Berlin is a city I had wanted to travel to for many years. Every person I spoke to who travelled to Berlin absolutely loved it – a city transformed and full of life. I had never been to Germany – save for one of those quick stops on a package tour and not even being able to remember where in Germany it was so it doesn’t really count!
I braved booking an Easy Jet flight from Edinburgh to Berlin, and I say braved as I had read so many varied views about Easy Jet that it was hard to know what our experience might be. I have to say it was no better or worse than a domestic flight with Virgin or Qantas that I have taken in Australia. Boarding was a little confusing and disorganised – we took the lead of more experienced Easy Jet frequent flyers – but the flight itself was absolutely fine. I have to say also we probably had the most entertaining flight attendant ever. He was Scottish and saw the passengers as a captive audience for his wit and humour and he was very funny. You could see the other flight crew had heard every joke before and he barely got a laugh out of them. The rest of us though were very entertained!
We flew into Berlin Tegel Airport and caught a taxi to our apartment in Prenzlauer Berg in the Pankow district. The interesting thing about Berlin is that there isn’t really one major airport. Tegel had serviced what was West Berlin at the time of the Berlin Wall. There were two separate airports during the time of the Berlin wall and despite government promises of building a major airport – likely to be Tegel – it felt and looked like – and apparently was – a temporary structure. There was also no direct train to the airport.
We arrived at our apartment in Prenzlauer Berg. We learned in the 5 days we were there that the area was a hub of activities to bring down the Berlin Wall. The street of our apartment was a few metres away from the Gelthsemane Church which was known for its involvement in these activities, including protecting people who were involved. As it was the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall down, information and recordings had been made available at site such as the church.
Outside the door to the courtyard of our apartment there was a Stumbling Stone – and as we noticed others in this area. If you haven’t come across these, Stumbling Stones – or Stolperstien – is project by artist Gunter Demnig the commemorates the victims of the Nazi regime and can be found in a number of countries. We first became aware of them in Rome when we stayed with friends who looked out for them across the city. His project involves replacing the ordinary cobblestones on the pavements of the city, putting in their place stones bearing a simple inscription – name, date of birth and the date and place of death, if known. The stones are positioned outside the houses of Jews, gypsies and others who were murdered by the Nazi regime. There were stones outside our apartment block. Knowing you are staying in a building where three people were taken and then murdered is a very sobering thought.
Like many parts of Berlin, the area where we stayed had beautiful cobblestone, tree lined streets. People are out and about and you can hear every type of language being spoken – it is truly the world’s city. We didn’t venture far on our first night, finding a small local ‘convenience store to buy eggs, bread, fruit and a few staples for breakfasts and eating at a Thai restaurant. We learnt – and as Ute told us – Thai in Berlin wasn’t like Thai in Australia and that spice and heat aren’t a big part of Berliners food.
Our first day in Berlin was unfortunately a rainy one – all day – and it was the day of our tour with the one who is a class of their own – Ute Beifang. We had learnt the lesson of being with Ute in Paris and booking our walking with her on our first full day to make the most of the places she took us and recommendations.
Ute first took us around the streets of our local area – the bakery which is still the same (including the service!) as it was at the time of the are being Communist East Berlin; the former government building turned into a micro-brewery; the now boutique hotel with a gorgeous in door, art deco pool, hidden internal courtyards and allies with street art, and the atmospheric (because they were always under roads) currywurst stands, again still exuding their East Berlin style. The area had also been – and continued to be – gentrified and there were some lovely murals and renovated apartments all around and in the surrounding areas.
We walked down to and through what used to be the home of Berlin’s Jewish community. Many buildings in the area have been restored and it is home – like much of Berlin – to a thriving artistic and foodie area. We went into the former Jewish girls’ school – a beautiful art-deco style building with the internal walls lined in green tiles. The building has become the ‘House of art and dining culture’. In this area and it’s surrounds there were many Stumbling Stones – most people walking by them without noticing, however there were a number of Germany school groups being taken through the area to read them and obviously learn about their history.
We went into Clärchens Ballhaus – one of the last preserved ballrooms of the 1920s where you can come most nights to have a German style meal and dance to different styles, including disco.
One of the features of the city which you see throughout – but most noticeably in this more central area of Berlin – is the reminder of war with many building exteriors lined with bullet holes. This included the museums on Museum Island.
