Luleå Archipelago
Liam and I have spent a week in northern Sweden together with his grandparents. We enjoyed a sunny winter week. One of the highlights was a trip out in the archipelago in Luleå. This time of the year the sea is frozen and you can actually drive your car out to some of the islands. We made a trip to the island Hindersön. There we went out for a walk and visited Jopikgården where we enjoyed fresh waffles.
The ice road out to Hindersön.
The frozen sea.
Jopikgården
Junkön
The last days in northern Sweden were spent in Luleå archipelago. We had booked two cabins on the island Junkön. It was nice and calm out there. We went swimming in the ocean, tried out the sauna in the harbour, picked arctic raspberries and explored the island by foot.
The boat that took us out to the island Junkön.
Liam is ready to board the boat to Junkön.
The sauna.
The cabins we rented.
One of the main roads. The interior of the island is sand and pine trees.
An old windmill.
Arctic raspberry, the most delicious berry in the world! :-)
An old firefighting truck is standing in the harbour on Junkön.
Luppioberget
Me and my darling had some time on our own while Liam's grandparents were watching him. We decided to visit the mountain Luppioberget outside Övertorneå (close to the Finish border) and try the restaurant they have up there. You have a nice view from the mountain, you can see a lot of forest, a few houses and the river which is the border between Sweden and Finland.
The restaurant is called Utblick and they were serving delicious food. We were there in the middle of the week and luckily we had booked a table in advance, because the restaurant was full.
Bleak roe
Arctic char
Raspberry and liquorice cheesecake
Northern Sweden
We have spent a week in northern Sweden with Liam's grandparents. Mom and dad had time to go running in the woods and we also climbed the little mountain Storlappberget in Överkalix. The view was nice from up there!
Liam learned to move around while we were in Sweden and he explored his grandparents house. My little boy is growing up so fast!
When you are in Sweden you have to wear Swedish diapers.
One of my cousins is expecting a baby in December and I decided to surprise her with a little gift. I made a cake of diapers for her little baby. It actually turned out quite nice.
Sweden's National Day
Today it is Sweden's national day and Liam is dressed up in the Swedish colours. He is wearing a pair of yellow pants that I used to wear as a baby. :-)
Easter Cake
Easter is over and we are back at home. Here is a photo of the Easter cake I baked and brought with me to Sweden.
Icehotel Jukkasjärvi
In Jukkasjärvi, 17 kilometres outside Kiruna in northern Sweden, a hotel of snow and ice is built up every year. It all started in 1989 when an entrepreneur got the bright idea to build a snow hotel for overnight guests. The rest is a success story. Today the Icehotel is famous world wide and this year you can visit the 26th edition.
I wanted to show the Icehotel for my boyfriend and surprised him with an overnight stay in an ice art suite for Christmas. We booked a little winter holiday to northern Sweden and my parents joined us. They stayed with Liam in a warm cabin next to the hotel, while we stayed the night in the cold ice suite.
During the day the Icehotel is open as a museum and you can walk around in the different rooms and art suites. I think this was my fourth time visiting Icehotel, but the suites look different from year to year so it's always exciting to go there. Below are photos of some of the 2016 art suites.
The suite we slept in was called Counting Sheep and was full of ice sculptures of sheep. The sheep were jumping over a fence and if you have problems to fall asleep you can count them. :-) I didn't. In fact I slept very well. Inside the hotel the temperature is -5 degrees Celcius, but inside the sleeping bag it was nice and warm.
In the evening we had dinner at Icehotel Restaurant. We tried the six courses Ice Menu and enjoyed food from northern Sweden served on ice blocks. The menu was:
- Bleak roe, waffle & classic trimmings -
- Fröya salmon, soy & wasabi -
- Smoked ptarmigan with porcini consommé -
- Reindeer with chocolate sauce, potato fondant & beets -
- Arctic char with almond potato puré & lobster bisque -
- Arctic brambles & chocolate -
After the dinner we went to the Icebar and had a drink served in a glass made of ice. It was cool and refreshing. :-)
The Icehotel is a popular place to get married. An Ice Church is build up next to the hotel every year. They had two weddings the night we stayed there, in the middle of the week, so it's really popular.
