take the convenient Djurgårds ferry from nearby Slussen (9 minute ferry ride). When you arrive on the island, you have to make your way around Skansen park... a beautiful 15-20 minute walk either way. If you are in town, you can take the street car (tram) to the last stop, called Bellmansro. From there it is just a 10 minute walk following the signs for Rosendals Wärdshus.

Follow the signs to Rosendals Wärdshus.

Don't confuse Rosendals Wärdshus with nearby Rosendals Trädgård or the palace Rosendals Slott. Both are great places to visit during the summer months as well. The Trädgård also has lunch/picnic options and, with its rose gardens, is quite popular which means their lunch café can get a bit crowded at times. All these places are well worth a visit during the summer in Stockholm and, as they are located right near each other, you can easily combine all three in one visit!

Summer Fun at Rosendals Wärdshus

Posted by zlatin

Outdoor seating options and...

We have had some beautiful, summery weather this past week... which means that I, like many other Stockholmers, headed to the idyllic island (and National City Park) of Djurgården to enjoy the outdoors! Djurgården is to Stockholm what Hyde Park is to London and Central Park is to New York City. Besides being the home to many of the city's top attractions (Vasa Museum, ABBA the Museum, Skansen, Gröna Lund and more) it also contains acres and acres of parks, gardens, forests and waterways.

...indoor as well.

Djurgården is also the location of several cafés and restaurants... from coffee & cakes, lunch, dinner to fine dining. This particular day I went to visit one of my favorite places: Rosendals Wärdshus. Rosendal, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, is located just behind Skansen, on a hill overlooking the "royal" canal. They have both indoor and outdoor seating... either on their terrace or on one of their many tables in the park. Otherwise they have sunchairs to borrow if you just want to order a caffe latte or a glass of rosé wine and enjoy some sunshine!

Swedish summer evening!

A great place to have lunch al fresco... the menu contains many Swedish favorites like meatballs, cured salmon, shrimp salad and baked potato with skagen mix. They also have more international dishes as well as sandwiches, cakes and pastries. Currently they are open for dinner on the weekends only, but as we get into summer they will be open every evening. Rosendals Wärdshus is a popular place for larger groups to book (wedding receptions, birthdays, kick-offs) as they have several options where the group can sit seperately from other diners.

Rosé wine al fresco...

Rosendal will also be hosting the Stockholm English Speaking Theatre several times this summer when they will be performing a modern take on Much Ado About Nothing (set in 1960's Italy)... Shakespeare in the Park, Swedish style, if you will! I will write more about this later, or else you can keep an eye on their website for the upcoming dates.

Enjoy the gardens and fountains.

The easiest way to get to Rosendal from the Rival Hotel is to take the convenient Djurgårds ferry from nearby Slussen (9 minute ferry ride). When you arrive on the island, you have to make your way around Skansen park... a beautiful 15-20 minute walk either way. If you are in town, you can take the street car (tram) to the last stop, called Bellmansro. From there it is just a 10 minute walk following the signs for Rosendals Wärdshus.

Follow the signs to Rosendals Wärdshus.

Don't confuse Rosendals Wärdshus with nearby Rosendals Trädgård or the palace Rosendals Slott. Both are great places to visit during the summer months as well. The Trädgård also has lunch/picnic options and, with its rose gardens, is quite popular which means their lunch café can get a bit crowded at times. All these places are well worth a visit during the summer in Stockholm and, as they are located right near each other, you can easily combine all three in one visit!

All Saints' Day at Skogskyrkogården

All Saints' Day is celebrated in Sweden this year on the 3rd of November and the best place to celebrate this holiday is at the beautiful Woodland Cemetery (Skogskyrkogården). This cemetery, designed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site... which denotes a place of special cultural or physical significance.

(c) Susanne Hallmann, Kyrkogårdsförvaltningen Stockholms stad

On this day many Swedes come to the cemetery to place lit candles on the graves of loved ones or light candles in general for loved ones who have passed. The Woodland Cemetery is a beautiful place year-round, but with all of the candles lit it becomes a magical place. On November 3rd they have longer opening hours: 10am to 8pm instead of 11am to 4pm for the rest of the week. There will also be choir and organ concerts in the Chapel of the Holy Cross (Heliga Korsets Kapell) between 3pm and 7pm. Just remember that it is a working cemetery and that you remain respectful of other visitors. Another tip... bring a flashlight if possible. The sun does set at around 3:50pm!

