stockholm weekend pics, ulriksdals slottspark

always on the lookout for foodie places, we stumbled upon slottsträdgården, the castle garden cafe.  what a lovely place to visit on a weekend.  

although we came for the garden cafe, we were pleasantly surprised that it was located on the grounds of the ulriksdal castle.  we walked around the park admiring all the old buildings dating from the 1600s - 1800s.  the little red shed that once housed the blacksmith, the yellow building was a stable long ago, another where the pheasant farmer lived, the orangery originally built to grow exotic fruit (apparently the king was fond of pheasants and oranges!), and the pink church too.  so much history in this little part of sweden, just an hour north of stockholm. 

 

after walking through the park you finally get to slottsträdgården.  the cafe is located within the garden centre which means meandering through a series of greenhouses exploding with potted plants and flowers.  what a feast for the eyes!  

once in the cafe, another greenhouse, you can't help but get excited by the view of the pastry table.  the swedes love their fika!  before we indulged in dessert, we had a lovely mushroom soup served with gorgeous rustic bread, perfect for dipping.  then dessert... the cardamom cake!

 

after walking and eating and walking some more we lounged on the grass by the 1600 century castle to nap and play.  and, my boys made up a limerick tongue twister inspired by the peasant farmer.  they thought they were pretty smart and funny :)   

the orangery

it was a good end to our sunny weekend.  but next time, i'm bringing home some plants :)