march / 2020

kai: loki is getting a lot more attention now that kai is studying from home

stockholm weekend pics, self isolating in march

settling into this staying at-home routine. noticing small things of beauty while physical distancing. and taking a break from non-stop news updates.

1. spending time with the cats, on our lap and nestled beside us.

2. being spoilt by stefan's non-stop delicious cooking... indonesian meatballs with sambal beans, french onion pasta, spicy katsu chicken sandwiches and so much more goodness.

 3. ordering indian street food or tezukuri sushi take-out, every friday night.

4. shopping for groceries, getting outside. i actually love to grocery shop. these days, however, the trip can be a little anxious making so we walk along the water, the long way there. 

5. stopping by the fish guy for salmon... he's spoilt me with smoked salmon. i can't eat store-bought anymore! 

6. picking up fika from our local baker, magnus johansson to enjoy at home, waiting on pink hearts for our turn to go inside, only 5 allowed indoors. 

6a. eating ice cream with caramel sauce on a cold sunday.

7. visiting the omnomnomn chocolatier, eva mantsinen, and thanking her for her creations. polka (english translation, peppermint) is my favourite but then there is the hazelnut crisp too. both heavenly.

8. spotting red hearts dangling from a tree.

9. drinking gin and tonic with friends, virtually :)

10. playing board games and laughing out loud.

11. potting an aloe. giving my wooden spoons a new home. all the while, enjoying a piece of almond cake (top photo).

12. playing music, learning the ukulele. 

13. eating eggs for breakfast, always. but for kai, it's pancakes.

14. remembering the last time we went out. so glad we got to that concert with ximena and petter. we didn't really know then that it would be our last outing. thankfully my illness shortly after the concert didn't get any worse than a cold/flu. for ten days, i was taking meds, drinking tea, finding comfort in slippers, pjs, and netflix all day long. 

hope you have found your cozy at home this month. be safe, stay healthy.

2019 travelogues posted!

living in sweden has opened up our world to european travel thanks to proximity and cheap flights. i am beyond grateful. 

and, to travel with these two guys, well, i wouldn't have it any other way. we fit very well, like starting our days at one of the coffee shops that stefan has found or doing something active at least once, for kai. and they endure my walks through neighbourhoods and visiting design shops.

but with what's happening in the world today, it's time to stay home. being home sick gave me some time to put together this 2019 overview of our travels. it was fun to revisit these places and while you are cozy at home too, feel free to click away and start dreaming about your future travels... because one day everything will be okay again. as the italians say, 'andrà tutto bene'.

in february, my first trip of the year was solo. a stopped in new york to spend time with suji and angela...

then off to toronto (click here too) for my niece's wedding, spending time with a beautiful friend, and eating lots of my mama's cooking.

later in february we went back to the dolomites, nice to see you again!

in april, just in time for stefan's birthday, we headed to norway (click here and here too), from oslo to bergen via the fjords.

our first summer stop was holland. we visited haarlem, rotterdam and kinderdijk too. ending in den bosch and the countryside to spend time with family.

then we flew to athens, hectic yet absolutely beautiful and i spent a couple of days with beautiful despina...

and finally we ended our summer vacation in lemnos, in our HOUSE (!) and it was lovely in every way, the perfect relaxing getaway. (link to come soon)

finally, in october, we found ourselves in florence and took a cooking class in the tuscan countryside too. i want to move here :)

i should be sated having traveled often but i have a serious case of wanderlust. when everything goes back to normal, and we're healthy and able, i wonder where we'll end up?

travelogue: trysil, norway, a ski vacation

while traveling is great fun for me, the idea of doing so with friends is even better. we immediately abandoned our plans to go to slovenia for sportslov (sweden's week long sport's break) and instead tagged along with our friends despina, george, and their daughter marilena. 

trysil, a norwegian classic, is the largest destination for skiing in norway that swedes travel to. located close to the swedish border, it's about a 6-hour drive from stockholm. 

the resort, trysilfjället, has two sides, and on the south side, where we stayed, you find long wide slopes for all levels, a children's area, restaurants, bars, and a teeny main street with a couple of sports shops and cafes.

most cabins and hotels are located right by the slopes, which means that you never have to walk far – it’s ski-in, ski-out. while there are no real views, unlike our visits to the dolomites and the pyrenees mountains, it was quaint and convenient. even after the sun goes down, some slopes have floodlights for night skiing, which kai took advantage of. my boys are experienced riders, and while there is not an abundance of choice, they did manage to ride a few black slopes despite the lack of snow this year.

while our hubbies and kiddos skied/snowboarded, despina and i took it easy. we met up for chai lattes, lunched with our people (i won't even give you an example of how much a sandwich and a coffee will cost you), had a spa day, and enjoyed an afternoon of snowshoeing too.

marilena and i loved the chicken sandwich served with the perfect fries

one morning we let the sweetest huskies show us the way through norwegian's beautiful unspoiled nature on a dog-sledding tour. while i was a little apprehensive at the start, it was magic.  

such peaceful surroundings on this easy snowshoe stroll.  while it wasn't strenuous (like my grouse ascents in vancouver), i enjoyed sharing this favourite activity with despina. and the hot chocolate was a treat. 

we tried to see the northern lights but to no avail. i don't think seeing a wavy green streak in the sky for just a moment counts, nor does this photo below, taken and photoshopped by our guide. but, we did experience frigid temperatures, it was freezing! 

our stay at the radisson blu was really convenient. they had a lounge where we could enjoy pre-dinner drinks, the boys enjoyed a dip in the pool, despina and i pampered ourselves with a spa treatment and we went bowling too. yes, they had a bowling alley, and it was such a fun evening! although someone (i won't say if it was me or maybe george) was a bit competitive but all in good fun. 

best of all, we were just a hop and skip away from our friend's rental apartment. depsina and stefan cooked, so we enjoyed good food and drink, we played games, and just relaxed in the company. 

i will look back on these special moments fondly... until the next time!

we didn't manage to make it into town, but on our way home, we stopped by kort och godt for the highly recommended solbullar ('sun buns')... a delicious vanilla cream-filled pastry.

vacations are always better with friends! thank you, despina, george, and marilena. we look forward to more hangouts back in stockholm.