Journal no. 3

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.