we went to Uppsala for a day trip (say oohp-sala). it's an old university town about an hour from Stockholm. my friend studied there on exchange so i was looking forward to experiencing a bit of the atmosphere.
we brought one-way tickets for SEK 84 at the vending machine at Stockholm rail station.
it was a bit troublesome because the vending machine needed local credit cards and stuff, so foreigners like us can't get it at this price, and C had to buy it for us.

the station was spacious and modern with hints of history. the train itself was also spacious, clean and comfortable.
we arrived at Uppsala station, which was thoroughly modern, because the original station is now used as a fancy restaurant. the guy at the tourist information center was cute and humorous - he was fake-angry at the Danes and said xie xie after trying to find out the languages we knew :P

Uppsala showed us its pretty side, with the greenery, canals and colourful houses. no ugly modern buildings on this side! and the students were on vacation so it was quiet.

we got a do-able itinerary from the tourist center, except that the rain threatened to spoil our plans.
first was the University Library that housed a small exhibition on the Silver Bible, a very old manuscript.
the interior was very functional, i.e. nothing ornate to admire.

next to the library was the Uppsala Castle, situated on a hill overlooking the city.
castle = slott in Swedish, another awesome word.
it was very stout and fortress-like, but it's colour is so on-trend! lol. we didn't go inside to the exhibition.


the battlements on the castle hill faced this lovely garden, the University Botanical Garden.
admission was free and there were lots of interesting flowering plants to admire.
unfortunately we were in a hurry and only explored a corner of the garden.

a ridiculously pretty water feature on the river.

the Uppsala Cathedral, whose interior is terrifically old and grand. it was filled with decorative stone  markers from the 1700s worn down by the footsteps of visitors, life-like statues of dead monarchs and gorgeous stained glass.
we had lunch at the al fresco area of Saluhallen (the food hall) overlooking the river, shaded by the large white umbrellas.

one of the set lunches of the day - slabs of tender pork with mash and apple salad - yummmm~
the buffet bread/salad wasn't anything to shout about, but the view that accompanied the food was certainly magnificent.

C showed about a bit more, to an old and seriously cute cafe with an interior like something from a Jane Austen movie, and also the shop where she bought tea from. it had floor to ceiling shelves of  tea blends in 2 litre oriental tea bins. i think that's where my slight obsession with tea got fired up.
then she was to go back home, so she helped us to buy the return train tickets when we went to see her off.

we explored Uppsala by foot, so we walked all the way to Carl Linnaeus's Garden, but didn't go in because there was an admission fee. #cheapo
so we went into his house instead for free, with free audio guides!
he was an esteemed professor who studied flora and fauna and created the system for naming them.
it was a modest mid-sized house lovingly maintained with a tiled stove in every room.

we sat by the river for a bit, and saw a family on a floating garden raft.
on the bridge were these huge balls of real flowers, which were amazing.
this area was so picturesque and relaxed, it was unreal.
then we went back to the shopping district, which was rather busy. we sat there until it was time to go catch our train.

Vaxholm is an island in the north east of the city. C wanted us to experience the way the locals spend their summers, on idyllic islands in the archipelago.

we got on a ferry from Stockholm Stromkajen, which cost 75 SEK (SGD 13).
it afforded gorgeous views of the city.

there was much greenery on the little islands we passed, and adorable traditional houses with the distinctive hive-shape.
the 2 guys on the jetty waved at us, which was adorable.

after 45 minutes on the comfortable ship, we arrived at Vaxholm.
most of the commercial businesses where located near the dock end.

there were colourful flags hung along the main shopping street, Hamngatan, which had many pleasant shops for the residents and tourists.

one candy shop had these sweets C remembered from her childhood.

the island didn't have many eateries.
our choice, Hamnkrogen, turned out to be excellent.
the nautically-themed restaurant was next to the marina and served Swedish cuisine.
set lunch (SEK 85) included a drink, a lovely salad/bread buffet with coffea/tea/cookies.
my mom's beef stew, my steamed fish in cream sauce and especially C's fried fish were all beautifully served.
the service, decor, atmosphere and food made this one of my favourite lunch-ing experiences of all time.

 after lunch, the clouds started to gathered but we were excited to explore the island.
that's Vaxholm Kastell, a fortress on an islet on the east side of the dock.

but the most enjoyable part was ogling the picturesque and majestic old wooden houses that perch on the uneven terrain.
they came in pleasing pastel shades, with bay towers, dogs with their noses sticking out from under the fence, playhouse lemonade stands, and flowering rose flourishes.

such is the good life.

