The Cannon Family's travel blog

Today would be our last full day of vacay. Tomorrow we have the LOOOOONNNGGG travel home starting with advertised chaos at Arlanda airport (news reports of 4 hour security queues!) and ending with the drive back from Buffalo. So we wanted to make the most of the day. I happened to time my “middle of the night” bathroom break well and caught the sunrise before heading back to bed for a few more hours.

We used up the rest of the bread, eggs, and cheese as well as most of the bacon for this morning’s breakfast sandwiches. Then we did something we NEVER do: we bought tickets for the tourist bus – the one you hop on and off of. In addition, we decided to close the afternoon with a boat trip through the royal canal around one of the islands.

The weather was still on our side and we wandered to the first stop to pick up the bus. We were stereotypical tourists: sitting on the upper deck with our headphones in listening to factoids about Greta Garbo growing up in the neighborhood we were staying in. We stayed on the bus for a few stops then hopped off for our first stop: the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a warship that was built in the 1620s and sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 after traveling only 1300 meters. It sat in the bottom of Stockholm harbor for more than 300 years until it was salvaged in the 1960s. It was amazingingly well preserved and the the museum that was built to show case both the boat and the restoration and preservation effort is truly impressive. Besides the massive ship itself, there are exhibits about how they pieced together the sails, how they cleaned and restored the carvings, what they learned from the bones and corpses found on board, etc. Absolutely fascinating all around. It reminded me of the Steamship Arabia museum in Kansas City but only on a MUCH larger scale.

We hopped back on the bus to travel to other parts of the city, opting to skip the ABBA museum for other pursuits. We visited another neighborhood which looked much less touristy and found a wonderful steakhouse for lunch. We each had pork and chorizo kebabs with roasted potatoes, a salad bar (Swedes *love* their potato salad) and a lovely glass of red wine. We wandered a little more then headed for the main shopping district to do some people watching. For a Friday afternoon, it was mobbed with people so there was plenty to see! A little more walking then it was back on the bus to head to the old town again and grab a drink before our canal cruise.

We found a cafe that had the other local Swedish gin distilled right in Söldermalm, Bränneri Dry, and sampled the wares in the form of G&Ts. It was most satisfying. A little more wandering and it was time to head to the dock for our short cruise. It was a very relaxing hour or so. We didn’t see as much as I had hoped but I did see where the Olympic rowing was held in 1912 so that was fun.

After our cruise, it was time for dinner. We had chosen a restaurant in the old town that specialized in Swedish cuisine and strange animals. Frank passed on the moose meatloaf special and instead went for the reindeer medallions. I had the wild boar in lingonberry sauce. Yum! We even splurged on desert: lingonberry mousse for me (I had a theme going) and ice cream with cloudberry sauce for Frank. We nearly died laughing when the minute we sat down outside, the rain started in an imitation of the previous evening. But the shower was short lived and we remained dry.

Thus fed, it was time to go back to the apartment and pack. We also might have had some alcohol that we didn’t want to waste. Ooops. All in all, a delightful day.

Data for today:

• Steps: 20,658
• Buses hopped on/off: 4
• Boats: 1
• Bottles emptied: 4 (several were cider so don’t look at me like that)

This morning showed some of the smaller quirks of our apartment home in Stockholm. Namely, the curtains in the bedroom weren’t quite the right size to cover the window. So when the sun rose at 3:31 am, the light started filtering into the bedroom. By 4am, it was bright enough to wake me up. (Grrrr….) Frank still happily snored away until about 7am and I was lucky enough to grab a few more winks over the intervening 3 hours.

Even though it was bright, the morning was still cloudy and the forecast indicated cooler temperatures and a chance of rain. We braved a cooked breakfast – eschewing the toaster for the broiler in the oven – and managed some delicious egg and cheese sandwiches. It was another interesting shower experience but once clean and fed, we headed out into the partly cloudy morning.

We considered buying a day pass for the buses but in the end would up walking through Södermalm to the first stop of the day: the Royal Palace. It was time to really get our heads around Swedish royal history. We visited the Treasury (crown jewels!), the Royal Apartments (too much furniture!), Guest Apartments (which apparently no US president has stayed in?) and other overly ornate rooms. My factoid from this trip is that Gustav III was assassinated in 1792 when he was shot at the opera (echos of Lincoln anyone?)

