We were due for another overseas trip and to match the cool weather in Bristol, we thought we would try out a Scandinavian Winter!
Phil and I organised the trip after talking Nada and Megan into the excitement of another cold country! We bought our 99p flights with RyanAir (plus taxes), and flew out from Stansted Airport (north east of London) early Saturday morning. Phil's Grandmother kindly let us stay overnight Friday at her place very close to the airport, which made the early start a little easier, and not so early.
The flight was under 2 hours, and we then had a 100km bus ride to Stockholm, as the Skavsta Airport is located well out of the Capital.
Typical city centre streets of Stockholm
Upon arriving in Stockholm, we managed to get our bearings and decided to head to the Hotel to drop our gear off.
On the way to the Hotel, we stopped for lunch at a local cafe, and enjoyed lasagne and salad, for a reasonable price. Sweden does not use the Euro, but the Kroner, which is worth about one tenth of a Euro. Hence with the exchange rates, 16 Kroner's equal one Pound. This made comparing the value of everything in the country quite difficult!
These Lion statues are all over the City at Mall Entrances
Once we dropped off our gear at the Hotel, we headed back into the City centre on the local subway, and we made our way towards the Globe Arena, where Sweden were playing Russia in an Ice Hockey game. We had previously booked tickets online, and this was one of the main reasons we went to Stockholm on this weekend.
Globe Arena - Ice Hockey Stadium
Fireworks before the Ice Hockey match
Game Action
More Game Action
Outside the Arena, ticket scalpers were everywhere, as were the locals selling merchandise - not sure how official some of it was though. It was a great atmosphere outside, and inside the Arena, the atmosphere was almost electric once the game had started. We had a great view of the game from our seats, and the Puck was quite clearly visible from the stands. Sweden scored two goals in quick time, and it was a match winning start to the delight of the locals in the crowd.
The final scoreline was 6 - 2 and Sweden scored some great goals, and Russia's 2 goals were also impressive. We did not see too many big hits on the ice, but there were a few bumps and 2 broken sticks, one of which belonged to the Goalie.
Shaking of hands after the match
The Globe Arena at night
After the game, we headed back into the City Centre on the subway and headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. They were booked full, so Phil bought his shot glass and we went to a nearby steakhouse. A reasonably priced meal was enjoyed by all along with some local beers, before heading back to the Hotel for the night, to recover from a long day.
1 comment:
I'm not going to lie that was a early start and I was pretty tired but when the game started I was wide awake. Next time you see a hockey game you will have to make sure its in Canada so we can see some big hits and fights!
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