# A minimalist trip to Stockholm (Oct 2016)



## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

A good opera trip invariably requires a few stars in alignment: Easy travel plans, cities worth visiting and operas worth seeing, for various reasons. The trip to Stockholm certainly fitted the bill.

My first visit to Stockholm was a two night stopover between Edinburgh and Malta. Flights were bargains, and I got a great deal staying on a ship/hotel in a fantastic location in the centre of the city.

I had the chance to see two operas I haven't seen before, and in Stockholm's two opera houses. The combination of Adams' take on Chairman Mao and Glass's take on Gandhi was irresistable.

The Kungliga Opera (Royal Opera) is a traditional 19th c. house with a rather toned down frontage compared to other houses of the period. Perhaps there was some edict about not overpowering the surrounding buildings including the parliament?

The performance of *Nixon in China* was by no means full, which at least meant I could find somewhere to stretch out, in yet another hall with cramped seating.

I'm not sure how to report on this work. I wasn't wowed by any of the vocals (largely homegrown), and the production was generally flat. (Coproduction with Vancouver).

My cabin on the Malardrottningen was small but reasonably well appointed. Quite peaceful except for some gurgling and sloshing as to be expected. It comes with a fine buffet breakfast and a unique place to start the day.

My full day in Stockholm involved plenty of walking whilst also sampling the excellent public transport system. In the afternoon visited a couple I met on a previous opera trip in Germany. I lunched in their apartment and then later we went to the opera: *Satyaghara*, by Philip Glass.

The Folkoperan is in a converted cinema and has had a recent renovation to make it a great venue, if rather cramped in the public areas. There are no bad seats either in comfort or sightline. The work was a co-production with a local acrobat/juggling circus outfit, in effect rendering the work as an accessible piece of theatre with appeal beyond the usual opera crowd. Even at the tail end of a long run of performances (20+) the theatre was completely full, bolstered by deserved good reviews. The acrobatic activities often made a great combination with the hypnotic music. Again, not much to say about the singers. This was easily the better of the two nights. Alas both performances had only Swedish surtitles.

In summary it was a very satisfying trip. Everything worked out well, and it was such a pleasure to meet up with friends.

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Notes on travel details and costs:

I flew Edinburgh to Stockholm Arlanda on Norwegian. Very good budget airline, and bargain ticket. (€50). With an easy bus transfer by Flybussarna (around €14). Just buy a ticket from the convenient terminals before you leave the airport.

I stayed on Malardrottningen yacht hotel, which was €85 per night including breakfast. I'd certainly recommend at this kind of price (Although I expect it's usually rather more).

A 24 hour city transport ticket cost 135krona (around €15) including the reusable Oyster-type card. That's not cheap but at least it's a true 24 hours from the time of first usage, so I could use it the following morning too.

Opera tickets in Stockholm aren't expensive, let's call it provincial European pricing. Both were bought online.

Food and drink isn't cheap in Sweden (large beer €9), so provided you can live without fancy meals and trendy bars it's no big deal for a couple of nights.

I departed via Stockholm Skavska to Malta on Ryanair for €60. Rather further away from the city than Arlanda, the bus transfer was €17 and 80 minutes. Despite the journey time, it's straightforward and you need not be put off. Skavska airport itself is small, crowded and basic.

All in all, this Stockholm trip proved surprisingly affordable, even for a budget-conscious traveller.


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