The Women’s Swedish Volleyball team and Ikea food

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Swedish Volleyball team - I’m not sure why, but I had this image of the women’s Swedish Volleyball team welcoming me as we stepped off the train, but instead, I had a Scandinavian summer wind chill greet me while putting down any thoughts of volleyball.

Paper or Plastic, or lead weights? - My two cents on European coins, bills, and credit cards. I like the credit 1st, bills 2nd, and forget the coins. The coins in Europe are used more prevalently than their American counterparts, they’re worth more ($3, $4, and even $5), and inconveniently require money in both your wallet and the pocket. Bills are fine, but it all looks like Monopoly money and you just don’t think of it the same way, tricking you to spend like crazy. If I could really have it my way, everyone would accept credit cards. To go on a tangent anyone check out Visa, MasterCard, or American Express stocks lately? American express is looking pretty inexpensive. And for one last thought: In Europe credit cards usage is not everywhere and machines are sometimes slow. You know the Visa Check commercial where everyone uses credit cards in the restaurant except for ´that guy´? It doesn’t work that way here, it’s the opposite. (

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HELP! - Help in Sweden was easy, just open up a map, stand at a corner and someone would ask if they could help. This happened 3 times (However, it might not seem so much if you knew how many times I opened a map and looked confused). Either way the Swedes are overwhelming helpful.

Home Cooked Meals - After travelling for quite a few days and without a 2nd night sleep in the same places as a 1st night sleep we were longing for a home cooked dinner. We stayed at a very nice Hostel in Stockholm with a fully stocked kitchen. The menu featured Swedish salad, traditional pasta bolognese, and a fancy dessert with red wine; all prepared by chefs in charge Matt and Maria. It was the best meal of the trip so far.

Ikea vs. the real deal - Ikea food most assuredly resembles Swedish food, but stop by a traditional Swedish restaurant in the old city and you’ll take it up a notch. A day after that awesome pasta bolognese dinner, we had an even better one at a restaurant which was the final destination of a haunted house tour of Stockholm. (Yet another European building hundreds of years old - Haunted, you betcha) Swedish meatballs and reindeer - check out the pictures.

Watch your step! - No kidding the escalators in Stockholm are fast.

Stockholm subways - I’ve never seen anything like it, but the Stockholm subway offers the most interesting stations in all of Europe. Each station was individually designed by one of 150 artists, and it seems as though each had quite a bit of discretion. USA Today Ranked it in the top 10 subways of the world and had this to say, ¨ It has been called the world's longest art gallery for a reason. Here, stations abound with stunning, outlandish and overwhelming art work, ranging from a lush garden, suspended glass dodecagon and a bronze cheetah to lighting designs, wall sculptures, ceramic decorations, murals and fantasy rock structures. Next to such displays, the trains and people seem a mere sideshow." So far it’s my #1

How to save 65 Euros - We wanted to jump on the ´hop on hop off´ city sight seeing tour and we did at just the right time. A bus stopped, but not at a designated area, we asked a bunch of questions, she looked annoyed and told us to just get on. We did and later found out the bus was in a fender bender. Nice.

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Photos

Most interesting subway art ever
Every Subway stop in Stockholm has an interesting decor.

Swedish Meat Balls and Reindeer
A traditional Swedish dinner at a restaurant in Stockholm - Just like Ikea, but better.