Ocean Bus Stockholm

15 July 2026

Finally, I get to experience the amphibian bus! I have always wanted to do this. I see it and I always thought that I have to try it. I booked this the day before because my colleague commented that it was boring for me to be at home after work on a sunny day. So, I checked out activities to do in Stockholm and came across this activity. And I thought, yes, I should do this tomorrow because it is going to be sunny. Not only was it sunny today, it was really hot. I could feel the intense heat from the road. 30 degrees today. I longed for this temperature during winter when it is -5 degrees wondering when summer will arrive. Now that it is here, it is really hot but I appreciate that I can wear shorts and be in sleeves. However, I applied sunblock and had a thin windjacket on to cover my arms. Also, had an umbrella with me. I walked from my workplace to Tres Taco Joint before the activity and I was the only one with an umbrella. 

The amphibian bus has a propeller and a rudder underneath it so it could move in the waters. The tyres do not fold upwards and are still under the bus. A ticket costs SEK329 for the time 6.30 - 7.30pm. Earlier hours cost SEK399. Another slot for 7-8pm costs SEK329. The experience took about 55 minutes. We were driven around some parts of Östermalm for the first 20 minutes and then went into the waters for 30 minutes. There was a guide to explain on some landmarks and historical sites along the way. It was in English as this is obviously, an activity for tourists. 

This is the area where the bus drove into the waters - in Djurgården, right after the diplomatic area where some embassies are located. The captain accelerated and we went in with a loud splash. Quite fun! 

The captain gave a check before we went inside the waters.

The other amphibian bus that we met along the way.

It was nice to see some of the buildings from waters. Here is the Nordic Museum. My favourite museum.

Then, passed by Vasa museum.

The bus/boat made a turn at Gröna Lund amusement park and we headed back to shore.

It was a lovely ride on the bus/boat. Fun experience to get as a tourist!

Tastebud : Villa Godthem (2nd time)

7 May 2025

Dinner at Villa Godthem. It is my second time in this place. The first time I was here, we had their Christmas buffet. Today, we chose this place to have dinner after our activity in Gröna Lund. We did not eat in Gröna Lund as the food was quite pricey for the amount and quality one can get. A kiosk selling sausage and bread cost 30kr, while I had a similar meal at a bonfire activity early this month for 25kr. Biltema, a hardware store sells that for 5kr. Plus, we do not come to this side of the town very often so we took the opportunity to eat here.

I had the restaurant's well-known dish - plankstek. 429kr. Grilled striploin served with bacon, green beans, baked tomato, béarnaise, red wine sauce & pommes duchesse. For starters, we were served complimentary sweet bread, dry bread and butter. Well, the price is not cheaper here either but the quality of the food is guaranteed. 

Pommes duchesse is a French cuisine - a purée of mashed potato, egg yolk, and butter, which is forced from a piping bag or hand-moulded into various shapes which are then baked in a high temperature oven until golden. Source from Wikipedia. 

Next to the dish is a small papper that states the number of times the dish has been served. It has been served 2 877 004 times. Definitely a favourite dish among customers. The meal is very filling. 

Amusement Park Gröna Lund

7 May 2025

After 8 years living in Sweden, my wish to visit the town's amusement park, Gröna Lund came true! I am so happy! A company's activity which means free entry and free rides. We were allocated 2 jetpasses per person. A jetpass means one can avoid the usual queue. I used my jetpass for a new attraction, Pumpen and Blå tåget - ride through some scary popping skeletons and monsters. We spent 2.5 hours in the park. I hope that we have this activity again next year so that I can try other rides! This year, I did Tekoppen - max of 5 sit in a teacup and the teacup swirls very fast, Elefanterna - 2 persons sit in an elephant that goes up and down slowly in circles, Vilda Musen - a roller-coaster ride and my 2 jetpasses.

This is Pumpen. It is a ride that swings up and down and up again.

I rode on Vilda Musen - the Wild Mouse. It is a roller-coaster ride that is meant for kids. My boyfriend decided to hop off when he saw the ride, although it was him who suggested the ride. He said that his stomach could not handle it. So, it was me alone on the ride and he could take my photo from bottom. Some commented that the ride could give one a whiplash with the sudden turns and jerks. I agree on that. Thankfully, I came out fine from the ride.

At last, I managed to have my own flower-shaped twisted balloon. I get to be a kid on this day. I wanted to do face painting too but I did not know where the activity was.

Djurgården boat tour

4 September 2023

Volunteer activities with Kompis Sverige!

Today, we did an hour boat trip around Djurgården. I have always wanted to participate in this boat tour to see Djurgården islet from the waters. It was a warm day and we were lucky to have a good weather. One gets a pair of earphone and connects it to the dedicated sound system to hear explanations about the places we pass. I am thankful I get to experience this, thanks to Kompis Sverige! :)

Tastebud : Villa Godthem (Christmas buffet)

13 December 2022

Christmas buffet for 2022! At Villa Godthem. This place is huge and brightly lit too. I like it so that I can see the food I am eating. It costs SEK795 per person. I enjoyed the dessert the most. Lovely chocolate truffles. 

