After having the life-changing move from Sydney, Australia to Stockholm, Sweden I decided it was about time I started blogging some of my experiences since we have arrived.
After spending a week with family in the UK, Carl and I arrived in Stockholm on 13 September. As soon as we stepped off the plane I immediately felt a freshness in the air. It wasn't especially cold but the air felt clearer some how.
We checked into the Hilton Slussen and went out exploring. Our friend had recommended the Pelikan restaurant in Södermalm Carl had what looked like a slab of pork on the bone with swede mash and an array of mustards and I had much anticipated meatballs with a creamy mash and logonberries with lashings of gravy.
I've started to have meatballs at quite a few restaurants we have visited by means of comparison. There is something comforting as we approach winter to have these heavier types of foods and the lingonberries although a strange accompaniment at first, actually complimented the dish acting as a contrast to the creaminess.
The first few days we mostly got our bearings around Södermalm and sampled the local cafes. I love the local tradition of 'fika'. It's much like an afternoon tea, locals go to cafes for coffee and a pastry or piece of cake. There seem to be many bakeries (or bageri as they are called in Swedish) and independent cafes to choose from.
We did get to work looking for short term accommodation on our 2nd day. Out of a choice of 2 studios we chose one in Kungsholmen near to Central stockholm.
It didn't take us long to sample our first lattes, missing the Sydney lattes we'd come to know and love. They are certainly a lot larger than we are used to. I have started just asking for a coffee as you just get filter coffee and you can get free refills.
On the weekend we walked to Hornstull where our friend Aaron lives. He showed us around the waterfront and we enjoyed the last of the Autumn sunshine. In our first week the weather was good to us, it's as if we have been eased into the winter to come!
On a separate trip to Hornstull, Carl and I discovered a free outdoor gym. It is all made with natural wood and most of the apparatus uses resistance to build up body strength. It would be great to use in summer, or in fact winter if wrapped up warm.
We discovered what has become a local favourite,
Blå
Dörren. It's a great little restaurant that cooks tasty home cooked style food. To started we shared a lovely baked cheese served with salad and a thick balsamic vinegar. For a main I had very memorable steak breaded in peppercorn with crunchy potato wedges and green beans wrapped in bacon. The waiter was so helpful and enthusiastic, he even suggested that Carl's dish of cured salmon was very easy to make at home and wrote down the name for us in Swedish so that we could look it up ourselves. I have since been back to sample their meatballs and was not disappointed. We will definitely be back.
On the Sunday we strolled to the King's palace and happened upon a procession. It was a 32 piece military brass and woodwind band. They sounded great, I took some video but have had trouble uploading it.
Near the palace I noticed some boxes, presumably used to cover up electronics of some sort. Several of them have been painted as though they are little houses. I've been enjoying looking out for them.
Something that seems popular over here is open sandwiches or smörgåsar as they are known in Swedish. Carl was pleased to discover he could get a gluten free (gluten fritt) one in a tucked away cafe we discovered on our travels. It was served on gluten free fruit bread though so not an ideal match but nice all the same.
After a week in the hotel, we moved into our little studio in Kungsholmen. We had a spontaneous trip to Ikea the evening before to buy all of our bedding. Sadly we had no time to try out their famous meatballs as we had to rush to get the last free bus into the city.
I spent the next afternoon trying to make the studio flat our own and put myself to work cleaning and making the place look homely. Below is a panoramic picture that Carl took that shows the view of the city from our kitchen window.
Each day I have been trying to set myself a task so that a have a little mission to keep myself busy. My first task was to find myself a hairdryer. Little tasks like this have become harder than I first expected. I tried google searches to find names of electronic shops but chose to contact a new found friend in Stockholm to find out the best place to find low budget appliances. I entered Media Markt into my google maps and went for a walk to find it. I succeeded and rewarded myself with a chocolate danish for my efforts!
We have heard good things about Herman's vegetarian restaurant (restaurang) up on the hill in
Södermalm so we set about going there on our second weekend in Stockholm. We were not disappointed. It was an all you can eat buffet of vegetarian and organic delights, much of it gluten free and it all had a homemade feel to it - pizza, lasagne, bean curry, roasted vegetables, countless salads of every description, breads and and much coffee and tea as you like. It is about 175 SEK each for lunch which is about 17 GBP. The queue for desserts was right down the hallway, I was not surprised as they looked delicious. Carl braved the queue and came back with a chocolate and logan berry ball. I had my eyes on an amazing looking chocolate cake but had no room left after 2 plates of vegetarian goodness!
However, after walking past a nice little cafe that a friend had previously recommended, I did manage to find room for a piece of chocolate cake and cream about half an hour later!
We sat watching what seemed to be a dance/exercise group in the park opposite. It was a mix of loud music, wrestling style dancing and all kinds of push ups and supported lunges paired up with partners. It looked very intriguing. Not knowing what the park is called or having any reference point, unfortunately I had no way to look up what it was. It was all taught in Swedish but I think you could probably follow what others were doing and get the hang of it.
This shop window caught my eye for the assortment of rubber ducks. I just realised that this is the only photo I have of the two of us since we arrived in Stockholm just over 2 weeks ago.
I have noticed since I arrived that Sweden is even making me dress differently. I am enjoying the more casual style of dress and the weather has even given my hair a curl to it, something I haven't had since I was a toddler with tight ringlets.
I am starting to buy warmer clothes to prepare for winter. Today I even bought myself a decent winter coat - waterproof, windproof and complete with a nice furry hood, inside pockets and an entry point for putting your headphone wires through the inner lining and out the other side. Not only will I stay dry but my headphones will too! Now I just need to find myself some waterproof boots.
I have my eye on these ones but am yet to commit.
My biggest challenge so far has been reading Swedish menus and trying to navigate where to go at the train stations. Everyone seems very friendly so far and mostly happy to speak English but I have been trying to stand on my own two feet and challenge myself by trying to find my way without asking for help. I soon realised that this wasn't always possible and swallowed my pride and asked someone which was the right train after I felt I had no way to figure it out. I have however started to find my own way to a limited number of destinations.
I have started searching Facebook and Twitter for companies and groups in Stockholm to follow with updates on upcoming events and groups. I discovered
Creative Mornings Stockholm, a monthly breakfast lecture series (I wish I had read that heading before, I ate before I left and was greeted with an assortment of bread rolls and chocolate biscuits!). The lectures are actually held worldwide so I suggest that everyone checks them out. They are held in Sydney, London, New York etc. There is a different speaker every month and they generally run from 8am to 9am so that people can go before work. The speaker was Carl Waldekranz, the CEO of
Tictail an e-commerce site. I won't go into detail but you can look as his site if you're interested. I found the talk very inspiring. He talked about trying out different things in life until you work out what you want to do and not being afraid of failure. It was nice to be surrounded by creative people again and I will definitely make a point of trying to get tickets every month.
I spent the rest of the day allowing myself to get lost in Östermalm. I was surprised to find out that most of the shops don't open until 11am. I was pleased with myself for being up and about so early (I got up at 6am for the occasion) and was roaming the streets by 9am but I enjoyed soaking in my surroundings and getting my bearings for an hour or two all the same.
Well that brings me to today, mostly spent shopping and eating. If you have made it this far down the page I am impressed :-) My future posts won't be this long but I had a lot of catching up to do!
Adjö (goodbye) for now!
