Tastebud : Bastard Burger

28 June 2019

One of the best burgers that I have tasted in Stockholm - Bastard Burger! They have their burgers named after major cities around the world. I had a Paris burger for SEK89 (the cheapest) which is made up of beef sausage, jalapeno, mustard, and sliced onion, sweet potato fries for SEK35 and a Bastard sauce dip for SEK15.

Kayak - Brunnsviken

28 June 2019

My second kayak attempt for the summer at Brunnsviken which also has the cheapest rate in Stockholm at SEK150 for 2 hours. My first kayaking experience was with Rålis Kayak and it was costly at SEK270. It is probably due to the view. With Rålis Kayak, one can kayak with the view of Gamla Stan and into town. In Brunnsviken, it was mostly nature areas. 

The kayaks are lighter because they are made from fiber glass. It was not a tough paddling experience because it was in a lake. 

Tastebud : Wiener Cafe

27 June 2019

French food at Wiener Cafe which is located on an expensive street - Biblioteksgatan. I had wienerschnitzel for SEK245. This is veal schnitzel with lemon, capers, anchovies and peas. I love the red wine sauce that is eaten together with potatoes (it is called pommes rissole).

Tastebud : Ciao Ciao

26 June 2019

I just realised that there are a couple of Italian restaurants by the name of Ciao Ciao. I had seafood pizza and dessert for SEK200. I like the pizza, by the way, with its thin crust, and juicy prawns!

Fjäderholmarna (Feather's Islet)

23 June 2019

On a bright sunny Sunday, a couple of friends and I boarded the ferry to Fjäderholmarna (pronounced as 'fe-yar-dei-hole-mar-na'). Fjäder means feathers while Holmar means islet (a very small island). Probably there are lots of birds here, and hence, the name. Anyway, this is the nearest islet (part of the archipelago) to Stockholm. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the islet. Since it is so near, you can imagine that there are lots of people on the island who wants to have a weekend getaway from the city. Plus, the islet has its own brewery! 

Here, we are gathered at Strömkajen (pronounced as 'Strem-ka-yen'). Ström means current. Kajen means wharf. We boarded the Waxholmsbolaget boat which costs SEK79 for one way. A return costs SEK158.  

Midsummer Trip in Gävle : Part 4 - Day 3: Jädraås, Tärnsjö

22 June 2019

I woke up to a beautiful view of the nature. What a view to brush my teeth to!

The drive goes on to Jädraås train station. I think there is a museum here. 

We stopped for lunch break at Sandviken.

Midsummer trip in Gävle : Part 3 - Day 2: Hudiksvall, Hölick, Kuggörarna

21 June 2019

At Hudiksvall, we drove into town and I had an ice-cream. Much deserving on a hot day.

Drove on to Hölick's Nature Reserve where we explored a cave. It was a bit of a task to look for the entrance into the cave. We did not go further in as we did not have any good equipment. I got my pants very dusty and dirty from the short exploration.

Midsummer trip in Gävle : Part 2 - Day 2: Laxön, Midsummer's Eve in Gävle, Armarbruk

21 June 2019

Midsommarsafton - Midsummer's Eve. Swedes celebrate midsummer's eve by raising the maypole and the kids sing and dance around it.

Today, we are in Laxön, where we slept last night. We woke up by 10am and explored the area. Laxön is an islet where one can fish for salmon. Lax means salmon. There is a hostel in the vicinity where one can stay the night too. A brief history of this place - At the end of the 1880s, the island was discovered by the Svea Engineer Regiment, which made it its summer camp. For 100 years after that, the military returned to Laxön and Älvkarleby to train in bridging the river. The regiment also erected the buildings that still contribute to the island's unique character. In the early 1900s, the area was also known through the construction of one of Sweden's first large hydroelectric power plants.

Midsummer trip in Gävle : Part 1 - Day 1: Drive from Stockholm to Billuden beach

20 June 2019

It was a long weekend as 21 June is a public holiday due to midsummer's eve - Swedes celebrate Midsummer's Day where the daylight hours are the longest and then, the daylight hours get shorter. The journey started from Stockholm at 10pm. We are driving to Gävle which is about 2 hours up north. To avoid the traffic on Friday, we started our journey the night before. 

We reached Billuden at 1am. It was not very dark, so we took a walk by the beach and into the nature park, and was greeted with a lot of mosquitoes on the way back to the carpark. The view by the beach was beautiful with a hint of the sunrays at the horizon.

We continued the drive to Laxön, where we slept there, in the car. It was 3am.

Pedal boat

19 June 2019

Today, my friend treated me to a water activity - boat pedalling! This costs SEK230 for 1 hour. This is an expensive water activity but a fun experience, nevertheless. I suppose the expensive price is due to the fact that the location of this activity is in the tourist area of Stockholm. You can imagine that there are lots of tourists trying this activity! One pedals for the boat to move forward and backward. It is like pedaling a bicycle. A small boat can fit 2 persons and a big one can fit 4 persons. 

Volunteer Appreciation Day 2019 - Kompis Sverige

18 June 2019

Today, we had a mini party for the volunteers at Kompis Sverige. The volunteers are the ones who bring the participants to the activities, jot the attendance, get everyone to talk to one another, call those who are late, give directions to the lost ones, take a group photo before or during the event and finally, write a summary of the event that will be posted on Instagram. We had pizza, chips and cherries. Also played a game of Kub which is an odd Swedish game. 

I got a balloon that is tied to a note that says, Shi Yan, thanks for an exceptional effort as a volunteer for Kompis Sverige. You have been to 17 activities in 2019, unbelievable! 

I certainly did enjoy being a volunteer! Getting to meet new people from around the world all the time and reunite with the old ones. I learnt so much from all of them each time. Everyone has a different story and it is so interesting to communicate with them. The best part is when I become friends with some of the participants as we see each other frequently. One of them said to me - I think we can become friends on Facebook now because we see each other a lot. I did share my experience on how I learnt Swedish and how I found a job here to those who asked so they know what their alternatives are.

I am so happy I found Kompis Sverige. Because of them, I joined so many activities that I could never imagined that I would be able to. Kompis Sverige, you are awesome!

Stand Up Paddling

17 June 2019

Volunteer duties with Kompis Sverige! It is a first-time activity for me - Stand Up Paddling! We did it with Surfbussen. This activity is new in Sweden and it is actually an introductory course to surfing. It was windy that day which makes it really hard for me to paddle against the wind. I was so nervous as I transferred myself from the platform to the board. 

We get in first by kneeling. And then, one can attempt to stand up and paddle. But for me, I was on my knees the whole time as I paddled out to the open. There were motorboats passing through which created waves that got the board wobbly. My ankles were aching from the kneeling. I tried to stand but I did not feel stable. 

Saga Orchestra Fantasy Music

15 June 2019

Best concert ever! I got my free ticket from Kompis Sverige. The Concert House was packed!

This orchestra concert played music soundtracks from famous movies - Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Princess Mononoke, The Chronicles of Narnia, Conan the Barbarian and Games of Thrones. The 2.5 hour performance was fantastic. 

Scenkonstmuseum (Swedish Museum of Performing Arts)

15 June 2019

A visit to Scenkonstmuseum which I have not heard of before. Or maybe I did not visit this museum initially because it costs SEK140 to get in. This is a museum for theatre, dance, and music. It is very suitable for kids. I was there as a participant with Kompis Sverige. Some events I am a volunteer, and some events I am a participant. 

We went to all 3 floors. On the second floor was for dancing. Visitors are encouraged to dance in the prepared studios. On the third floor was to try out musical instruments. You can see playing the drum, try the harp and xylophone. It was fun!