Sweden, Stockholm: HT couple invaded the city!

HT couple has invaded Stockholm, one of the best cities to live in.  We were so curious how could such an expensive city be the best...now we know why...plus check out some of our budget tips when in Stockholm.

1.) The city offers a good share of old and modern feel.

Ridarholmskyrkran - where the monarchs of 16th century were buried.  It's quite nice and relaxing to look at while strolling the old town - Gamla Stan.

Kulturhuset - The house of culture @ the center of Stockholm was eye-catching whether it's day or night. 

BUDGET TIP: You can spend a whole day going around the city by metro, bus or tram (get a 1-day transportation card as 2 rides per day already makes the cost of the day card - breakeven)

2.) Nordic animals and countryside ambiance is just a tram away.

You can see them in Skansen - open air museum

Me with a country horse - look how sturdy their legs are!

yes, this is a house.  Bed, kitchen and conventional heater...they're all inside.

 

they're doing the dishes!  (teamwork)

 

 

3.) The city has loooots of museum.

the Nordic Museum - not your typical museum.  - interesting and fun at the same time.

 

 

BUDGET TIP: Stockholm has numerous museums.  If you're staying there only for a day or two, a maximum of 2 museums is enough.  Check out which interests you the most.  The entrance fees are quite standard about 100 swedish KR ~ 11 euros.  If you're there to explore only museums and palaces, then better get a stockholm tourist card.  

4.) So many kids having fun



5.) Of course, the food experience!

At Ostermalm Saluhall

 The stall Lisa Elmqvist offers a good variety of seafood - we got their sampler plate which consists of bleak roe, trout roe, shrimps - smoked and steamed, cured salmon, smoked salmon, marinated pickled herring, shrimp salad and the winner of them all - the crayfish salad (hiding behind the dill).  The platter was served with 4 types of special sauces which are being sold individually by the stall.  It was a lovely lunch (not cheap ~50 euros  but i guess it's cheap for the locals - considering the queue). 

 

BUDGET TIP: As this is a must have for HT couple and the Saluhall is only open until 4 pm, we invested on our lunch and went cheap for dinner.

 

HT hubbie looking excited before digging in.

 

ah...i salivated as soon as i saw these crabcakes (@Lisa Elmqvist - stall)

 

what i'm missing in Holland (which i've seen in most of the european countries) a good selection of meat



 

Being a foodie doesn't mean you have to spend a lot to eat good food...HT wife wanted to try wild/game in Stockholm that wouldn't make a hole in her pocket...ta dah...Pizza with gorgonzola and a mixture of wild (elk, reindeer, etc).  - And yes, the pizza was super huge and lekker(delicious) - far better from what we have tried in NL! (@Buona Sera Pizzeria - near our hotel Rex Petit) ~~ 10 euros

 

When in any country in Scandinavia, make sure to eat hotdogs.  It's yummy, fills you up, and cheap!

 

HT couple was on a budget in Stockholm.  We got this famous princess cake in the supermarket - sponge cake layered with cream and custard...the green coating taste like marzipan and was very very sweet.

 

Foodcourts exist in Stockholm - pretty unusual on this side of the world.  No frills, food is so-so but budget friendly.

 

 

Sweden has one of the high numbers of coffee drinkers in the world. 

BUDGET TIP: Some cafes (such as Cafe Art in Gamla Stan) offers a drink-all-you-can coffee for ~5 euros.  Get some bread pudding with vanilla sauce (typical in Sweden) to compliment your caffeine fix.

 

for my last few kroners, i got this before saying goodbye to Stockholm.

an open-faced meatball sandwich - I was a bit hesitant ordering meatballs as i think it's overpriced considering i can eat a lot of them @Ikea for a few euros...but finally, i gave in.

 

6.) Shops in Stockholm are open on Sundays

 

free apples in the shopping district - for shoppers who blew their wallets and have nothing for lunch (or for dinner - i saw a lady who opened her bag and was not shy stuffing it with apples as full as she can)

 

And what makes it really the best??? 

Irish pubs are all over Stockholm :).