Our ticket also included visits to the Three Crowns museum which highlighted the building itself. A building of some sort existed on the site starting as early as 1200 with additional bits continually being added over time until much of the building burned to the ground in 1697. The museum had lots of interesting information about the early and medieval castle. We also got to visit Ridderholmen church where many of the royals (including the unlucky Gustav III) are buried.

After all that history, it was time for lunch. We stopped at a wonderful little French bistro in the Old Town where we had Spaghetti Puttanesca (Frank) and Chevre Chaud (me) with some lovely Albariño. The waiter put us both to shame by speaking more languages in the course of our lunch than I have ever been able to speak. 😦

Then it was off to the Nobel museum which was not at all what I expected. It was as much about the ceremony as it was about the recipients. Of course I was most interested in the economists and still felt a little proud when I saw the references to Chris Pissarides, Nobel Laureate in 2010 who was also my macro professor at LSE in 1987-88 – and likely the reason I got into any PhD program since he wrote recommendations for me.

We still had most of the afternoon ahead of us so we wandered all over – mostly in search of vinyl stores that carried a particular Swedish metal band that Frank was interested in. We also wanted to try some of the local spirits so we visited the Hernö gin bar to taste was was on offer. Frank had a flight of straight gin – most of which were very yummy – and I had a strange cocktail that involved blackberry foam which was quite delish albeit somewhat strange to see. I followed up with my go-to drink, a Tom Collins, which had an annoying perfume quality that I couldn’t place. I’m glad it wasn’t my first drink!

Now it was time for dinner. My GF app suggested a restaurant that was good with GF issues even if they didn’t have a GF menu. So off we went to Blå Dören (blue door) and grabbed some seats outside. The waiter gave Frank a hard time because he was only partly under cover and the skies were lowering. He laughed it off and we ordered, biff rydberg for me and Hjort Wallenbergare for Frank. Translated: my dinner consisted of cubed beef in a brown sauce with fried onions and diced potatoes served with spicy mustard and an egg yolk in horseradish (my sinuses will be clear for weeks!). Frank’s dinner was deer patties served with lingonberries, peas, and mashed potatoes. Delicious all the way around! And of course, halfway through dinner the sky opened up. Frank got under cover and we watched torrential rain come down with accompanying thunder and lighting. And we had a 1.5 mile walk home….

So we ordered more drinks and hoped that the rain would let up. We sipped slowly. Very slowly. And still it rained. Then it poured. When we had run out of drinks, we decided to head to the nearest shop for the few things we needed for breakfast and if it was still pouring, we’d grab an Uber (love internationally useful apps!). We paid the bill and started walking in the rain. By the time we had gotten two blocks, it was barely a drizzle and the sun was peeping through the clouds. A rainbow popped up as we headed home from the store and by the time we got to the flat, the storm had passed. Seems that the weather gods do like us after all.

Data for today:

• Kilometers driven: 0
• Steps: 27,010
• Loads of laundry washed/dried: 2
• Bridges crossed: at least 3

Today would be the least exciting day of the trip. We head from Kalmar to Stockholm – about 4.5-5 hours driving. Bleh. But the sun was shining and the hotel breakfast was delicious (think Nutella!) and so we hit the road.

And we drove. We stopped for gas and road trip snacks (popcorn and Mentos) and drove some more. {sigh}

We arrived in Stockholm around 2pm which was a little early to check into our AirBnb. But we did anyway and interrupted the cleaner finishing up in the apartment. We dropped our bags off and set out to explore.

I seem to have chosen a flat on the highest point in Stockholm. Frank thinks I do these things on purpose – the apartment in Gothenburg was on a hill too – but topography isn’t one of the things I look at when choosing where to stay. For this stop, it was really about whether or not we could park the car and if the place had a washing machine. This one ticked both the boxes and is just a short walk from Södermalm, one of the cool neighborhoods in Stockholm.

So we walked. All over the island – Stockholm is made up of connected islands and we hit a few. We stopped for lunch at a place called Meatballs for the People (?!?) which had delicious meatballs in a variety of meats. I had the lunch special of lamb meatballs in a Greek tomato sauce with feta and roasted potatoes. Frank had the chef’s choice: traditional cream gravy with lingonberries and pickled cucumber and 8 meatballs of a variety of ingredients – including reindeer!

