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Michael Portillo in Stockholm S01E02
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00:01Come with me as I take you to some of my favourite cities
00:04on a long weekend.
00:10Buongiorno tutti!
00:13Together we'll explore the places I love.
00:17Oh, Palermo. What a beauty you are.
00:22Oh, my word.
00:24Madrid is next to heaven.
00:27And discover places new.
00:30We put the vroom vroom into Milano.
00:34Oh, my. This is astonishing.
00:39From Stockholm to Lisbon.
00:42We'll raise a glass. Soda. Soda.
00:46And enjoy great food.
00:49Mmm. Pork that melts in your mouth.
00:52I don't think there's any delicate way of eating it.
00:54Oh, us.
00:58We'll leave the tourist trail behind.
01:01Every bone of my body has been taken.
01:04My goodness, we are on the ice.
01:06Yes.
01:07Oh, my word.
01:08We are attacking.
01:11And seek out special places to stay.
01:16The view of Prague is magnificent.
01:21Along the way, we'll make new friends.
01:24Oh, Charles.
01:26Oh, Charles.
01:27Do you mind if we do a selfie?
01:30And memories to last a lifetime.
01:37I think I shall always remember this.
01:39This is a beautiful moment.
01:41I have rarely seen such opulence.
01:45What an amazing sight.
01:48I am loving this.
01:51I can't wait to show you more.
02:08My long weekend exploring Sweden's capital, Stockholm, continues.
02:18A short flight northeast of Britain, this watery city is spread across a patchwork of 14 islands linked together by
02:28bridges and ferries.
02:38The beautiful setting makes it well worth a visit.
02:44And the relaxed Swedish attitude to life is attractive, too.
02:54Whether you are island hopping, window shopping, schnapps shotting, meatball scoffing, the Swedish capital has an archipelago of experiences for
03:05you.
03:06Let's stock up and feel at home in Stockholm.
03:11So far...
03:12My goodness.
03:14I've made friends in the midst of meatballs.
03:16Go on.
03:19Oh, my word.
03:21Discovered a record-breaking banquet table.
03:24You know, I've been to state banquets in Buckingham Palace.
03:27I don't think I've ever seen a table this big.
03:30And braved the frozen Baltic.
03:33My goodness, we are on the ice!
03:35Yes!
03:36I think I shall always remember this.
03:38This is a beautiful moment.
03:41Today, I'll get crafty.
03:43I've not had this much fun since I was five.
03:47With some very curvy ceramics.
03:49Every time it twitches, I get very nervous.
03:52Be swept up with the local crowd as teams do battle on the ice.
03:57Oh!
03:58Oh!
04:00That's great!
04:01Oh, my!
04:02And marvel at magnificent mosaics.
04:06This is astonishing!
04:12It may not be obvious that Stockholm is closer to the Arctic Circle than Moscow is.
04:19In the cold winters, it's dark by 3pm.
04:24However, Swedes seem to adjust well to the changing seasons.
04:29A Swedish word describes the national character.
04:32Lorgam.
04:34It means in moderation.
04:37Just right.
04:38And it helps to explain why Sweden is ranked as one of the world's happiest places to live.
04:49Returning to the island of Södermalm, my destination is a sports stadium.
04:56I've come to cheer on the local team, which is a great way to help the dark winter evenings fly
05:02by.
05:04And you could try this during your visit.
05:10A winter evening in Stockholm offers the opportunity to see bandy, a sport with which I'm not familiar.
05:17But one of the local teams, Hammarby, has an important match tonight.
05:22And I'm joining the crowd.
05:26As popular in Sweden as football and ice hockey, bandy sits somewhere between the two.
05:33Thank you, thank you.
05:34Welcome.
05:35All I know is that it's played on ice.
05:39Johna, who coaches the youth team of the home side Hammarby, brings me up to speed.
05:47Hello.
05:49I'm Michael.
05:50Johna.
05:51Looks like the other team's supporters are here.
05:54Yeah, they just arrived.
05:55And they're quite noisy.
05:56Yeah.
05:57Let's go somewhere quieter.
06:00Johna, I should explain that I know nothing about bandy at all.
06:04I've never seen this sport before.
06:06The first thing that strikes me is you've got a pitch that's around the size of a football field.
