Artist: Marie-Louise Ekman

One of the joys of travelling is discovering the unexpected.  Let me introduce you to Marie-Louise Ekman. You can find out more about her here: https://www.modernamuseet.se/stockholm/en/exhibitions/marie-louise-ekman/

Her work is colourful, clever, funny and sometimes a little bit disturbing.   

Adam Albin - Stockholm

Adam Albin. http://adamalbin.se/en/menu

I can't remember the details of this meal now that a few months has passed, except that it was the best. 

The room was divine. I sat around a beautiful shared table facing the kitchen - everything about it was pure Scandinavian restraint. The service was excellent, the wine list was interesting and the food was sublime.  The chef was in the house, and unbeknownst to me, is quite the celebrity. 

Such a visually beautiful but also well balanced menu. If I ever go back to Stockholm this is the first place I'll be booking for dinner.

Comings and goings of Stockholm

Stockholm - what I did and how I did it

Sunshine, thrifting, coffee, meatballs, music, beers, art and harbour walks. That is Stockholm.  Fair to say, a bit more uptight than Gothenburg  but scratch the surface and there is lots of fun to be found.

I stayed in Södermalm - and if you stay there, make sure you pick up the SoFo map. It's filled with antique stores, coffee places, boutiques and all those good things.  Do have coffee a Louie Louie, great music and coffee to boot. Meatballs for the people is the lunch option and Omnipollo is not only for beers but has the best pizza I've had in a long time.

If you are splashing out for one fancy dinner go to Adam and Albin. It was so good that it's getting its own blog post. It was also so good that I totally misjudged the exchange rate and in my post dinner bliss tipped very generously....

Bar Hommage is the place to go for cocktails (and for dinner too if you want a great charcuterie plate). They made me the best negroni. A sneaky mix of aperol and campari. Delightful!

And when you are not eating and drinking...galleries. A day trip to Artipelag and make sure you arrive by boat. You see the city from an entirely different perspective as you meander up channels past grand mansions and lush green spaces. A beautiful gallery set in woodlands, so regardless of the art you'll enjoy the surroundings. Oh and the ice-cream. They sell excellent ice-cream. 

Moderna Museet is also a must. Great pieces in the permanent collection and wonderful temporary exhibits too. As luck would have it I got to see a Louise Nevelson exhibition, and retrospectively thinking about this, probably one of the better galleries for female artist representation. 

Fotografiska should be next on your list - it's a wonderfully curated photography museum. Go in the afternoon so you can enjoy a drink and one of the best views of Stockholm. And finally a trip to Stockholm would be incomplete without a visit to the Abba museum. Seriously good, and while you are over that side of town wander around the dockyards and take in the sun and sea salt air. 

And that my friends is Stockholm in just under 5 days.

Reykjavik street art

48 hours in Reykjavik - what we did and how we did it

Reykjavik is a cute little city town, with streets that are good for meandering. Get lost amongst the pastel coloured houses, climb up the hill to the old church and take the lift to the top. Surrounded by water and rocky hills in the distance, you'll get a sense as to how small Reykjavik actually is.

Head down the hill to Reykjavik Roasters, which is a little like Lonsdale Street Roasters (for those familiar with the Canberra coffee spot) - vinyl records, coffee roasting, flat whites. While your coffee is being made head to Braud & Co (across the road and two shops down the hill) and grab a cinnamon scroll. Actually, for a city that isn't renowned as a foodie destination I'd suggest you stock up on bread and scrolls and be done. It's that good. Sit in the sun and drink your coffee, eat your cinnamon scroll, and get lost in a sugary sun kissed kind of bliss.

Next stop, head down to the water past and check out the Harpa building the walk along the harbour to Grandagarður street for some shopping delights - little boutiques, a cheese shop and Valdis for ice-cream. 

Beers at Mikkeller & Friends (YES!! There is one in Reykjavik) and if the weather is nice head up to Petersen svítan rooftop bar for drinks before dinner at Forrettabarinn (think icelandic tapas).

Day two is really about mooching (as if day one wasn't...). More pastry from Braud & Co, more coffee from Reykjavik roasters, some window shopping,  mural spotting and art gallerying. 

Reykjavik Art Museum is worth a visit.  "A Lot Of Sorrow" was playing when I was there and by popping in and out, I got to see the beginning, middle and end of the film. Spoiler alert: it's a  collaboration with artist Ragnar Kjartansson here the National play Sorrow for six hours straight - no break. Amazing. The gallery ticket gets you entry into two other annexes across town. I did make the twenty minute walk to the painting gallery - the art wasn't that memorable but the walk was nice and there was a guy playing rock covers on a violin. He was great to listen to while I watched dogs play in the part. Which is pretty much what you do after a day and a bit in Reykjavik. Slow things down. Take in your surroundings. Stop rushing and retrace old ground (in a nice way).