 

it was still drizzling when we got off the bus from Vaxholm.
C brought us to Biblioteksgatan, a pedestrian shopping street near Ostermalmstorg station.
the stone and brick facades, lack of crowds, gloomy weather, and turn-of-the-century architecture were very attractive. so, unlike the shopping areas near T-Centralen, this one exuded coolness, even though these were just the regular high-street fare.

this is Wienercafeet, a great contributor to the cool factor.


i saw this at a gift shop and asked C if Puss & Kram were characters like Tom & Jerry.
No, she said, it means kiss and hug.

i think it's safe to say that IKEA is the most famous cultural export Swedish has given us.
so C brought us to the largest one in the world, the one named Kungens Kurva.
we walked from Skarholmen station, but had to make a huge detour around a hill thanks to the unexpected road works in the area.
it was a relief to finally see the huge yellow building after all that walking. 
the entrance area of Kungens Kurva and the IKEAs i know in Singapore and Perth have a very similar layout and design, with attractive displays and escalators leading you up to the store area.

we made a beeline for the restaurant, where their ridiculously affordable meals make dining at IKEA very popular with the locals. C had the Family card which gives her further discounts.
i got meatballs. they are called köttbullar in Swedish. such an awesome word.

 this cold smoked(?) salmon was lip-smackingly springy and savoury.

we only skimmed through the furniture displays. these lights can collapsed into a sphere!

i liked how they re-created the actual dimensions of apartments that average people lived in and furnished them, even the kitchens and bathrooms, to give us some inspiration. it was fun to be able to visit so many "homes".

we spent some time in the food market, buying chocolates and candy, since the sweets they stocked were of high quality.
then we browsed the large malls nearby and went back to Skarholmen for coffee. we saw many different ethnicities and cultural dress styles as we sat facing the unromantic concrete town center.

 we went back to the city where C suggested that we go to Vasa park, a nice field of green with a surprisingly awesome kid's playground at the other end.

 we sat watching intense street soccer played by fit young men.

past the cute mini-hill and rocks was the kids' area.
i was super impressed by its design because on the child-friendly slopes were cool stuff like rubber trampolines.
we too tried to be like the tiny tots bouncing on the resilient matrix, but it was exhausting and a bit scary if you get too excited with all that jumping.
how i wish we had urban parks like this in Singapore. 

Vasa park is in Sankt Eriksplan, one of C's favourite neighbourhoods.
from the window of a cafe: "Ha en fin dag" is Swedish for "have a nice day".

 it is quite an upscale area with pleasant boulevards and interesting townhouses, especially along the river.
the scenery and view of the buildings while crossing the Sankt Eriksgatan bridge is lovely.

here's another example of nifty design - a car-shaped bicycle parker.

from Slussen, the most convenient way to get to Djurgarden was by ferry, which was covered by the 7 day transport pass.
i guess boats are quite a common means of transport since this part of Sweden has so many waterways and islands.
i haven't been on a ferry for ages so it was a thrill to see the attractions of the amusement park, Grona Lund, loom closer as the vessel approached its dock.
C said that she used to spend most of her school holidays at Grona Lund with her friends - how idyllic is that ^^

  we were going to visit most of the museums on the island except for the ABBA one, which not even my mom was interested in, so C brought to its museum shop to show us what we will be missing.
glorious bling like these key chains.

and these star clogs. SEK 695 = SGD 123.
i think they look good anywhere except on feet.

we got on the tram, which was quite packed. part of the ride was along the waterfront where many stately heritage buildings are situated. the National Dramatic Theater was particularly impressive, with its gold accents and ornate reliefs.

looking at this photo reminds me of how we were blessed with good weather during our visit.
C said that it was freakishly cold just 2 weeks before we were due to come.

the day started with us going to C's place to enjoy her home-cooking. #freeloaders

 saw this lovely packaging for crispbread, which was as big as a seat cushion...
i didn't know about this charming painted toy horse motif until i started seeing it in the tourist shops. originally a traditional handicraft from a rural province, it now represents Swedishness.

