August 2, 2010 • Travel : London Tote Bag
Another great thing about London is all the amazing markets. I went to some of the Camden Markets and would have been content wandering for days. So much craft and sewing inspiration!
I came across Chewing Gum, the work of artist KM, and totally loved her illustration style. She customizes hats, shoes, shirts and tote bags on the spot and draws directly on the items with fabric paint. I liked the oversized tote she was selling and gave her a list of my favorite things: New York, London, Copenhagen, biking, ice cream and cupcakes. I came back 20 minutes later…
and viola! A totally unique and awesome bag. Thanks KM!
July 18, 2010 • Travel : London Calling
It’s been eight years since I’ve been to London. Luckily, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump away from Copenhagen and makes for an excellent long weekend trip. It’s also nice when you’re able to stay with a friend (Thanks, Josh!). A few highlights…
Cute Chimneys.
Grids of photos at the Tate Modern.
A happy vacuum.
July 9, 2010 • Travel : Vilhemina, Sweden
Last stop: Vilhelmina! Mats and Viola took us on a wonderful day trip to the mountains. Wowee. It was beautiful.
We saw many reindeer owned by the Sami along the side of the road.
My sister and I worked on our jump shots.
And we all enjoyed the sun setting close to midnight (the sun rises at 2 AM).
July 9, 2010 • Travel : Stockholm, Sweden
Well, the Swedish Royal Wedding is old news now, but it was quite the hype when my family spent a day in Stockholm.
Ikea had an exhibition tent called Tillsammans (Together) which showcased Ikea products in a royal wedding setting.
Of course you couldn’t go to any shop without the Royal Couple smiling at you.
And the day wouldn’t be complete without seeing a building face!
July 4, 2010 • Travel : Göta Canal
We drove to Sjötorp and biked along the Göta Canal to the town of Töreboda and back.
It was pretty amazing seeing all the different locks and bridges and Swedish farms.
I found out the Swedish red color has a name: Falu Red.
My favorite part? A bird house town!
July 2, 2010 • Travel : Nyköping, Sweden
Highlights from Nyköping:
Rhododendrons taller than me.
A walk and picnic around Stenddören Nature Reserve.
Släbro Hällristningar: petroglyphs from the Bronze Age.
June 29, 2010 • Travel : Swedish Sweets
I also spent two weeks in June traveling with my mom and sister to visit distant relatives in Sweden. My great-grandfather (top left in the photo) on my mother’s side immigrated to Minnesota in the 1900s. Eventually two of his brother’s joined him but the rest of the four siblings remained in Sweden. On this trip we visited three of my grandmother’s cousins who live in Nyköping, Varnhem, and Vilhelmina. We had wonderful hosts, ate extremely well and had a great trip. I’ll post various highlights throughout the week, but first up: food. More importantly: dessert!
Lars, in Varnhem made homemade apple crisp and let us try honey from his bees! I’m pretty sure I’m now addicted to honey and can no longer drink my tea without it.
Mats and Viola in Vilhemina introduced us to cloudberries, an orange raspberry-like fruit that tastes delicious in ice cream.
Mats’ twin brother, Bo, and his wife, Ann-Catherine, in Nyköping introduced us to lingonberry jam on cooked oatmeal (practically dessert). Mats also had a really tasty oatmeal recipe that entailed mixing grains like rice and whole wheat kernels in his oatmeal.
Ann-Catherine is the queen of making wonderful desserts.
She made this amazing almond-custard cake for her son’s 30th birthday.
Ostkaka (A Swedish version of cheese cake.) You scoop the cake (texture is similar to bread pudding) and layer berries and whipped cream on top.
Morotstarta (Carrot cake).
My favorite part? Ann-Catherine didn’t have to go very far to dig out her favorite recipes. She had an artist friend design recipe tiles for her kitchen black splash. How cool!
June 25, 2010 • Travel : Köpstadsö, Sweden
If you take the #11 tram in Gothenburg, Sweden to the last stop…
And hop on a ferry…
And hop off at an island called Köpstadsö (pronounced sherp-stad-so) where people park wheelbarrows instead of cars….
And wander down a path…
And discover a small harbor…
And admire a window display…
And wander in the woods…
And arrive at a beach….
And jump off rocks…
You decide this must be paradise.
June 24, 2010 • Travel : Göteborg, Sweden
My friend Kelsey and I ventured to Gothenburg, Sweden for a few days at the end of May. Gothenburg happens to be where my favorite bloggers Fine Little Day and Sandra Juto live so I figured it must be a fun, happening city. We were not disappointed. Here are a few highlights.
Trams + trees.
Coffee at Bar Centro.
BFA shows at Röda Sten.
Island of Köpstadsö.
Hot chocolate and Kardemommeboller (cardamom and cinnamon bun).
Awesome street art.
April 16, 2010 • Travel : Field Trip with Jessica Part III
Yay. Berlin! This was actually my third time there but I love it every time. I was there in ‘98 when Potsdamer Platz was just a giant construction site, again in ‘07 and this time to celebrate my 30th birthday. The weather was wonderful and we had fun exploring the city.
Beautiful apartment. Check.
(My friends Dan and Dietmar lent us their apartment while they were gone on vacation. It’s an amazing place with high ceilings and a mix of modern and vintage decor. I first met Dan the first day of my sophomore year in high school. I asked him if he was a new freshman. His response “No, I’m a senior from Germany.” Woops. It’s fun to think that 15 years later we’re still in touch. Thanks again Dan and Dietmar!).
Pedestrian light. Check.
Currywurst. Check.
TV tower. Check.
Holocaust memorial. Check.
Brandenburg Tor. Check.
Reichstag Dome. Check.
(The only time you should even attempt to go here is at eight in the morning right when it opens. Even then we had to wait an hour, but every time I’ve come here before the line is at least three hours long. It’s a nice view, but not worth a three hour wait.)
Berlin Wall. Check.
(The East Side Gallery was repaired and repainted last year).
My tiny disappointment was that the giant see-saws I noticed from the Chrysler Building (near Potsdamer Platz) overlook in ‘07 were locked down (perhaps for the winter?). I think I may need to come back just to say I’ve been on one. The Chrysler Building was also under renovation when we were there and the overlook was closed.
And next time, I may have to check out one of the blind restaurants (you eat in the dark) that people keep mentioning.