Solsiden and Stockholm

Well, this will be my last night in Stockholm before I make my way to the Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This will be a new adventure for me, being in countries that speak quite limited English. I will need to re-polish my German vocabulary, I suppose? I have been looking forward to the Baltic countries though. I can’t wait to walk in the medieval cities and soak in the atmosphere. However, before I start yakking on the things that I want to experience in the Baltics, let me start by mentioning about the seafood restaurant that I went to in Oslo …

I don’t eat seafood much, having much of my childhood and teenage live in the highlands of Bandung, West Java. So, when I say that the seafood is great, it is great – people who know me, know that I don’t like ‘fishy fish’. 🙂 I went to Solsiden Restaurant in Søndre Akershus Kai and by golly, from the starter to dessert, they were all fantastic. I had ‘Monkfish with pastinakk cream and soya vinaigrette’ for starter, and then ‘Grilled halibut with asparagus and lentil ragout in lobster sauce’. The dessert was ‘Raspberry coullis’. They were all ace! So, if you ever make your way to Oslo, go and reserve a table at Solsiden. They’re only open in Summer, and reservation is a must.

Well, as mentioned previously, I *really* love Stockholm – every way you go in Gamla Stan, there’s always a tucked alley or a street, waiting to be photographed. I really wouldn’t mind living here! The people are great looking, as Scandinavians tend to be, but things are expensive – so at least you can oggle at the girl (or guy, depending on which gender that you prefer) 🙂 serving you, whilst your credit card is swiped for bazillion Aussie dollars for a silly t-shirt.

The place that I’m staying is a little Pensionat in Södermalm, to the south of the city centre and also to the south of Gamla Stan. The facilities are basic but at least the location is central. Today, I spent most of my time in Gamla Stan again, trying to find the things that Anthony mentioned during the Ghost Walk yesterday, such as the statue of Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte and the Mynt Museum. It was a big achievement when at the end of the day, I managed to find both of them – even if I only made it to the Mynt Museum 10 minutes before it closed. Other than walking around in Gamla Stan, I also had a leisure coffee by the lakeside, and had lunch (mashed potatoes and sausages) by the harbour. So, all in all, a very civilised and pleasant day.

Just a closing remark, I mentioned about Jean-Baptiste — I didn’t realise that the current king of Sweden is actually a descendant of a French field-marshall during Napoleon era. He was adopted by the then childless King of Sweden. Jean Baptiste then was renamed Karl Johan (the same Karl Johan whose name is immortalised as the main shopping street in Oslo). So, the current royal family in Sweden are actually a descendant of a French guy!

How bizarre … !

Published by fuzz

I've finally relented to the lures of blogging - and for those who care, well, I'm a self-confessed geek who's a wanderer at heart, who thinks and analyses too much, and who's trying hard to hold on to his 7-year old inner persona.

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1 Comment

  1. Whaddayamean by “limited English in the Baltics”? In Estonia, I guess only very old people can speak German…. those who date back to the 19th century 😛 Drop your prejudices, Fuzzy-man… or I will ask you to show me the pouch you have on your belly, as all aussies do!

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