05 March 2010

Sassy Stockholm




Stockholm is my favourite city in Sweden.


Top 10 things to do in Stockholm




  1. Millesgården. I was totally stunned when I saw all the beautiful statues. (visit only when the weather is nice)

  2. Kaknästornet. The best view over Stockholm. Bring your camera to the 155 meter high tv-tower.

  3. The royal castle. Go on sightseeing and buy royal tea in the royal shop.

  4. The Absolut Ice Bar. Freezing but nice to have a drink in a glass made of ice (book in advance)

  5. NK. The best department store, not to miss!

  6. Boat sightseeing with lunch in the archipelago is nice in the summer

  7. Liljevalchs, art museum with interesting exhibitions

  8. Fika (have a coffe and cake) at Vetekatten. A small cosy bakery decorated as an old Swedish home

  9. The old town with tourist shops and beautiful old houses
  10. Chokladfabriken (The chocolate factory) is a great place for chocolate lovers. They have three shops in Stockholm. One of them is at Regeringsgatan, close to NK.


Resturants

  • Lydmar, the restaurant at the design hotel Lydmar is great. Have a drink outside in the summer and enjoy the view of the royal castle before your dinner. A moijoto for starter and their great for guarantees a great evening. It is located at Blaiseholmen next to the Grand Hotel.

  • Ciao Ciao due. Have an Italian pasta and great pizza at this cosy restaurant in Östermalm. Not so cheap but great food. A place to bring the family for a meal.

  • Kol o koks is a small italian restuarant in the city centre. A perfect place for a romantic dinner.

  • Sonjas Grek has the best greek food I have had outside Grecce! One of my childhood friends who lives in Stockholm recommended me this place and I just love there food.

  • Forno Romana at Odengatan, serves tasty pasta and pizza at this pizzeria in Vasastan. Nice prices!

  • Östermalmshallen. It opened in 1888. Eat here or buy food to cook your own meal at home. Only open during day time.

  • B.A.R. If you like fish and shellfish. This is the place! Book a table in advance. It is located at Blaiseholmen close to grand hotel.

  • Sakura is nice for Japanse food. It you are about 10 peope or so, book their karaoke room and sing along.
  • Fjärderholmarna. Have lunch or dinner in the archipelago and enjoy the view of the ocean and islands in the summer.

  • Grand Hotel. Try the Swedish specialty Smörgåsbord, an exclusive buffet with great Swedish food


Stockholm for kids

Check out the mooses at the Skansen openair museum and zoo. Have a fairytale trip through Astrid Lindgren stories at the museum Junibacken. It is easy to have fun at the Gröna Lund fun fair. All these three attractions are within walking distance from eachother.

20 February 2010

One day in Oslo




10 top things to do in Oslo?

I found some top things to do during my weekend in Oslo.I will probably add some more after my next visit.
The marvellous Munch museum is worthwhile a visit when visiting Norways capital Oslo.
The scream is the most famous painting but there are several more great paintings to view.
A copy of one of them is hanging on our wall in our home. We could not resist to buy a copy as a memory of our Olso weeekend. But it is not looking as good as it did in the museum. Isnt that strange?

View the ocean, have a coffee or check out the shops at Aker Brygge. A place you must visit when in Olso. The restaurant D/S Louise at Aker Brygge is really fabulous! Try their fresh fish and enjoy the view of the Oslo Fjord (river) with its harbour and Akershus Castle built in 1300.


I love opera but even if you don´t. Visit the Opera house in Oslo and get astonished by the architecture. Enjoy an opera or have lunch inside the opera house in the restaurant or have a walk on the roof.

Smörrebröd is a typical Dansih sandwhich which is a nice lunch. You can also find in at the Grand Cafe,situated in the Grand hotel in Oslo. On ground floor with windows to the Karl Johan Street. Watch people, eat smörrebröd and enjoy life. The Grand hotel is also a great place to stay.

