Pepparkaksutställningen (Ginger cookies exhibition)

My last post for the year 2017. Phew! Finally, I managed to post everything that I have done for the first 6 months in Sweden. As I wrote the posts, I felt impressed by myself that I have experienced and attempted to do so many stuff. Not being afraid to try and to learn. I think my biggest accomplishment after 6 months was being able to grasp basic Swedish. Today, I am getting better and better at it. 

Back to my last post.

28 December 2017

This is a Ginger Cookie Exhibition in Moderna Museum. It is an annual competition for kids between 6-12 years old, professional bakers, architects and everyone else who bakes for Christmas. In Sweden, Christmas means having abundance of ginger cookies selling in stores. The theme is 'borderless' and you can see how kids and adults interpret this theme.

Ice Skating - Nordic and Hockey

For the first time in my life, I tried ice skating. I have always wanted to do it when I stayed in Selangor. We have Sunway Pyramid with an ice skating rink but I did not attempt it. I did not have the lust then to try. It was more like - okay, I will try one day, but I did not have any urge for it.

Now, that I am in Sweden, and one obviously ice skates during winter (one of the winter sports), I thought I should join the crowd. Since I was tight on budget, I was very happy when I found an activity in Meetup to try Nordic ice skating for free. I did not know the difference between Nordic and hockey ice skating, and I just clicked yes to go because it is ice skating! 

I read that one is prone to falling down a lot while learning to ice skate. So, I invested in elbow, wrist and knee protection which is sold in one package for SEK200/RM100. This thing is not sold in many places though as they are uncommon to be used which I find it unusual. I guess everyone is invincible when they ice-skate except for me. 

5 December 2017

My first ice skating session. It is located in Ostermalm Ice Skating Rink. The free trial was for 1.5 hours and was for 3 months. I think Nordic Ice Skating is still rare and so this is their way to encourage it. The only thing I paid for is the helmet which I rented for SEK20/RM10.

Nordic skates have longer blades than the usual hockey skates and be used on frozen lakes. As skating on frozen lakes involves walking between lakes or around sections not suitable for skating, the blades can be easily removed from the boots. 

Baker wannabe : Ischoklad (Ice chocolate)

16 December 2017

Ice chocolate is one of the Christmas delicacies here. 

The easiest and fastest I have ever made - Swedish Ischoklad (Ice Chocolate). Christmas treat which originated from Germany. It is made purely of chocolate and coconut oil. Melt them (200g of dark chocolate and 100g coconut oil) together (takes 5 minutes only) and pour them in the tiny forms. Add almonds or raisins or any nuts if you like. Store in fridge. 

It melts in the mouth so easily, thanks to the coconut oil. I personally think this is healthy stuff since it is just dark chocolate and coconut oil. I made half dark chocolate and half white chocolate but the traditional version is purely dark chocolate. It is yummy and tastes both coconut and chocolate.

Christmas Market at Enskede

9 December 2017

My fifth and last Christmas market for 2017 was in Enskede. This is my favourite because they have a small group of Christmas carollers. Also, some stuff are cheaper here too. After 5 Christmas markets, I got the idea of how it is and got bored going to another. Haha! I look forward to Christmas markets in 2018!

There were a couple of booths managed by kids from different classes (from Enskede school) to funds their class travels. The idea of class travels were alien to me as we never had that when I was a kid. It is quite normal, though, in Sweden (probably in Europe too) that kids go on class trips in another town or camping in the forest.

Christmas Market at Drottningholm Courtyard

9 December 2017

My fourth Christmas market is in Drottningholm. It is of course, not in the palace. But on that day, the palace entrance was open to the public, albeit to a limited short space. We took the train and bus there. The bus was extremely crowded. I think the Christmas market here is smaller.

It was 3.25pm and it was beginning to darken!

We tried pirog with sundried tomatoes. A piece costed SEK30. My partner thought it was really good. 

