Tastebud : Man in the Moon

31 July 2019

Man in the Moon is a pub that sells so many kinds of beer. Some said that it is the best beer pub in Stockholm with the most range of beer. I am not a beer person, so I am not certain of this. I had a sour beer for SEK89 and the classic burger for SEK190. Food in a bar is usually expensive.

Vaxholm

31 July 2019

A very windy day today despite being summer. It was chilly for me but because it is summer, there is no excuse to stay at home. Today's outing to Vaxholm. A bucket list checked for me. Vaxholm, despite being located in the archipelago can be reached by bus too.

Vaxholm, just an hour's ferry ride from Stockholm, is often referred to as the capital of the archipelago. People here have lived off herring fishing for many generations. In the 1500s, King Gustav Vasa decided to put the defence of Stockholm's inlet here. It was the beginning of what would be almost 500 years of military history for Vaxholm residents. The Citadel still stands on the strait just outside the city. A visit there will bring you back to a time when the old fortress was its own little society populated by senior military offers and their wives, soldiers, servants and prisoners. Source from Stockholm Archipelago.

Expenses incurred for this trip:

1) Ferry ticket managed by Waxholmsbolaget - SEK158 for a return ticket
2) Boat to Vaxholm Fortress Museum on Vaxholm - SEK50 for a return ticket
3) Vaxholm Fortress Museum entrance fee - SEK80
4) Lunch (Codfish soup) - SEK185
5) Ice-cream - SEK45 (no photos)

We took the ferry that is managed by Waxholmsbolaget. The jetty is located about Grand Hotel. It took us about 50 minutes to get to Vaxholm.

Upon arrival, we headed towards the jetty for the boat that will take us to Vaxholm Fortress Museum I was surprised that it costs SEK50 for a return tour because the journey was so short. I thought it will be cheaper but I guess since this is not a place that tourists will come twice plus it is summer, why not?

Tastebud : TGIF

30 July 2019

There is TGIF in Stockholm too! And the food portion here is huge, just like any American restaurant! I had loaded pork nachos for SEK129 and five alarm wings for SEK95. There is nothing unusual about the food here because Malaysia has TGIF too.

Tastebud : Cafe Vurma

30 July 2019

Salad bowl at Cafe Vurma. I felt very healthy with this bowl - blueberries, avocado, egg, carrots, beetroot for SEK135. Then, I ended it with an unhealthy dessert of spiral bread with chocolate fillings for SEK24 each.

Tastebud : Omnipollos Hatt

28 July 2019

Another dinner after a hike with the Meetup gang - at Omnipollos Hatt. This place is good for the pizza and beer. I had pizza only. It is a small restaurant and we had to wait for our turn to get a table before we could place an order. I had korean-inspired pizza for SEK145. It has tomato, mozarella, ox thighs, kimchi, marinated bulgogi and scallion. I was very full and gave a slice to one of my friends.

Möja Island

28 July 2019

Daytrip to Möja (pronounced as mer-ya) Island. Möja is an island in the archipelago which takes about 2.5 hours to get there. It is one of the furthest island in the archipelago. We took bus 434 from Slussen bus stop to Sollenkroka brygga. From there, I paid SEK158 (return boat ticket) to Ramsmora (the jetty's name on Möja Island).

Tastebud : Non Solo Bar

27 July 2019

No food for this post but just me holding a cup of brewed coffee on a lovely summer day. I love this photo of me. So, I am going to post it. Oh, the cup of brewed coffee costs SEK35 at Non Solo Bar.

Tastebud : Indian Street Food

27 July 2019

Indian food for lunch at Indian Street Food. Chicken wrap for SEK99.

Mini Golf - Golf Baren Kristineberg

23 July 2019

Lovely summer afternoon which calls for an outdoor activity - mini golf at Golf Baren which is located next to Kristineberg train station. I have never played golf before and I always associated golf as a rich man's game. However, this golf terrain is simple as it is meant for leisure and for everyone to enjoy. It costs SEK120 for an adult and one can play as long as they like. There are 18 holes to hit and we played 2 rounds for about 2 hours. The crowd started crawling in by noon. 

I look funny with my golf posture. 

I improved significantly by the second round. It is a fun game when I get to hit a hole in 1, which means it took me only 1 attempt to hit the golf ball into its hole.

Tastebud : Eataly (2nd time)

22 July 2019

Pizza at Eataly for SEK165. I had verace dop - San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, extra virgin oil and basil. Eataly offers cooking classes too and has its own food boutique in the restaurant so you can buy authentic Italian ingredients.

