24 Hours in Stockholm

Stockholm is a big city -- edgier and more urban than Copenhagen -- but it's still got plenty of old-world charm.  It's made up of 14 islands, with all the primary ones connected by walkable bridges.  There's a museum island, an "old town" island, and a nature-y island with trails along the water.  It's simple to navigate, people are friendly (Scandinavians are seriously the nicest people ever), and the city feels full of life and energy.

Breakfast:  Start your day off right with a giant cup of coffee and a pastry at Albert& Jack's in Old Town.  This place is so darn cute.

Sightseeing in Old Town:  Take a walk from Albert & Jack's up into the windy cobblestone streets of Old Town.  Stroll all the way up to the Royal Palace, where you can take tours of the royal chapel, the royal apartments (if they're not being used, like they were when we were there), and see the change of the guards at noon.

Photography Museum:  Stockholm's photography museum is perhaps the best-curated museum I have ever visited.  It's not overwhelmingly large, and they show only 4 exhibits per year (check out their past shows here).  It's a gem in the modern art world, and I could not recommend this place any more highly.  Don't forget to stop at the cafe on the top floor for a drink and a fabulous view.

A Stroll & Lunch:  Walk over the bridge to Ostermalm (the "chic" area of town), stopping to check out the Parliament building and Berzelii Park along the way.

{such a tourist}

Head a couple blocks from the water to the enclosed market, Ostermalms Saluhall.  (Like I said, I always seek out a good market!)  Check out all the amazing shops, and then plop down at the bar at Lisa Elmqvist for lunch.  We had the most delicious salmon of the whole trip here!

Vasa Museet:  Put your sight-seeing pants back on and head over to the Vasa Museum.  The Vasa is an shipwreck from the 1600s that was pulled out of the Stockholm harbor in the 1950s.  The ship was preserved in insane detail due to the cold Swedish waters, and it's really an amazing sight!

Djurgarden:  Djurgarden is the nature-y island with trails along the water.  Take a walk, enjoy the view, and stop for some ice cream at one of the adorable cafes.

Happy Hour (on a dock):  What could be better than happy hour outside on a dock, with a bay view?!  Nothing!  It is the best thing ever!  I don't need to explain Strandbryggan Sea Club any further.

Pre-Dinner (yeah, that's a thing):  There are too many delicious restaurants in Stockholm to only go to one for dinner.  So make your first stop at B.A.R. in Ostermalm, and sit at the bar for some pre-dinner seafood apps (think oysters and crab legs), and a cocktail to go with.

Dinner:  You can't leave without tasting the best Swedish meatballs in Stockholm, which happen to be served daily at the Opera Bar!  Operaskalleren is the main restaurant at the Opera house, and it's fancy and beautiful, but the bar next door is much more casual and fun.  So peek in Operaskallen, but eat at the bar next door :)  The meatballs are served with lingonberry preserve, gravy, and sweet pickles!  Sweet and savory and divine.

(I have no photos for you because I ate my meatballs too fast haha.)

Drinks:  Go for drinks at the nearby Berns hotel.  This is where we stayed, actually, and we loved it!  The lobby bar is gorgeoussssss and there's a happening scene at their rooftop bar and club Thurs-Sat.  Don't order wine unless you want to pay $20 for a glass of Barefoot Chardonnay.  I'm not joking.  Stick to cocktails in Stockholm!

{lobby bar at breakfast}

Up next:  Iceland!

24 Hours in Copenhagen

Sometimes I think the best part of vacationing is telling all your stories when it's all over, with pictures, of course :).  This time around, I thought it would be fun to share the highlights of our trip to Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Reykjavik via 24-hour itineraries -- that way, if any of you are planning a trip, you'll get the benefit of my research (the express version)!  Let the sharing begin :)

Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities in the world.  It's completely walkable (or bike-able!), clean, safe (you've heard about the strollers on the streets right?), and absolutely charming.  The food (especially seafood, and bacon!) is delicious; the people are friendly; and there are no open container laws.  I had been to Copenhagen once before, but as a first-timer, Brian's two main observations on the city were that it was incredibly civilized, and that you really could tell that people there are happy.  All in all, Copenhagen is a delightful place to take a vacation!

Breakfast:  Any good travel day starts with a good cup of coffee.  You can rest assured you won't have any trouble finding one in Copenhagen.  In fact, the Danes consume more coffee per capita than any country in the world (even Italy)!  My go-to in any city is to find a cafe by the local university (all that time I spent in school taught me at least one thing -- where there are students, there is coffee).  We split a delicious breakfast spread at Paludan Cafe, including bacon, eggs, fruit, lemon pancakes, and maybe the best vanilla yogurt I've ever had.  (You will quickly learn that Northern Europe has dairy DOWN.)

Other great options are Cafe Retro (which is also a popular drinking spot), and The Laundromat Cafe (most favorite place ever -- more about that in the Iceland post).


Louisiana Museum:  Next up, modern art.  Scandinavia in general, and Copenhagen in particular, is known for its preeminance in the fields of modern art and design.  For a mid-century mod lover like me, the whole city is basically "my style."

Copenhagen's best modern art museum, the Louisiana Museum, actually lies a bit outside the city, about 30 minutes by train.  The museum is dramatically poised on a cliff overlooking the water, and it's modern architecture is stunning in itself.  They had a really fun pop art exhibition going on when we visited, and the outside sculpture garden is incredible.

