Michael Portillo in Stockholm S01E02 1080p HDTV H264-DARKFLiX en subtitles – 100+ languages (SRT)

All language subtitles for Michael.Portillo.in.Stockholm.S01E02.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX.en

Afrikaans

Akan

Albanian

Amharic

Arabic

Armenian

Azerbaijani

Basque

Belarusian

Bemba

Bengali

Bihari

Bosnian

Breton

Bulgarian

Cambodian

Catalan

Cebuano

Cherokee

Chichewa

Chinese (Simplified)

Chinese (Traditional)

Corsican

Croatian

Czech

Danish

Dutch

English Download

Esperanto

Estonian

Ewe

Faroese

Filipino

Finnish

French

Frisian

Galician

Georgian

German

Greek

Guarani

Gujarati

Haitian Creole

Hausa

Hawaiian

Hebrew

Hindi

Hmong

Hungarian

Icelandic

Igbo

Indonesian

Interlingua

Irish

Italian

Japanese

Javanese

Kannada

Kazakh

Kinyarwanda

Kirundi

Kongo

Korean

Krio (Sierra Leone)

Kurdish

Kurdish (Soranî)

Kyrgyz

Laothian

Latin

Latvian

Lingala

Lithuanian

Lozi

Luganda

Luo

Luxembourgish

Macedonian

Malagasy

Malay

Malayalam

Maltese

Maori

Marathi

Mauritian Creole

Moldavian

Mongolian

Myanmar (Burmese)

Montenegrin

Nepali

Nigerian Pidgin

Northern Sotho

Norwegian

Norwegian (Nynorsk)

Occitan

Oriya

Oromo

Pashto

Persian

Polish

Portuguese (Brazil)

Portuguese (Portugal)

Punjabi

Quechua

Romanian

Romansh

Runyakitara

Russian

Samoan

Scots Gaelic

Serbian

Serbo-Croatian

Sesotho

Setswana

Seychellois Creole

Shona

Sindhi

Sinhalese

Slovak

Slovenian

Somali

Spanish Download

Spanish (Latin American)

Sundanese

Swahili

Swedish

Tajik

Tamil

Tatar

Telugu

Thai

Tigrinya

Tonga

Tshiluba

Tumbuka

Turkish

Turkmen

Twi

Uighur

Ukrainian

Urdu

Uzbek

Vietnamese

Welsh

Wolof

Xhosa

Yiddish

Yoruba

Zulu

Original subtitles

Come with me as I take you to some of my favourite cities

on a long weekend.

Buongiorno, tutti.

'Together, we'll explore the places I love...'

Oh, Palermo, what a beauty you are!

Oh, my word.

Madrid is next to heaven.

'..and discover places new.'

We put the "vroom, vroom" into Milano.

Oh, my. This is astonishing!

'From Stockholm to Lisbon...'

We'll raise a glass.

Saude. Saude.

And enjoy great food.

Mmm! Pork that melts in your mouth.

I don't think there's any delicate way of eating it.

Oh! SHE LAUGHS

'..we'll leave the tourist trail behind...'

Every bone in my body is being shaken.

My goodness, we are on the ice. Yeah!

Oh, my word.

We are tacking!

'..and seek out special places to stay.'

The view of Prague is magnificent.

'Along the way, we'll make new friends...'

Ciao! Salvatore.

Do you mind if... we do a selfie? Oh, really?

'..and memories to last a lifetime.'

Oh! Ohhhh-oh-oh-oh! Yes! That's great!

I think I shall always remember this. This is a beautiful moment.

I have rarely seen such opulence.

What an amazing sight.

I am loving this.

I can't wait to show you more.

My long weekend exploring Sweden's capital, Stockholm, continues.

A short flight north-east of Britain,

this watery city is spread across a patchwork of 14 islands,

linked together by bridges and ferries.

The beautiful setting makes it well worth a visit.

And the relaxed Swedish attitude to life is attractive, too.