(c) Susanne Hallmann, Kyrkogårdsförvaltningen Stockholms stad

The cemetery is located on the southern outskirts of Stockholm and is easy to reach by subway. From the Rival Hotel you take the subway from Slussen, south in the direction of Farsta Strand. The cemetery has its own subway stop: Skogskyrkogård. Just follow the signs after exiting the station...

All Saints' Day at Skogskyrkogården

Posted by zlatin

All Saints' Day is celebrated in Sweden this year on the 3rd of November and the best place to celebrate this holiday is at the beautiful Woodland Cemetery (Skogskyrkogården). This cemetery, designed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site... which denotes a place of special cultural or physical significance.

(c) Susanne Hallmann, Kyrkogårdsförvaltningen Stockholms stad

On this day many Swedes come to the cemetery to place lit candles on the graves of loved ones or light candles in general for loved ones who have passed. The Woodland Cemetery is a beautiful place year-round, but with all of the candles lit it becomes a magical place. On November 3rd they have longer opening hours: 10am to 8pm instead of 11am to 4pm for the rest of the week. There will also be choir and organ concerts in the Chapel of the Holy Cross (Heliga Korsets Kapell) between 3pm and 7pm. Just remember that it is a working cemetery and that you remain respectful of other visitors. Another tip... bring a flashlight if possible. The sun does set at around 3:50pm!

(c) Susanne Hallmann, Kyrkogårdsförvaltningen Stockholms stad

The cemetery is located on the southern outskirts of Stockholm and is easy to reach by subway. From the Rival Hotel you take the subway from Slussen, south in the direction of Farsta Strand. The cemetery has its own subway stop: Skogskyrkogård. Just follow the signs after exiting the station...

Strömparterren Park

Down the stairs from Norrbro

After two years and almost 28 million SEK of renovations, Strömparterren has reopened! This is one of Stockholm's oldest parks (1832) and probably best situated... located on the island of Helgeandsholmen, nestled in the Strömmen (rapids connecting Lake Mälaren with the Baltic) and surrounded on three sides by the Royal Palace, the Parliament Building and the Royal Opera House. "Strömparterren" is a mix of Swedish and French words, basically meaning downstairs at Strömmen. The name does make sense as you have to go down stairs from the bridge Norrbro to get to the park, which is just a little above water level. This is a great place to sit, listen to the rushing water and admire the beautiful buildings surrounding you on all sides.

The Sun Singer by Carl Milles (minus the sun)

In the past the park has been famous for waterfront cafés, fishermen and live music. It is still a popular place for fishing and it is possible to see a fisherman reel in a salmon there. Trout, eel, perch and pike are other common fish caught here. These days the park is mostly known for the statue The Sun Singer (Solsångaren) by famed Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, as well as being the entrance to the Medieval Museum (Medeltidsmuseet). If the statue catches your fancy and you want see more... visit Millesgården, just on the outskirts of the city. There are plans to bring back live music by summer 2013 which, along with the museum's outdoor café, should be a nice addition to the city landscape.

The park with Palace to the left & the Parliament to the right

To get there from the Rival Hotel, it is a nice 20-25 minute walk through the Old Town or you can take either bus 43 or 55.

Strömparterren Park

Posted by zlatin

Down the stairs from Norrbro

After two years and almost 28 million SEK of renovations, Strömparterren has reopened! This is one of Stockholm's oldest parks (1832) and probably best situated... located on the island of Helgeandsholmen, nestled in the Strömmen (rapids connecting Lake Mälaren with the Baltic) and surrounded on three sides by the Royal Palace, the Parliament Building and the Royal Opera House. "Strömparterren" is a mix of Swedish and French words, basically meaning downstairs at Strömmen. The name does make sense as you have to go down stairs from the bridge Norrbro to get to the park, which is just a little above water level. This is a great place to sit, listen to the rushing water and admire the beautiful buildings surrounding you on all sides.

The Sun Singer by Carl Milles (minus the sun)

In the past the park has been famous for waterfront cafés, fishermen and live music. It is still a popular place for fishing and it is possible to see a fisherman reel in a salmon there. Trout, eel, perch and pike are other common fish caught here. These days the park is mostly known for the statue The Sun Singer (Solsångaren) by famed Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, as well as being the entrance to the Medieval Museum (Medeltidsmuseet). If the statue catches your fancy and you want see more... visit Millesgården, just on the outskirts of the city. There are plans to bring back live music by summer 2013 which, along with the museum's outdoor café, should be a nice addition to the city landscape.

The park with Palace to the left & the Parliament to the right

To get there from the Rival Hotel, it is a nice 20-25 minute walk through the Old Town or you can take either bus 43 or 55.