Thus fortified, we continued our trek. We found the old city with it’s narrow cobbled streets and hoards of tourists. We found the Royal Palace and the Nobel museum – on the agenda for tomorrow. We stopped at the liquor and grocery stores before heading back to the apartment. Because we had such a late lunch, it was a while before dinner would even be on the agenda. Eating out wasn’t really an option because on Wednesday nights, I have to work. So we had toasted cheese and soup and found out that the appliances here aren’t all we had hoped for. The microwave took longer to heat the soup than the stovetop would have and it took about 5 tries to get the toaster to toast.

Nevertheless, we succeeded. Frank did some research on where to go tomorrow while I’ll worked with clients and attended my online class until 11:30 {yawn}. Then off to bed to prepare for a full day of touristing in the big city.

Data for today:

• Kilometers driven: 415
• Steps taken: 15,017
• Countries represented on the highway: 13 (A, B, D, DK, EST, F, FIN, LT, LV, N, NL, PL, S)
• Kiss songs or ads on the radio: ~12 (Frank hates Kiss but they are playing in Stockholm this weekend….)

Transitions are always a challenge. We were heading from the tip of the Swedish penninsula to Stockholm, a distance of more than 600km which translates into 7+ hours driving. That is no fun so we decided to split it up by stopping close to half way. We checked out of the very peaceful, very comfortable AirBnb (highly recommended BTW). And started the trek north toward Stockholm. We chose to stop in Kalmar as it was in about the right location and had some history we could explore: a castle!

Not only was this an unusual stop for us in that it was only one night, we were actually staying in a HOTEL! We decided years ago that we aren’t well suited to hotel living after spending a full week in a very small room where we barely had space to turn around without smacking into each other. So it’s been AirBnb’s since then – we did rent apartments way before AirBnB was a thing but it’s so much easier now.

We arrived at the “Castle Hotel” in Kalmar and were able to park the car even though the room wasn’t ready yet. We wandered into town to find some lunch and found a lovely bistro that did GF pizza – the toppings were better than the crust but Frank said the regular pizza was excellent. The main attraction for the day was a visit to Kalmar castle so we were off to get some historical learning.

I confess that no matter how much I think I know about European history, I am completely clueless about anything Nordic. It was fascinating trying to understand the interplay between Sweden, Denmark, and Norway in the context of the history of this particular castle. I really need to read up on thing like this before traveling…. bad tourist!

Nevertheless, we did learn quite a bit about the the area and the Vasa dynasty of Gustav I. And it was another beautiful day to be wandering around the castle grounds and in town. A few storm clouds were lurking in the area but they seemed hesitant to drop rain on us which worked in our favor. (They gave up their reticense a few hours later when we were having dinner but that was fine.)

After a lot more walking, our legs began to complain and it was time to head back to the hotel and check into our TINY room. We were far more tired than our activities would have suggested so we decided to grab a drink in the hotel – outside bar in the courtyard was lovely. And they had GF beer which I enjoyed immensely. In the process of discussing how far we might be able to walk to find dinner when we noticed a steady stream of people entering the hotel restaurant. Groups of 4 and 6 women at a time were heading in smack on the dot of 5 and it seemed very curious. We decided that the food couldn’t be that bad if there were so many local folks eating here so we snagged a table just as the skies opened up.

While we pondered the menu, we noticed that the vast majority of people around us were drinking prosecco and eating shrimp from a wooden box. Like everyone except us. We then found out that the hotel restaurant was famous for “Bubble Tuesday” where the special was prosecco and peel & eat shrimp with hummus and bread. And EVERYONE was there for that. I can’t remember hearing so many corks pop in the course of a single meal because of course no one wanted to stop at the one glass of bubbles that came with dinner. It wasn’t what we were looking for – can’t do prawns with their heads still on! – so I had the grilled char and Frank opted for the steak. A few glasses of wine and some dessert and we found the stamina to do a little more walking around town. The skies had cleared and it was another gorgeous evening.

Data for the day:

• Kilometers driven: 270
• Steps taken: 19,834
• Ratio of males/females at Bubble Tuesday: 4/57
• GF beers consumed: 2 (restraint!)