Whether you're island-hopping, window-shopping,

schnapps-shotting, meatball-scoffing,

the Swedish capital has an archipelago of experiences for you.

Let's "stock" up and feel at "home" in Stockholm.

'So far...' My goodness.

'..I've made friends in the midst of meatballs...'

ALL:Skal.

Oh, my word.

'..discovered a record-breaking banquet table...'

I've been to state banquets in Buckingham Palace.Mm-hm.

I don't think I've ever seen a table this big.

'..and braved the frozen Baltic.'

My goodness, we are on the ice. Yes!

I think I shall always remember this. This is a beautiful moment.

'Today, I'll get crafty...'

I have not had this much fun since I was five.

SHE LAUGHS

'..with some very curvy ceramics...'

Every time it twitches, I get very nervous.

'..be swept up with the local crowd as teams do battle on the ice...'

Oh! Ohhhh-oh-oh-oh! Yes! That's great!

Oh, my.

'..and marvel at magnificent mosaics.'

This is astonishing. HE CHUCKLES

It may not be obvious that Stockholm

is closer to the Arctic Circle than Moscow is.

In the cold winters, it's dark by 3pm.

However, Swedes seem to adjust well to the changing seasons.

A Swedish word describes the national character - "lagom".

It means "in moderation", "just right",

and it helps to explain why Sweden is ranked

as one of the world's happiest places to live.

Returning to the island of Sodermalm,

my destination is a sports stadium.

I've come to cheer on the local team,

which is a great way to help the dark winter evenings fly by.

And you could try this during your visit.

A winter evening in Stockholm offers the opportunity to see bandy,

a sport with which I'm not familiar.

But one of the local teams, Hammarby,

has an important match tonight, and I'm joining the crowd.

'As popular in Sweden as football and ice hockey,

'bandy sits somewhere between the two.'

Thank you, thank you. Welcome.

'All I know is that it's played on ice.

'Jonna, who coaches the youth team of the home side, Hammarby,

'brings me up to speed.'

Hello. I'm Michael. Hi.

SUPPORTERS CHANTING Jonna.

Looks like the other team's supporters are here.

Yeah, they just arrived. And they're quite noisy.

Yeah. Let's go somewhere quieter.

Yeah.

Jonna, I should explain that I know nothing about bandy at all.

I've never seen this sport before.

The first thing that strikes me is you've got a pitch

that's around the size of a football field.Yeah.

But on the other hand, it looks quite like ice hockey.

Yeah, it's kind of a mix between hockey and football.

OK. And how many people do you expect in the crowd tonight?

I hope for over 2,000. Wow.

Yeah, it's a big thing in Stockholm, but it originated in England,

so hopefully, maybe, we can get some...

It originated in England? Yes.

I had no idea. Goodness. THEY CHUCKLE

The origins of bandy are hotly debated.

The first rule book was published in England in 1882,

where it's thought to have been played

in the Fens of East Anglia since around 1790.

A century later, in 1894, it was introduced to Sweden.

Unlike ice hockey, bandy is played with a ball rather than a puck.

It's a lightning-fast contact sport, and high-intensity battles

to win the ball often result in collisions and injuries.

Keen to discover what drives someone to participate

in this clash of the icemen,

I've arranged to meet one of the home team's midfielders.

Are you Kasper? I am Kasper.

Oh, how very nice to see you. I'm Michael.

Kasper, did you want to do this when you were a child?

Has it always been your ambition?

Yeah, my father played. Oh, really?

Yeah. So I start very young and loved it since then.

Speed and technique.

Yeah, speed is amazing, and obviously a lot of skill involved.

Are you from here? Are you from this part of Stockholm?Yeah.

This is my... Born and raised here. This is my childhood club.

What do you think about the game tonight?

What are your predictions?

It's a very tough game, but I think we'll win.

Very good luck tonight.

Thanks for finding time to talk to me.

Yeah, thank you. Thank you. Bye-bye.

'Having grasped the measure of the home team...

'..I go in search of the opposition.'

Hej. Hej.

One IPA, please. Tack.

