Summer 2025 Part 3: Sweden and Netherlands

After my trip to the US and Canada I had two full days of rest at home in Shenzhen.  During which time I prepared for the next trip.  

Faye and I flew out of HK on the 12th of July.  There was a brief layover in Bangkok and then we landed in Stockholm Arlanda Airport in the morning of July 13th.  I foolishly exchanged currency forgetting that Sweden has gone mostly cash free as of late.  Then we took the Arlanda Express into T-Centralen and from there we used the metro (t-bana) to get to Fridhemsplan.  From there it was a short walk to the Courtyard Marriot Stockholm Kungsholmen.  We were very early, so we got some coffee.  We were prepared to wait for a while to check in, but when we asked the front desk if we could store our bags until check-in they actually were able to check us in early and even upgrade our room to one with a better view of the park.  So we checked in, then walked to Joe and the Juice for breakfast. 

Our flight had arrived at 7am so we had a whole day to enjoy.

We started by going to the Haymarket Flea Market in Hotorget.  Faye did not buy anything but she enjoyed browsing. 

Afterward I insisted that we take a quick trip to a store in Sundyberg called Sumpans Godis.  I had done some research and found that they had some legal cannabinoid products and I wanted to check it out.  I was not disappointed.  They had THCa flower, vapes, and edibles.  I got myself a vape so that I could consume discretely.  We hung out for a bit planning what to do next.  We decided that we should visit the Science Fiction Bookhandlen (science fiction bookstore) in Gamla Stan (old town).   

We took the metro to T-Centralen and then walked from there. 

Afterward we went to old town central plaza and got ourselves some cinnamon buns and refreshments. 

We walked around Gamla Stan for a while before deciding to go back to our hotel.  We had been out and about for the whole day and it was approaching 5pm.  We went back and had dinner. Then we went to sleep early as we were both very tired. 

On the 14th I decided to show Faye the house I had lived in from 2016-2018.  So we took a taxi to Trolldalen and enjoyed nature for much of the day.  I even managed to get permission to use the sauna.

During our sauna session I slipped and fell in the water.  I was lucky that all I got was a bruised ass and ego. 

After a good sweat we had a Swedish massage scheduled.  So we walked through the forest to Gronsta and then took a taxi from there.

We each had a massage and then on the way back we stopped at the convenience store to get ice cream and candy.

We set out the next day to to meet with my friend Lalisse, whom I worked with when I lived in Stockholm.  We reminisced about old times and got caught up over lunch. 

Here are some pictures from when I lived in Sweden that Lalisse had shared. 

After lunch we went to Stampen, a jazz bar, to relax, have a beer, and listen to some good music. 

Then we went back and called it a night.  

The 16th was our last full day in Stockholm so I made a point of visiting somewhere that I never got around to checking out while I lived there, the Vasa Museum.  It was cool.  Sweden built a massive ship in the 1700s and did such a shit job that it sank on its maiden voyage.  It was brought up to the surface in 1961 and preserved in the museum.  While other countries would likely be ashamed of such a failure, Sweden embraced their mistake and turned it into one of their most popular museums.

When we had finished we went to join the Stockholm Underground Hash House Harriers (SUH3) at Monkbron Brewery in Gamla Stan.  We ran the trail and then got drinks and dinner.

It was really nice showing Faye around the city in which I lived for two years.  It was a short visit but a valuable one.  

On the 17th we returned to the airport via the Arlanda Express and flew to Amsterdam.

We landed in Amsterdam and took the metro to Sloterdjik station.  We walked 4 minutes to the Mercure Amsterdam Sloterdjik and checked in. 

Then we went to get something to eat and visited a coffee shop so I could get some herbs.

We arrived in the early evening so the first night we walked around the red light district and visited the sex museum.  As taking pictures in De Wallen (red light district) is generally frowned upon I have no videos or photos from there. 

The next day we rented bikes from our hotel and visited an awesome immersive art experience called Amaze and then went to Amsterdam Tower.  After that we went to Cafe Pianist for some more good jams. I was pretty tired by that point so I was falling asleep while listening.  I was enjoying it nonetheless. 

On the 19th we went to Hallon Flea Market and then met with some old friends of mine from my Stockholm days for dinner at Foodhallen.  I did not take any pictures at the flea market. 

The 20th was our last day in Europe.  Our flight was not until later so we first got something for lunch, then went to a bookstore called Bookieman.  It was a small shop with a very limited selection and an owner with a lot of personality and character.  When we arrived the sign said open but the door was locked.  When we knocked we heard a long stream of loud expletives.  The guy opened the door disheveled and manic, and had lots of energy throughout our time in his shop, but he was friendly and really seemed to enjoy talking about politics.  We bought a couple books and then took a walk to the nearby Sloterplas where we sat for some time before getting one last drink at Buiten Cafe.  

Then we took a taxi back (because it started raining).  I finished the rest of my herbs and we took the metro to the airport. 

The trip was wonderful overall.  Both Faye and I were very happy with the experience.  

I did not included every fine detail of the entire trip, and even managed to omit some photos and videos in the main body of my narrative.  Therefore, I will include the remaining photos and videos below without any context or explanation.