06:10Yeah.
06:11But on the other hand, it looks quite like ice hockey.
06:14Yeah.
06:14It's kind of a mix between hockey and football.
06:17Okay.
06:19And how many people do you expect in the crowd tonight?
06:22I hope for over 2,000.
06:24Wow.
06:25Yeah.
06:25It's a big thing in Stockholm.
06:26Well, but it originated in England, so hopefully maybe we can get some...
06:31It originated in England?
06:32Yes.
06:32I have no idea.
06:34Goodness.
06:36The origins of bandy are hotly debated.
06:40The first rule book was published in England in 1882, where it's thought to have been played
06:46in the fens of East Anglia since around 1790.
06:50A century later, in 1894, it was introduced to Sweden.
06:56Unlike ice hockey, bandy is played with a ball rather than a puck.
07:01It's a lightning-fast contact sport.
07:03And high-intensity battles to win the ball often result in collisions and injuries.
07:12Keen to discover what drives someone to participate in this clash of the Icemen,
07:17I've arranged to meet one of the home team's midfielders.
07:23Yes.
07:24Are you Caspar?
07:24I am Caspar.
07:25How very nice to see you.
07:27I'm Michael.
07:28Caspar, did you want to do this when you were a child?
07:31Has it always been your ambition?
07:32Yeah, my father played.
07:33Oh, really?
07:34Yeah.
07:35So I started very young and loved it since then.
07:39Speed and technique.
07:42Yeah, speed is amazing and obviously a lot of skill involved.
07:45Are you from here?
07:46Are you from this part of Stockholm?
07:47Yeah, this is my...
07:49Born and raised here.
07:50This is my childhood club.
07:52What do you think about the game tonight?
07:54What are your predictions?
07:56It's a very tough game, but I think we win.
07:59Very good luck tonight.
08:01Thanks for finding time to talk to me.
08:03Yeah, thanks.
08:03Thank you. Bye-bye.
08:06Having grasped the measure of the home team,
08:11I go in search of the opposition.
08:15Hey.
08:15Hey.
08:16One ippa, please.
08:18Tak.
08:21I feel slightly out of place wearing yellow, surrounded by green and orange.
08:27And this is not the sort of place where a man asks for a glass for his beer.
08:33The home side, Hammaby, have twice been national champions in 2010 and 2013.
08:40Tonight's opposition, Bolnas, from central Sweden, last won the championship in 1956.
08:48Its supporters are here in force.
08:52You're a pretty good team, I believe.
08:54Yes.
08:54Yep.
08:55Are you very hopeful this evening?
08:57I'm very hopeful.
08:59I think Bolnas gonna win 4-3.
09:02All right.
09:02You're very precise in your prediction.
09:04Yes.
09:05I see all the green supporters and all the orange supporters are here together.
09:10Yeah.
09:11Is there a good spirit in Bandy?
09:13Yes.
09:13In Bandy, it's very good spirit.
09:15Very good spirit.
09:15Yes.
09:16Have a great evening.
09:17Yeah.
09:18Thank you very much.
09:19Bye-bye.
09:21The match is about to start, and no beers beyond this point.
09:28Now to find Jonna in the stands, which are shared by supporters from both teams.
09:35Hammaby are in their home colours green, their rivals Bolnas in white.
09:41It doesn't take long to be swept up in the excitement.
09:45Hammaby has a very good chance here.
09:47Oh!
09:49Oh!
09:50Oh!
09:51Oh!
09:52Oh!
09:52That's great.
09:53Hammaby have opened the score sheet.
09:57The pace of play is fast and furious.
10:01And it's matched by the energy in the crowd, overcoming the icy Baltic temperatures.
10:08I know she brought a briefcase.
10:11Yeah.
10:11Have you brought your work from the office or what is that?
10:13No, it's part of the bandy tradition.
10:15You bring something hot to drink, usually coffee, and something a little bit stronger to keep
10:23warm from the inside.
10:25And kind of disguised in a briefcase.
10:28Yeah.
10:29So, you look like more business.
10:31Do you want to try it?
10:32Oh, sure.
10:32Why not?
10:33So, this is some coffee.
10:35Do you want to pour it?
10:39You can have whatever you want.