Christmas Market at Gamla Stan

3 December 2017

My third Christmas market is in Gamla Stan (Old Town), a very famous tourist spot in Stockholm. Your visit to Stockholm is not complete without it. Sweden's oldest Christmas market since 1915. Of course, being a tourist spot, you can expect throngs of tourists and expensive stuff on sale. This Christmas market was held everyday in December until Christmas eve. The location is at the little square which is right in front of the Nobel Museum.

There are so many Christmas decorations and Christmas presents-potential sold here. There is really no reason at all for one to say that they cannot find a present. The question is just if you are willing to pay!

Glögg (pronounced as 'glerg') is mulled wine (warm wine with spices drank to warm one up and have together with raisins or a walnut) and is sold for SEK25 for a small cup. I saw a sole booth outside the Christmas market selling for SEK30 and a tourist was excited to try it. This drink is also sold in the supermarket (e.g. ICA) for SEK28 in a 750ml bottle. So, imagine the profit but also the booth rented here is expensive.  

Christmas Market at Täby Park

2 December 2017

My second Christmas market is in Täby Park. It was my first winter in Stockholm, so I planned to visit as many Christmas markets as possible every weekend. This place is quite a distance from where I live. I had to take the train and the bus. The journey took me close to 1.5 hours. It was still bright when I got here which is really good because I could see more of the stuff. My first Christmas market was in Rosendal and it was dark during my first experience. 

By the way, I went here because a pensioner mentioned that this is one of the authentic Christmas markets in Stockholm.

There was a horse ride, a property exhibition and lots of Christmas decorations, lots of Christmas ham (they called it 'julskinka' - pronounced as 'yul-hwin-ka') both smoked meat and fish for sale. It was interesting to see all these in a Christmas market. 

Sörmlandsleden 5 & Paradiset

25 November 2017

Today's 16km walk in 2 degrees brought me to Paradiset and to Sörmlandsleden 5. We took the commuter to Handen and then bus 865 towards Skärholmen where we alighted at Lissma skola. It had rained the day before and the path was very muddy and slippery. 

I wore 5 layers - thermal top, dry fit t-shirt, fleece jacket, down jacket and hard shell jacket. Plus ski pants with fleece lining and thermal linings. I don't want to take any chances to freeze in the cold. Others wore 3 layers. One of the group members suggested I have a thyroid problem. That annoyed me. It was my first winter and I need to acclimatise too. Sometimes, people talk without processing their words. 

This is the first building we saw when we alighted at Lissma skola. Well, skola means school. So, I guess this must be Lissma School.

Christmas Market at Rosendal's Garden

23 November 2017

As Christmas is approaching, one can find Christmas markets popping up here and there every weekend till Christmas. They said that it usually starts on the first weekend of December. 

This is my first Christmas market. It was in Rosendals Trädgård - Rosendal's Garden which is located on Djurgarden Island. This place sells lots of plants and has a number of greenhouses. I was excited, as usual (the first year in Sweden is usually exciting for me because I am experiencing everything new) to go to my first Christmas market. 

Each greenhouse sold something different. There is a greenhouse for souvenirs and Christmas decoration, greenhouse for potted plants i.e. flowers, greenhouse for food and a greenhouse for performance. I thought of buying something to eat because all the food look so tempting (and cold weather makes one hungry) but I look at the price and I changed my mind. Haha!

This first photo was taken at 4.20pm! It feels a bit awkward initially to have darkness set in so early. 

Jams for sample in the souvenir shop.

Flea Market in Kista Galleria Car Park

19 November 2017

I remembered this day clearly as the day I saw my first snowdrop while taking a short walk around Kista after the visit to the flea market. I saw my first iced puddle and I got so excited by it. Winter is officially here.

Despite the cold weather, flea markets are still carried out. In the car park. Or in a small hall. For Kista, it was held in the shopping centre's car park. We took the train to Kista Station. I did not buy anything here but it was fun to see what was being sold. 

Järvafältet

12 November 2017

Today's hike was cold as there was no sun at all, although it was forecasted to be sunny. Even the horses were draped too. It was cold at 1 degrees. Brr..