I feel slightly out of place wearing yellow,

surrounded by green and orange.

And this is not the sort of place

where a man asks for a glass for his beer.

The home side, Hammarby, have twice been national champions,

in 2010 and 2013.

Tonight's opposition, Bollnas, from central Sweden,

last won the championship in 1956.

Its supporters are here in force.

You're a pretty good team, I believe.Yes.

Yep. Are you very hopeful this evening?

I'm very hopeful. I think Bollnas gonna win 4-3.

All right. You're very precise in your prediction.Yes. Yes.

I see all the green supporters

and all the orange supporters are here together.Yeah.

Is there a good spirit in bandy? Yes.

In bandy, it's very good spirit. Very good spirit, yes.

Yes, yes. Have a great evening.

Yeah. Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you very much. Bye-bye.

The match is about to start, and no beers beyond this point.

Now to find Jonna in the stands,

which are shared by supporters from both teams.

Hammarby are in their home colours, green,

and rivals Bollnas in white.

It doesn't take long to be swept up in the excitement.

Hammarby has a very good chance here.

Oh!

Oh! Ohhhh-oh-oh-oh! Yes! That's great!

Hammarby have opened the scoresheet.

'The pace of play is fast and furious,

'and it's matched by the energy in the crowd,

'overcoming the icy Baltic temperatures.'

I notice you've brought a briefcase. Yeah.

Have you brought your work from the office, or what is that?

No, it's part of bandy tradition.

You bring something hot to drink, usually coffee...

..uh, and something a little bit stronger

to keep warm from the inside. Oh-ho-ho!

And kind of disguised in a briefcase.

Yeah! So you look like more business.

Do you wanna try it? Oh, sure. Why not?

So, this is some coffee. Do you wanna pour it?

Thank you.

You can have whatever you want. Oh, that's nice.

So, cheers. Cheers.

Ice under the skates and warmth in the supporters.

CHANTING

Yeah! Yoooooo-ho-ho!

It's a Stockholm bloodbath. 3-0!

'Sadly for the visiting Bollnas supporters,

'the final score was a thumping 13-1 to Hammarby,

'which I'm guessing far exceeded Kasper's prediction of a win.'

I've had an amazing inside track on Stockholm's popular culture.

I believe that I'm the only tourist here,

and yet this insight into what makes Sweden tick

is available to any visitor for the price of a bandy ticket.

'Coming up, I check into my city-centre hotel...'

Good evening. Good evening.

Wow. These are oysters.

'..try some unusual schnapps shots...'

That is wild.

'..before crafting some very curvy ceramics.'

This is like Christmas, opening all these parcels.

CAR HORN HONKS

As the second day of my Scandi long weekend comes to a close,

I head to the thumping heart of the city

the district of Norrmalm.

Home to the Royal Swedish Opera,

designer shops, art galleries and my hotel.

Good evening. Good evening.

I'm Michael Portillo.

In its time, my hotel building has been many things.

Built in the late 1800s as luxury apartments,

it's also housed a bank, offices and now this stylish hotel.

In the 19th century, fishermen sold their catch

on the famous city square overlooked by the hotel.

I've chosen to stay here

for a reason that I'll reveal in the morning.

Very nice.

And now I must disclose to you that I have not chosen

this hotel room at random.

I'm one of these people who likes to plan

and never leave a hostage to fortune.

It's been recommended that before bed,

I visit the hotel bar...

..which serves a unique drink in honour of the fishermen

who set up stall on the square outside.

Hello, sir. Good evening to you.

How are you? I'm very, very well.

And what a very beautiful golden bar.

I'm going through a gold phase myself, actually.

Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm noticing you're blending in quite well here.

Yeah, I'm... Well, blending in - I've virtually disappeared.

Thank you very much. Is that a cocktail list?

That is indeed a cocktail menu, and some water while you're reading.

Thank you. What can I interest you in?

Well, you could interest me in, erm...

..whatever I may not have had before.

You're gonna have our standard serving.

It's only us that do it. OK.