10:40Oh, that's nice.
10:41Cheers.
10:42So, cheers.
10:43Cheers.
10:43Ice under the skates and warmth in the supporters.
10:54Yeah!
10:56Yeah!
10:58Oh!
11:01It's the Stockholm Bloodbast 3-0!
11:06Sadly, for the visiting Bolnas supporters, the final score was a thumping 13-1 to Hammarby,
11:14which I'm guessing far exceeded Kasper's prediction of a win.
11:19I have had an amazing inside track on Stockholm's popular culture.
11:24I believe that I am the only tourist here.
11:28And yet, this insight into what makes Sweden tick is available to any visitor for the price
11:35of a bandy ticket.
11:42Coming up, I check into my city centre hotel.
11:46Good evening.
11:47Good evening.
11:48Wow.
11:49These are oysters.
11:51Try some unusual schnapps shots.
11:55That is wild.
11:57Before crafting some very curvy ceramics.
12:00This is like Christmas, opening all these parcels.
12:15As the second day of my scandy long weekend comes to a close, I head to the thumping heart
12:21of the city, the district of Normmalm.
12:25Home to the Royal Swedish Opera, designer shops, art galleries and my hotel.
12:32Good evening.
12:34Good evening.
12:35I'm Michael Portillo.
12:37In its time, my hotel building has been many things.
12:41Built in the late 1800s as luxury apartments, it's also housed a bank, offices and now this
12:50stylish hotel.
12:51In the 19th century, fishermen sold their catch on the famous city square overlooked by the hotel.
13:01I've chosen to stay here for a reason that I'll reveal in the morning.
13:07Very nice.
13:09And now I must disclose to you that I have not chosen this hotel room at random.
13:14I'm one of these people who likes to plan and never leave a hostage to fortune.
13:21It's been recommended that before bed, I visit the hotel bar, which serves a unique drink in honour of the
13:31fishermen who set up stall on the square outside.
13:37Hello, sir.
13:38Good evening to you.
13:39How are you?
13:40I'm very, very well.
13:41And what a very beautiful golden bar.
13:45I'm going through a gold phase myself, actually.
13:47Oh, really?
13:48Yeah, yeah.
13:48I'm noticing you're blending in quite well here.
13:50Yeah.
13:51Well, blending in, I've virtually disappeared.
13:53Thank you very much.
13:54Is that a cocktail list?
13:55That is indeed a cocktail menu.
13:57Some water while you're reading.
13:59What can I interest you in?
14:00Well, you could interest me in whatever I may not have had before.
14:06You're going to have our standard serving.
14:09It's only us that do it.
14:11Okay.
14:12The standard serving is anything but.
14:16Wow.
14:17These are oysters.
14:19They are indeed oysters.
14:20So this is a two-part serving.
14:22So the first part is you take the oyster, and then when you've finished it, you're going to keep the
14:26shell.
14:26So we're going to fill the shell with a nice, cold oyster gin, and then you're going to do it
14:31as a schnapps.
14:33Okay.
14:34That sounds absolutely fabulous.
14:35That is wild.
14:37Oyster gin.
14:38Are you saying that's made with oyster flavour?
14:40It is made with crushed oyster shells from the Kangaroo Islands, close to Tasmania in southern Australia.
14:47They are some of the most expensive oysters you can buy.
14:49Wow.
14:52So, oyster first.
14:57And.
15:01While my mouth is so chilled by the oyster and filled with the flavour of the sea, down goes the
15:12schnapps.
15:13That was absolutely brilliant.
15:15I'm glad you liked it, sir.
15:16Yeah, I did.
15:18I'm not sure I got it first time.
15:21Shall we have another go?
15:22Oh, I reckon.
15:22Mm-hmm.
15:27The last perfect slithery bit of the oyster, and.
15:36Down goes the spirit.
15:38On the schnapps, which fills the mouth with mild fire.
15:44That is wonderful.
15:46Mm.
15:47It's an excellent combination of umami because the shell retains so much savoury flavours.
15:53So when you pour the ice cold gin on top of it, it's just a beautiful intermix of flavours.
15:59I've struck gold in the golden bar.
16:02Indeed you have, sir.
16:08A mid-January sunrise in Stockholm occurs around eight o'clock.
