Words by

Valur Gunnarsson

The Blue Tower, The Strindberg Museum, Dronninggatan 85
Strindberg’s last home, and where he died in 1912. Apart from his apartment and study, still preserved with original furniture, the museum houses Strindberg- related exhibitions. Its current exhibit, running from February 27th to September 4th, is called “Strindberg’s Friends and Enemies”. Strindberg made many of both because of his political stance, and particularly for his support of unions. If you prefer a cartoon version of the master, go to http://www.strindbergandhelium.com/
Kulturhuset, Sergels torg
Hard to miss if you go downtown, the gigantic Culture House is almost like a mall of modern art. Housing a library of both books and comics, a TV room where you can watch TV from all over the world and various exhibitions, the Culture House proves that the words culture and fun can go hand in hand. Instead of a cinema, the house is also home to the Stockholm City Theatre. Its current exhibit, until May 8th, is a collection of photographs from the Helsinki School, and their play is “Lilla fittan paa Prarien,” (The Little Pussy on the Prarie). Nuff said.
Centralbadet Swimming Pool, Drottninggatan 88
Built in the Jugend style in 1904, the Central Bath has been renovated and has all the modern comforts you could want. Admission includes entry to the tubs, swimming pool and saunas, and there’s also a bar, although they won’t let you swim if you’ve had a drink. If you want to pay more, you can get all sorts of massage, mudbaths and even acupuncture. Now that might sound like a good idea once you’ve had a few.
Bla Dörren, Södermalms Torg 6
Fans of the Swedish chef in The Muppet Show will probably be dying to sample some meatballs. If you happen to be in town on a Sunday, you could do worse than the Blue Door, which has Swedish specialties, such as Elk Meatballs and Swordfish for the not too bad price of 100 Swedish Crowns (roughly 1000 Icelandic). The also have 60 local brands of beer and a wide selection of Schnapps. And, best of all, everything seems to be in either blue or yellow.
The Royal Palace
Well, you can hardly go to Stockholm and not visit the Royal Palace. It is, after all, where Laxness got his prize. You can walk around inside the palace itself, or visit the museum in the Armoury or the Treasury. And downstairs you can see the remains of the original Tre Kronor Castle from the 13th century, which was the foundation for Stockholm. Don’t miss the changing of the guard. The king still conducts business here, but prefers to live on the nearby island of Dronningholm.