Swedish Valentines
It’s Wed 2/15 and still winter. Contrary to my overnight dreams and snow dance, I saw my shadow so there will be 4 more weeks of winter.
Yesterday was a fun albeit cold day. The warmest it got was 31….and then dropped to 20something overnight. We started off by going to Ahlens (think a better Macy’s) and then a mall called gallerium – lots of recognizable names and hi-end trendy stores and many restaurants that seems always full (I went back again about 5p). The mission was to get a warm hat.
As is the case in all such endeavors I found a “good” hat and then as headed for the old town, Gamla Stan, I continued to find better ones and also cheaper. So when Stella asks why I have two wool caps, I’ll say I wanted variety, one navy blue and one red (so my sister could easily spot me).
In addition to meandering tiny alley’s and many shops,
we toured the
Royal Palace, Royal Bedrooms – the other parts of the palace were not open. It doesn’t look like much on the outside but it’s very gilded and etc, etc, on the inside. I took a picture of the well, very very old, that all measurements in Sweden refer to…1200km from Stockholm would mean 1200km from that well.
I saw workers continuing to chip away at all the ice on the alley’s and pedestrian walks, breaking icecicles before they fall on people, etc, etc. We saw the changing of the guard, noon, at the palace. The shops are all such unique, mom and pop, operations – little sign (on the surface) of the corporate shopping world. The caffe shops, deli’s, restaurangs and the very few small hotels were all very enticing – I went in many just to get warm again. Have seen nary a Starbucks but I have seen McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, 7-11, etc.
Breakfast at the hotel is really an ordeal. Although I did NOT eat much of any of the following, which are about 60% of the offering, I did manage to try small amounts of: daikon, blackradish, seaweed, miso soup – baked tomato, bacon, black pudding, kippered herring, eggs, many cheeses, liverwurst, and Swedish pancakes (the highlight as they were so delicious). And, their coffee is almost as good as Bernie’s and Alan’s.
I did not eat again – except for coffee, cokes, and water during the day and into the evening.
I ended the day walking down a shopping street, on a Tuesday, about 630 (one hour after dark and about 22 degrees) and it was as crowded
as Ala Moana walking from Macy’s to Sears on the inside – except the shopping street is seemingly forever long – I merely scratched the surface.
Yesterday was a fun albeit cold day. The warmest it got was 31….and then dropped to 20something overnight. We started off by going to Ahlens (think a better Macy’s) and then a mall called gallerium – lots of recognizable names and hi-end trendy stores and many restaurants that seems always full (I went back again about 5p). The mission was to get a warm hat.
As is the case in all such endeavors I found a “good” hat and then as headed for the old town, Gamla Stan, I continued to find better ones and also cheaper. So when Stella asks why I have two wool caps, I’ll say I wanted variety, one navy blue and one red (so my sister could easily spot me).
In addition to meandering tiny alley’s and many shops,
we toured the
Royal Palace, Royal Bedrooms – the other parts of the palace were not open. It doesn’t look like much on the outside but it’s very gilded and etc, etc, on the inside. I took a picture of the well, very very old, that all measurements in Sweden refer to…1200km from Stockholm would mean 1200km from that well.
I saw workers continuing to chip away at all the ice on the alley’s and pedestrian walks, breaking icecicles before they fall on people, etc, etc. We saw the changing of the guard, noon, at the palace. The shops are all such unique, mom and pop, operations – little sign (on the surface) of the corporate shopping world. The caffe shops, deli’s, restaurangs and the very few small hotels were all very enticing – I went in many just to get warm again. Have seen nary a Starbucks but I have seen McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, 7-11, etc.
Breakfast at the hotel is really an ordeal. Although I did NOT eat much of any of the following, which are about 60% of the offering, I did manage to try small amounts of: daikon, blackradish, seaweed, miso soup – baked tomato, bacon, black pudding, kippered herring, eggs, many cheeses, liverwurst, and Swedish pancakes (the highlight as they were so delicious). And, their coffee is almost as good as Bernie’s and Alan’s.
I did not eat again – except for coffee, cokes, and water during the day and into the evening.
I ended the day walking down a shopping street, on a Tuesday, about 630 (one hour after dark and about 22 degrees) and it was as crowded
as Ala Moana walking from Macy’s to Sears on the inside – except the shopping street is seemingly forever long – I merely scratched the surface.
posted by Drue at
10:02 PM
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