Day 4 - Stockholm, the longest day

Saturday morning and it was time to get down to the hostel's restaurant to try some bready things, slicey meats, and salty fishy pastes.

Evan's mind was blown because I finished eating before him.

This is the bridge we crossed over to escape from and return to Långholmen. The water was totally frozen, and on the other side, you could see footprints tracking across. People were running around with their dogs - it looked pretty safe.

The plan was to try to walk around Norrmalm and Djurgården, then meet up with the fellows. But by the time we got lost and found, it was snowing and probably not the best weather to be running around on a garden/park isle in. So we met Gareth and Neil at the National Museum, and recruited them to check out the modern museum across the way.

Walkin' to the Moderna Museet on Skeppsholmen.

There was a big Andreas Gursky exhibit on. I'd seen his 99¢ store photo before, but never his other stuff. B-I-G and impressive prints. The dudes were having tea by the time we finished looking around.


It was time to clear out and hunt down dinner. The sunset was lovely.

Gareth led us toward Hermans - an awesome vegetarian restaurant. Of course I had to stop and try to document stuff along the way. It's hard to see in this little video, but the neon sign spells out STOMATOL, as it lays toothpaste onto a toothbrush.

By the time we got to the restaurant, I was ready to eat a cow.

Cozy and busy, the covered patio was already full so we sat inside near the buffet.

There was a nice variety of cold dishes and warm, comforting stews. I went whole-hog and got the fancy meal that came with a soy latte and a dessert, which I forced everybody to help me eat even though they were all groaning about being "full".

We went back to the prison, cleaned up, and took off for the reason for the trip - the housewarming party/belated birthday!

Things were in full swing by the time we got there. Props to Jonas for the purple trousers.



People were dancing to the hits, it was crazy. Gareth and Neil decided to take over the iTunes.

We left the party around 3something in the morning, and after a super brisk walk to the station through the early morning winter wonderland, found the proper train. The dudes were feeling kebabish, so we stopped to nosh, and by the time heads hit pillows, it was probably 5am.

Day 3 - Guided Tour of Stockholm

It was snowing when we woke up Friday morning - the frozen little pieces of water drifting down from the sky were pretty amazing.

Here's the view from our cell.

And here's a reminder that - once upon a time - they really were trying to keep people from escaping.

The away team met Jonas, Petter and baby Astrid at the Hornstull station for brunch. They took us to a cute place called Copacabana.

Enchanting Astrid provided the entertainment, and kept all the boys in line.

I hoovered a tasty quinoa salad.

We scurried around town so fast I'm not sure where we were when we scaled this slope.

But man! The view! And daaang! It was COLD!



I liked the contrast of winter on the ground, and the 70's ish summer inside.

Lots of narrow streets. Hej over there, Evan!

And cobblestone! And monuments that threw shadows.

Late afternoon re-fueling stop - I think this was the place near the Pet Sounds record shop.

We walked past a cafe with a familiar smile-less face incorporated into its signage.

The further in I followed the pink bow...

...the more and more Hello Kitty it got.

And there you have it - a Sanrio closet store in Stockholm. Nobody Doesn't Like Hello Kitty.

We poked our heads into a few more shops, then went back to the prison and fell into a deep, impenetrable sleep. Motivated by the need to feed, we pulled it together, and met Gareth and Neil out on Götgatan for almost drinks, but most certainly KEBAB.

It was Friday night - tons of people were crawling all over this trendy stretch of street (bars, restaurants, American Apparel store etc.) This is when I cracked the code: when a girl is going out for a night on the town in Stockholm, she must wear black. Black tights, black shoes, and a tiny black skirt (optional). I say optional because one girl we were walking behind coming out of the station appeared to be wearing nothing over or under her black tights. They are a strong people, these Swedes.

After kebabs had been scoffed, we came back to the prison to check the internet, and for more sleeping.

Day 2 - Flying to Stockholm

Gareth and Neil fed us a hearty breakfast of Weetabix, toast and coffee which powered our roll away from Hillyfields and back to Heathrow with our hosts. It seems that at airports on that side of the pond, they don't tell you your gate until like 15 minutes before you're to board the plane, so it sort of keeps you on your toes (and near the Duty Free).

I must've looked pretty shady, standing there...just standing.

We met back up at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport - I've never seen so much hardwood in one place.

Here's Neil - lost in thought - on the coach into town.

We booked a room where the other dudes were staying - Langholmen - a renovated prison. I think this might've been the nicest place we paid to rest our heads on the trip. Awesome neighbors, cozy rooms, a TV, WiFi, nice bathrooms, and we could get to the building next door for breakfast at the restaurant without having to put real shoes on!

I think we took some badly needed naps, and then it was off to Jonas and Li's cute new place for a delicious meal of spag-bol. After dinner, Li kindly walked us through the snow to the store (I have a thing for seeing grocery stores in far-flung places), where we picked up some salty chocolate for dessert, and I got to try Oatley!

Jonas walked us back to the train, where we made snowballs and were so busy all hugging good-bye that the train decided to pass us by.

Day 1 - London Sneak Peek

We'd been talking about taking a trip. A trip that wasn't just a long weekend. A trip to see something different. To give us a good walking about in this big beautiful world. The stars aligned. We booked tickets.

London was our first stop in our chain of cities. After watching Paddington Bear Singin' in the Rain, testing out the slumpy pillow, and 10+ hours of sitting in the giant metal tube, we landed at Heathrow around lunchtime that Wednesday. Evan's looking happy about being in yet another tube - the tube bound for the transfer to the next tube, to take us to another tubish thing to Brockley.

We dumped all our junk at Gareth's house, and on Neil's good recommendation, walked over to a local cafe - The Toad's Mouth - for some vittles. Here you see a startled Evan watch our waiter disintegrate before his very eyes. I think I must've fallen asleep 8 times that day, which made it all the more disorienting.

This was the tooth bendingly sweet dessert that capped off the meal - a Banoffee pie made of bananas, cream, and the strongest, most al dente sugary toffee paste I've ever sunk my teeth into. After chewing it all down, our waiter made fun of the way we said "pharmacy" (instead of "chemist").

After this lunch/dinner - we hoofed it back to Gareth's place, and bobbed in and out of consciousness till the dudes came home from work.