We took the train to Akalla station and we walked through Järva Nature Reserve (pronounced as 'yar-va') towards Kallhäll (pronounced as 'kall-hell') station where we took the commuter back to Stockholm. Distance 13km. I enjoyed this walk because I got to see horses (there was a horse school) and the Scottish cattle (they are really hairy cows) and also a Viking rune!

Sörmlandsleden 1

11 November 2017

Whenever I see a hike to any Sörmlandsleden route, I will be sure to sign myself up. Today, I am going to where it begins - Section 1. It starts at Björkhagen (pronounced as 'be-york-ha-gen') and ends at Skogshyddan where Section 2 starts. We met at Björkhagen train station. The trail goes through Nacka Nature Reserve and it is not a difficult walk. Distance about 10.5km. To go back, the group returned to Älta Gård where one can take a bus back home. 

Nothing much to write except for enjoy the photos!

Alla Helgons Dag (All Souls' Day) 2017

4 November 2017

I hurried back from Shockholm Festival (Halloween celebration) to see how All Souls' Day is observed in Stockholm. It is called Alla Helgons Dag (pronounced as 'ah-la hell-gones dog') in Swedish. This is a day for the Christians to remember those who left. I am aware of this day because I visit my late aunt on this day (and her death anniversary), light up candles and set flowers for her. But we do it during the day whereas here in Stockholm is done at night.

A week before the actual day, there were lots of mini wreaths being sold. SEK225/RM112.50 - They labelled it as grave decoration. While the larger ones cost SEK295/RM147.50. I thought they were really expensive but people buy them anyway.

My partner and I went to Skogskyrkogården (pronounced as 'skogs-sheer-ko-gor-den'). English name is The Woodland Cemetery. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Sweden. One of the UNESCO sites. This is a cemetery, by the way.  A huge one too. The first time I went there in 2015, I got lost finding my way out and thankfully, it was bright daylight. Anyway, the cemetery was brightly lit with so many candles. The skies were bright from all the candles. They are a sight to behold. It was my first time seeing candles stored in bottles or jars to prevent the fires from dying or blown by the wind.

Shockholm Festival 2017

4 November 2017

Halloween is celebrated in Stockholm on a small scale. We have Halloween celebrations in Malaysia and so, I expected something huge in Sweden. But it was unexpectedly different here. Halloween is not a celebration in Stockholm until 4 years ago, when an American decided to hold the first Halloween festival in Kungsträdgården. There were not much visitors then, but today, there was an expected crowd of 5000. 

I guess another reason that it is not a big celebration here is because it is SO cold in November too. There were fires set up around the garden for people to hold their hands against the fire to warm themselves up. 

I came midway during Shockholm Festival and the hosts were talking. I managed to see the nominees for best-dressed award for both kids and adults category. Gosh, some look really scary. They do make a huge effort in dressing themselves up. Unfortunately, I did not stay till the end to see who won the best-dressed. 

Hammarbyhojden

22 October 2017

Hammarbyhojden (pronounced as 'ham-mah-bee-hoy-den') is a little hill located at the south of Stockholm that oversees a view of Stockholm. It is not a tough hike. It is a pretty view during the autumn with the colourful leaves. From the top of the hill, there are also cyclists cycling downhill. During the winter, this place is filled with skiers. 

Enjoy the photos.

Flemingsberg Nature Reserve

21 October 2017

Today's walk is in Flemingsberg Nature Reserve located in Huddinge. It was a 12km walk. If you have read all my hiking posts in Sweden, I think you would have an idea how a nature reserve looked like by now. Haha! So, I don't have much photos from this walk. 

My sister commented that if you have seen one forest in Sweden, you have seen them all. And she is pretty much right on that. It gets boring after a while but it is nice to be out for some fresh air.

Short Getaway : Day 2 - Tåkern Lake

11 October 2017

Today, my sister woke up early because she would like to see if she could do some birdwatching while the partner sleeps. So, we had an early breakfast - grapes and cinnamon buns and off we go for a short walk. 

Also, we check out today and head to Tåkern Lake today. This place is one of the well-known places for birdwatching. We headed back to Stockholm after Tåkern Lake (pronounced as 'toe-kern').