A key feature of any Ute tour is food. We stopped at a lovely café in the Hackesche Hofe – a series courtyards between Rosenthaler Straße and Sophienstraße that now house cultural institutions, a cinema, cafés, shops and apartments.
We walked the back streets to Museum Island which houses five of Berlin’s prominent art museum’s, and to Gendarmenmarkt – the grand square surrounded by cathedrals and the Konzerthaus. One of our last main stops was at the stunning and somber site of Neue Wache – New Guardhouse – a building on Unter den Linden in the central Mitte district which is the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Dictatorship”. At it’s centre below a hole open to the elements is a sculpture Mother with her Dead Son.
We finished our day with Ute by getting her to show us back to Lindner – a fabulous eatery where you can take home delicious German delicacies including savoury, sweet and breads. That was to be our dinner back at our apartment. Being a wet day all day eating some yummy foods recommended by Ute back at our apartment was a great way to end our day.
Our second day in Berlin started by catching the U-Bahn to Potsdamer Platz, then walking through the Tiergarten, past the Brandenberg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) and up to the Riechstag. We had booked a ticket to visit the Riechstag Dome. A visit to the Dome is free but you must book a ticket in advance and proceed through security checks given you are entering the German Parliament, Parliament was sitting when we visited so we unable to visit the Parliament itself. We did catch a glimpse of Angela Merkel sitting in the Parliament looking very world weary.
The Dome is a must when visiting Berlin. On the roof of the Reichstag it provides amazing views of the city and it a fantastically designed attraction in itself. The spiral walkway winds around a mirrored column to the top and then down to the bottom again of the dome. It also provides a dated history of Berlin and its politics.
We then walked up to the Holocaust Memorial – Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – which is a large open air site made up of large concrete blocks with the floor undulating up and down. Walking through the narrow walkways creates a sense of disorientation. Not far from the Memorial is the car park which was the site of Hitler’s bunker. We had no interest in looking for this site but estimated as we were walking along that it was located somewhere there. Fittingly it is just a construction site with nothing to readily identify it.
We walked back up to central Mitte area and visited the beautiful food hall of Galeries Lafayette for lunch and then spent a couple of hours in the department store like book, music, art and gift store Dussmann. The English language section as bigger than most book stores! We went to Dussmann as I HAD to find a book store which stocked English language books as the day was the very anticipated release of The Testaments – the sequel to one of the greatest modern masterpieces The Handmaid’s Tale. Not only did they have plenty of English copies – I hugged my copy to me – but I also go a Testaments tote bag. There were also t-shirts but the idea of the Testaments t-shirt wasn’t really the sort of thing I’d want to wear to bed.
The afternoon was spent having afternoon tea back at our apartment, which we picked up on the way back at Lindner.
Late afternoon we headed out to what was West Berlin – someone had written that the former West Berlin was in need of some love as the focus is now very much on the area of what was East Berlin. We caught the U-Bahn to Kurfurstendamm looking around the Bikini Building, and then heading up to the roof top Monkey Bar in the 25hours Hotel Bikini, which looks out over the Berlin Zoo. It too has fantastic views over the city and is a very nice way to spend a late afternoon as the sun sets over Berlin.
Dinner was at a restaurant booked by Ute – Café Einstein Stammhaus. Styled on a Viennese coffee house, it is housed in a restored home 1870’s villa. It’s speciality is schnitzel. My husband mistakenly ordered the full size schnitzel – it didn’t go to waste being taken home to be a part of the next day’s lunch. It was a beautiful, atmospheric building and you could imagine the fashionable set of Berlin lunching on a sunny day in Berlin.
Day three involved a walk back through the streets Ute had taken us through to the start of the Berlin Wall Memorial – Gedenkstatte Berliner Mauer. Being the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Wall it was obviously a significant time for many Berliner’s and many school groups and young people were visiting the site. Many of these young people would have been born after the fall of the Wall so therefore have no concept of living in the city which has experienced war, separation and then being brought back together as one of the world’s great and progressive cities.
