I heard the pulsing beat of a nightclub a few blocks away, so I tried to go there, but apparently I didn't meet the dress code. I guess it didn't help that I was wearing my full backpack. Hah. Luckily, I had been able to pickup a map at the airport, so I decided to start exploring the city a few hours earlier that I had planned. I headed to old town Stockholm and soon came across a rope across the road, blocking the way. Just as I was about to ignore it and step over, I noticed a guard, not 20 meters away, holding an assault rifle and peering at me intently. I decided to respect the rope after all.
Stockholm spans a bunch of small islands, connected by bridges. After exploring for awhile, I decided to go to one of the docks and watch the sunrise over the water. Old Stockholm is one small island and the newer parts of the city surround it. After exploring for awhile, I decided to go to one of the docks to read a book and watch the sunrise over the water. The sun came up around 3:45, the earliest sunrise I'd ever witnessed. The whole time I was sitting there, I was peripherally aware that vehicles kept stopping briefly in the parking lot behind me and then leaving. I assumed they were admiring the same magnificent view that I was. As I got up to leave, an old Camaro drove slowly by and a blond girl walked out to meet it. The girl bent down to talk to the driver briefly, then got in the car and it drove off. I couldn't help but laugh. All those vehicles coming and going hadn't been watching the sunrise. They'd been picking up girls. Apparently, I had stumbled onto Stockholm's hookers row.
After the sun came up, I felt like Will Smith in I Am Legend. It was quite bizarre for it to be light out and to have the city all to myself. It was even stranger to come back later in the day and see those same areas crowded and full of life. At 5:00, I ended up at a park bench overlooking the water and the main island to the south. There was nobody around other than some ducks and seagulls. I took a 15 minute nap on the bench and just sat there for awhile admiring the beautiful buildings on the opposing hill across the water. By 5:30, the city began to awaken. A jogger and then two walkers appeared followed by a slow flood of people on the streets
Around 7:00, while I was eating breakfast, two girls and three guys showed up outside. The guys were wearing nothing but their underwear. If that wasn't bizarre enough, an Indian guy in a business suit came along and started dancing around them. After a few minutes, he left and then came back with a small boxing glove and started to dance around and mock punch one of the half-naked guys. After the Indian left for the second time, I finished my breakfast and decided that I wanted to go out and talk to these guys to see what their deal was. I turned around to collect my stuff and when I headed outside, they had vanished.
Stockholm is an extremely beautiful city, but I didn't feel the same warmth from people that I felt in Copenhagen. Stockholm also seems to be an ostentatious society. The locals at the nightclubs were all decked out in very formal clothing and the guys looked like they had spent as much time in front of the mirror as the girls. I saw as many red Ferraris in Stockholm as I've seen in the rest of my life combined.
I realized that in my whole trip thus far I've heard American music almost exclusively, whether it's at a nightclub, bar, restaurant, or even from a car at a stoplight. I really hadn't expected that. While it's disappointing, it also makes me feel a bit at home.