june / 2021

 

kai: with his best buddy, graduation hats on, walking to dinner at indian street foods for an end of high school dinner with friends.

stockholm weekend pics: out and about and at home in june

out and about...

dinner at two skybars with friends! himlen, the skybar at skrapan, was a treat with its swedish-french menu. my fish was gorgeous as were the cocktails. it was the first time that i gathered with more than just one friend and we were all so happy to finally be together. in my neighouhood, the newly opened sjöstaden skybar was lovely. i loved its open and airy space. the fish here was delicious, so good and my friends say the steak was perfectly cooked. being just a skip and hop away from home, i think we will frequent this place often. of course, the views were super cool.

two date night in södermalm! we tried the new to us symbios, a cute restaurant just by nytorget, serving modern european food. sitting on their patio, we ate really well but what stands out is the freshly baked crispy bread... just excellent. and, lucky us, they sell their loaves during the week. i also remember stefan realizing, on the walk home, that our bill was way more than we ate. it turns out they charged us for three bottles of wine instead of three glasses but they happily reimbursed us and graciously comped us the glasses of wine. again, we found ourselves on a patio in the nytorget area, actually, the whole street is one giant patio, we love being out and about here in the summer. stefan and i had a lunch date at shanti gossip. it might be my favourite indian place although my boys might argue indian street food is the favourite.

i finally tried the ice cream from magnus johansson's new gelato place, just down the street from us. it was as good as expected coming from him. he is a beloved pastry chef here in sjöstad.

with work finished, it was lovely to just roam the streets and walk into shops for a spot of shopping, a favourite pasttime of mine. the first picture is one of my go to shops, tambur, where you can always find the perfect gift.

at home...

with their kitchen under renovation, we cooked dinner for our friends ximena, petter, and their girls. stefan's bbq ribs and smoked shrimp, kött kultur's meat, despina's dill salad, the coop's potato salad and cecelia's strawberry cake made for a lovely dinner. cece came by earlier in the day to bake since she hasn't been able to at home and we are so glad that she did, her desserts are to die for.

we eat on the balcony whenever stefan barbeques, he makes awesome kebabs. or, to enjoy an aperitif (svart is pictured). and, kai and stefan installed new decking tiles! it looks so much cleaner now, makes me happy.

loving my gubi mirror and vases filled with greenery and summer flowers. loki wants no part of this pic and escapes as soon as i snap the picture.

ylva and loki in their summer positions... sprawled across the floor here and there and everywhere.

ylva in the shade and in her new favourite tent which we keep by the balcony door so she can watch the birds, her favourite pasttime.

loki always looking for food...

in just a few days we, FINALLY, after 20 months and now fully vaccinated, go on vacation outside of sweden. woohoo! see you back here at the end of the summer :) have a lovely time and stay safe.

weekend pics: glad midsommar!

glad midsommar!

if you didn't know already, midsummer is the most celebrated day in the swedish calendar. so much so that swedes get the day off. i know, crazy and lovely all at the same time.

just as we did with our good friends ximena, petter and their girls, swedes gather for a beautifully rustic affair involving:

dining alfresco - we were in the garden! it often rains for midsummer and this year was no different but it stopped and the sun came out just in time of our arrival to our friend's place. their garden is a place you want to be, not only is it pleasing for the eye but good for soul. every time, reveling in the quiet and calm of nature. they have done incredible work on this little plot of land, take a peek at the new greenhouse they built. love it.

good food - traditionally it would be sill och potatis (herring and potatoes) but with petter at the bbq sill is the last thing on your mind. his 'melt in your mouth' ribs were ridiculously good. and in place of potatoes, we had grilled sweet potatoes, nothing beats grilled veggies in my book. and, stefan's focaccia bread was a hit... just dip in some good olive oil and salt. for dessert, we sprinkled all sorts of toppings on our vanilla ice cream.

drinking - prosecco and rum cocktails!

hopping like frogs around the maypole - well, we didn't have a maypole this year but we still had silly fun listening to music by flight of the conchords. many laughs were had!

finally, swedish tradition dictates that if a single woman gathers seven different types of flowers and places them under her pillow on midsummer's day, she'll dream of the man she's going to marry. well worth a shot, it might be that tall, blonde swede sitting across from you :)

so grateful for such a lovely day! hope you had a lovely midsummer celebration too.

travelogue: svartsö (black island) for a wedding anniversary

to celebrate our anniversary - twenty-four years! - stefan and i spent a weekend on svartsö, one of stockholm's larger islands in the central archipelago.

we brought our bicycles, but you can also rent from the village shop, which allowed us to easily get around between our hotel, skärgårdshotell & vandrarhem, on the north side and the krog, a beloved restaurant among the locals, on the south side. the road is lined with rocks, lush forests, and pastures with grazing horses and the occasional deer.

at the krog, we enjoyed a beautiful and fun evening on the lovely terrace, with a view of the baltic. our meal was superb, food that stands out and you remember, flavour exploding in our mouths with every bite. first, hiramasa with grapefruit and green chili followed by focaccia with sardines and hot sauce. when we returned for lunch the next day, we just had to order the focaccia again, it was that good. our main was duck, grilled with pak choi and green pepper sauce. we ended dinner with a delish rhubarb and star anise panna cotta.

just to remember, bob the lactation consultant was a hilarious story. to retell it here would loose it's appeal but we had a good laugh to the bemusement of the others in the restaurant. i apparently have an infectious laugh.

in the middle of woods, it's quiet and peaceful and lovely. we especially enjoyed our well-stocked breakfast basket, eating under the trees. of course, in sweden, breakfast always includes egg with creamy caviar... my favourite. 

our first swims in the sea were lovely. i have come to love swimming in cold water :) 

and marriage after 24 years? i think i'll hang onto him for another 24 years or so.

we will be happy to come back here!