This is one of the most remarkable memorials I have been to – it is a free outdoor site so anyone can visit, and it tracks along the site of the wall so you can see what it was through the various pictures, artworks – many featuring the remaining pieces of the wall, descriptions and installations and now see a thriving area with modern and refurbished apartments, Michelin starred restaurants and parks. It is quite incredible with what the area is now to what it was and where many people died, including children, trying to escape. The stories of families being together one morning and then waking up the next to the city being divided and being prevented from seeing their loved ones. One of the scenes shown was a couple showing their newborn baby to parents over the other side of the wall. There were many remarkable things about this Memorial including the tracks of the many tunnels that were dug by people to escape and help others to do so.
It is well worth walking the entirety of the Memorial. We started in the residential streets following the path along where the Wall was, finishing past the remaining section of the wall with the guard tour. It seemed many people just visited this main section but walking the length of the Memorial gives you a greater sense of what it was like and the massive change to what life is like now.
We made our way to Museum Island – where we had been with Ute on our first full day. Sitting on the steps outside the entrance to the Neues Museum – a recently constructed modern entrance and addition – in the sun having lunch of leftovers from Lindner and Café Einstein Stammhaus. The main attraction at the Neues Museum is the Egyptian antiquities including the sculpture and bust of Queens Nerfertiti.
The afternoon was spent for more hours back at Dussman – including cake and tea at the in-store coffee shop featuring a vertical garden wall. Dinner was locally at. Vietnamese restaurant – which was packed very night. Ute had said to us if you were to have one South East Asian cuisine in Berlin it would be Vietnamese. There was a strong connection between Communist Vietnam and Communist East Berline over the years of the divided Berlin and many Vietnamese came to study and live in Berlin. I had a lovely pho and even got offered a side of fresh chilli – we must have had the chilli needed look.
Our last full day in Berlin was spent doing an Intrepid Urban Adventure tour focusing on the history of Berlin leading to the city it is today. This included hearing about the time of the Cold War, seeing some of the major highlights of Berlin, which have lived through the decades and survived the many regimes including the Humboldt University’s palace-like main building, where the notorious book burning of 1933 took place. There is a small memorial to this action whereby you look through a glass fixture in the ground to an underground series of bookshelves.
We heard about the reconstruction of the new Prussian Palace, which is being rebuilt at the exact location of the former Palace of the Republic (The GDR Government building). The tour involved visiting the Berlin Wall Memorial but as we had already been there our guide took us around the area of Alexanderplatz and to the base of the famous TV tower built at the time of East Berlin to look over West Berlin.
Our destination or dinner this evening was the very cool Katz Orange – another Ute recommendation and booking. It was in a street with very cool shops and bars – we felt slightly not cool enough to be there. It was housed in a lovely old renovated building and courtyard. The food and service was excellent. The philosophy behind Katz Orange is based on seasonal ingredients and an approach that focuses on humanity. A very modern, cosmopolitan and very Berlin experience! A great way to celebrate our last night in this fabulous city!
As I said earlier I had been wanting to come to Berlin for many years. It was everything I expected and more. A city which has been through such a tumultuous history to a city that is now one of the greatest in the world where culture, art, food and expression flourishes. One of those places which is truly the world’s place where all cultures live together and which confronts it’s darkness. It is in stark contrast to what it was during the Nazi’s in WWII and then as a divided city through the Cold War to the eighties. It is hard to believe that it was only 30 years ago that the Wall existed, particularly with the Berlin you now see and experience. I can’t wait to come back here again!
Copenhagen – September 2019
My husband and I are massive fans and watchers of Scandi TV or Scandi-noir, in particular the shows on Denmark which have led the transformation of TV over the last few years and created strong, central female characters leading these stories. Birgette Nyborg the magnificent fictional PM of Denmark in Borgen, Saga Noren the troubled and socially ackward police detective in The Bridge (DO NOT watch imitations of this show, watch the original) and the best of all, Sarah Lund the Danish jumper clad, also troubled and socially awkward policy detective in The Killing (again DO NOT watch the US version!!!). So when planning our trip to the North of Europe Denmark was top of the list!
It obviously just wasn’t the attraction of visiting our favourite Scandi-noir TV sites – I did restrain myself (barely) from booking a Scandi-TV tour – but the food with Danish cuisine taking over the world and tip restaurants and the home hygge teaching us all that is contentment.
