Stockholm, Week 2

Hej,

Life in Stockholm is good! I have now been here for nearly two weeks, and I am finally starting to learn my way around.

The metro stop that I take to work is called Hoglandstorget. For all you Harry Potter fans, I like to think of it as Hogwarts instead.

As you may know, I am a self proclaimed baker of delicious cookies, otherwise known as Rathersweets. The problem is, chocolate chips don't seem to exist in Sweden. So, I am now forced to go with Plan B. I will now focus my efforts on Swedish treats with local ingredients. My first attempt will be to make choklad bolls, basically chocolate with butter, cocoa, coffee, and rolled in coconut. Hopefully I will master them here, and I'll bake them for everyone when I return.

On Tuesday, I went to dinner with Frances, a mutual friend that my sister and her friend set me up with. We went to t.v.a., a great local restaurant in the St. Eriksplan area. During the week, they have meal specials to encourage people to eat out. We ordered the tuna steak, and it was delicious. After dinner, we grabbed a cocktail at Storstad in Odenplan, a local favorite.

Wednesday, Amanda and I went running around djurgarten with the marines at post, which seemed like our own personal body guards. Afterwards, we ate dinner at Vapiano, a new italian restaurant with fresh herbs on the table. They have great salads and pizzas.

Thursday night, Frances took us to a club that was created for Love Stockholm, the events leading up to the Royal Wedding this weekend. Europeans are really into clubs and techno music, which is culture shock for me!

This weekend, I explored Hotorgshallen, an underground market that reminded of the Mercato Centrale in Florence. They sell meats, cheeses, homemade pastas, spices, wine, and fresh produce. Someone here told me that Stockholm makes it hard for foodies and winos to eat good food and drink good wine at home because the stores are only open until 6 during the week, and 3 on Saturdays. I ate at a cute little sushi place in the market, and then set out to find the one recommended place in Stockholm that sells ground turkey meat, kalkon in Swedish.

Amanda and I then explored the Moderna Museet, Stockholm's modern museum of art.

Amanda and I ate dinner at Koh Phangan in Sodermalm, a really fun and corky thai restaurant. There are lanterns and christmas lights strung throughout the restaurant, and the restaurant feels like a tropical forest with fake lizards and snakes hanging from the trees. The pad thai and spring rolls were delicious.


After dinner, we headed to the British Embassy to watch the U.S. take on Great Britain in the World Cup. Lucky for us, it was a diplomatic ending where we tied. We went out in Gamla Stan to a bar called Akkurat, a pub that boasts more than 200 beers on tap. Lucky for me, they have Sierra Nevada Pale ale, and for a mere $10 I was able to savor this IPA.

On Sunday, we visited the newly opened Fotografiska Museet (photography museum) to see the travelling Annie Leibovitz exhibit.


Ciao!
K Fitz