Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Carmen
We were freezing after our attempt at a magically scary Halloween night, so we ended up in Söder at Carmen, as usual. We met some nice guys with funny british/swedish accents. Another bizaare night in stockholm.
Scary Halloween Night in Stockholm
Phoebe and I went to djurgården to have a very scary halloween night. Our plan was to go to a sailor's graveyard, light some candles, read The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe and wait for scary things to emerge. Instead, we drank gin & tonics, found a mystery island, took some pictures and talked about past scandalous swedish evenings. While lighting candles, and attempting to tell scary stories, of course. It was a very spooky, halloween night on djurgården.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Funky Taxi
On our way home from Flex, Alex and I encountered the best taxi driver in history. We could hear the music pumping before we could even see the cab. So obviously we jumped in and were delighted by a big laptop playing reggae and this delightful rasta driver. He was friendly and funny and it made our night. I don't think either of us have ever had such a party inside a moving vehicle. Also, he gave us his card. So if you are ever in Vienna and need a cab, it is very important to call Funky Taxi at 0664 48 78 772. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. And strangely, he was even cheaper than our friend's cab even though we left from the same place. It was the perfect end to a perfect night.
Flex in Vienna
We went back to the apartment after Cafe Central and got ready for another crazy night out in Vienna. Vanessa was partied out, and stayed behind. After wandering the streets until 1am Karolina, Alex and I finally found the coolest drum'n'bass night ever at a club called Flex. We met lots of very handsome, very interested Viennese guys. I am totally in love with the people of Vienna. They are so laid-back, fun, friendly and cool. It's the breath of fresh air I needed after spending the last few months in reserved, unfriendly, socially-austere Stockholm. Karolina was tired at 1:30am and headed back to the Soet's apartment but Alex and I danced until 5am.
Flex
flex in vienna, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.
A great club with 80% straight guys! 20% girls & gays. Perfect music. Only in Vienna.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Cafe Central
Karolina, Alex & I went to a lovely cafe with beautiful paintings, high rounded ceilings and marble pillars. We sat for quite a long time and wished that a place like this existed in Stockholm. It was lovely lovely lovely!
Stephansplatz
One of my (many) favourite things about Vienna is coming out of the U-Bahn at Stephansplatz. The exit of the U-Bahn is overshadowed by the enormous Stephansdom Cathedral. The elaborate, gothic building looms over a large square leading to a main shopping district, several cafes and restaurants. It's marvelous! We spent lots of time exploring the catacombs below the cathedral. They were actually pretty creepy. It is definitely worth the 4 euro to see the 2 crypts, the tomb of the hapsburgs, and of course the millions of bones piled on top of each other, stacked meticulously by prisoners (yuck!). And our tour leader had the most stereotypically perfect german accent. It kind of made our day.
Schönbrunn Castle
The castle of the illustrious Hapsburgs. Karolina headed back to the Museum of Modern Art and Alex, Vanessa & I went to the castle. We didn't have a lot of time, so we lazily took the train tour around the castle grounds. It was a chilly, grey, fall day. We randomly ran into those same Swedish guys from the night before. Awkward...
Naschmarkt, Vienna
One of the first things we did Saturday morning in Vienna was go to this amazing market which sold everything from olives to antiques. It was beautiful. Fruit, flowers, bread, cheese, wine, vinegar. The options were endless. And each stand sold things more delicious than the next. We could all have spent hours wandering through the aisles, but instead we spent an hour and had delicious breakfast.
Friday, October 26, 2007
First Night in Vienna
We arrived in Bratislava in the late afternoon and took a bus to Vienna. Arrived in time for dinner and förfest for the night out on the town. We had great weather, especially because we expected rain. Had some trouble deciding on a club and ended up sneakily following some stylish swedish guys we overheard on the street. Ended up at a cool club in the Museum of Modern Art. It was a nice, cool crowd, and we danced danced danced all night long. There may have been some tequila involved. Lots of fun, good times for everyone!
Vienna!
Had a magical weekend in Vienna with these 3 girls! We partied, saw the sites and partied some more! Vienna is spectacular and we had a blast. Details to follow!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Jag ska åka till vienna idag!
I'm going to Vienna today! But I'll be back on Sunday!
The swedish phrase of the day is trevlig helg! which more or less means have a good weekend!
Stocksund
Everyday I pass the very lovely Stocksund on the Roslagsbanan. It is beautiful, no matter the weather, no matter my mood. Stockholm quite often takes my breath away.
morgondimma
It is very cold and very misty this morning. The thermometer said 0 degrees when I left for my morning walk. But it looked very very pretty in the forest. Sometimes I feel really lucky to be living outside the city, so close to a forest refuge. Other times I feel a bit isolated. This morning I pleasantly felt both.
I spoke to my brother on the phone this morning. He was telling me that Stockholm is a similar latitude to Whitehorse, Yukon. I can't believe I'm living this far north! 0 degrees in October!!! Yikes!
The swedish word of the day is morgondimma, meaning morning fog.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Weekend Purchases/Gifts
I also acquired some lovely things this weekend
Tea - Södermalmsblanding (Södermalm's Blend)
Tea - Apelsin Rooibos (Orange Rooibos)
Lovely Green Vintage Thermos
Lovely White Vintage Tea Tin
Emma also brought me this adorable Muumi Tin & Lunda Blandning tea from Lund. Tackar Emma!
