We enjoyed two full days traversing Stockholm in our second visit to Sweden’s capital. Our first was 12 years ago in advance of a Baltic cruise. That first visit was brief, but this time we feel like we got a more complete experience, aided by an ongoing run of glorious weather in Scandinavia.

Climate change seems real, with temperatures in the upper 70s Fahrenheit In Stockholm, much like we experienced in Norway. That’s hot for the locals, but I’m honestly not unhappy that we didn’t use any of the rain gear we brought. It was raining as we left Oslo for Stockholm, more typical weather we are told, but we were never outside of the airport terminal so it didn’t impact us.

Arriving in Stockholm we hopped on the Arlanda Express train to Stockholm’s central station. It was easily accessible, fast and reasonably priced. You buy the tickets at a kiosk — there are multiple language options to help you — and off you go. The ride takes less than 20 minutes and the cost for two tickets was around US$67.

Taxis are apparently unregulated In Stockholm so tourists can sometimes get played. Drivers for a company called Taxi Stockholm are considered the fairest priced. None were available at the station when we arrived. Given our hotel, the At Six, was just a 10 minute walk from the station we opted for the shoe leather express. Much of the route was down a pedestrian-only thoroughfare that’s lined with shops and eateries. As we arrived around 5:30 pm on a Thursday it was quite bustling.

Stockholm sits on numerous islands in an archipelago that are connected by bridges and ferries. Our hotel was in Norrmalm section. Old Town Stockholm, aka Gamla Stan, was just a short walk away. Gamla Stan is home to Sweden’s Parliament, Royal Palace, Nobel Prize Museum and other sites.

Gamla Stan’s streets, hundreds of years old, are also lined with cafes and bars, most with outdoor seating, and a variety of shops. Most of the shopping appeared to be geared to tourists, and you will see a number of walking tour groups. We took a “free” tour of Gamla Stan organized by a company called Rainbow Tours.

Tours are led by current or former university students. You tip the guide at the end of the tour whatever you feel is appropriate. Sweden and Norway have each become largely cashless societies. The guides will take euros, U.S. dollars and Swedish crowns, but you can also charge the amount rather than use cash. All the guides carry wireless card readers.

Later on our first day we walked through the Ostermalm section, which is where you’ll find all the high-end stores. It’s their Fifth Avenue. Prada and the like are ensconced in that area. Shopping isn’t our thing and we definitely aren’t status conscious enough to spend our money at those kinds of stores.

Ostermalm is also home to Saluhall, a famous indoor food market with fresh meats, cheeses, candies and some restaurants. But our best find was serendipitous. We opened the door of a church to find a choir rehearsing. Most of the singers were teenagers, but there were also some younger children.

We couldn’t understand a word but the melodies and singing were beautiful. We sat and listened for about 15 minutes. The irony is that while there are a number of beautiful churches in Sweden, the population is now largely atheist or agnostic. Muslims make up the largest religious group at about 6% of the population.

Day Two was entirely taken up with visiting Sodermalm, a formerly poor neighborhood that’s been gentrified and now is home to some of the priciest real estate in the city. It’s hipster heaven. We took another walking tour led by the rainbow group, but before that we visited a local distillery for a gin tasting.

We had to hustle from the tasting to the start of the walking tour. The Stockholm Marathon was being run the same day and it felt like we were in our own race agains the runners. But we made the tour.

Later, we wrapped up with a visit to Fotografiska, which as the name implies is a museum of photography. This is the original outpost, but we had previously visited its location in New York. The museum also has a restaurant on the top floor with commanding views of the city.

The restaurant has a Green Michelin star for its eco-conscious practices, and we enjoyed a delicious multi-course meal at a price we thought was quite reasonable given the quality.

It was my birthday so I have to admit it was a very good day. Next up we are off to Uppsala, home to the university where Pat’s niece has been studying.