Visitors in Stockholm: Part 1

I was a bit of a slacker about taking pictures in Stockholm while the girls were visiting, I guess I was just enjoying myself too much! So even though the girls were here more than two days I'll just be recapping in 2 posts. Dale had to work while the girls visited so it was just me and them exploring. I have heard much praise for Skansen, and open air museum on the island of Djurgarden and Nicola really wanted to see a Moose so we headed there. Most of the booths were closed this time of year but we still had fun looking at all of the Swedish animals and the examples of Swedish architecture. It must have been feeding time because all the animals were out and about, I even got this picture of an owl flying with a duck in it's beak!

We all agreed the Moose and Reindeer seem smaller here, anyone know why? Those are Moose in the picture above and Reindeer below with the Stockholm city scape.

We had so much fun looking at the animals we decided to eat them :) Ok, ok that might not have been the thought process but after Skansen we went to Östermlam Saluhall for a beyond delicious lunch or traditional Swedish food. We scarfed it down too fast to take pictures but oh man, we were in heaven! At the Saluhall we bought some reindeer meat and a moose sausage. After not finding much information online about how to cook reindeer meat I called up Mountain-Man-Mike in Colorado and he suggested we soak the reindeer in milk overnight and then cook it on the stove. We had read online that marinading the meat would hide the reindeer taste so we didn't put anything on it. Here's Dale with our reindeer meat in the middle of the pan and some pieces of the moose sausage around the outside.

Overall we decided the reindeer meat was good but nothing out of the ordinary. The moose sausage on the other hand, had a really distinct flavor to it and we all thought it was the better of the two. Although it was in sausage form so this could have skewed our opinion. Hopefully the Saluhall will have Moose meat one of these days so we can try it for a more fair comparison. Sorry Rudolf and Bullwinkle, hopefully Santa will forgive me!

Love Always,

Matilda

Oslo: Day 3

For our last day in Oslo we went to the Munch Museum to see Edvard Munch's collection. It was impressive how many mediums he used for his art and we were surprised that we all liked his poetry so much since none of us even knew he wrote poetry! Munch's most famous piece is "The Scream" of which he made 3 different versions and 2 are at the Munch Museum but they currently only have one of them on display so we didn't get to see the famous version. The third version is at the National Art Gallery in Oslo and we went to see the art collection there but unfortunately almost the whole museum was closed for renovations so we didn't get to see much.

Then we stopped for fika and enjoyed some Norwegian cakes, yummy!

Next we went to the King and Queen's house. It's only open to the public in the summer so we weren't able to go inside but we had fun walking around the gardens and watching the guards.

To conclude our time in Oslo we walked around a little bit more, stopped in to some super cheesy Norwegian History Museum's and then finally settled in to a restaurant / pub for some food before our flight home and some serious card game playing.

Oslo was a good time but it certainly is one of the most expensive cities! For the capital of the country, Oslo felt tiny I suppose that's not too surprising since the total population of Norway is under 5 million and the population of Oslo is about 1.5 million. I found it interesting that everyone we met was so nice and friendly, here in Stockholm people are very quiet and reserved in general so I wasn't expecting their neighbors to be different. I would like to make a trip to Norway again in the future to visit the Fjords, hopefully some day!

Love Always,
Matilda

Oslo: Day 2

We started our third day in Oslo with a ride on the ferries to check out the place from the water. I wish we would've had enough time in Norway to go up to the fjords but I guess that's another trip for another time. The ferry ride was a lot of fun and we all were mesmerized watching the ice break for us to travel through and then reseal again behind us.

We're on a boat!

It was great to see some of the smaller islands and I always enjoy a good boat boat ride. 

Next we hopped on the subway to head to Holmenkollen. At the end of the subway line we were on you can actually rent sleds and ride them all the way back in to town and hop the subway back up again! How genius is that?! We weren't adequately dressed to try it out but we did see lots of sledders on the subway and it looked like lots of fun!

Holmenkollen in the worlds oldest ski museum and contains skiing artifacts from 4,000 years ago! It was pretty cool seeing the evolution of skiing and ski gear. We also had fun mimicking the statues. 

Holmenkollen isn't just a ski museum though, it is also home to the recently opened (March 2010) ski jump. I've watched ski jumping on TV and while I didn't think I could do it, it didn't look so bad. Standing at the top of the jump looking down though, you couldn't pay me enough to try it!  

The view from the top was pretty great though!

Next we headed back in to town for a relaxing evening. We kept seeing these tiny cars similar to smart cars around but these ones were called "buddy" and I just loved them. So, here's me with my buddy - whose going to get me one? :)

 We went to the local market and bought some Norwegian candies, soda, and liquor to taste. We were 50/50 on the candy, and missed completely on the soda and liquor. I guess there is a reason you don't hear about food from Norway!