The 2016 Ice Church.
Sala Silvermine
We did something special recently. We went on a roadtrip to Sala silvermine in Sweden. There they have a mine suite, a hotel room 155 meters below ground level! It's known as the deepest hotel room in the world! My darling got an overnight stay in the mine suite for Christmas and now it was time to spend the night there. We started with a guided tour of the mine and in the evening we were left alone in the candlelit mine suite with wine, fruits, cheese and crackers, and a communication radio for safety reasons. So exciting! It was absolutely quiet down there and cozy, but I'm happy I wasn't alone. :-)
Weekend in Stockholm
The town hall.
The last weekend before Christmas we travelled to Stockholm. We stayed in a hotel in the Old Town. A cozy district with narrow cobblestone paved streets. We spent some time walking around in the Old Town, visited a Christmas market and looked at the Christmas lights and decorations. We also had Christmas dinner at a Middle Age themed restaurant in a cellar in the Old Town.
The alley of Mårten Trotzig. The narrowest street in Stockholm.
A candy cane store in the Old Town.
Having dinner at a Middle Age themed restaurant in the Old Town.
Middle Age entertainment.
We woke up to a sunny Saturday and walked over to Djurgården. There we visited ABBA The Museum, which opened up the doors in May 2013. It's an interactive exhibition about the pop-group ABBA. At the museum you can sing and perform together with ABBA, look at some of their stage clothes and of course listen to their music.
In the evening we had dinner at restaurant Himlen (the Sky) located on top of a skyscraper in the southern part of Stockholm. I had tuna with king crab, saddle of deer and crème brûlée. The food was delicious!
Night view from the restaurant.
Restaurang Kallbadhuset
Last weekend we went on a roadtrip to Sweden to visit my brother and his girlfriend in Borås. Since I was working on Friday we left Oslo around 3:00 pm and arrived quite late at my brother's place. When we arrived they served us dinner. We even got vanilla pannacotta as dessert. Yummy!
On Saturday we went to Gällsta for some shopping at the outlet stores located there. One of my favourite brands is definitely Tiger of Sweden and I found a blouse, a shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of trousers in one of the outlet stores. Everything were around 50% off. A good investment, hehe...
In the evening we drove to Ulricehamn and had dinner at the cozy restaurant Kallbadhuset. It's actually a restaurant combined with a public bath. You can take a dip in the lake if you want. We decided not to do that this time, but I hope I will come back some time and then I want to swim in the lake before my dinner. :-) For dinner I had a Västerbotten cheese pie served with roe, fried cod with mussels and liquorice parfait with lemon sorbet.
Hindersön
My week with my family in northern Sweden ended with a weekend spent on the island Hindersön in Luleå archipelago. The trip to the archipelago was a surprise for my dad to celebrate his 60th birthday. Out on Hindersön we spent two nights at Jopikgården. Jopikgården is a charming place with an old fashion architecture.
On Saturday we rented bikes and went out for a sightseeing trip on the island. The weather was nice and sunny most of the time. We tried all the major roads on the island and discovered jettys, bays, beaches, ruins from the mining industry and boat houses. Whenever we found a nice beach we stopped for a swim in the sea.
In the evenings we enjoyed food from northern Sweden served at Jopikgården. I had heard before that they are famous for their excellent food and now I have to say that I definitely recommend their food! We had for example, caviar from Kalix with red onion and sour creme, smoked salmon, baked salmon with vegetables and cloudberry pairfait.
The evening ended in the wood fired bath tub were we could sit down, relax and enjoy chilled drinks and the quietness in the archipelago. It is a wonderful place and I hope I will have time to visit some other islands in Luleå archipelago in the future.
Tornedalen
During my days in northern Sweden I have also visited my (maternal) grandmother in her cabin, which is situated on a small hill with 180 degrees view over Muonio River in Tornedalen.
The view over Muonio River from my grandmother's cabin.
A young raindeer crossing a nearby meadow.
