01 Oct Siblings at the Grand Hôtel
Our adorable waitress at the Grand Hotel smörgåsbord
In 1944 and 1945, while World War II was raging all around neutral Sweden, our parents Herman Allen and Hedvig Johnson often dined at the Grand Hôtel. Not only was it the finest hotel in Stockholm (one of the finest in Europe!) it was headquarters for the European press. Reporters and journalists from all over the world – Allies and Axis both – worked from and often stayed there. They had dinner at adjacent tables and enjoyed drinks next to each other at the bar.
I haven’t been able to find much written about the Grand Hôtel during wartime. Even though it was a busy place, the influx of tourist travel was missed.
I knew that when my siblings (Barbara, Kathy, Bill) and I were in Stockholm we had to dine at the Grand Hôtel and we had to have the smörgåsbord. Growing up, “Swedish smörgåsbord” was family folklore at the Allen house.
Grand Hotel in 1943. Click on the photo and you can just make out the open air veranda.
When we arrived for dinner we were seated at a prime table overlooking the water. We all had great appetites after a full day walking to Skansen then driving paddle boats all the way from the Djurgården Bridge to the American Legation at Strandvägen 7.
Our waitress gave us a brochure that explained the smörgåsbord to English-speaking visitors. “Think of the Swedish smörgåsbord as a four-to-six-course meal. Try to be selective. Do not overload your plate. Make several trips to the buffet instead …”
It was a feast for the eyes and for the appetite. When I return to Stockholm and the Grand Hôtel smörgåsbord I hope I remember that it is not necessary to try every single kind of herring. I did. It was one of our mother’s favorite Swedish foods. After herrings, the incredible salmons, prawns, the roe, the pates there was little room for the hot dishes. A reason to come back!
We ordered Swedish beer and, of course, aquavit. Our parents always called it “Schnaps.” We raised our glasses to Hedy and Herman with a rousing “Skål!” Cheers! To Stockholm!
Skål! with our new friends Paul, Hanna and Daniel at the Grand Hôtel
One of our questions for the waiters was “How is the Grand Hôtel different today than it was during World War II?” They explained that for one thing the Veranda was an open porch back then. It was taken down during the frigid winters.
We noticed the three people seated at the table next to us. Bill said he heard them talking about how the hotel had changed through the years. Paul and Hanna Wechselblatt were there with their friend Daniel to celebrate Paul’s 85th birthday. Daniel had come all the way from Switzerland! We began to chat and before you know it we were trading stories.
Suddenly the waiter brought us (more!) aquavit, a gift from our new friends. So we ended our wonderful dinner with another Skål to Stockholm!
But wait … our evening at the Grand Hôtel wasn’t over yet. There’s more to come!
Related Posts:
Siblings in Sweden
Grand Hôtel Stockholm
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