happiness reminder!

love this, by mindset therapy. 

i have been in a mood lately. work has been intense and emotional, parenting has been less than perfect, and throw some sisterly drama into the mix, the month of may has not been too happy making. 

then i came across mindset therapy's how to be happy post on instagram which is a good reminder that i am responsible for my own happiness. 

stay tuned for may's stockholm weekend pics where i practice gratitude for the simple and good things in my life... the month of may wasn't so bad.

stockholm weekend pics, coffee festival

my boys were ready to get caffeinated.

the coffee festival was held in lövholmen, an industrial area, just south of stockholm, i loved the old brick buildings. but stefan was captivated by the aeropress brew bar... thankfully they weren't selling so we didn't come home with yet another coffee gadget ;)

most importantly for this non-coffee drinker, there was food. i had the falafel pita while my boys devoured sausages.

hope you had a lovely weekend too!

swedish grace, stockholm's stadbibiotek

on a sunny day back in june, when the air was warmer, i ventured a little north in the city into vasastan to find one of the world's beautiful libraries.  stockholms stadbibiotek - stockholm's public library - has a gorgeous dome central reading room.  take one of the two winding stairs up to the circular balcony to browse, sit with a book down below, or scout out the english section.  all the while marvelling at such a beautiful place.  it was created in the swedish grace style by the architect gunnar asplund. 

stockholms stadbibiotek sits next to a leafy park with a view of the neighbourhood and apparently the cafe up on the hill serves the best waffles... i think i will have to return with my boys ;)

how i love wandering the streets finding treasures in stockholm.

ett hem with laurie and graeme

stefan and i happily accepted the invite to dine with laurie and graeme for graeme's birthday celebration at ett hem; it will forever be a memorable evening.

located in a quiet residential neighbourhood, behind a brick walled gate, it is cozily tucked away.  once an old family home, it was been lovingly restored into a boutique hotel with attention to detail, beautiful inviting details.  designed by ilse crawford, whose love of textures is evident in the space.  it doesn't feel or look like a 'hotel' at all.  the name 'ett hem' says it all: at home. 

there's relaxed furniture, an honesty bar if you are lucky enough to stay at the boutique hotel, design books strewn about for perusing, a stack of board games too.  be warned, if you do stay here, you may never see stockholm because i can't imagine you'd want to leave this space.  we got to peek at the rooms, fabulous and so thoughtful!  they even have stutterheim raincoats in the foyer for their guests.  

we are so lucky that non-guests can dine at their restaurant; you can eat in the kitchen, in the conservatory, the dining room or out in the garden.  we chose the garden, it was a gorgeous night.  the food was amazing.  local and fresh, served on beautiful pottery.

the staff makes you feel so comfortable, like being welcomed into a friend's home. our waitress, caroline, was friendly and took such good care of us.  we chatted with the chef... yes, you can walk right into the kitchen and watch your food being prepared.  

we took our tea and dessert indoors, settling comfortably in the living room.  the chef baked a strawberry birthday cake, and guys, it was incredible with roasted white chocolate bits thrown in!  the space allows you to linger for as long as you like.  it was hard to go home, i think we all would have preferred to turn in upstairs. 

of course, being there with good friends made the experience all the more special.  laurie and i were giddy being in such a gorgeous environment.  i am going to miss her; she and her boys move to london today starting a new chapter in their expat lives.  i am so lucky to have met her, to have been a part of her stockholm story.  laurie has a generous heart, she's thoughtful and kind, an amazing mama - her two boys are evidence of that.  and she makes me laugh out loud.  i will miss you laurie, xoxo

thank you ett hem, you are so lovely.  i think we need a staycation or maybe move in permanently :) 

readers, do take a peek at the links for ett hem and ilse crawford, both have short 1-2 minute videos of the space, a must watch as my photos do not do it justice.

faviken, a dinner in the middle of nowhere

he made the reservation in september, and may 3rd was the only time available near his birthday.  stefan was giddy with anticipation for months.  finally, the day arrived and after a 45 minute flight and 1.5 drive, we arrived at fäviken.  

when we arrived and throughout our one-night stay, we strolled the grounds which were just awakening from its winter slumber - and winter is a long one up here, 6 months.  we found the cellars where all his experiments are kept, the pickling, drying, curing, fermenting.  the lake where the fish comes from.  cozy spots to enjoy a drink and a teepee too.  then, what i thought were horses were in fact reindeer, running wild in the forest.  guys, wild reindeer!  such a wonderful sight.  and then, just before dinner we enjoyed a sauna.

run by chef magnus nilsson, the fäviken kitchen serves each guest a collection of 30 plates throughout the evening. each dish highlights local ingredients: they make the most of their natural surroundings, foraging for local ingredients in the nearby forest and lakes, working with their neighbours to procure butter (made the old fashioned way) and meats.  

it was the most adventurous menu i have ever eaten.  the evening starts with little plates downstairs and champagne is poured freely.  then we are escorted upstairs to take our seats in a simple dim lit room with cured hams hanging from the ceiling.  i loved the theater of it all... you knew your meal was arriving by the stomping footsteps heard on the stairs, the cooks and wait staff bringing up the food on huge platters, sometimes putting the finishing touches on it right there.  as it is served, one of the staff softly claps his hands and he has our attention, we listen as he describes the food in front us.  this goes on repeatedly with every course.  it's beautifully orchestrated.   

some favourites included the scallop cooked over burning juniper branches; king crab with almost burnt cream; an egg yolk preserved in sugar syrup served on a pile of crumbs made from pine tree bark accompanied by ice cream seasoned with spruce.  the latter, absolutely amazing.  there were a a couple of things i could have done without, like the wild trout roe served in a crust of dried pig's blood, not my favourite.  oh, i must not forget to talk about the apples; magnus froze apples in september and pressed them the evening of the dinner for the most delicious apple 'juice' i have ever drank.    

after dinner, we are back downstairs in our same seats enjoying more sweets and teas.  we mingled with the other guests; 16 in total.  many, like us, just in the area to dine at fäviken.  we sat in the teepee by the fire sharing our favourite moments of the evening before retiring to a comfy bed.

and then breakfast.  if you are lucky enough to book one of the five rooms available at fäviken, you wake up to an incredible breakfast spread... homemade breads, cured meats, spreads and jams, porridge of seeds, and of course, a boiled egg with roe spread; the latter a swedish breakfast staple.  finishing off with a still warm cookie.  the attention to detail is appreciated and lovely.  the staff - the night before and the morning of - so friendly.  it was difficult to leave. 

 it was definitely a splurge but so worth it.

 

getting to and from the fäviken, wasn't the most exciting considering the seasons were in transition; the winter season just closed the day before and the summer season still a ways away up here in the north.  nevertheless, on the way in, we drove slowly along enjoying the views and we found gorgeous chocolate are chokladfabrik; and despite the crisp weather, we lounged by a lake enjoying the warmth of the sun before catching our flight home.

stefan is already saving his pennies, he has plans to visit again in the middle of winter when it's dark and snowy most of the day.  i think i'll tag along :)