16:14The beautiful moment of low golden light rewards the early riser.
16:19A mid-January sunrise in Stockholm.
16:21My next destination is Södermalm, the island that I visited for my meatball lunch.
16:29To reach it, I take what's fast becoming my favourite means of transport.
16:38Divine winter light.
16:40But it's a chilly sort of sun, and here in the harbour, the water has frozen over in jagged blocks.
16:47Let's hope my water taxi has an ice-breaking hull.
16:52Hello, Stefan.
16:53Hello, Michael.
16:54Good to see you.
16:55Welcome.
16:56What a lovely day for a boat ride.
16:58It is, isn't it?
17:00It is.
17:01Water taxis offer one of the best ways to appreciate the beauty and broad sweep of this island city.
17:08This is my moment to get to understand the geography of Stockholm, which sits on an archipelago of islands.
17:16It's on the Baltic Sea, but it's got a river and canals and a bay and a lake.
17:22Every conceivable sort of waterway.
17:24What it does mean is that everywhere there's the blue of the water and the white of the ice acting
17:31as a mirror to reflect light onto this elegant shoreline architecture.
17:42For a capital city, Stockholm has a very low, unassuming skyline.
17:48Buildings tend to be functional, sustainable and in tune with nature.
17:53This love of design extends to interiors, too, and not just to flat-packed furniture.
18:01Mid-20th century Swedish design is renowned worldwide for its minimal organic shapes, made in natural materials like wood and
18:11glass.
18:12Swedish homes are furnished accordingly.
18:14When the long winter draws in, you value a living space that's both stylish and comfortable.
18:22For a modern take, I'm visiting an up-and-coming local designer whose studio is open to visitors by appointment.
18:31Hello!
18:33Hello!
18:33Hello, I'm Michael.
18:35I'm Michael.
18:36Mimi.
18:36Lovely to see you.
18:38You too, and this is Belle.
18:38Who's your friend?
18:39This is Belle.
18:40Hello.
18:41You're matching.
18:43Yes, we do match a bit.
18:45Thank you very much.
18:48Oh, what an amazing space you have.
18:51Not so much an artist's garret, but an artist's basement.
18:56Yes, it is.
18:58Mimi, at age 30, has already sold her distinctive pieces around the world for high-end Swedish brands.
19:07Oh, very nice.
19:09Your work is very tactile.
19:10Everything is lovely curves.
19:12And this as well.
19:15Very pretty.
19:16Sweden is so well known for design.
19:19I suppose for about a hundred years now, Sweden has been associated with design.
19:22Do you think it's still a very strong culture here?
19:25Yes.
19:28It's everywhere.
19:30Today, Mimi is working on some very shapely ceramics, and bravely allows me to be involved in the start of
19:37the process.
19:39This reminds me of a chef's hat.
19:42Yeah.
19:43And then watch, you fill that with plaster.
19:44Exactly.
19:45And then it stains, and then I paint it with this yellow lacquer.
19:50I have this one ready to be filled with plaster.
19:55How exciting.
19:55This little, what did you say?
19:57Chef's hat.
19:58Chef's hat.
19:59So we're doing the chef's hat now, okay?
20:02Absolutely.
20:05Like this.
20:06And then, quite slow, pour it in here.
20:16You're good at this.
20:18You can also do it in a perfect yellow outfit, and not be covered in plaster.
20:26I've not had this much fun since I was five.
20:32Every time it twitches, I get very nervous.
20:35If it falls off, it will go off like a bomb.
20:37Don't worry.
20:38It won't fall off.
20:39Good.
20:41The chef's hat sculpture will be ready in two weeks, by which time it will have set, and looks something
20:48like this one.
20:51Out it comes.
20:52Great.
20:53All that time and patience are vindicated.
20:57This is like entering Tutankhamen's tomb.
21:00Oh, yeah.
21:02Oh my goodness.
21:06Well done.
21:08That is lovely.
21:09What a beautiful shape.
21:12This is like Christmas, opening all these parcels.
21:14I know.
21:16In this mold, it's sculptures that are made for a fashion brand.
21:21I think it's...
21:22Yeah.
21:24It's like a lovely cushion.
21:26Exactly.
21:27With a little indent in the top.