Love Always,
Matilda

Oslo: Day 1

We got a late start on our first real day in Oslo but we still made the most of it! The concierge in our hotel was not helpful at all and couldn't help us get the Oslo Pass so we could ride all public transportation and get into the museums. So, we stopped in to the Grand Hotel next door where their amazing concierge, Kit, let us in on all the local happenings. We love Kit! Now that we had a game plan we were off to the Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskipshuset). This is a Museum with three Viking Ships from around 800 as well as sleds, horse carts, and wood carvings. Everything in the Museum was dug up from a 834 burial mound and it is considered the most well preserved find from the Viking Age. The ships were much larger than we imagined and it was really interesting to picture so many people on these boats for long periods of time traveling to far away lands. Can you imagine traveling in one of these with 30 of your closest buddies for months at a time, sleeping and eating and everything on the boat?

Next we walked over to the Kon-Tiki Museum. We had no idea what this Museum would hold but the name intrigued us so off we went. Nicola is currently living in a snow-less state so she was thrilled to spend some time in the snow. 

Once we got to the Kon-Tiki Museum we were told they were closing in 15 minutes so we only had a quick visit at this random Museum which was unfortunate because this place was actually pretty cool. Turns out Kon-Tiki was the name of the raft boat Thor Heyerdahl used to cross the Pacific Ocean, here's the actual boat.

Thor was trying to recreate the voyages of South American people to Polynesia, which he believed the South American's settled. I wish we would've had more time to read about this guy and his raft expeditions. I'll definitely be watching the Kon-Tiki movie from 1950 (which won an Oscar) and stay tuned for the upcoming movie being filmed this summer to learn more.

Outside the Museum we admired the city before heading back into town.

That's Emma, Nicola and Dale posing like the statue. Dorks :)

In town we went immediately to the Nobel Peace Center.

We all spent a long time in the main exhibition about this years Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Liu Xiaobo. His story is just fascinating as was the discussion about China.

There was also a room about Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian who was initially an explorer and made significant advancements in the exploration of the North Pole but later in life became a humanitarian and helped displaced refugees from the first World War for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922.

After the Nobel Peace Center it was starting to get dark so we walked over to the Opera house to check out the night time cityscape and found this cool sculpture on the way there.

The Oslo Opera House was built in 2007 ahead of schedule and under budget (has that ever happened in the US?!). It's a beautiful modern building right on the water, not that you can tell from my winter time photo.

We went out to dinner for some surprisingly delicious Indian food and then finished the night playing cards in the hotel room.

Love Always,

Matilda
 

Visitors (and Oslo)!!!

This past week Dale and I had our first visitors!!! My sister Emma and our friend Nicola came for one week and we spent half the time in Oslo, Norway and the other half in Stockholm. We had lots of fun, lots of laughs, saw lots of museums, and ate lots of pastries! In this post I'm just going to recap Day 1 of the visit.

The girls arrived bright and early to Stockholm and we brought them home to shower, change clothes, and have morning fika. Then it was off to walk around the city (just a little bit, I'm not too cruel to those with jet lag) and eat some lunch. After lunch we hopped on our train to Oslo. It took 5 1/2 hours to get to Oslo and we spent the time napping, playing cards, enjoying wine with snacks, and lots of laughter!

Here's what most of the scenery from the train ride looked like:

When we got to Oslo we checked into the hotel. Emma rocks and got us two free rooms at the Double Tree which just opened and was much nicer then we ever could've afforded! We had dinner at the first restaurant we could find and we all shared two tapa's plates. Then we hopped over to a pub next door to try out some local brews. We weren't too impressed with Norwegian beer but we did meet a bunch of Swedish folks who were very nice and we had a great time. Norway is more expensive than Sweden, in fact Oslo is often listed as the most expensive city in the world. But these Swedes told us the salaries are higher in Oslo and that's why they all were living and working there.

Day 1 was lots of fun, especially for a travel day!

Love Always,
Matilda

Apartment Secured

We've found a place to live! We aren't going to be homeless! Everyone do a little happy dance like these guys:

It's not too expensive, it's in the city, it's only a couple blocks from where we work, it's furnished, it's got a bedroom with an actual door on it (a rarity in the city), and it's near parks and running trails! Yay, yay, yay! I'll post pictures in a couple weeks when we actually move. I'm just glad that whole terrible process is over.
Love Always,
Matilda

Pasta night gets a facelift

The other night I made a recipe from Gourmet magazines website for Zucchini, Corn and Basil Fusilli with Bacon. Follow the link for the recipe.