'The standard serving is anything but.'

Wow. These are oysters.

They are indeed oysters. So, this is a two-part serving.

So, the first part is, you take the oyster,

and then when you've finished it, you're gonna keep the shell.

We're gonna fill the shell with a nice, cold oyster gin,

and then you're gonna do it as a schnapps.

MICHAEL LAUGHS

OK. That sounds absolutely fabulous.

That is wild. Yeah.

Oyster gin, are you saying that's made with oyster flavour?

It is made with crushed oyster shells from the Kangaroo Islands,

close to Tasmania, in southern Australia.

They are some of the most expensive oysters you can buy. Wow.

So, erm, oyster first.

And...

While my mouth is still chilled by the oyster

and filled with the flavour of the sea...

..down goes the schnapps.

That was absolutely brilliant.

I'm glad you liked it, sir. Yeah, I did.

I'm not sure I got it first time.

Shall we have another go? I reckon.

Mm-hm.

The last perfect, slithery bit of the oyster, and...

Down goes the spirit.

Oh, the schnapps, which fills the mouth with... mild fire.

That is wonderful.

Mm!It's an excellent combination of umami

because the shell retains so much savoury flavours,

so when you pour the ice-cold gin on top of it,

it's just a beautiful intermix of flavours.

I've struck gold in the golden bar. Indeed you have, sir.

A mid-January sunrise in Stockholm occurs around eight o'clock.

A beautiful moment of low golden light rewards the early riser.

My next destination is Sodermalm,

the island that I visited for my meatball lunch.

To reach it, I take what's fast becoming

my favourite means of transport.

Divine winter light, but it's a chilly sort of sun.

And here in the harbour, the water has frozen over in jagged blocks.

Let's hope my water taxi has an ice-breaking hull.

Hello, Stefan. Hello, Michael.

Good to see you. Welcome.

What a lovely day for a boat ride. It is, isn't it?

'Water taxis offer one of the best ways

'to appreciate the beauty and broad sweep of this island city.'

This is my moment to get to understand

the geography of Stockholm,

which sits on an archipelago of islands.

It's on the Baltic Sea,

but it's got a river and canals and a bay and a lake -

every conceivable sort of waterway.

What it does mean is that, everywhere,

there's the blue of the water and the white of the ice

acting as a mirror to reflect light

onto this elegant shoreline architecture.

For a capital city, Stockholm has a very low, unassuming skyline.

Buildings tend to be functional, sustainable and in tune with nature.

This love of design extends to interiors, too,

and not just to flat-pack furniture.

Mid-20th-century Swedish design is renowned worldwide

for its minimal, organic shapes,

made in natural materials like wood and glass.

Swedish homes are furnished accordingly.

When the long winter draws in, you'd value a living space

that's both stylish and comfortable.

For a modern take, I'm visiting an up-and-coming local designer

whose studio is open to visitors by appointment.

Hello! Hey. Mimmi! Hello, I'm Michael.

Hey, Michael. Mimmi.

Lovely to see you. You too.

Who's your friend? And this is Belle. This is Belle.

Hello. You're matching.

Like this... Yes, we do match a bit.

SHE LAUGHS

All right, come in. Thank you very much.

Whoa, what an amazing space you have.

Not so much an artist's garret but, erm, an artist's basement.

Yes, it is.

'Mimmi, at age 30, has already sold her distinctive pieces

'around the world for high-end Swedish brands.'

Oh, very nice.

Your work is very tactile. Everything has lovely curves.

Thank you. And this, as well.

Very pretty. Sweden is so well-known for design.

I suppose, for about 100 years now,

Sweden has been associated with design.

Do you think it's still a very strong culture here?

Yes. Yes, it is. SHE LAUGHS

It's everywhere.

'Today, Mimmi is working on some very shapely ceramics

'and bravely allows me to be involved

'in the start of the process.'

This reminds me of a chef's hat. SHE LAUGHS

Yeah. And then, what, do you fill that with plaster?