BUDGET TIP: Since 17th century, alcohol has been controlled in Sweden thus, you have to pay a price if you can't avoid it.  Dining out, I noticed that locals were just drinking tap water and those with beers are the tourists (LOL).  You can order beer with low-alcohol-content which is less expensive or if you can try to hold your eagerness of alcohol intake, wait 'till your out of Sweden...or out of Scandinavia.

Paris, France: at almost 40 degrees Celsius (and it never stopped HT wife from eating!)

In the midst of the hottest day in Paris, half of the Parisians made sure that they enjoy the day with a great view of their famous landmark.

 

HT hubbie said, when the weather is warm, humans eat less.  Hmm...not for HT wife...

 

A great way to start the day...(though the coffee is not the parisian way)

 

duck confit (with 1 kilo potato)..it's too much...how could Parisians be so thin?

 

my steak with bone marrow

 

to those who know me, guess what?  i didn't eat the marrow...(too fatty for my taste)

 

créme brulee - thin, smooth, creamy, melts in your mouth...perfect!

 

Crépe special..

 

BURGER!  It was huge...my bessy and I were just walking back to the train station and saw this burger at the window of a restaurant near Notré Dame.  We got tempted...and zoof...look what we got ourselves into.

 

mine was a bit raw...I didn't think of returning it so I can eat it the French way...guess what?  My tummy asked me a favor not to be too experimental.

 

With all the binging, my best friend and I made sure that we take off those calories by walking for 5 hours (straight!) 

 

And it was worth the effort...Notré Dame's other side.

 

looking up to Sacre Coeur

 

Louvre from afar

 

Cruisin' Seine river was the best way to relax, after a long day of walking under the heat.

 

And what can HT wife say...after this weekend getaway?

 

YEAH!!!!

 

Utrecht, Netherlands: An unforgettable birthday

HT hubbie always treat me as if everyday is my birthday.  (ok, i'm exaggerating, but he does treat me special each day)

We eat out even without occasion but HT hubbie still made sure that on the eve of my birthday, i will be able to do what I love the most....eating and taking pictures of my food. :)

Hotel Karel V restaurant is the only restaurant who has michelin star in Utrecht.  HT hubbie got the chef's special 4-course menu which includes wine arrangement.

for our amuse-bouche - we got a pickled piece with crystallize tamarind, a small cake with haring eggs (caviar) and a foamy cake (taste like truffle) with a south-american fruit (forgot the name) sorbet. - it amazes me how chefs can do such out-of-this-world pieces on a plate.

haring eggs

*champagne as aperitif

the freshly baked and addictive bread (i think i had 4)

another amuse-bouche pork belly with small shrimps - love the blend of the pork and shrimps.  It's not too fishy and it didn't overpower each other.

starter - iberico meat as a màbre of cheek, liver, fillet and ham with bay leaf jelly covered with solidify fats(i removed it :() and canned red cabbage.  I savored the taste of each piece of meat but eating them together was a delight.  Thumbs up to the chef!

*paired with Spatlese wine - they were not selfish with it, so i had 2 glasses :)

2nd course - Langoustine carpaccio with crispy sweet bread and shiso vinaigrette (there was also a liver pate on the side)

I love  the shiso vinaigrette!  While i was enjoying my ever-first langoustine carpaccio, my throat started itching and my lip started to tighten up.  When i was young, i was allergic to seafood except fish.  But being a foodie, i tried to overcome that allergic reaction by eating what's forbidden.   And so far so good until I had this...so no seafood carpaccio from now on.

Veal in bernàise with steak tartar, kohlrabi and truffle

*paired with bourgogne (burgundy) - we had a light one which complemented the dish

yoghurt with strawberry and tomato confit

When this dessert was being explained, I thought of : "how could a dessert be this healthy?" And when it's healthy, there's a chance that it might not be good.    Surprisingly, it gave me that "kilig" (thrill) factor in every bite.  2 thumps up chef!

*paired with a not so sweet dessert wine - i forgot from where

THE YUMMY eclairs and small bites created by the chef that went along with our coffee (which was pretty good too!)

And the best part of the night?

who needs a limo if you have a bike?

Thanks HT Hubbie for making my bday extra SPECIAL!

*about 100 euros per person ( not too bad for a Michelin-starred restaurant)