Visitors from Lund
Had a lovely weekend with Emma, Tobias & Gustav. Emma & Tobias came for the weekend and Gustav recently moved here. The weekend was filled with an excess of the following: fika, vintage shopping, wine, laughter, late nights and friendship. I'm so lucky that these lovely people are in my life!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Guerilla Knitting
In the last few weeks Stockholm has become very chilly, and people throughout the city have begun to dress for the weather. Scarves and hats and mittens are everywhere. And many people have been taking care of various lamp and sign posts. It's beautiful, creative and inspiring! Maybe Stockholm isn't so cold after all?
Sunny Stockholm
Sometimes life in a new place is really exciting, full of new experiences, raw energy but after awhile this gets stressful and tiresome. Returning home just for an evening to relax, recharge seems like the only attractive option.
And then there are the other moments, walking through the city alone, when you feel overwhelmed with loneliness - sad and forgotten in the midst of the busy city. And I look up and see bright sky and pretty rooftops and it suddenly reminds me that beauty is everywhere, and sometimes all I need to do is look up.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Puffy Look Alike
I often see this little dog around Stockholm. It's always the same girl, so it's definitely the same dog. I'm convinced that she never leaves home with out it. Anyway, the dog looks so much like Puffy, my parents precious little dog. And every time I'm see them it makes me think of home.
hund is dog på svenska.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Au Pair
Sometimes this little darling is so adorable I can barely stand it. I'm the luckiest au pair.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
smörgåsar
I've been a little bored lately. So I've been trying to make nice looking, delicious culinary delights. Today I made a delicious wasa sandwich.
smörgåsar means sandwiches på svenksa.
Monday, October 15, 2007
nya stövlar
Bought some cool vintage boots yesterday at Beyond Retro. I'm a little in love with them.
New boots is nya stövlar på svenska.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
String Cafe in Sofo
Today Cristina, Guido, Nils & I went to String Cafe in Sofo. A cool, main-street/commerical drive sort of area in Stockholm. It's a nice cafe, and we did some vintage shopping. I bought some new (to me) boots. I'll post a pick of them later.
Later we went to Kulturehuset and saw the Araki exhibit. I'd definitely recommend it. It made me really happy. He's an amazing Japanese photographer. His work made me sad, inspired, lonely, and happy. It was a little graphic, very vivid, and very satisfying.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Olssons hit Stockholm
My favourite Olssons, Jonte & Arvid came for a visit in Stockholm tonight. We went to Carmen and had too much fun! We also took about 90 pictures that look almost exactly like this one.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Solsken i Uppsala
Today was a perfect perfect, brisk sunshiny day in Uppsala. I woke up to lovely sun rays shining through the window. And it made me smile even before I opened my eyes. I spent the morning wandering around in beautiful Uppsala, sitting beside the river, walking through the park, pretty yellow leaves falling everywhere. Arvid and I had some lunch and i caught the train back home in time for work this afternoon.
A perfect swedish day.
In sweden, sunshine is solsken.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Thanksgiving
Arvid & Jonte live in a beautiful old house with 20 other people and they have the most magical kitchen. When i think of Sweden, it looks like this.
kitchen is kök in swedish.
Thanksgiving in Uppsala
Our darling Olsson brothers made Alex & I a very non-traditional, but appreciated thanksgiving dinner. semi-cooked quiche, two-vegetable salad, and store-bought bread should definitely become an annual thing. Dessert was very typically Swedish kladdkaka and yummy black coffee with cardamom. Yummy Yummy!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Autumn is here!
It's a magical autumn here in Stockholm. I can't believe how quickly fall came. Beginning of October and it's already really chilly and leaves are falling everywhere.
The word of the day is höst, meaning autumn.
Stockholm
I have officially lived in Stockholm for 41 days. It seems like much longer. Moving away from Vancouver was difficult. I miss home, I miss friends, family and regular Canadian things. I thought I'd never feel comfortable here - my Swedish is abysmal and I'm constantly awkward and embarrassed about even the most simple things. But I've done so much I wouldn't have done in Vancouver. I'm out here on my own. I've found friends and started to gather a whole new life around myself! I've pushed my personal boundaries, experienced the entire range of possible emotions. but Suddenly, I'm happy again and everything is going to be okay - just a little more Swedish.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Feist in Stockholm
Karolina, Charlie & I went to Feist at Cirkus. It's a great little venue on Djurgården. We got to take the little commuter ferry from Slussen. It made me happy that a ferry was part of Stockholm's local transit system.
Cirkus was built a long time ago, it's was actually built to be a circus, and it's built in a circle. Awesome! Our seats were horrible but we are sneaky girls and managed to be able to stand in the very front row right in front of the stage. Shhh... don't tell.
The show was perfect, with Bob Wiseman opening. I was very proud to be a Canadian tonight. Even if you aren't a fan of Feist's music, I would suggest checking out her show. She is a performer and a half. The word I'd use is captivating...
The word of the day is fängslande, meaning captivating.
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