Exactly. And then it stands,

and then I paint it with this yellow lacquer.

I have this one ready to be filled with plaster.

How exciting. This little... What did you say?

Chef's hat. Chef's hat.

So we're doing the chef's hat now, OK? Absolutely.

So, like this. And then quite slow.

Pour it in... in here.

You're good at this.

You can also do it in a perfect yellow outfit

and not be covered in plaster.

I've not had this much fun since I was five.

SHE LAUGHS

Every time it twitches, I get very nervous.

If it falls off, it will go off like a bomb.

Don't worry, it won't fall off. Good.

'The chef's hat sculpture will be ready in two weeks,

'by which time, it will have set and look something like this one.'

That's it.

Out it comes. Great.

'All that time and patience are vindicated.'

This is like entering Tutankhamun's tomb.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, my goodness.

Here it is. Well done.

Thank you. That is lovely.

What a beautiful shape. Thank you.

This is like Christmas, opening all these parcels.

I know.

In this mould, it's sculptures that are made for a fashion brand.

I think it's... Yeah.

Mmm. It's like a lovely cushion. Exactly.

With a little indent in the top. Yeah.

This brand, they will put jewellery, maybe a bracelet or so.

Oh, yeah, yeah. But I call them ravioli bowl.

Ravioli. Yeah. That's exactly what it's like.

Because it's like a pillow ravioli shape.

Lovely pieces. Thank you.

Going to see Mimmi, I get it now.

The Swedish people are fascinated by design.

The children grow up surrounded by it.

They absorb it, and they see design as an entirely plausible career.

'Coming up...'

What an amazing sight.

'..I discover the source

'of some of that marvellous Swedish design in Viking treasure...

'..and I find a trail of Viking graffiti.'

Such a modern idea, isn't it,

that when you get somewhere and you're a lad,

you have to show that you were there?

'And I unleash my inner Sherlock.'

The pursuit of crime takes you to the strangest places.

HE LAUGHS What are we doing here?

CAR HORN HONKS

I'm midway through my long weekend

in the Nordic region's biggest city, Stockholm.

With its population of 1 million spread across islands,

it doesn't feel metropolitan.

'My water taxi is heading back to the district of Norrmalm,

'where I'll investigate a dramatic chapter

'in the history of my hotel building.'

There is a phenomenon known as the Stockholm syndrome.

It means that hostages can develop a sympathy for their captors,

for their kidnappers.

This has been observed in one crisis after another,

but it was first marked out here in this city.

Indeed, here in this very building.

In August 1973, the ground floor of my hotel was a Swedish bank.

There was an armed robbery,

and four bank staff were taken hostage.

A six-day standoff with police was broadcast live on television

and made headlines around the world.

The rooms above the bank in what is now my hotel

played a key role in the police operation.

The kidnapper, Jan-Erik Olsson, was armed with a submachine gun.

In exchange for the hostages, he demanded 3 million kroner -

about £3.2 million in today's money -

the release of a convicted criminal and a getaway car.

Lupe.

Good morning. Good morning.

How lovely to see you. Come and sit down.Thank you.

'Hotel managing director Lupe has become something of an expert

'in the dramatic six-day siege and the rare syndrome itself.'

So, we have one bank raider. Yeah.

One man who's released from prison and brought here.Yeah.

And four hostages. Yes.

Three women and one man.

Everything has changed since then. It's a long time ago.Yeah.

But what were these buildings in those days?

They were offices and apartments.

And the police, they used two rooms.

One is the gym now. Yes.

And the other one is our boardroom,

where they're planning the next move, their strategy.

'Just along from the impressive atrium

'is the room where the Stockholm police

'masterminded their operation.'

And tell me now about the geography.

From where we are now, where was the bank?

The bank was directly under us.

And during the six days of the siege,

were the captives and the hostages just below us?

In the very beginning, they were.

But then after a few days, they moved into the vault.

And the vault is where?

It's under where our gym is now.

So a few metres away from this room.

When was the phenomenon observed

that the hostages were becoming sympathetic to the captors?

