Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit

  Today we finally got some chilly weather… which I was unprepared for! However, our last day in Stockholm was still wonderful.  We started the cloudy morning with a ferry ride to another one of Stockholms islands. Our destination was the Vasa Museum.  Our ferry boat (which is a part of public transport here!) The Vasa Museum is one of the most popular museums in Scandinavia as it houses a fully preserved shipwreck from 1628. The Vasa was constructed in 1628 and set sail from Stockholm… unfortunately it only reached about 1km offshore before sinking! The imposing hull of the Vasa Reportedly, the Vasa was top-heavy, so when a huge gust of wind tipped her, water poured into her open gun ports, quickly sinking the ship. The Vasa lay on the bottom of the Baltic Sea for 333 years, where the low salinity of the water helped to preserve her.  Model of the divisions in the hull of the Vasa  Perfectly preserved wooden carvings on the ship Model of the Vasa setting sail T...

Yesterday we arrived in Stockholm, Sweden! So far, I’m loving the beautiful city and its incredible proximity to nature.  Last night we took a walk to see a lake around which Alfred Nobel tested dynamite and built a dynamite factory.  Bunkers where Nobel tested dynamite Old dynamite production factory The lake views at sunset were gorgeous and there were plenty of people out running and swimming.  Lovely lake views This morning, we spent a full day exploring Stockholm’s old town and city centre. The morning started in my favourite way - with a coffee and a pastry. We got a kardemummabuller, or a traditional Swedish sweet bun with cardamom, a spice that is very popular here.  The perfect morning combo - a cortado and a cardamom bun It was scrumptious! I really enjoyed it and hopefully we’ll get another one tomorrow :) Unlike Oslo, Stockholm has a very nice pedestrian old town full of cobblestone and tiny streets. I loved the warm colours on the buildings and all the s...

  We started our last day in Oslo the way we most enjoy spending time -  in a beautiful park! The Ekebergparken Sculpture Park is a huge green space in the southeast of Oslo. It’s known for it’s many unique sculptures which are scattered throughout the park. L’oiseau amoureux fontaine  The Couple Konkavt Ansikt Traveller Huldra - mythical enchantress and guardian of the forests One of my favourite sculpture installations were the Fairy Lights. These were colourful lights hanging in the woods with soothing music and nature sounds playing in the background… the whole experience felt so ethereal and relaxing. Walking up to the Fairy Lights This park is also where Munch was inspired to paint The Scream, and so a metal rectangle frames the paintings outline against the Oslo background.  Modern backdrop of The Scream Up on the park hill, high above the city, we could enjoy the beautiful Oslo views. We even saw something familiar… the Holmenkollen Ski Jump which we had zip ...