Jockfall
This year we had a sunny visit to my (paternal) grandmother in Jockfall. My grandmother was serving us her home-baked bread, which is delicious. On the way back we stopped by at the waterfall where they have a salmon ladder. We managed to see a couple of salmons swimming up the ladder.
The waterfall in Jockfall.
The old chapel in Jockfall.
Checking out the yearly red currant harvest at my grandmother's place.
Looking good! Lots of ripen berries.
The old well at grandmother's place.
Fireworks
From Marina Towers we had a very nice view over Djurgården and all the fireworks that were sent up over Stockholm. Here are some photos.
Dressed for success!
Happy New Year from Stockholm
We are on our way back towards Malaysia, but first we did a stop in Stockholm to celebrate the new year. We are enjoying a relaxing New Year's Eve at Elite Hotel Marina Towers, south of the city centre.
The day started with a walk along the waterfront followed by a wonderful hotel breakfast. After that we went to the SPA where I had a facial treatment. My skin feels so soft now. :-) We also spent some time in the gym before relaxing in the jacuzzi and sauna.
Now we are getting ready for a five course new year dinner, which will be served at the hotel this evening.
Tomorrow after lunch we are boarding a plane again. This time the destination is Dubai, where we will stay a couple of days before returning to Malaysia. :-)
Happy New Year from Stockholm!
Elite Hotel Marina Towers in Stockholm.
View towards the city centre.
Arctic Moose Farm
Yesterday we did a little excursion to the Arctic Moose Farm. The moose farm is located 20 km north of Överkalix. At the farm four mooses live. They are called Oskar, Sven-Gunnar, Ida and Elin.
At the farm we got a guided tour by Ola Rokka, one of the owners, who told us a lot about the king of the forest. He even told us about his dream, to ride on the moose Oskar. :-) We also got the opportunity to feed the mooses with apples and carrots. They don't have teeth in the upper jaw so it was no danger of getting bitten by a hungry moose. :-)
Hello little moose.
One carrot for the moose Oskar.
This beautiful lady is posing for a portrait photo.
Someone wants to give the lady a kiss, but she seems to prefer the delicious apple.
Here is one more carrot for you Oskar!
The males are fighting.
Oskar with his ladies.
Souvenir from the moose farm.
Christmas in the North
This year I'm celebrating Christmas where I was born, in the north of Sweden. After a 29 hour long journey from Borneo to Sweden, me and my friend landed in Luleå. We were on the same flight from Stockholm as my brother. My parents picked us up from the airport and together with my uncle the five of us went to Stadshotellet in Luleå where we had a delicious Christmas dinner. A perfect start of our winter holiday!
For my Malaysian friend it has been a lot of new impressions. This is the first time he experiences snow and winter, as well as a cold climate. When we arrived to my parents house after the Christmas dinner it was late in the evening, but the snow was perfect for making snowmen so we went out and built two new friends.
The days up here has been nice and relaxing. We have spent a lot of time outdoor enjoying the beautiful winter landscape. Some days ago my friend tried skiing for the first time and now he likes it so much that he wants to practice every single day. :-)
It looks like someone has got two new friends. ;-)
Walking around in the little village where my parents live.
Skiing
We have also visited my grandparents in Pajala. At my grandmother's place we had the second Christmas dinner for the year. As always she had prepared a lot of food.
My friend with the big owl in Pajala.
We have also baked a Christmas cake with pigs on. :-) I saw a photo on the internet and decided that I wanted to make my own version.
The pigs are enjoying a bath in the muddy bath tub.
My Christmas fridge magnet that I bought from Legoland Malaysia.
We are going to stay up here in the north for five more days, so we will have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the winter and the snow.
Gothenburg - Sjömagasinet
During my summer holidays this year I travelled to Scandinavia and met my brother in Gothenburg. Since we don't meet each other very often we decided to do something special this time. We reserved a table at the famous fish and sea food restaurant Sjömagasinet. The restaurant has one star in Guide Michelin.
The restaurant is easily accessible via a short tram ride from the city centre.
The interior of the restaurant is very nice. The building looks like an old storage house for fishermen. Inside they have kept the old and rustic feeling.
