Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Phoebe at Carmen


Phoebe at Carmen, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

Erik at Carmen


Erik at Carmen, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

cheers to new friends.

the swedish word of the day is skål, meaning cheers

Carmen


Bilen & Tracey at Carmen, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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.

Creepy Ghost Phoebe


Creepy Ghost Phoebe, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

Scary Halloween Night in Stockholm


Scary Halloween Night, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


tracey in the funky taxi, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


vienna 2, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6988, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6973, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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.

Perfect Fall day at Schönbrunn


100_6926, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

Schönbrunn Castle Grounds


100_6883, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

Schönbrunn Castle


100_6873, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6864, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


tracey in vienna, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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!


vienna crew, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


DSC00020, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6790, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


Weekend Purchases/Gifts, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6679, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6667, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6681, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


DSC00013, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6406, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

Sometimes this little darling is so adorable I can barely stand it. I'm the luckiest au pair.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

smörgåsar


100_6163, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6345, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6141, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


100_6080, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


Uppsala, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


Thanksgiving, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


Thanksgiving in Uppsala, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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!


Autumn is here!, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


Stockholm, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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


Feist in Stockholm, originally uploaded by traceylikesyou.

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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