BL #14: BBQ, Scandinavian Style

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Geo: 59.3327, 18.0645

One of my most vivid memories of Oslo is strolling through Frogner Park in the early evening, with Vigeland's works bathed in beautiful sunlight, and the park filled with the delicious smell of seemingly hundreds of BBQs, cooking up a perfect storm of environmentally-unfriendly goodness!  Being such an expensive country with a very short summer, Norwegians love picking up a one-time use charcoal grill and heading to the nearest park, for a budget-friendly evening with family and friends.

I didn't have the chance to do a BBQ of my own during that trip, but made a mental note to add "BBQ in Frogner Park" to the bucket list, with every intention of doing it this time.   Unfortunately, both the weather and our short time in Oslo did not allow for the much-awaited BBQ in Frogner Park, so that is still on the bucket list.  However, the Swedes also love their disposable BBQs, so it was ON today!

Combined with a visit to the islands of Stockholm's archipelago, another item on the bucket list, it was an unforgettable final full day in Stockholm.  Had there been more time available today, and had we been more organized, we could've also squeezed in Sandhamm - being a little farther away from Stockholm, Sandhamm would've likely been more of a back-to-nature experience.  So as it was, we had to "settle" for just the islands of Grinda, and Vaxholm.

Cute, quaint, and charming, Grinda and Vaxholm both were perfect spots to briefly escape the bustle of the big city, and enjoy a little bit of nature, as well as a salty-little seaside town.  They were more than adequate consolation prizes today, and infinitely satisfying in both the experience, as well as the opportunity to cross a couple more items off of the bucket list.

Unfortunately, with any bucket list, it simply keeps growing - today's introduction to Stockholm's archipelago left us wanting more. So returning to the archipelago will still remain on the list, to be perhaps crossed off in the future by learning how to sail, and touring around the islands for more than just one day, with multiple stops in Vaxholm, to sample all of the delicious baked goods at Hembygdsgarden Cafe!

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Photos

Grinda's Guest Harbour ...
... in the distance, you can see a fancy-little cafe/restaurant that is perfect for enjoying a sunny Swedish afternoon, with some nibbles and cold beverages.

A Lone Soul ...
... enjoying a secluded little corner of Grinda.

The Only Real Hotel on Grinda ...
... the other accommodation options are a hostel, basic cottages without any running water, and camping - the lack of development makes for the rustic charm of the island.

Kungstradgarden Metro Station ...
... one of the coolest, anywhere in the World - it's known for being the best in the city when it comes to art, with some cool items on either side of this bridge, down and out of view.

Doing Liberace Proud ...
... this crazy, gaudy yet cool chair is fitting of such a tacky man! Not very comfy though, and not quite sure what i was trying to achieve by pretending to have a deep, intellectual conversation with Lil Buddha.

Scandinavian/Vietnamese Hybrid BBQ ...
... Tam and Tri taught me the special squatting technique. Note the use of disposable wooden chopsticks instead of tongs because ... well ... I didn't bring any tongs with me! The chopsticks were stolen from a sushi joint in Stockholm, a steel fork was lifted from a hotel breakfast in Oslo, napkins and salt/pepper packets taken from random fast food joints around Scandinavia, making for a very Asian-style experience!

Amateurish ...
... lesson learned - make sure to evenly scatter the charcoal before lighting, as it had shifted significantly during transit to the island of Grinda, resulting in some charred food due to uneven heat. Grilled mushrooms, peppers, tomato, and potatoes, to go along with pre-made chimichurri-flavoured ground beef on a skewer - doesn't look like much, but the food was very tasty, with the grilled flavour that only charcoal could bring, in this case more of a wood-chip type of charcoal, and not the briquettes more commonly found in North America. But taste aside, the experience was priceless, and one more item crossed off the bucket list.

Double Duty ...
... lacking any ice packs to keep the meat cold for the three to four hours it took for us to go from the grocery store to the hotel to the ferry to a picnic spot in Grinda, we purchased a pack of frozen fruit to keep things cool. The added bonus was that it made for a nice flavour boost to the excellent pear cider found all over Scandinavia.

Hembygdsgarden Cafe ...
... I can't think of a nicer location than this cafe's spot right along the Fishermen's Harbour. Even without the fantastic selection of cakes and sweets (and let's not forget the free coffee refill, an absolute luxury in Scandinavia!), just sitting on the patio outside and enjoying the sun and sea is a priceless experience. The chocolate cake was alright, but the strawberry danishes with custard on the left were phenomenal - they've mastered the art of danishes here in Scandinavia, perfectly flaky!

Primo Dinner at Primo ...
... in the foreground, bigoli (like a thicker spaghetti) with meatballs stuffed with pine nuts and of all things, raisins! Pretty darn good, and interestingly, fried basil and thyme was sprinkled over top. The other was pappardelle with prawns, lemon, garlic, chillies, and tomato - also quite good. Overall, the experience was quite good, especially considering that this was a chain restaurant. The wine was also actually decently-priced, a Negroamaro and a Rose, making for one our better-value dinners in Scandinavia. The only complaint? Pasta was a shade underdone.