Waldemarsudde - Ett eget rum (A room to oneself) art exhibition

2 December 2021

Voluntary work to Waldemarsudde Museum. Yes, Kompis Sverige is back in action with their activities to bring newly-matched friends together to hang out. It is a great initiative. I enjoy going to their activities, being a volunteer to gather them and talking to them, getting to know and being humbled by new people I meet each time. Everyone has their own stories and I learn each time I listen to their stories.

The last time I was in this museum was in November 2018. 3 years back and with Kompis Sverige too but as a participant then. 

Today, we are in the museum to see an art exhibition - Ett eget rum, which means a room to oneself. Well, the direct translation will be 'an own room' but does not make sense in English. So, this exhibition depicts how Nordic female artists at the end of the 19th century came to conquer the role of artists during a time of radical societal changes and gender equality aspirations. Source from Waldemarsudde. We had a guide with us to explain the history of a few painters. I took photos of paintings that intrigued me. 

In this picture, the painting of the man was painted by his fiancée. And his fiancée is painted by him and depicted in the next painting. See, how they see one another in each other's eyes. I think the woman looks dark and sad, while the main looks happy.

In this huge painting, a husband painted his wife and his wife who is a sculptor sculptured a bust of him and is displayed next to the huge painting. You can see the wife's profession in his painting, and the husband is very proud of his wife being an artist. 

Women as artists were being frowned upon then. I prefer these sort of paintings when one is able to see the object clearly. I am not a fan of abstract paintings because they are just random strokes and I cannot interpret them as creatively as the artist. I feel that clearly painted objects are harder to paint as one needs to be careful with the strokes, details, and shades of colours. 

Christmas Market at Skansen

30 November 2019

This is my first and last Christmas market that I visited in 2019 as I went back home in December. Skansen opened its Christmas market on the last day of November till a few days before Christmas which is celebrated on 24 December here. Entrance fees cost SEK170 per person. It snowed the day before so it was a beautiful sight in Skansen. We went inside the workshops or cottages just to get some warmth! It was a bit of a squeeze too because the space is really small, and I think most of the visitors have the same thinking as us - to get some warmth. 

By the way, Skansen is an open-air museum and a zoo too. We did not go to the zoo area. I doubt one can see any animals. 

There is a garden in Skansen but as you can see, there are no flowers.

We got to try some dried and hard bread here. The ladies were making them on the spot. You can imagine that it is really warm inside here.

Tastebud : Oaxen Slip (Christmas buffet)

27 November 2019

This is my 2nd Christmas buffet table that costs so much more than my first one in Engelen. This is the luxurious version of SEK875! Despite the price, each table was occupied. Also, any no-shows after booking has to pay a fine of SEK500. This place has more variety. For e.g. 20 types of pickled herring (only 4 in Engelen), 12 types of cold and warm smoked meat (lamb, pork, turkey, liver), 3 types of salmon and so many kinds of desserts. Next year, I will just stick to one Christmas buffet table only or maybe none at all. 

Plus, this place has a boat on the ceiling. 

I took almost every dish but not all of the dessert (I took the chocolate praline only). Needless to say, I was very stuffed.

John Lundvik Concert

1 October 2019

It is autumn now. Cold. Windy. Rainy. Cloudy. The sun is a rare sight now. How did summer fly by so fast? Goodbye warm weather and shorts.

Today's activity is courtesy of Kompis Sverige. I was a volunteer for that day with 2 others. We went to a John Lundvik concert. I had no idea who John Lundvik so I did a bit of research and found out he was the winner of Melody Festival 2019. Melody Festival is a singing competition in Sweden and the winner gets to represent Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest. Mr Lundvik got 5th place in Eurovision. 

The last time I went to a concert was in 2014. I am not a fan of concert but I participated to experience it. It turns out that I enjoyed his singing. He sang a few of other singers' songs and a couple of his own songs which I did not find them enjoyable. He was very happy to perform this evening especially in the premise of Cirkus. I get the vibe that Cirkus must be a reputable place for artists. He sang with his backup singers that are known as 'The Mamas'. They have powerful voices. 

In the end, I was standing and shaking my hips to the music. Well, I stood up because everyone in front of me was standing and I could not see the stage. What a fantastic 90-minutes' experience!

Skansen - Coop Members' Day

1 September 2019

Today, I went to Skansen for free! It is free for Coop's members, so my friend invited me to go. Usually, Coop has free entries twice a year into Skansen. It was also the last day of the warm summer. You can imagine that the town is packed and everyone just wants to go out and absorb as much sun as possible. We arrived there by 10am and walked around Skansen. I have been to Skansen twice - my first time as a tourist in September 2015 and my second time in March this year to celebrate Fire Festival which is to usher in the Iranian New Year.

We walked to the Rose Garden, Herb Garden, some of the traditional houses and finally found our way to a small square where food was sold.

I treated my friend and myself to a Fried Elk meat in flat bread cone that costs SEK100. Warm meat. Tastes really good.