We took another Easy Jet flight – again absolutely fine – flying on after lunchtime to Copenhagen. We caught a taxi from the airport to our apartment in the newish residential area of Nordhaven which has been a port area and where many cruise ships come in. There were many new, modern, cosmopolitan apartments, some lovely cafes and restaurants, a great little bakery and a gorgeous supermarket – Meny. It was also about a 5 minute or so walk to a train station, so very convenient and comfortable. We have since seen this area – and recalled after being there – used in a number of Danish TV shows.
In the late afternoon we caught the train into the city centre to Norreport and walked down to Nyhaven – the area appearing in many photos with brightly coloured shop fronts along a canal. Dinner had been booked at a restaurant called Zeleste which was a primarily Danish seafood restaurant. It was in a lovely old building and we were lucky enough to have a table in the cosy central courtyard – with heaters and very hygge. We started chatting to a man at the table next to us – as it was cosy – and he lead tours to Denmark and said this was a place he came to whenever he could when he was in Copenhagen as it was one of his favourites and said we had picked well. It was Rene Redzepi – I didn’t even try getting into Noma – but the food was fresh, delicious and the hygee atmosphere made it a lovely first night in Copenhagen. Doing my restaurant research and the Danish dollar being very strong – compared to the Australian dollar anyway – anything with Michelin star s- of which there are many in Copenhagen – was unfortunately wasn’t in our budget. One day!
Our first full day in Copenhagen was a food tour with Foods of Copehagen. We met at Vor Frue Kirk (Church of Our Lady) where Australia’s own Princess Mary of Denmark married Prince Frederik. Our guide Lisa took us to various foodie locations around the city – every place we visited included a very substantial food or drink tasting – there was much use of the term skal – cheers. I didn’t partake in the alcohol each time as I would have been asleep before the end of the tour. I have to say – leaving aside Ute (Paris and Berlin) and Alice (Kuala Lumpur) who are both extra-special cases and in a class of their own – this is absolutely the best food tour we have done anywhere. This was for the guide, the huge array of places and locations, the quality of the food and the value for money. It was the right mix of food and hearing about the history of the city.
The places we visited were:
Conditori La Glace on Skoubogade 3, 1158 for a selection of of cakes and cookies. This is Copenhagen’s oldest pastry café.
Ostetorvet (Torvehallerne – the food market) on Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 – Cheese tasting (Vesterhavsost, Goat Cheese, Krystalost & Blå Kornblomst) & cherry liquor from Norliq.
Restaurant Selma on Rømersgade 20, 1103 – Smørrebrød & snaps. This was a small, cosy Michelin Star restaurant – gorgeous décor and very hygge. The most beautiful looking and tasting smorrebord – even thought my days revolve around food I rarely take photos of my food, but I did here.
Rødder & Vin on Ravnsborggade 8, 2200 – Nordic cider tasting. A small, cool natural wine bar where we spoke with the very passionate natural wine bar owner and part-time philosopher.
Brus on Guldbergsgade 29, 2200 – Chef’s choice & beer. A Scandi-cool spot in the hip suburb of Norrebro which is a brewery and restaurant, run by a well-known Danish chef.
Assistens Cemetery for a spot of site seeing on this wooded cemetery in the cities centre where Hans Christian Anderson is buried.
Plantepølsen on Jægersborggade 39, 2200 for a vegan hotdog
Our lovely guide Lisa got us as a parting gift a delicious chocolate from a boutique chocolatier on the fashionable street of Jægersborggade where there are many small, interesting shops
After completely indulging on the tour, we took a walk back to the food markets Torvehallerne where we picked up a selection of delicious seafood salads for dinner to have back at our apartment.
Our second day was one of site-seeing to some of the well-known sites in Copenhagen and to of course see some of the sites we have viewed in Borgen. We went to Christianborg Slot – the Palace and location of the Danish Parliament visiting the stunning and elaborate Royal Reception Rooms. Before entering you are required to put on material booties on your feet (the only way to describe them). Wee wondered when entering the room where Birgette Nyborg gave her media conferences if they were wearing them when doing the filming. One of the really fascinating and beautiful displays was the royal crockery with a description of the receptions and dinners they were used for.
Also stunning was the Great Hall with the walls lined in the huge and colourful tapestries detailing various scenes from 100 years of Danish history.