I think at the moment that they moved into the vault,

they were already agreeing to be closer to their captors,

and they didn't trust the police somehow so much.

What do you think had ruined the trust with the police?

Outside the hotel were a lot of police cars.

There was a lot of photographers and journalists.

And maybe they were fearing for their life

because it was of course the police, they have... they were armed.

And maybe they felt that they were safer inside the vault,

and they were quite peaceful, also, the captors, I suppose.

That's why they gave some trust somehow.

And who knows what impact stress has upon you.

Who knows what effect that has on your mind?

Yeah, exactly. That stress, maybe they felt at that moment

that they decided to cooperate with their captors.

It didn't help that the police

threatened a violent end to the siege,

which the hostages took as a direct threat

to their own safety.

So many narrow corridors. Yes.

'Our final stop is the hotel gym,

'where Lupe wants to show me the exact spot

'from where the end of the siege was orchestrated.'

The pursuit of crime takes you to the strangest places.

HE LAUGHS

What are we doing here? SHE LAUGHS

What are we doing?

Here is the place, look, where they initially make these holes.

Through the holes, about the fourth day,

they took in a camera to see how the situation was. Yeah.

The captors realised they were being observed

and shot upwards and hit one of the cameramen.

And then the last day, the police realised,

"OK, through the same holes, we can release gas."

And the captors, they couldn't stand it,

so they just gave up.

And both the captors and the hostages were released.

Well, they were not released, they ended up in jail, but...

The kidnapper, Jan-Erik Olsson,

was sentenced to ten years for the robbery.

None of the hostages testified against him,

and some even visited him in prison after the trial.

Psychiatrists explain that the captives

had become emotionally indebted to him

rather than the police for their survival.

Within months, this rare phenomenon was dubbed "Stockholm syndrome".

Lupe, this has been, for me, a special moment.

For 50 years, I've heard about the Stockholm syndrome

without understanding its origin.

And now the whole thing has been revealed to me

in the tight corner of a bathroom of a gymnasium.Right.

Amazing.

My Scandi long weekend is proving to be in equal parts surprising

and just as I expected.

In 2010, Stockholm was named Europe's first green capital

for its commitment to the environment.

So, in the spirit of staying local,

I'm taking you somewhere within walking distance of my hotel.

In a city centre packed with bars, restaurants and museums,

you could visit Voulez-Vous, the ABBA museum.

I didn't have time, but you could prioritise it when you visit.

For now, join me instead on a journey far back in time

to a museum which I've been told will change forever

my view of a notorious warrior tribe.

In the British Isles,

we were on the receiving end of the Vikings,

and we think of them as raiders and pillagers.

Here in Stockholm, I wouldn't be surprised

if they tell me that they were terrific traders,

marauders or merchants.

We're on the horns of a dilemma.

The Swedish History Museum tells the story of the Viking Age,

which lasted three-and-a-half centuries

until the year 1100.

It demonstrates that in literature, politics,

agriculture, global exploration, and arts and crafts,

the Vikings were a sophisticated civilisation.

Maria. I'm Michael. Hello, Michael. Nice to meet you.

John. Hello.

Great pleasure to meet you.

MICHAEL LAUGHS What an amazing sight.

'Two years ago, archaeologists Maria and John

'made the discovery of a lifetime not far from here -

'a haul of exquisite jewellery.

'Today, they've opened it up for me to be astonished.'

Tell me how you found it.

Tell me about the moment of finding it.

Oh, it was unbelievable.

I've been working as an archaeologist for 20 years,

and I've been metal detecting for 15 years.

It was such an immense sound.

I mean, almost fell backwards.

All the silver was lying all together, like, in one pile.

And it was lying inside of this vessel.

The silver looked more or less like this.

Really? Yes, it did. It was shining.

I'm amazed that the silver shone.

I mean, the only silver I have goes black within a year.

You feel very humble when you make these kind of finds,

because you want to connect to people in the past,

and this is really a true way of doing that.