C gave us some skinny crisp bread to try with some wonderful pale butter and crayfish cream in a tube. skinny crisp bread is perfect for snacking because it's just a rye cracker that you can pile yummy things on.

inspired by the person swimming in the river i saw days earlier, i too went for a "swim".
unfortunately the water was cold, the area not covered by mangrove was rocky and mossy, the ground was sandy and murky, and i couldn't really swim.
C and my mom stood on the shore and laughed at my pathetic attempts.
i gave up after 5 terrifying minutes after paddling.

we made an excursion to Slussen station.
outside, the first thing you see is Gondolen. i was very surprised that this structure was built in the 1930s to provide a nice view of the waterway and islands for those who dine there.

we went up a slope to see Djurgården on the other side of the water. it's a huge island with loads of museums and attractions, like the old-school amusement park Grona Lund, which mesmerized me with its giant "flying star".
then C guided us up some wooden stairs, through Nytorgsgatan. with its traditional-looking houses, it seemed like we were stepping back in time.
the best part was at Mäster Mikaels gata, a cobblestone street lined with wooden houses dating back from the 1700s. it was exceedingly rustic and charming, since people actually still lived in the lovingly restored houses, with their color-coordinated facades , decorated windowsills, and cute little doors.
we would not have known about this gem if C didn't bring us there.

there was a direct line running from Katarina Church to the street.
according to Wikipedia, the old wooden houses are very rare since there was a law passed after a great fire in the area. funnily, the name Master Mikaels was derived from an executioner living there in the mid 1600s who was executed for murder.
such dark irony.


C then bought us to the ferry station so we could hop on a boat to Djurgarden, where we got a quick intro to Grona Lund and the ABBA museum, before we got back to the city via tram.
we had some refreshments at the impressive Espresso House (dark wood paneling, plush sofas, and anther chandelier) in the posh boutique area around Ostermalmstorg.

pictured is the delicious Turkish yogurt with cookies and caramel sauce. best thing ever.

we headed to a Spanish restaurant called La Cucaracha near Skanstull to meet C's Norwegian and Swedish colleagues.
as newcomers steamed in, they would introduce themselves to us individually, which was so polite. ^^ C told me to listen for the difference between Norwegian and Swedish because Norwegian is higher pitched and song-like.
the ladies decided on a tapas buffet where there were dishes of mussels, mushrooms, braised beef, potatoes, skinny shrimp, calamari rings, etc, served to us in our underground lair...  (we were in a wine cellar with actual candlelight for illumination)

i wish i had a bigger belly to eat all the delicious food.
the ladies seemed to be dainty eaters while i de-shelled as many of the skinny prawns as i could. these had a lot of roe in them, which C said nobody should eat (i tried at first).
i was very surprised at this practice of eating pregnant prawns, it seems ecologically unsustainable. shouldn't we eat the plump and not-pregnant ones? lol.

after dinner (it was about SGD 45 a person, not bad), we went to a cocktail bar on the 26th floor called Och Himlen Därtill to catch the night view. it was cozy, stylish and also packed with sleek-looking people. as expected from a sky bar ^^. i don't have photos of the view, but the restaurant's website has nice pictures.

there was a glorious horse-drawn tour carriage departing from the palace at Gamla Stan.
with some simple ingenuity, they have saved themselves the troubles of scrapping horse poo off the cobblestone streets.
can you spot it?
yes, the stylish black hammocks under the horses' butts.

this is Riddarholm Church.
we got lost trying to find the subway station and decided to admire this old church instead.
always fun to see a bit of fun street art in contrast to the grand and stately architecture.

a little 1:100 (?) scale of model of Riddarholmen, which is a tiny island just off Gamla Stan.
here, the steeple of Riddarholm Church is slightly polished since it rises above the other palace buildings.

the Swedish language is endlessly fascinating to me.
it's gruff yet cute, because it makes me think of both the fearsome Vikings and the muppet, Swedish Chef.
C tried to teach us how to pronounce the ä, å and ö, but i only remember that å sounds like "o" in "oar".

C was waiting for us at Medborgarplatsen station but we were late. :(
she walked us through a busy downtown area into a more deserted residential area filled with simple old townhouses. further in, we started to see some popular cafes that were closed for the summer.
we reached Urban Deli, a stylish supermarket/cafe/deli beside Nytorget and sampled the funky licorice-laced popcorn and discovered that it was quite yums.

Urban Deli's coffee in hand (i think C said it was good, and it was), we sat on the grass in Nytorget to chat. then with a baguette sticking out of my backpack, we went to check out the designer / second hand shops in SOFO. unfortunately, their vintage things were out of my budget, but it was interesting to see the small collective of hip shops and eateries.

and because it was almost the weekend, most Swedes were enjoying a cold beer at al fresco dining areas everywhere. it is the norm to party hard on Fri night and Sat, recover on Sun, and work hard for the rest of the week.