21:29Yeah.
21:30This brand, they would put jewelry, maybe a bracelet or so.
21:34Oh, yeah, yeah.
21:35But I call them ravioli bowl.
21:38Ravioli, yeah.
21:39That's exactly what it's like.
21:40Because it's like a pillow ravioli shape.
21:46Lovely pieces.
21:50Going to see Mimi, I get it now.
21:53The Swedish people are fascinated by design.
21:56The children grow up surrounded by it.
21:58They absorb it, and they see design as an entirely plausible career.
22:09What an amazing sight.
22:13I discover the source of some of that marvellous Swedish design in Viking treasure.
22:18And I find a trail of Viking graffiti.
22:21Such a modern idea, isn't it?
22:23That when you get somewhere and you're a lad, you have to show that you were there.
22:27And I unleash my inner Sherlock.
22:30The pursuit of crime takes you to the strangest places.
22:34What are we doing here?
22:36What are we doing here?
22:44I'm midway through my long weekend in the Nordic region's biggest city, Stockholm.
22:50With its population of one million spread across islands, it doesn't feel metropolitan.
22:59My water taxi is heading back to the district of Normmalm, where I'll investigate a dramatic chapter in the history
23:08of my hotel building.
23:14There is a phenomenon known as Stockholm Syndrome.
23:18It means that hostages can develop a sympathy for their capitals, for their kidnappers.
23:25This has been observed in one crisis after another.
23:29But it was first marked out here in this city.
23:33Indeed, here in this very building.
23:37In August 1973, the ground floor of my hotel was a Swedish bank.
23:44There was an armed robbery, and four bank staff were taken hostage.
23:50A six-day standoff with police was broadcast live on television and made headlines around the world.
23:59The rooms above the bank, in what is now my hotel, played a key role in the police operation.
24:06The kidnapper, Jan-Eric Olsen, was armed with a submachine gun.
24:12In exchange for the hostages, he demanded three million krona, about 3.2 million pounds in today's money,
24:19the release of a convicted criminal, and a getaway car.
24:24Lupe.
24:25Good morning.
24:26Good morning. How lovely to see you. Come and sit down.
24:29Yes.
24:30Hotel managing director Lupe has become something of an expert in the dramatic six-day siege and the rare syndrome
24:38itself.
24:41So we have one bank raider.
24:43Yeah.
24:44One man who's released from prison and brought here.
24:47Yeah.
24:48And four hostages.
24:49Yes.
24:49Three women and one man.
24:52Everything has changed since then.
24:54It's a long time ago.
24:55Yes.
24:55But what were these buildings in those days?
24:58They were offices and apartments, and the police, they used two rooms.
25:04One is the gym now, and the other one is our boardroom, where they're planning the next move, the strategy.
25:14Just along from the impressive atrium is the room where the Stockholm police masterminded their operation.
25:22And tell me now about the geography.
25:25From where we are now, where was the bank?
25:28The bank was directly under us.
25:32And during the six days of the siege, were the captives and the hostages just below us?
25:37In the very beginning they were, but then after a few days they moved into the vault.
25:42And the vault is where?
25:43It's under where our gym is now, so a few metres away from this room.
25:50When was the phenomenon observed that the hostages were becoming sympathetic to the captors?
25:58I think at the moment that they moved into the vault, they were already agreeing to be closer to their
26:04captors, and they didn't trust the police somehow so much.
26:08What do you think had ruined the trust with the police?
26:10Outside the hotel were a lot of police cars, there was a lot of photographers and journalists, and maybe they
26:18were fearing for their life because it was, of course, the police, they were armed, and maybe they felt that
26:25they were safer inside the vault.
26:28And they were quite peaceful also, the captors, I suppose. That's why they gave some trust somehow.
26:34And who knows what impact stress has upon you? Who knows what effect that has on your mind?
26:41Yeah, exactly. That stress maybe they felt at that moment, that they decided to cooperate with their captors.
26:49It didn't help that the police threatened a violent end to the siege, which the hostages took as a direct
26:56threat to their own safety.
26:59So many narrow corridors. Yes.
27:02Our final stop is the Hotel Gym, where Lupe wants to show me the exact spot from where the end
27:09of the siege was orchestrated.