{this Miro was my fave}

Snack at Tovehallerne:  Take the train back to Norreport Station, and it'll leave you off right by the city's glassed-in market, Tovehallerne.  One of my favorite things about Europe is how it seems every city has one of these wonderful markets!  Stop in for a coffee or a beer, and of course, a "toast" (a Danish open-faced sandwich).

Stroll:  While you digest, take a stroll through the city toward the Royal Palace.  Walk down Stroget street, where there's lots of shopping, people watching, and cute cafes to stop in along the way.  It's also the longest pedestrian walkway in the world!

As a sidenote, you'll likely pass by some flower shops, and you should be warned that Copenhagen as the cutest flower shops in. the. world.  I had to restrain myself every time I walked past one!  Case in point:

I mean, come on!

Lunch:  You're probably getting hungry again, right?  (I told you there'd be lots of eating!)  Before diving head-first into sight-seeing, stop in at Restaurant M, a market on the bottom and restaurant on top, for some traditional smorrebrod (open-faced sandwiches).  Try the smoked herring in curry sauce (seriously, try it).

Walking tour:  Take yourself on a little sight-seeing tour.  Check out the Royal Palace, and then cross the street over to the plaza where there's a view of the gorgeous new opera building.  Then walk over to Nyhavn, and take a million pictures of the charming strip of traditional, colorful townhouses along the canal :)

Canal Tour:  After you've had a beer at one of the Nyhavn cafes (you had one, right?), get in line for a canal tour (go to the tour place on the right side as you face the canal; it's inexplicably half the price of the main tour company located right at the front of the canal).  The tour will last you about an hour, and you'll get to see beautiful views of the city.  And I mean, who doesn't like a little boat cruise?  You'll go past the famous Little Mermaid sculpture (Hans Christian Andersen was a Dane), the amazing new Opera house and library, and (in my opinion, the coolest thing we saw), a former torpedo hanger turned fancy apartment building!

Also, sand sculpture contest made me laugh.

Happy Hour:  I bet you could use a drink.  Head to the canals by Nybrogade, where you can sip on the dock!

Dinner:  Now that you're good and liquored up, you're going to Fiskebaren for dinner.  Trust me.

No, it doesn't have any Michelin stars, but it's where you want to be.  Fiskebaren is young, trendy, and serves up some amazing, fresh, innovative seafood.  And it's in a cool, hipster-y neighborhood that you'll want to hang out in afterward for a drink.  You'll love it.

Drinking:  According to my sources (aka my Danish friend), Norrebro is the area in which to drink.  We ventured out one night, and bar hopped around the area.  Lots of young people; lots of bars in a concentrated area.  It's a fun time!

Late Night Bite:  Hot dog time!  Danish hotdogs come wrapped in bacon, and complete with fried onions, mayo, and relish.  Enjoy!

A Note on Christiania:  Most people who visit Copenhagen will tell you to go check out Christiania, an autonomous hippie commune/neighborhood.  The area was founded in the 1970s and continues in much the same fashion today, with people living in shacks, and selling arts, crafts, and [soft] drugs.  There's been controversy over the area lately because several developers want to buy the large plot of land it sits on, which the residents of Christiania live on rent free.  We chose not to visit the neighborhood because, well, we used to live in Berkeley.  We've been there, done that.  The most interesting part of the whole area to me is the fact that it exists in the quaint city of Copenhagen, where it seems a total outlier!

**Thanks to my Danish friends Tasha and Nico for all their wonderful suggestions!**

Lunch at Villa d'Este

I have never experienced anything more luxurious than a lunch at Villa d'Este, on the shores of Lake Como.  I was lucky enough to get the chance to go with my mother-in-law at the beginning of my recent vacation.  The villa is hands-down the most exquisite hotel I have ever seen, the food is top quality, and the setting is awe-inspiring.  This place is magical.

And we also saw Bruce Springsteen.

SRSLY.  Euro celeb sighting #2!

{the restaurant}

I Went on Vacation and Forgot to Tell You

(Sorry.)

{Tovehallerne in Copenhagen}

Every time I visit a new place, I take something home with me.  

Traveling changes me, and sometimes I'm surprised by what ends up sticking.  

In Paris, it was the fashion.  The women in Paris made me want to dress like them.  I brought home a new sense of appreciation for a chic pair of black skinny pants, and a well-tailored blouse.  This time, in Scandinavia and Iceland, it was the food.  Fish to be exact.

Sunday at the farmer's market I found myself reaching for bundles of fresh dill to sprinkle over the sole I planned to make that night (amazing recipe btw), and the fact that I never used to cook with dill before seems so strange and distant to me now.  Last night I made tuna salad based on a sandwich I had at The Laundromat, a diner/cafe/bar/laundromat in Iceland.  It included apples, sweet relish, and curry -- none of which I would have added to tuna prior to this trip, and none of which I will ever omit from tuna salad again. (Trust me, subbing these for the usual mayo and boiled eggs is the best face lift your sandwich will ever get!)

Catching myself changing the way I live here in LA because of things I've experienced halfway around the world fills up my heart.  I love the idea that my life has hidden pieces of my adventures scattered throughout, so that once in a while, I'll do something or say something that reminds me of that day in Paris, or Turkey, or Iceland, when I least expect it.  And I'll realize that I've changed.  

That's what traveling is all about. That's why I'll never get enough.

Wine-And-Park Kind of Saturday

A perfect Saturday afternoon in Palo Alto...

Wine and sun and girlfriends -- the perfect weekend trifecta!

Shout out to Vino Locale, the cutest wine bar in PA, and the place that sold us this lovely bottle of prosecco (and the next bottle, and the next...)