We ran the gauntlet of participants in the Copenhagen half-marathon – we eventually had to run through the middle of them as the runners were never-ending and we didn’t know when and how else we would get across the road. Understandably some of them weren’t very happy with us! We went to the. Café Blox Eats – in the same building as the Danish Architecture Centre. After lunch took a walk back towards Slotsholmen to visit the small Danish Jewish Museum. I wasn’t sure what to think of this one. The lighting wasn’t good and it was often hard to read the description of displays and it also seemed to underplay or dismiss what happened to the Jewish people of Denmark during World War II, noting however that many escaped with the help of non-Jewish Danes.
Dinner was back near our apartment in Nordhaven at a very nice little pizza and Italian place – very cosy in what was a cool Copenhagen evening.
Day 3 was spent doing a lot of walking around the Stroget area – a collection of winding and historical streets which consists of one of the world’s longest pedestrianised street. There are various counterclaims – it seems – about what actually is the longest which Wikipedia tells me isn’t Stroget but in Lithuania. Our day included a visit to the Rundetarn – Round Tower – which you walk up via a winding and gradually sloped walk way to the top of the tower, which has wonderful panoramic views of Copenhagen.
Late afternoon we did some more walking to the area being gentrified of Vesterbro. The Meatpacking District has become a hub of new and cool restaurants and bars and we had an early dinner there at a tiny and authentic Mexican eatery called Hija de Sanchez. There was a small menu of three choices of tacs, oplus sides of rice and beans and various Mexican sodas and beers. The chef and owner came from Noma – anything with an association with Noma has to be a hit!
Our last full day was spent visiting in the Design Museum Denmark – a fantastic, super cool (of course!) museum dedicated to various design aspects of Denmark and influences from other parts of the world. One of the best exbibits was the history of the chair with long, white lit room with chairs from across the years lining the walls in their own individual alcove or block.
We had a look around the lovely gift shop and lunch at the equally lovely museum café. After lunch we took a walk down to the Tivoli area – again passing sites we recognised from our Danish TV viewing. We thought we had to visit the Tivoli Gardens as it famously influenced Walt Disney in creating Disneyland. We weren’t there to go on any rides so we walked through the lovely gardens and had afternoon tea at the fantastically named Cakenhagen where I had possibly one of the best cakes I had ever eaten – a creation in a chocolate dome with a dark chocolate mousse and a biscuit base with raspberry gel.
The weather had turned and was becoming very overcast so we headed back by train to Nordhaven, got some delicious things for dinner to cook back at our apartment and for the train the next to Stockholm the next day an made it back to our apartment just before the torrential rain hit.
Copenhagen is somewhere I think I could quite easily live. I’m not nearly cool enough to be a Copenhagen – I could never ride along on a bike like the many thousands who do looking impossibly cool and impeccably dressed – and would need to find a job that earnt a lot of money. But I loved the laid-back but vibrant feel of the city and its various suburbs. Even in the cold weather it had that feel of hygge in every aspect!
Visit Copenhagen is a great website with information on a whole range of things about Copenhagen including food.
I would also recommend considering getting a Copenhagen Card which includes transport plus entry into most of the major sites in Copenhagen.
Stockholm
Due to our love of all things Scandi, our interest in visiting Stockholm had increased. I will admit – even though I would literally travel anywhere if someone gave me a ticket and said here you go, I would go – it wasn’t somewhere I had definitely planned on visiting. We had originally planned on going to Prague on this trip but after reading many things about the huge numbers of tourists and being in such close proximity to be able to travel by train, Stockholm became the right choice.
I missed my chance if going to Prague all those years ago on my first sols backpacking trip to the UK, Europe and Morocco when the then Czekoslovakia was just opening up and a visa was required to travel there. I decided too late to go there and couldn’t get a visa in time. If only!
We travelled by train from Copenhagen to Stockholm. The early part of the journey was another Scandi-noir TV moment when we travelled over the bridge – yes THE BRIDGE – which connects Denmark to Sweden. It is the famous bridge in the famous show The Bridge – don’t watch US or British imitations, watch the original people. We flew over the bridge in what seemed like seconds and first stop was just over the water in Malmo the home of course of Saga from The Bridge. We had intended to visit Malmo for the day but got caught up with loving Copenhagen so had to be satisfied with at least seeing as we passed by and the train station of Saga’s home.