Yes, that's lovely.

Do we think this was, what, part of a burial of a person?

Was it someone being buried with treasure?

Yes.

This might be a sort of pagan ritual, a funeral.

And here, an immense collection of coins

which have been made into medallions.

Yes, exactly.

The pendants, they're from all over Europe.

So, they're from Russia all the way over to England.

And these three are Aethelred II coins. Yeah.

One of the English kings. Yes.

'The artistry demonstrated here challenges my prejudices

'about what sort of people the Vikings were.'

Who might the owner have been?

So, we believe that it might have been a powerful woman

within this settlement and within this area.

And that's interesting in itself, isn't it?

The concept of a powerful woman in Viking times.Mm.

Thank you very much for infecting me with your excitement.

This is really a magnificent hoard.

'Curator Sven has another surprise for me.'

Sven. Hello. Hello, Michael.

It's great to see you. Same to you. Thank you.

This lion does not look in any way Viking to me.

No, it doesn't, it doesn't. It's actually a Greek lion.

But what makes it Viking is graffiti.

You can see here,

you have the dragon with a snout, with the eyes.

And then you have a runic inscription

of a Norse being in Athens.

And that's quite striking because it immediately shows you

the wide horizons of the Viking Age, simply.

How would the Vikings get from Scandinavia to Athens?

What's the route?

It's always by waterways, across the Baltic,

and then you would take yourself into the Russian river systems.

Do we have any idea what the runes say?

Oh, yes. It says something like, "Young men cut these runes."

That's such a modern idea, isn't it,

that when you get somewhere and you're a lad,

you have to show that you were there?

Exactly, exactly. SVEN LAUGHS

It's graffiti. It really is. Yeah.

A few moments of studying Viking history in Stockholm

has already altered my view.

They were technologists and artists and artisans and navigators.

They may have started out as horny, helmeted hoodlums,

but they became cosmopolitan sophisticates.

'Coming up...'

Thank you very much.

'..I feast like a king on seafood supplied to the Swedish royals...'

That is absolutely delicious.

'..and discover a town hall like no other.'

We have 23.5 to 24-carat gold on the walls.

But that's just extraordinary.

CAR HORN HONKS

As the day draws in,

there's a couple more places that I want to show you.

A ten-minute stroll from the Swedish History Museum

is a Stockholm institution

which, at this time, I'll have almost to myself.

First opened in November 1888,

it still serves the good people of Stockholm today.

I've avoided the lunchtime rush...

..and I hope that I haven't missed the traders.

This is a glorious market - the famous Ostermalmshallen.

Don't you love the sound of Swedish?

Home to restaurants, wine bars and a handful of gourmet traders,

this foodie's paradise is a great place to visit

for a cheesy nibble or a chocolate truffle

to sustain you on an energetic long weekend.

I'm in search of something cured and smoky,

and I'm meeting the fourth generation of a family

who've traded here since the early 1920s.

Ulf. Oh, hello. Nice to meet you.

This is such a beautiful place. Right?

I'm not sure I've ever been in such a beautiful market.

"Lisa Elmqvist" -

that is your great-grandmother, right?That's true.

She started a small stand in here in that corner.

She was very picky about quality.

She was very picky about the staff doing the right job.

And she was a really strong woman.

Ulf's great-grandmother's hard work paid off.

The business now supplies some of Stockholm's top restaurants

and a particularly prestigious family.

We have this point of warrant

to serve the King of Sweden and the Queen.

So, by appointment, supplier of fish to the royal family.

Yeah, that's true.

'Traditionally, smoked wild salmon

'is a particular favourite of Their Majesties.

'And given Sweden's reputation for quality smoked fish,

'I can feast like a king.'

A little bit of dill on.

A little bit of dill. Thank you very much.

Another idea is also to have it as a starter, a little bit like that.

With a little mustard sauce, a little dill.Yes.

That is... That is absolutely delicious.

You can be very proud of that. Great fish.

Yeah, thank you. Mm.

'Another local delicacy is roe, or fish eggs.