We tried a four course set meny and the food was absoultely delicioius! We started with an shellfish salad with crispy bacon, roasted pistachios, pine nuts, yellow raisins and a mild Parmesan dressing.
After that we had poached brill with white wine sauce, tomato and basil gratinated razor clam and a shellfish and parmesan croquette.
The main course was pan fried cod with crayfish jus, chanterelles, apple and new potato and dill mousse.
The last course, the dessert, was a variation of strawberries served with fudge ice cream.
I can really recommend this restaurant. The food was absolutely fantastic and the service very good! The location by the waterfront is really nice and on sunny days you can enjoy your dinner outdoor.
Outside the restaurant.
The Liquorice Festival 2012
Every year in April the Liquorice Festival is held in Sweden. This year I was in Stockholm during that weekend and visited the festival. The festival has became more and more popular for every year and now it had about 7000 visitors.
During the festival I learnt what liquorice really is, namely a root from a bush. The liquorice bush grows in Calabria in southern Italy, Egypt, Syria and some other countries around the Mediterranean Sea and also in China, Afghanistan and Iran.
To "extract" the liquorice the roots are digged up, washed and boiled. Then you get a black substance that can be processed in different ways.
At the festival a liquorice tasting was held. During that session we learnt more about what liquorice really tastes like.
At the tasting we tried:
- Liquorice root
- Liquorice powder
- Lemon (very good in combination with liquorice)
- A liquorice stone (which is a gourmet liquorice from Italy)
- "Salmiak" powder (which is chemically processed ammonium chloride)
- Sterkir (a very salty liquorice from the liquorice loving country of Iceland)
- Salt liquorice fudge
- Milk chocolate with liquorice and sea salt (Cacaoe Sale Dolce from the Italian manufacturer Gardini)
The Swedish people had been voting for their favourite type of liquorice and the winner was the Danish Lakrids A manufactured by Lakrids by Johan Bülow. After tasting it I can say that the milk chocolate coated liquorice is very good!
Åre - New Year Celebrations
Last year me and a friend of mine had decided to celebrate New Year's Eve 2011 in a special way. We had decided to celebrate the upcoming new year in the Swedish ski paradise Åre! Two days before New Year's Eve we headed for Åre. When we arrived we checked in at Holiday Club, our home the coming four nights. We were lucky and got a room on the ground floor with a balcony just meters away from the Åre Lake. What a nice view!
Holiday Club is a large hotel complex combined with timeshare apartments. Here you can find a water world and even a Saunaworld with six different kinds of saunas.
(photo from Holiday Club)
Åre is a very cozy place for an evening stroll. At this time of the year all the Christmas lights are still there and give a nice atmosphere.
Holiday Club is situated in the central parts of Åre and it is just a short walk to the main square. From the square you can take the funicular up to the ski areas.
Åre served up a nice sunny winther weather during our stay. On New Year's Eve we had decided to reach the summit of Åreskutan, which is the highest mountain in Åre, 1420 m a.s.l. The ski lifts take you up to 1274 m a.s.l. Up here you can find a nice café. We went inside to have something warm to drink and found really nice Irish Coffees.
After that we started our journey to the summit. Neither me or my friend have got randonnée skis so we had to remove skis and snowboard and walk up in skiing boots. When we finally reached the top we could gaze out over a nice sunset. It was definitely worth the effort.
After the end of the skiing day we went back to the hotel for a shower followed by a four course dinner at Holiday Club.
In the skiing system you can find a lot of different places to have food. My favourite one is Fjällgården with a nice view over Åre.
Even if skiing is the main thing in Åre you can find a lot of other things to do here. A nice afternoon trip is to visit Åre Chocolate Factory, three kilometres east of Åre. Here you can buy chocolate in a well-sorted factory outlet shop.
On the first day of the new year we had reserved a table at Copperhill Mountain Lodge for dinner at the restaurant Niesti. The restaurant serveres high class local food.
Copperhill Mountain Lodge is situated on the mountain Förberget. It is a stylish modern hotel with a lot of copper details.
Just days after coming back home I found myself looking at Åre pages on the internet. I don't know what it is, but Åre is definitely a place I want to return to!
