Svinet

I have a no cooking on Friday nights policy which we're trying to maintain in Stockholm despite the high cost of eating out. The most recent restaurant we've tried for our Friday night adventures is Svinet. I had been bugging Dale to try this place as soon as I read about it. It's only open for two months a year in the summer and they only serve pork - Svinet is the Swedish word for pig. Plus it's in the heart of Gamla Stan and I'm still not tired of strolling those beautiful old streets.

When we arrived there was a pleasant atmosphere. They had jazz playing, colorful strings of lights, and lots of plants everywhere. The weather was nice and it was a great evening to sit out on the patio, the only option at Svinet. I ordered the ribs which fell right off the bone and had a nice subtle bbq flavor.

Dale got the Iberico shoulder cut which did not disappoint.

As a side for our meat, all meals come with Munich salad which was very good.

We were most skeptical about the BBQ sauce since we have quite a lot of experience with BBQ sauce but it was actually quite great. What I liked the best about Svinet though was that in the sea of Stockholm restaurants that all offer the same three 'modern take on traditional Swedish meals' Svinet has entirely different and delicious options. Leave it to the Swedes to make BBQ so classy though, I'm used to a cheap pulled pork sandwich you get to go because you don't want to hang out in the neighborhood.

We were happy campers after dinner and took a nice stroll home through the cobblestone streets of Stockholm. If you're interested in going there yourself you better hurry, they are only open until August 27th otherwise you'll have to wait until next summer!

Love Always,

Matilda

27?!

Saturday was my 27th birthday, where those 27 years have gone is almost as confusing as saying my age in Swedish: tjugosju. Being new in town, Dale and I didn't have anyone to celebrate with except each other so we explored Gamla Stan (which means Old Town), Stockholm and came home to enjoy cake and a glass or two of wine.

Stockholm is located on 14 islands and Gamla Stan is the oldest and original island in Stockholm with the first recorded history taking place in 1252. The streets on this island are all cobblestone, narrow, windy, and mostly baroque so the island must have been remodeled last in the 16th century. Here's a picture so you can see what I'm talking about:

All the Christmas decorations are still up and the city looks very pretty with all the boughs, trees, and lights.

We wondered around the island and found the Nobel Museum. The museum is currently closed for renovations so we'll have to come back to actually go inside but I still snapped a picture of Dale outside the museum.

In the courtyard outside the museum were tons of cafes. Some of them, like this one below, were in old cellars and looked very cozy. But since this is probably the most touristy part of Stockholm it is also fairly pricey so we didn't stop anywhere.

Just around the corner is the Stockholm Cathedral which we wondered into and looked around. It is quite beautiful inside.

The picture on the left is what you see when you first walk in the Cathedral and the picture on the right is a statue called "Saint George and the Dragon" which, in folklore, is supposed to protect Stockholm. You can read about the statue here. No flash is allowed in the Cathedral so the pictures are not so great, sorry.

Just outside the Stockholm Cathedral lies the Royal Palace of Stockholm but we didn't feel up to paying to see this just yet so we skipped it for now. :) Here are some pictures taken just outside the Royal Palace though.

You can see it's snowy and cold in Stockholm and we were ready to go home to warm up so that's the end of the Gamla Stan adventures for that day.

Love Always,
Matilda