Amy and the Great World - Page 14 of 125 -

Stockholm in February

March 9, 2017

When I found out I would be getting a few days off in February to end the semester (so the kids could go skiing), E and I decided to take advantage and go somewhere.

We randomly found pretty cheap tickets to Stockholm, and since we’ve been eyeing Sweden for a while, we snapped them up. It was a quick trip–only Friday through Sunday–and sadly, I ended up getting the flu the week before, so I was still recovering.

Since we both love winter, I wasn’t too fussed about going to Scandinavia in February, despite how shocked most Hungarians were when we told them where we going. (Sweden? In February? WHY?) Of course, we bought our tickets before Budapest got a few ice storms and ended up getting freezing, and before THE ILLNESS.

In retrospect, February might be a good time to find some sun in Europe.

Still, Stockholm knows how to do winter. With tons of museums, the port-city ambiance, cozy coffeehouses everywhere for fika, what the Swedes call a coffee (and cake/cinnamon roll) break, and colorful, tiny alleys, Stockholm is a joy to explore at any time of the year.

just a bit of flu face remaining…

In fact, even though it was flat gray the entire weekend, it ended up being warmer in Stockholm than in Budapest, so–we kind of did get a “warm winter break.”

Other highlights of our weekend?

Fika, of course–my favorite was Kaffekoppen , seen below.

Eating at Barrels Burgers & Beer and Djuret. Both of which I neglected to take any pictures at, oops. At Barrels I had a chicken burger that was the best I’ve ever eaten–but we did end up eating crammed in a tiny corner at the bar as it was so busy. It’s popular!

We made reservations at Djuret, which, loosely translated, means “the Beast.” I am a former vegetarian and still don’t eat a lot of meat, but Djuret has an animal-a-week menu, which is apparently one of the most sustainable ways to source meat. We had six amazing courses…and I tried powdered butter which is oddly good.

The Vasa Museum. I’m not always in a museum mood, but I loved the Vasa Museum. Probably because it’s the most unusual yet awesome museum, well, ever. The Vasa was a ship that sank in 1628, but since it was so well-preserved in the Baltic, they were able to bring it up and rebuild it.

A ferry ride between the islands! Since Stockholm is made up of fourteen different islands, getting out on a boat seems necessary, if you ask me. Since many ferries are included in your public transit pass, it couldn’t be easier!

Wandering the alleyways of Gamla Stan–Old Town–to our heart’s content.

I got a little snap-happy in said alleys (um, what else is new) so excuse me while I share a billion photos.

Would you visit Scandinavia in winter or do you follow the sun?

Linking up with Wanderful Wednesday.

Travel Writing

Travel Lessons I Still Can’t Learn

March 7, 2017

Not long ago I shared 30 Lessons from 30 Months Abroad. Lest you think I have it “all figured out,” I give you this:

TRAVEL LESSONS I STILL CAN’T LEARN

How to pack truly light.
To buy my plane tickets far enough in advance.
To really break in my shoes before trekking all over in them.
That even traveling holds its own comfort zones.
That cookies don’t travel well. (But I will keep trying. I’m a fighter).
To always bring a raincoat/umbrella.
To check the weather ahead of time.
To research different weather patterns and realize that seasons don’t impact everywhere the same.
How to keep track of my passport.
Not to leave things behind at security.
To get enough cash out.
To map the route from the airport/station to my accommodation.
How to strike up a conversation with a stranger. E does this–or the stranger does it first. I’m too shy/awkward most of the time to do it myself.
That ordering unknown food off the menu will always make things more interesting (and often more delicious).

Well, do you have it all figured out?

See also: How Not to Travel.

Slovakia

Slovakia: Not Just for In-Between

March 4, 2017

Slovakia is one of those countries that has always flown a bit below my radar. I’d heard of it, of course–but mostly because I kept going through it on my way to somewhere else (and also because anyone in my life over the age of 40 would insist on saying I lived in Czechoslovakia during my time in Prague, and I always had to remind them that Slovakia is its own country).

Last spring, I even went to Slovakia itself rather than just stopping through–E and I went to Bratislava last spring only because a friend had train tickets he could no longer use, and Bratislava is a doable weekend/day trip from Budapest. Also, we heard it’s cheap, and often that is one of E’s only requirements when visiting somewhere.

I usually require a little bit more–and I ended up being really charmed by the little city with its ridiculously quaint old town. After we left, though, I kind of forgot about Slovakia again, in a general sense (and never even wrote about our trip).

This autumn, some friends of ours suggested we rent a car with them and drive up to Poprad, an area of Slovakia near the High Tatras mountains. They’d been in the High Tatras in Poland the preceding fall, and had been blown away by the fall colors.

Well, no one is more obsessed with autumnal foliage than me (#basic) and we jumped at the chance.

Although the drive ended up being about four hours–maybe a bit long for a weekend trip, which didn’t include any driving to the actual mountains–Slovakia just blew me away. I now sing praises of this country I merely used as an in-between stop or visited as an afterthought for far too long.

The town of Poprad itself is not as picturesque as I’ve become spoiled with in central/eastern Europe (I’m looking at you, Budapest/Prague/Bratislava/etc) but the surrounding scenery more than makes up for it.

And once you get into the mountains nearby, you’ll be able to find all the cute little mountain villages and stunning vistas your little heart could ever desire.

Nearby Poprad lies the ruins of Spiš Castle, and the little town of Levoča.

We only stopped at these briefly, as the mountains were our true objective.

WATCH FOR YETIS

couldn’t I remember my sunglasses just this ONE TIME

this is Ash, she’s way cooler than me but shhh, don’t tell her

After snagging some killer mountain views in the High Tatras, we drove back to Budapest through a part of Low Tatras National Park. This turned out to have some of the most stunning colors of the trip–my mouth dropped open a few times in awe, and I took ten billion photos in panic and excitement.