27:13The pursuit of crime takes you to the strangest places.
27:18What are we doing here? What are we doing?
27:21Here is the place, look, where they initially make these holes.
27:26Through the holes, about the fourth day, they took in a camera to see how the situation was.
27:34The captors realized they were being observed and shot upwards and hit one of the cameramen.
27:44And then the last day, the police realized, okay, through the same holes, we can release Gus.
27:53And the captors, they couldn't stand it, so they just gave up.
27:58And both the captors and the hostages were released.
28:04Well, they were not released, they ended up in jail, but...
28:09The kidnapper, Jan-Erik Olsen, was sentenced to ten years for the robbery.
28:15None of the hostages testified against him.
28:19And some even visited him in prison after the trial.
28:23Psychiatrists explained that the captives had become emotionally indebted to him rather than the police for their survival.
28:32Within months, this rare phenomenon was dubbed Stockholm Syndrome.
28:39Lupe, this has been for me a special moment.
28:41For 50 years, I've heard about the Stockholm Syndrome without understanding its origin.
28:47And now the whole thing has been revealed to me in the tight corner of a bathroom.
28:53Right.
28:53Amazing.
29:02My Scandi long weekend is proving to be, in equal parts, surprising and just as I expected.
29:13In 2010, Stockholm was named Europe's first green capital for its commitment to the environment.
29:22So, in the spirit of staying local, I'm taking you somewhere within walking distance of my hotel.
29:30In a city centre packed with bars, restaurants and museums, you could visit Voulez-vous, the ABBA Museum.
29:40I didn't have time, but you could prioritise it when you visit.
29:47For now, join me instead on a journey far back in time to a museum which I've been told will
29:55change forever my view of a notorious warrior tribe.
30:00In the British Isles, we were on the receiving end of the Vikings and we think of them as raiders
30:07and pillagers.
30:08Here in Stockholm, I wouldn't be surprised if they tell me that they were terrific traders, marauders or merchants.
30:16We're on the horns of a dilemma.
30:19The Swedish History Museum tells the story of the Viking Age, which lasted three and a half centuries until the
30:27year 1100.
30:29It demonstrates that in literature, politics, agriculture, global exploration and arts and crafts, the Vikings were a sophisticated civilisation.
30:41Maria, I'm Michael.
30:43Hello, Michael. Nice to meet you.
30:44Bjorn. Hello.
30:46Great pleasure to meet you.
30:49What an amazing sight.
30:52Two years ago, archaeologists Maria and John made the discovery of a lifetime not far from here.
30:59A hall of exquisite jewellery.
31:03Today, they've opened it up for me to be astonished.
31:07Tell me, tell me how you found it. Tell me about the moment of finding it.
31:11Oh, it was unbelievable.
31:12I've been working as an archaeologist for 20 years and I've been metal detecting for 15 years.
31:17It was such an immense sound. I mean, almost fell backwards.
31:22All the silver was lying all together, like in one pile, and it was lying inside of this vessel.
31:30The silver looked more or less like this.
31:32Really? Yes, it did. It was shining.
31:35I'm amazed that the silver shone. The only silver I have goes black within a year.
31:39You feel very humble when you make this kind of finds because you want to connect to people in the
31:46past and this is a really true way of doing that.
31:49Yes, that's lovely. Do we think this was, what, part of a burial of a person? Was it someone being
31:55buried with treasure?
31:56Yes. This might be a sort of pagan ritual, a funeral.
32:04And here, an immense collection of coins, which have been made into medallions.
32:10Yes, exactly. The pendants, they are from all over Europe, so they're from Russia all the way over to England.
32:17And these three are Ethelred, the second coins.
32:21Yeah, one of the English kings.
32:22Yes. The artistry demonstrated here challenges my prejudices about what sort of people the Vikings were.
32:30Who might the owner have been?
32:32So we believe that it might have been a powerful woman within this settlement and within this area.
32:38And that's interesting in itself, isn't it? The concept of a powerful woman in Viking times.
32:43Thank you very much for infecting me with your excitement. This is really a magnificent hoard.
32:54Curator Sven has another surprise for me.
32:58Sven. Hello.
33:00Hello, Michael. Good to see you.
33:02It's great to see you. Same to you. Thank you.