Tastebud : Mr Cake

21 July 2019

I love to try desserts and I used to do back in Malaysia. It is difficult for me to find bakeries or confectioneries in Stockholm that has different pastries and cakes. Most of the places usually sell the common cinnamon buns, vanilla doughnuts, apple jam buns, mazarin, chocolate ball, the green princess cake. Those are common Swedish buns and delicacies. 

So, I was very happy when my friend introduced me to Mr. Cake. This place gets crowded very fast. I had a slice of red velvet cake and a cappuccino for a total of SEK107. I do not remember the break down of the prices now. Probably SEK76 for a slice and the coffee would be SEK31. That is not impossible. Of course, this is not a place that one comes often unless one is rich. My friend got a red velvet bun and a cup of latte. 

Tastebud : Stockholms Glasshus

22 July 2019

Ice-cream time! This time, at Stockholms Glasshus - one of the yummy ice-creams in town. I am just writing this as what is said by other tasters. It is established in 1986 and apparently makes its own ice-cream. The shop has 48 flavours of ice-creams, so you can imagine how difficult it is to choose. I had 2 scoops for SEK48. Still cheaper than StikkiNikki where 2 scoops cost SEK55.

Tastebud : Ramblas

20 July 2019

Spanish food for dinner at Ramblas! I did not understand the concept of tapas until today! One orders a few dishes because each dish is small. I do not remember the price of each dish. To get an idea of the price, the calamare plate in the middle costs SEK82. Yummy food. 

Värmdöleden - all 3 sections

20 July 2019

Today, we attempt Värmdöleden - a 25km long trail with 3 sections. We completed all of them today and with a couple of stops to dip ourselves in the waters. We gathered at Slussen bus station, took bus 474 to Gustavsberg at 8.34am, alighted at Gustavsberg and changed to bus 424H (heading towards Norra Lagnö) where we alighted at Skeviksstrand. 

Well-marked orange trails in the beginning but were sparse in the second half of the trail and we relied on Google Map or someone's instincts to bring us to the right trail. 

We stumbled upon a sign to a cave and went to check it out.

We finished the walk by 6.30pm and headed towards a restaurant and pub called Strömma where I had a cider. It was cooling to sit by the waters, stare into the waters and boats passing by while absorbing some of the evening sun.

We boarded bus 440 from Sagen (the bus stop is about a 5 minutes walk from the pub) to Kolvik, and from Kolvik, we took bus 474 to Ålstäket. From Ålstäket, we took bus 433 to Slussen. Gosh, so many buses but I am thankful for the availability of public transportation! 

Tastebud : Ethiostar

19 July 2019

Ethiopian food at Ethiostar. The restaurant did not have a fancy decoration from the outside, but when we opened the door and stepped in, I was in awe of its interior as it is very dissimilar from the outside. We had a buffet dinner that costs SEK199 per person. We are served unlimited supply of soft bread and their 8 types of dishes. We did not need to refill the food as the 8 dishes were sufficient for 2 of us. One of the dishes was cheese so you can expect yourself to be easily full from the dishes. They were finger-looking good! 

Strawberry Picking in Uppsala

19 July 2019

Bucket list checked for today - pick strawberries! I have always wanted to do this since I found out that this is a summer activity in Sweden. Strawberry is a luxury item for me in Malaysia as they are mostly imported and costs a bunch to buy from the grocer store. So, you can imagine that I stuff myself with strawberries during summer because it is relatively cheaper here. With an activity like self-picking of strawberries, I will definitely go for it!

So, when my friend asked me if I would like to go strawberry picking, I said yes! No hesitation. We were weighing between two strawberry farms that are located in Uppsala and Södertälje. We chose the one in Uppsala - Ulva Kvarn. It costs SEK100/kg which includes a small plastic pail to put the strawberries in. You can bring your own box to pluck the strawberries and the staff will weight the box first.

Luckily, there were portable toilets on the farm. I was in desperate need for a toilet. 

Part 2 - Day 2: Kayak from Nämdö to Ingarö

14 July 2019

Read here for Part 1.

We got ready by 9am. Today, we paddle back to Ingarö. First, we filled our bottles with water from a well. Just follow the sign that states 'Brunn' which means a well or a watering space. It was about a 200m walk. The water is very fresh. 

Off we go - back in the waters. We used a different route which is shorter than the route we used to arrive to the island.