It turned out very tasty and it was very easy to make. I´ve decided to share it here in case anyone else is looking for an easy, cheap, and healthy way to upgrade from spaghetti with marinara. All you do is cook the fusilli according to the directions on the box, then add the sliced zucchini and corn into the pasta with the water still in it and cook for roughly two minutes, then drain the water out and mix in the pesto sauce. Sprinkle bacon bits and Parmesan on top and voilà! A new spin on pasta night that everyone is sure to enjoy!
Love Always,
Matilda

Semla Update

Remember when I introduced you to Semla? I had bought one from the grocery store and wasn't very impressed but I had oh so gracefully volunteered to try one from a bakery, just to see if that one would be tasty. See the sacrifices I make for you readers? ;) I was reminded of that promise when I picked up the newspaper the other day and the issue was all about finding the best Semla in Stockholm. I'm telling you, they love this pre-lent baked treat immensely.

This past Tuesday was Fat Tuesday or Fettisdagan as they call it here, the official day to eat semla. So I figured it was the best day to make good on my promise. There is a bakery near my school called Liselotte Hembageri (Norrtullsgatan 11) and I stopped by after class on Tuesday to pick up my semla.

The bakery was packed and they were almost sold out of semla! But I managed to get my hands on one and got it to go so I could eat it at Fika later.

The verdict? So much better than the grocery store version. The whipped cream was not too thick, in fact it was nice and airy, and in the almond paste I could taste the fresh almonds. Good thing these things are only around for a limited time or I would be fat every Tuesday!

If you wan to try to make them follow this link:

http://www.visitsweden.com/sweden/Local-pages/USA/Lovely-Buns---a-Swedish-delight/

Love Always,

Matilda

Filmjölk

One of the ladies at work keeps raving to me about how great filmjölk is and how much I should try it. When I asked her what it was she had a hard time describing it to me. She said it was something in between buttermilk and yogurt. She told me filmjölk is available in flavors and I should try a favored one first. So when I was at the grocery store I picked up some filmjölk. Here's my bottle at home.

I opted for blueberry, my co-workers favorite. I used it in my morning museli in lieu of milk or yogurt. It poured out just like she said, thinner than yogurt but still looked like yogurt. After the first bite I wasn't so sure about this stuff. It tasted like thick sour milk to me more than yogurt. But I kept going and by the end of the bowl I thought it was alright. I'll finish my container but I'm not so sure I'll buy more. Maybe it's one of those things you have to grow up with to love?


I did some further research on the internet so I could accurately describe to you all what exactly filmjölk is. Here's what I've figured out:


Filmjölk is a Swedish mesophilic fermented milk product that is made by fermenting cow's milk with a variety of bacterium from the species Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The bacteria metabolize lactose, the sugar naturally found in milk, into lactic acid. The acid gives filmjölk a sour taste and causes proteins in the milk, mainly casein, tocoagulate, thus thickening the final product. The bacteria also produce a limited amount of diacetyl, which gives filmjölk its characteristic taste. Filmjölk is similar to cultured buttermilk, kefir, or yoghurt in consistency, but fermented by different bacteria and thus has a slightly different taste. Compared with yoghurt, filmjölk tastes less sour. In Sweden, it is normally sold in 1-liter packages with live bacteria. 
(Source: filmjölk wikipedia page March 6, 2011)


So, it's mostly about the bacteria used to ferment the milk. Apparently different bacteria produce different flavored milk and here in Sweden the dairy aisle proves this. I'll take a picture next time I go. The dairy aisle here is seriously overwhelming. This bacterial difference might seem obvious to some of you out their but I had never contemplated the subject before and since there is a total of 1 type of yogurt available in the States it didn't seem so obvious to me. If you want to know more specifics see the wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmj%C3%B6lk

This venture down the dairy aisle has me tepid to continue but I'll update you as I progress.
Love Always,
Matilda

Hammarby Bandy

This past weekend Dale and I finally made it to our first Bandy game. What you all had told me was correct, it's more or less soccer on ice with short little hockey sticks.

Here's our team in the goal to prevent the other team from scoring on a "corner kick". We don't know what it's called in bandy but that's what they call it in soccer.

The crowd was mostly men and everyone had "coffee" cups if you catch my drift! While there is no doubt everyone is there for the game, it seemed like singing was the second highest reason everyone was there. I kid you not! This crowd loved singing! I found this video on youtube and it's the opening song the home team sings, I guess in lieu of the national anthem.

Then the game began. It was the semifinals game for a local bandy team near our house. The team started out strong and scored a goal in the first minute.

Unfortunately they did not score again until 80 minutes later.