33:05This lion does not look in any way Viking to me.
33:08No, it doesn't. It doesn't. It's actually a Greek lion, but what makes it Viking is a graffiti, you can
33:16see here.
33:16You have the dragon with the snout, with the eyes, and then you have a runic inscription of a Norse
33:22being in Athens.
33:23And that's quite striking because it immediately shows you the wide horizons of the Viking Age simply.
33:30How would the Vikings get from Scandinavia to Athens? What's the route?
33:35It's always by waterways across the Baltic, and then you would take yourself into the Russian river systems.
33:42Do we have any idea what the runes say?
33:45Oh, yes. It says something like, like, young men cut these runes.
33:50And that's such a modern idea, isn't it? That when you get somewhere...
33:53Yeah.
33:53...and you're a lad, you have to show that you were there.
33:56Exactly. Exactly.
33:58It's graffiti. It really is. Yeah.
34:02A few moments of studying Viking history in Stockholm has already altered my view.
34:08They were technologists and artists and artisans and navigators.
34:14They may have started out as horny, helmeted hoodlums, but they became cosmopolitan sophisticates.
34:26Coming up...
34:27Thank you very much.
34:29..I feast like a king on seafood supplied to the Swedish royals.
34:34That is absolutely delicious.
34:36..and discover a town hall like no other.
34:40We have 23.5 to 24 karat gold on the walls.
34:43But that's just extraordinary.
34:55As the day draws in, there's a couple more places that I want to show you.
35:00Ten-minute stroll from the Swedish History Museum is a Stockholm institution,
35:06which at this time I'll have almost to myself.
35:12First opened in November 1888, it still serves the good people of Stockholm today.
35:20I've avoided the lunchtime rush, and I hope that I haven't missed the traders.
35:27This is a glorious market, the famous Oostmumps-Holland.
35:33Don't you love the sound of Swedish?
35:37Home to restaurants, wine bars and a handful of gourmet traders,
35:42this foodie's paradise is a great place to visit for a cheesy nibble
35:47or a chocolate truffle to sustain you on an energetic long weekend.
35:54I'm in search of something cured and smoky,
35:57and I'm meeting the fourth generation of a family
36:00who've traded here since the early 1920s.
36:05Uh, Ulf.
36:06Oh, hello. Nice to meet you.
36:08This is such a beautiful place.
36:10Right.
36:11I'm not sure I've ever been in such a beautiful market.
36:13Lisa Elmqvist.
36:14Now, that is your great-grandmother, is that right?
36:16That's true.
36:17She started a small stand in here, in that corner.
36:21She was very picky about quality.
36:23She was very picky about the staff doing her the right job,
36:27and she was a really strong woman.
36:30Ulf's great-grandmother's hard work paid off.
36:34The business now supplies some of Stockholm's top restaurants,
36:38and a particularly prestigious family.
36:41We have this point of warrant to serve the king of Sweden and the queen.
36:47So, by appointment, supplier of fish to the royal family.
36:50Yeah, that's true.
36:52Traditionally, smoked wild salmon is a particular favourite of their majesties.
36:58And given Sweden's reputation for quality-smoked fish,
37:02I can feast like a king.
37:06A little bit of dill on.
37:09A little bit of dill.
37:10Thank you very much.
37:12Another idea is also to have it as a starter.
37:15A little bit like that.
37:16A little mustard sauce and a little dill.
37:18Yes.
37:21That is absolutely delicious.
37:23You can be very proud of that. Great fish.
37:25Yeah, thank you.
37:27Another local delicacy is roe, or fish eggs.
37:30The Swedes like to splurge supermarket varieties from a tube straight onto their toast.
37:37Ulf's offerings are more refined.
37:41Bleak roe.
37:42That comes from a small white fish in the north part of the Baltic Sea.
37:47You catch them in the beginning of October.
37:51And one fish has maybe just that of eggs in one fish.
37:55So it's really hard work to create, but it's also very expensive.
38:01And what about that other one there?
38:03They are a little bit bigger.
38:04This is from a trout.
38:05Also good.
38:06Let me try some of those.
38:07You can try.
38:12Gloriously salty.
38:14Quite smooth.
38:15Just a little bit of texture.
38:16Very, very, very lovely.
