It’s what?
Skansen!
OK. But what does that mean?
It’s Skansen!
I have no frame of reference for whatever this place is. What. Is. Skansen.
And scene.
The above was an actual conversation I had with my partner about the next stop on our tour of Stockholm. She kept repeating, as a matter of fact, that “It’s Skansen!” as we walked toward the entrance. That meant nothing literally to me.
She had been there before as a child and was taking me there for the first time. She told me I couldn’t look it up to see what Skansen actually is, so I was at the mercy of her and the park map I received after we passed through the entrance.
Still, I have no idea what I am about to walk into. The ticket taker was very nice, handed us a map, and told us to enter the funicular.
A funicular, you say? I love ’em!
You’ve probably seen a funicular before, but you might have forgotten it has an official name and isn’t called a “vertical train” or anything similar. It isn’t like a gondola or tram. It slowly climbs a hillside because we do not want to walk all the way to the top of the park. That’s what’s happening in Skansen, anyway. Other funiculars around the world are placed for other reasons.
I took a little video of our journey to the top of the park. I have to say, it moved much faster than I anticipated!
Once we reached the top, I still had no idea what was happening in this park. OK, I read the guide and my partner told me what it was all about, but I was still a bit in disbelief about what I was seeing.
I think I have teased it long enough to let those who don’t know know that Skansen is an open-air museum and zoo depicting Swedish life from all parts of the country before the Industrial Era. It’s not so much a reenactment kind of place, because they were selling hot dogs and Coke Zero from a stand near the Maypole seen above. It’s more of a living reminder of what various parts of Sweden were like at this time in their history.
It was a nice day for a stroll, and the park itself is well-maintained, making it an enjoyable place to spend an afternoon.
Aside from the various forms of architecture you can see and walk through, there were a few animals around. I did mention that it also functions as a zoo, and while the reindeer were not on view, one of the other “must-see” animals was.
Where could they be hiding?
There it is! I giant [expletive deleted] bear!
I once came across a bear while I was on a run. True story. Scouts honor. I was running in the San Gabriel Mountains behind JPL when I came around a bend and, not 50 yards in front of me, was a brown-tan bear the size of a love sofa. Thankfully, it was walking away from me and not toward me.
Stopped dead in my tracks, backed up as slowly as I could, and when I turned a corner, and the bear was no longer in sight, I booked it out of there. The bear pictured above was much, MUCH MUCH bigger than the one I came across all those years ago. So, if I saw that bear in front of me…gulp!
Skansen is a truly gorgeous place to walk around, see the native flora & fauna, and learn a few things about Sweden before the Industrial Age. I had never heard of the place until my partner took me, and I am sure that there are plenty of people around the world who don’t know that it exists. Also, it’s so close to the ABBA Museum and the Vasa. I mean, you can’t go to either of those spots without passing by Skansen, so it should be a necessary stop for you on your trip to Stockholm.
Several small shops and cafes dot the park as well, helping quench your desire to spend on things that are not mass-produced. They really do highlight the various craftspeople who live in Sweden with the various items sold on site. From blown glass to tea towels, there is a souvenir for you or someone you know at Skansen.
Or not.
You don’t have to bow to consumerism at all. You can be the kind of person who takes only photos and leaves only footprints. Skansen is still there for you to peel back the veil of Swedish history and see firsthand what it was like all those years ago.