Another brilliant night’s sleep followed by a morning of clouds gave us pause that our weather luck might not hold today. No cooking for breakfast today: yogurt, fruit, granola, plus ham and cheese on toast. Then it was off to see the local sights. The clouds followed us for a while and we even got a few sprinkles but then the weather gods smiled again and out came the sun.

We started with Ales stenar or Ale’s stones, it is thought to be a stone ship. It’s huge rocks in a huge oval, 220 feet long. No one really knows what is for or who made it but it’s thought to be about 1400 years old. Regardless, it is a very cool sight and the views from the ridge are just beautiful.

We stopped in the local village for a coffee to enjoy the sunshine before heading back toward Ystad. Along the way we saw signs for a cidery – and that became our destination! It is in Tosterups and the farm is next to a lovely church and castle (private residence). However, they don’t seem to have the same concept of visitors that we have in the US so it was a very brief visit before wandering on.

We spent the afternoon wandering the streets of Ystad. The stupidly cute cobbled streets, Saint Maria’s church and Greyfriars Abbey, and of course a few Wallander-related locations. Someday when we’ve watched more of the series, we’ll be able to say we were there. 🙂 Lunch was in the courtyard of Per Helsas Gård, one of the oldest half-timbered buildings in Sweden. The restaurant (Grändens mat) was wonderful with lots of GF options, including meatballs. Yes it’s true: I HAD SWEDISH MEATBALLS. Yum! And a GF Czech beer to go with it.

More wandering around town until it was time to head home for our last night to soak up the Scandinavian sunshine and enjoy wine, cheese, and other perishables before hitting the road tomorrow. Only one meeting to interrupt the evening which provided and excellent end to an excellent day.

Data for today:

• Steps: 13,466 or so
• Number of Swedish words practiced: 12
• Number of Swedish words successfully communicated: 0
• Number of tries for today’s Wordle: 3 (we are a great team!)

After a wonderful night’s rest in the comfy bed in the dark room in the peaceful country, we tested out the new appliances with a Sunday fryup. The sunshine was plentiful and we managed the fried eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee with little fuss. (Frank didn’t break a single yolk.) We can also confirm that the new shower works well with lots of hot water – bliss!

After cleaning up, it was out into the beautiful day. We assumed that because it was Sunday, there would be little to do in the way of visiting museums or shops so we planned a day that was very relaxed and meant we were mostly outdoors. (Yes, another day to take advantage of our Swedish sunscreen!) We walked along the seafront from our apartment to the beach in neighboring Svarte. The views were stunning, the path lined with poppies, and the sea FREEZING cold. “Baltic” is a phrase used in Scotland to mean freezing cold and I can tell you that the Baltic Sea at the tip of southern Sweden is exactly that! And yet people were swimming! Apparently I’m not as hearty as the natives. On the way back to the apartment we stopped at a stone circle known as Disa’s Ting. The name originates from an ancient legend, where Disa, the goddess of fate, is sitting in court (Ting) someday and probably dates back to 400 BC or so.

We wandered back to the flat to grab the car keys and see what else there was to explore. We had seen a sign for Trelleborg about 40km away so we decided that was as good a place as any. Apparently there is a Viking fort there which we think we drove by and it has a street lined with palm trees which we definitely found. (Our hosts have subsequently informed us that it is not the nicest seaside town but we thought it was okay. ) We wandered about and found the place where American-style consumerism was alive and well: the shopping mall was open! We enjoyed some entertaining statues and a quite palatable GF pizza for lunch.

The rest of the day’s exploring was a little less successful. We wanted to visit a castle so we headed to Glimmingehus which is supposed to be the best preserved medieval castle in the Nordic region dating back to 1499. Of course we arrived 20 minutes before closing so we had to make due with a distant view. To make up for it, we got some ice cream at a little coastal village before making our way back to the apartment. Our only real plans for the day were dinner reservations at the super swanky Villa Strandvägen in Ystad but we had time to relax (Frank napped) before heading out.