'The Swedes like to splurge supermarket varieties from a tube

'straight onto their toast.

'Ulf's offerings are more refined.'

Bleak roe, that comes from a small white fish

in the north part of the Baltic Sea.

You catch them in the beginning of October,

and one fish has maybe just that of eggs in one fish.

So it's a really hard work to... to create,

but it's also very expensive.

And what about that other one there? They are a little bit bigger.

This is from a trout.

Also good. Let me try some of those.

You can try.

Gloriously salty. Quite smooth.

Just a little bit of texture. Very, very, very lovely.

And here comes the trout roe.

And this one, I imagine, will have more texture.

Mm.

These, you can feel bumps around a little bit more in the...

You can feel the little eggs bursting in your mouth.Yeah.

It's absolutely delicious. Yeah.

Well, Ulf, it's amazing

that you're maintaining the standards over 100 years.

And if I may, erm,

in addition to the honour you have of serving His Majesty,

I hereby appoint you supplier of trout roe to Michael Portillo, OK?

Good. Super. Thank you, yeah.

Every year, on the 10th of December,

the eyes of the world fall on my next destination.

A short boat ride to the island of Kungsholmen

is the seat of local government.

But once a year, it hosts the annual banquet

for the Nobel Prize laureates.

Stockholm City Hall -

I would say more impressive than beautiful,

but never judge a book by its cover.

Topped by the national emblem of Sweden,

the three golden crowns,

this red brick building was completed in 1923.

It's one of Stockholm's landmarks and open to the public.

If the exterior doesn't take your breath away,

the interiors just might.

This beautiful room supposedly has an echo

which picks up particularly sibilance...

RESONATING: .. like "Swedish smorgasbord in Stockholm".

'Guide Henrietta is going to show me the jewel in the three crowns.'

Oh, my.

HE LAUGHS Yes.

Henrietta, ooh, la, la! This is astonishing.

HE CHUCKLES

Suddenly, we're into a world of golden mosaics.

My goodness. SHE CHUCKLES

Every wall, every square centimetre covered in mosaic.

Mm. When we have guided tours in here,

one thing that we start by asking is,

do we think that it's real gold on the walls?

We have the tourists answer. What do you think?

Hm. I'm being put to the test. Erm...

I'll go for yes. Yes. And you're right.

Oh, good.You're correct, yes. At least the golden pieces.

Because a very easy way of describing it

is you make these pieces of mosaics by taking two pieces of glass,

and in between, you put a thin, thin layer of gold leaf.

Wow!So we do have 23.5 to 24-carat gold on the walls.

That's just extraordinary.

'In fact, 18 million golden tiles make up the spectacular mosaics

'that illustrate fables and legends from Swedish history.

'At one end of the hall, a woman holds Stockholm in her lap.

'She is the Queen of Malaren, the lake on which the city sits.

'Closer inspection reveals a wealth of detail and storytelling.'

As your eyes become accustomed to the mosaics,

you begin to see more and more things,

and some of them are very surprising.Yeah.

An Eiffel Tower has appeared here, and Statue of Liberty,

and, I assume, the buildings of New York City behind.

Yes, exactly. So, the style in here is quite old.

It gives you a sort of old-fashioned feeling, perhaps,

but the images on the walls,

that sort of tells you how young the building is.

Relatively young.

It's 101 years old, or you wouldn't be able

to put these images on the walls.

And it's sort of playful because when you walk in here,

you feel as though you're going into an 8th or 9th-century chapel,

and then, suddenly, you've got images

from all over the modern world.

'Yet again, this unassuming city catches me by surprise.'

A visit to a city hall sounds boring and bureaucratic,

and when I put it on my bucket list, I had to stifle a yawn.

But I'm so pleased that I seized this golden opportunity.

'Next time in Stockholm...'

Thank you very much.

This is food at its simplest and at its best.

'..I discover more about this spectacular city.'

Shiver my timbers. It's absolutely stunning.

HE STRAINS

Here comes something big. Ah!