The five hour trip went very quickly as we travelled through and past beautiful forest scenery and lakes. We arrived at Stockholm’s Central Station mid-afternoon and walked up to our hotel – Hobo Hotel. Hobo was very Scandi-cool with a lobby with climbing plants on the ceiling and micro herbs growing in window boxes. The very helpful and friendly front desk woman checked us in and we went up to our well-appointed and comfortable room – again very Scandi-cool and hygge. It is very central and within easy walking distance to close the long shopping streets that go through Norrmalm, the waterfront, Gamla Stan (the old city, the royal palace – Kungliga Slottet, the opera, city hall and many other sites.
Late afternoon we went for a walk down to the waterfront. Stockholm is an incredibly picturesque and beautiful city! The beautiful old colourful buildings, the old town – Gamla Stan and the islands that make up the archepeligo of the city and its surrounds. As the sun set we walked around Kungstradgarden – a central park and square – and then along to the Operan – the Stockholm opera. Tongith we had booked Café Opera for dinner. The main restaurant in the Operan was a Michelin Star affair and after looking at this before travelling it a bit too out of our price range, but I wanted to go somewhere very Swedish for our first night out and the Opera bar is one of longest established restaurants in Stockholm.
The Opera Bar is a cosy and traditional restaurant with gorgeous lead-light and art deco features and featuring an old wooden bar. We were seated at our tables but obviously didn’t look like their usual diners – we do our best to dress up but being people who travel fairly light, going out attire is probably as fancy as some other diners. Service took some time – other ‘better attired’ diners getting served first – but after having some friendly words with the younger waiter – um mate, we might not be fancy but we’ve booked and we are paying as much as the others – the head waiter came over, was very friendly and our night improved. The food was lovely and very traditional Swedish- which is what we wanted to try – and the room is gorgeous. Look past the stuffiness and it was an enjoyable evening.
Our first full day in Stockholm was to feature a visit to the ABBA the Museum. My other half was initially reluctant – I think my response was well I’m going and you can join me if you like. It was a gorgeous sunny morning so we decided to walk along the waterfront to Djurgarden – the island where ABBA the Museum is located – this is also the island where the Swedish Tivoli is located. I asked husband when we had been through the museum and of course finishes in the gift shop – and you want to buy because you are on an ABBA high – what he thought of the museum and his response was ‘that was 5 stars’. Even if you don’t like ABBA, the museum is just fantastic! After an hour or so of listening to ABBA music, seeing concert footage, looking at the actual costumes and taking part in the various interactive displays, you come out on an ABBA high and will have the songs in your head for days. What the museum showed is how clever the songs were – more than mere pop songs. True music icons indeed.
We walked back to Gamla Stan for a lunch stop and visited the Royal Palace – Kungliga Slottet. The Palace is very grand and ornate. The Royal Chapel is quite beautiful.
Then was a walk through the cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan and up to Sofo and Sodermalm. The trek was to try and find the Swedish Hasbeens store. If you don’t know what Swedish Hasbeens are they are the clogs of all clogs but they’re not cheap and I was hoping being in the home of Swedish Hasbeens I might get a better price and better range. After a rush to make it before closing time we got there and the poor young woman who ran the shop had a family emergency and had to close early! She was incredibly apologetic and said if we came back she’d give me a 20% discount.
We had made the trek without the Swedish Hasbeens but then on the plus side, we got to wander the street of this side of town with the lovely little shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. The hotel had recommended a taps restaurant over this side of town called Racamaca. It was a small but packed place – obviously very popular – with a great atmosphere – very hygge. The service was great, lovely wine list and lovely, yummy tapas. It was worth the trek to the other side of town to see this more local area and eat at a lovely restaurant. Fortunately Racamaca is right near a train station so it was easy to get back to the hotel.
The next day involved some morning sightseeing and the afternoon a lot of food! We walked along the water to visit Stadshuset – City Hall. I would say this is a must to visit. The all brick building itself is quite amazing – 8 million bricks in total. Then3 there is the historic political chamber and the amazing Gold Hall with stunning mosaics made with gold leaf. The City Hall is also the site of the Nobel Prize banquet.
We went back to Gamla Stan – husband to go to Sound Pollution, an independent hard and stoner rock music store, and me to go to the Swedish Hasbeens outlet store. The Swedish Hasbeens outlet store is the place to go – there is already 40% off and while you don’t have the range and choice for your size at the other store (It’s basically what is left from each season) it is worth it to get a Swedish Hasbeens bargain. When I got to the store the young woman who had been working at the main store and had to close early was there working. Fortunately everything was fine with her family and she inside on giving me the further 20% off. I have to say, even more of a Hasbeens fan now and I have my gorgeous lime green clogs to show for my troubles!