38:18And here comes the trout roe.
38:21This one, I imagine, will have more texture.
38:26Yeah, this you can feel it bounce around a little bit more in the...
38:29You can feel the little eggs bursting in your mouth.
38:32It's absolutely delicious.
38:33Yeah.
38:34Well, Ulf, it's amazing that you're maintaining the standards over a hundred years.
38:39And if I may, in addition to the honor you have of serving His Majesty,
38:44I hereby appoint you supplier of trout roe to Michael Portilla.
38:49Ah, good. Super. Thank you. Yeah.
38:56Every year, on the 10th of December, the eyes of the world fall on my next destination.
39:04A short boat ride to the island of Kungsholmen is the seat of local government.
39:10But once a year, it hosts the annual banquet for the Nobel Prize laureates.
39:22Stockholm City Hall, I would say, more impressive than beautiful.
39:28But never judge a book by its cover.
39:34Topped by the national emblem of Sweden, the Three Golden Crowns,
39:38this red brick building was completed in 1923.
39:42It's one of Stockholm's landmarks and open to the public.
39:47If the exterior doesn't take your breath away, the interiors just might.
39:54This beautiful room supposedly has an echo which picks up particularly sibilance,
40:00like Swedish smorgasbord in Stockholm.
40:06Guide Henrietta is going to show me the jewel in the Three Crowns.
40:13Oh, my.
40:15Yes.
40:16Henrietta.
40:17Ooh, la, la.
40:18This is astonishing.
40:21Well, suddenly, we're into a world of golden mosaics.
40:26My goodness.
40:33Every wall, every square centimeter covered in mosaic.
40:38When we have guided tours in here, one thing that we start by asking is,
40:41do we think that it's real gold on the walls?
40:44We have the tourist answer.
40:46What do you think?
40:47Ooh, nothing to be put to the test.
40:50I'll go for yes.
40:51Yes, and you're right.
40:52You're correct, yes.
40:53At least the golden pieces, because a very easy way of describing it
40:58is you make these pieces of mosaics by taking two pieces of glass
41:01and in between you put a thin, thin layer of gold leaf.
41:04Wow.
41:05So we do have 23.5 to 24 karat gold on the walls.
41:08That's just extraordinary.
41:10In fact, 18 million golden tiles make up the spectacular mosaics
41:16that illustrate fables and legends from Swedish history.
41:21At one end of the hall, a woman holds Stockholm in her lap.
41:26She is the queen of Marlaren, the lake on which the city sits.
41:33Closer inspection reveals a wealth of detail and storytelling.
41:38As your eyes become accustomed to the mosaics,
41:42you begin to see more and more things.
41:43Yeah.
41:44And some of them are very surprising.
41:45An Eiffel Tower has appeared here.
41:47Yeah.
41:48A Statue of Liberty and, I assume, the buildings of New York City behind.
41:52Yes, exactly.
41:53So the style in here is quite old.
41:55It gives you a sort of old-fashioned feeling, perhaps.
41:58But the images on the walls, that sort of tells you how young the building is.
42:03Relatively young.
42:03It's 101 years old.
42:05Or you wouldn't be able to put these images on the walls.
42:07And it's sort of playful because when you walk in here,
42:10you feel as though you're going into an 8th or 9th century chapel.
42:15Mm.
42:15And then suddenly you've got images from all over the modern world.
42:23Yet again, this unassuming city catches me by surprise.
42:30A visit to a city hall sounds boring and bureaucratic.
42:34And when I put it on my bucket list, I had to stifle a yawn.
42:38But I'm so pleased that I seized this golden opportunity.
42:46Next time in Stockholm...
42:48Thank you very much.
42:49This is food at its simplest and at its best.
42:53I discover more about this spectacular city.
42:56Shiver my timbers.
42:57It's absolutely stunning.
43:03Here comes something big.
43:07And that's Michael in Stockholm, new tomorrow at 7.
43:11Investigating the most tragic of Tudor cold cases
43:14in a Tower of London special,
43:15The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn, brand new at 9.
43:18Next, one wrong turn could spell disaster.
43:21JJ Chalmers watches one of the most dangerous of manoeuvres
43:24refuelling at sea a new warship life in the Royal Navy.
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