The game is played in 2 halves each 45 minutes long. At half time it was 2-1, Hammarby was losing. But this didn't keep the crowd from singing! When it was all said and done Hammarby lost 4-2. We had a good time figuring the game out and singing with the guys.
Love Always,
Matilda

Blåbär Cafe

The other day Dale and I stopped for lunch at the Blåbär Cafe and it turned out to be our favorite restaurant in Stockholm so far! Dale thinks I might be biased, he claims I would never talk ill about blueberries. He might be right but I still think this place was great!

 We went to the location in Odenplan but the website says they also have a location in Kungsholmen. Blåbär Cafe has probably 20 salads prepared already and you can choose either 4 salads, a sandwich and one salad, or some hot meals (lasagna, chicken, etc.) but the salads are obviously the specialty here. Not only did everything look delicious but the prices were good too, a rarity in the expensive Nordic!

Dale and I both choose sandwiches which turned out to be panini style, yummy! Dale got a lamb and tomato sandwich with a 3 bean crawfish salad and I got a goat cheese and peperoni sandwich with a greek style salad which had a feta dressing. We left quite happy and already making plans to return.

Love Always,

Matilda

The Sun Returns!

This is just a quick note to let you all know the sun has returned to Stockholm! We've got close to 12 hours of light everyday now and the last several days the sun has been shinning and melting the snow/ice. If you go outside you can see the locals literally just standing outside facing the sun. It's a bit like lizards in Mexico. They just stay still and soak up the sun. The temperatures are still in the 30's so it's hardly "warm" but it's nice to see the city coming alive again. The hibernation had ended!

Love Always,

Matilda

World's Largest IKEA

The other day Dale embarrassed me by asking a Swede, "What's the big deal with IKEA anyway? Don't they just sell furniture?" To which he got a stare of utter confusion. After all, who in this day and age hasn't been in an IKEA? So, I knew it was time to take him to IKEA. Carrie Bradshaw takes her boyfriends to Prada but hey, we can't all be Carrie Bradshaw right?! There is an IKEA not too far from our house but it isn't the world's largest IKEA and I figured if we were going to do it we might as well do it right. There is an IKEA bus from the main bus terminal (T-Central) that runs just to IKEA and back but it only runs on the weekdays and we decided to visit this past weekend. So, we hopped on the subway and off we went to Kungs Kurva to visit the World's Largest IKEA!

This store is massive.

So massive they even have ponies for the kiddies to ride.

4 stories of beds, bookshelves, desks, mirrors, cookware, toys, lamps, etc. and it was packed full of product and people. IKEA makes some serious money. At the very top is a cafe serving only Swedish food at the lowest prices we've seen. The food here was cheaper than McDonalds. We had our fika at the cafe and continued through the maze of a store. I'm sure most of you have been to IKEA before but if not then you don't know that it's basically a large showroom and as you walk through you write down what you want to buy and at the checkout they bring the boxes containing your items (which you have to assemble yourself later). While you wait for your boxes there is another cafe and a small grocery store. Dale and I loaded up on Swedish treats at the IKEA grocery store. We got reindeer jerky, lingon berry jam, and cinnamon rolls. Yummy!

It was a nice way to see a part of Stockholm we hadn't ventured into yet and a good way to spend an overcast and cold afternoon. To my Colorado peep's longing to visit IKEA or as confused as Dale was about the IKEA hype, you can check if out for yourself this fall when the IKEA Denver opens!
Love Always,
Matilda

Learning Swedish / Lära sig Svenska

I've made it to level 2 of Rosetta Stone for Swedish and while it has been a great help, I'm not really feeling like what I'm learning is really sticking with me. Luckily, my job provides me with Level 1 Swedish at a local University, Folkuniversitetet.

Last week I started the 5 week introduction to Swedish course and I have to say, I feel like I'm learning much more than I have been by teaching myself through Rosetta Stone. I'll definitely continue to use Rosetta Stone after I finish the course, I will still have a whole lot to learn! In the course there are about 10 other students from all around the world, not one of us is from the same country, but we all speak English so we are at lest able to communicate a little bit. We have textbooks and we get homework assignments after every class.

The teacher is very intent on teaching in the immersion style and she will not acknowledge you are saying something if you don't ask in Swedish. This will no doubt be great practice and an efficient way to learn Swedish but it's been very frustrating when we all only know about 20 words - combined - in Swedish and the teacher wont straighten out our confusion. On top of that the teacher has us break up into groups of 2 to practice and I seem to always get people who want to correct my pronunciation (I think I'm not even close to pronouncing everything correctly) and it's confusing me to have the teacher pronounce a word one way and my study buddy telling me to say it another way and I'm sure I'm saying it some third way. But no one ever said learning another language is easy! The course only lasts 5 weeks and depending on how it goes I might continue out of my own pocket, I haven't decided yet. I very much doubt I'll be bilingual by the end of the year but I would like to at least be able to hold a little bit of a conversation.
Love Always,
Matilda