After a quick rest stop at the hotel, we set off through Hotoget to start of Food Tours of Stcokholm guided tour. This was again an incredibly good value tour with A LOT of food to taste and try. The tour started at Urban Deli – an amazing venue with an incredible deli, market hall and shop, plus a lovely restaurant (which we returned to for our last night), casual eatery and even a basement hotel.
We then went to Hotorgsgallen – a fantastic central food hall and market with food from across the world plus of course Swedish foods a plenty. At Hotorgsgallen we tried Finish goodies, cheese, game meat (not me the others did this!) and sat down to try a the famous fish soup at Kajsas Fisk.
The other places we visited were:
- Tennstopet one of the oldest restaurants in Stockholm – it was a lot like a British pub – to try traditional Swedish meatballs.
- Bakery and Spice – a gorgeous artisanal bakery where we tried cardamom buns. I will add that we made the most of Swedish cinnamon and cardamom buns by having one every day in Stickholm.
- Chokladfabriken – a lovely, small boutique handmade chocolate shop
- Last stop was Systrarna Anderson for fika – which basically translates to take time for friends, coffee or tea and a little something to eat, further translated to more cake. I was truly well over my sugar intake limit for the day after fika!
We well and truly need a walk after the food tour so strolled back to the hotel. Surprisingly – maybe it was the stroll – we felt like a little something for dinner so went to a great little place right near Hobo Hotel called the Fishery and the Farm – it was very good quality ‘family’ restaurant.
Our last day in Stockholm we wanted to see some of the islands and water ways, but didn’t want to do a tourist boat tour. We wanted also to be able to get out and walk. So we went down to the waterfront and found out that the only real day trip we could do on a public ferry was to go to the day tripping island of Vaxholm. It was a very popular place not just for tourists but local, lunching day trippers. It had lovely old homes and lots of nice places to eat. We had lunch at a Greek restaurant with a lovely outdoor area and courtyard under the trees. The trip there and back was very lovely – passing many small islands with absolutely stunning houses, plus viewing the skyline of Stockholm by water was well worth it.
Our last night in Stockholm we went to the restaurant at Urban Deli and had a fantastic Swedish fish stew. We had a nice chat to the couple next to us – the man was trying oysters for the first time. It turned out he had lived in Australia. We also entertained them with our pronounciation of Greta Thunberg – needless to say we don’t say it right.
We felt absolutely right in making the decision to visit Stockholm. It is a stunningly picturesque city, with a lively atmosphere, great food and very friendly people. Like most of Northern Europe and Scandinavia it isn’t the cheapest place to visit, but everything is done with heart and is top quality.
Visit Stockholm is a great website with information on a whole range of things about Stockholm including food, sites and paces to stay.
Singapore
Singapore is a place I can keep coming back to! I have been here 5 times now and the longest I have spent here is probably 3 nights and 4 days, but it is a regular stop off before we return home after being on an overseas holiday. I love a big, bustling Asian city – it makes you feel truly alive. I know Singapore can be seen as a slightly sanitized version of Asian as you probably won’t go any cleaner or more organised – except maybe Japan- but if you explore Singapore beyond the gleaming shopping malls you will find amazing food centres, beautiful parks, fantastic museums and interesting little shops.
Singapore’s Changi Airport is also possibly one of the best in the world for travellers whether you are staying the night at an airport hotel or just stopping over for a few hours. On this trip the new Jewel Changi Airport had opened but we didn’t explore it, but this obviously adds another big dimension as to why Singapore is possibly the best stop over for travellers.
On this stay we had 3 nights and almost 4 days coming back from our trip to London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Copenhagen and Stockholm. We flew out of Stockholm Arlanda Airport, to Heathrow Airport for a few hours stopover and then flew Singapore Airlines to Singapore.
Singapore Airlines is also possibly my favourite airline to travel as it means you most always transit through Singapore – of travelling to and from Australia – and they have partnerships with other airlines for the rest of your journey.