And what a dinner it was! Holy hidden gems Batman! If you had told me that I would find an amazing wine pairing dinner in a small city in southern Sweden, I would have laughed. But we did. From the terrine of wild Swedish boar and lumpfish roe to the blue mussels and roasted beets and the main courses of pork belly roulaude and Dover sole, the entire meal was amazing. The wine was expertly paired and the rhubarb desert was outstanding. The night was completed by watching an episode of Wallander – the Kenneth Brannagh version – based on the Henning Mankell books that are set in Ystad.

Data for today:

• Steps: 13,163
• Cost of a tank of gas: $82 (and it’s a hybrid!)
• Number of sunscreen applications: 1 (wasn’t enough)
• Number of calories consumed: Who counts those?

Once the conference was done, it was time to move along. We packed up and cleaned up the apartment that had been our base for a week and headed out of Gothenburg. It was time to head south and so by lunchtime we were in Malmö. It was a lovely change of scenery. We parked and headed to a nice cafe in Lilla Torg, the main square in the old town. Cocktails and lunch were enjoyed and we spent a pleasant time watching what I can only imagine were batchelor parties going on in the cafes and bars around us. (There were way too many groups of young men drinking and singing. And the dude in the full Native American head dress with no shirt on was definitely celebrating something…..)

We visited the oldest church in Malmö because stained glass and watched a wedding party exit and begin their celebration. The streets were very busy as was the river – lots of party boats and pedal boats out enjoying the sushine.

We spent some time wandering and trying not to buy too much – I actually walked out a yarn store empty handed! 😳 Then it was time to head to our next base of operations: Ystad on the southern coast. I chose an AirBnB outside the city that was brand spanking new (we’re the second people to stay here!) but was a dedicated rental (so no personal belongings stuffed in every nook and cranny) and overlooks the Baltic sea. It’s in the middle of nowhere and very peaceful. Exactly what I wanted after the hectic week.

We dropped off a few things at the apartment then headed into town to pick up a few groceries and see what was going on. And the answer is nothing. Students in Ystad had been celebrating graduations the day before – and that is quite a site to see given what we saw in Gothenburg – so the town was exceptionally peaceful. We stopped in a bistro for a drink and chatted with the server who told us about her time as an au pair in Connecticut, the rise in nationalism in Sweden, and other interesting topics. The weather had cleared nicely and we enjoyed more Swedish sunshine with our local beer and French rosé. Then off to dinner at a restaurant noted for being amenable to GF diets. Although the pizza looked lovely, we both opted for steak tonight.

Then back to the apartment where we sat for hours drinking wine, listening to jazz (Dave Brubeck’s Time Out) and just enjoying the quiet. The perfect end to a lovely day. And we get to do it all again tomorrow!

Data for today:

• Kilometers driven: 350ish
• Number of times we chuckled at the Swedish classic rock radio DJs: 47ish
• Hours of sunshine: 19
• Pitiful step count: 12,683

Now I know why I’ve never blogged on work trips – it’s hard! I usually like writing these missives (mostly for my future self BTW) as a way of winding down and reliving the best part of the day. However when you are trying to help with the first post-covid conference for the international organization of which you happen to be president (that’s a weird sentence), then there is no unwinding.

These days were filled with conference sessions, business meetings, fabulous networking discussions, evening conference calls, too much wine and too little sleep. There was a FABULOUS fancy dinner but no dancing. 😦 Above all, I am happy to say that we made it! There were some technical glitches and I’ve heard of a few missed flights but overall I think things went well. I’m sure the attendees are quite glad to not have to listen to me talk repeatedly, or ring the annoying bell to say it’s time to stop making friends and go learn things. And I know they are glad that I only sang once. 🙂

Frank was on his own for these days and managed admirably. In fact, he was an incredible help with last minute things like buying gift bags and running errands to the pharmacy while I annoyed people. After 22 years of attending this conference (I only missed 3 in all that time!), this is the first time he’s joined me and I’m very glad he did. He even tolerated all the data talk he was forced to listen to on several occasions. But I know he’s VERY glad we are done.

Now the vacation can begin!

Data for these days:

• Average steps for me: ~ 16K (mostly running up and down the same hallway), double for Frank
• Number of new people met: 20+ (we’re a friendly bunch!)
• Hours spent writing karaoke song: 4
• Number of times Frank had to hear me practice it: 6 (Anything over 1 was too many for him!)

(PS Thanks to those who contributed these photos – the credit is NOT mine!)