After lunch, take a stroll in the park outside the royal castle in Olso. This is were the royal family lives, so check it out...
If you need more exercise go on to the Karl Johan street for some serious shopping. But be aware. Oslo is extremely expensive...

After the shopping a dinner at the restaurant Eik is perfect. Great food, wine and interior. (closed Sundays and Mondays)

If you prefer a restaurant with a amazing view over Oslo you should choose the Ekeberg restaurant. See my picture of Oslo by night taken from the Ekeberg restaurant. The Ekeberg restaurant is situated on the mountain in Olso. The restaurant also has a bar/lounge, conference and meeting facilities, banqueting and wedding suites and a beautiful second floor veranda.

A cheaper alternative to the Grand Hotel is the Park Inn hotel. It is also situated in the centre of Oslo, cheaper but ok to stay at. If you ask for a room that has a view of a brickwall. The rooms with a view of the street is incredible noisy.

Lovely London




10 top things to do in London?


One of my favourite places on earth is London in the United Kingdom.
Ett av mina favoritställen är helt klart London i Storbritannien.
It has everything for a great weekend; fantastic museums, thousands of shops, nice restaurants and a lot to do.

My must-visit-museums are:
The National Gallery. The paintings are so beautiful that I totally forgot about the shops outside. Check out Monet´s beuatiful painting "The Water-Lily Pond"
But ok, I bought a lot of things in the museum shop so it was not a totally shopping free experience. Other great museums are the Tate gallery and Tate modern.

10 top things to see and do:
  1. Visit St Pauls cathedral
  2. Buckingham palace
  3. Take a trip - maybe a champange flight? - on the London eye.
  4. Tower Bridge
  5. Westminster Abbey
  6. Cruise the river Thames
  7. Hyde park
  8. Trafalgar Square
  9. Visit museums, see below
  10. See a musical. I have seen the Mamma Mia Musical twice and it was still great the second time.
and of course: shop till you drop; Oxford Street, Regent Street, Covent garden etc etc

6 supernice restaurants to dine at:
  1. This is the place to have a romantic dinner with a view over London. Dine at the Oxo Tower
  2. Listen to the lovely opera performance while dining a mediterrian dinner at the Sarastro opera restaurant.
  3. We had a business dinner at London oldest restaurant. And it was fab! Visit Rules for a memorable evening.
  4. The food was ok and it was interesting to visit Shakespeare´s Globe Theatre. The brasserie also had a magnificent view of the river.
  5. Lunch at Harrods Sea Grill is a must when I am in London. Fantastic fish and a glass of wine. Life is good at the Sea Grill!
  6. Duck and Waffle on the 40th floor with a gorgeous view of London. Heron Tower. 
Too expensive to stay...... but visit them for an Afternoon tea or a cocktail just to feel the atmosphere!
I had a coctail at the Lanesborough and wished I was staying there. And I tried to get in for an Afternoon tea at the Ritz hotel but was stopped by the doorman because we had not booked a table. And he said, even if you had booked at table, I would not have let you in... because we wear sneakers. So to summarize: book in advance and wear fab clothes but do not wear sneakers.
I can recommend the Radisson Edwardian hotel Berkshire. It is quite expensive but the location and their moijitos are perfect. Its is next to Oxford street and I have stayed there several times.
Or if you want a five star chic luxury alternative choose The Berkely in Knightsbridge. It has a roof top pool and the Blue bar turns into a chich nightspot in the evening. (book a table in advance) The hotel claims that the Blue Bar is Madonnas favourite but I did not see her there when I stayed there.

Where to shop?
  1. Harrods is a must to visit
  2. I just love Liberty. Take a stroll, check out all the nice things inside the shop.
  3. Check out the bags and get a free make-up at Harvey Nichols
  4. Extremely cheap clothes and stuff at the huge shop Primark. Go there early if your hotel is nearby so you don´t have to carry 10 heavy shoppings bags for a whole day.
  5. Visit all the sport shops; the Adidas shop, Nike store, etc etc. and you will feel sporty for a long time after.