We arrived in Singapore on 23 September and this time decided to stay at a boutique hotel in the China Town area. Previously – since travelling with husband – we had stayed twice at the Mandarin Oriental near Marine Bay Sands. It is a lovely hotel with excellent service, possibly the best breakfast buffet ever and a great pool that looks out over the bay. The last time we stayed there it was just after Christmas and it was busy! So we thought this time staying at a boutique hotel – which we normally do – in a different area would be good to explore different parts of the city.
I went with my go-to Mr and Mrs Smith and found the gorgouse Six Senses Maxwell – right across the road from the Maxwell Food Centre and easy walking distance to China Town. This is also becoming a real foodie area. Once again it was a great pick through Mr and Mrs Smith. This was a lovely hotel with beautifully appointed rooms – we were fortunate to get one with a little balcony where you could look out on the street below- lovely sitting room/restaurant area for breakfast, drinks and afternoon tea, a spa, and a small but very nice rooftop lap pool to cool off in the hot Singapore afternoons. This hotel has unfortunately closed during COVID-19.
On our first evening we went for the short walk into Chinatown for a hawker style meal from one of the many stalls along Smith Street. There are locals and tourist alike eating here – the food is affordable, quick and you can get an ice-cold Tiger beer to go along with it once you find yourself a seat at one of the communal outside tables. We got char kway teow and seafood fried rice with grilled prawns on top, plus of course the Tiger beer. Fabulous!
On our first full day we went to the shops of Orchard Road – our target was the amazing Kinokuniya bookstore in Ngee Ann City, and the other target Din Tai Fung in The Paragon shopping centre for simply fantastic dumplings. Each time we come to Singapore we go to Din Tai Fung. Yes they have outlets in other cities, including in Australia, but the Din Tai Fung outlets in Singapore have a range of seafood dumplings that the others don’t have and the outlet in the Paragon is big and bustling!
After fantastic dumplings we headed back to the hotel for a massage and an afternoon swim in the roof top lap pool. That evening we headed out to Dempsey Hill near the Singapore Botanic Gardens to meet an ex-pat Australian friend for dinner at the Michelin Star Peranakan restaurant Candlenut – the only Peranakan restaurant to have a been given Michelin Star. The restaurant is in the ground floor of the Como Dempsey hotel and is in a modern high ceilinged space with modern, colourful Peranakan décor.
Now it isn’t cheap – the wines (like all wines in Singapore) are expensive and we had the ‘Ah-ma-kase’ tasting menu. Ah-ma-kase, is a play on the Japanese word “omakase”, meaning to entrust yourself to the chef. It was up there with one of the most expensive dinners we have had. However, it was truly delicious and the blue swimmer crab curry with turmeric, galangal, kaffir lime leaf was out of this world – without a doubt probably the best curry we have ever had. The service was also wonderful and unpretentious and while yes it was expensive it was a fabulous culinary experience!
Our last full day we spent walking through the streets if Little India and Kampong Glam. I do love Little India as you do feel like you are in India – be it a much more ordered and much, much less frenetic version of it – but it is lovely to walk past and here Bollywood music playing and see the stores with bangles, saris and gold. It was raining – not heavily (that came later!) which made walking the streets not as we had planned, but it still a great area to wander and there are of course the beautiful colonial buildings to look at.
We continued on to Kampong Glam and Arab Street. There were some great little shops and street art but it did have the air of an Instagram site and running the gauntlet of Turkish restaurant touts up to the Sultan Mosque was not something you would associate with a Singapore experience.
We headed back in the rain to our hotel – the pouring rain denting the plans for an afternoon by the rooftop pool – first world problem! We did console ourselves with running BBC coverage of the Courts throwing our Boris Johnson’s attempt to prorogue the British Parliament – and lead judges amazing diamond spider brooch – and getting once again to see the theatrics of the speaker John Bercow.
For dinner we just went across the road to the fantastic Maxwell Food Centre. We didn’t go to the famous Tain Tian Haianese chicken rice stand – the queu wound its way around the stand – but I did have a fantastic Singapore laksa and husband had an equally delicious noodle dish, and we had piping hot roti on the way out.
We had an early flight the next day so I had leave out gorgeous hotel early and were given a very lovely breakfast box to get us out to the airport. Singapore is a place I can keep coming back to. Every time I come I discover something different and the eating possibilities seem almost endless.
