The Tranquil Little Town That Is Vaxholm

You might want to experience a one day getaway in Sigtuna first.

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Another couple of days off of school and my friend Linh and I went to the small but cozy town of Vaxholm, just over thirty kilometers away from Sweden's capital city, Stockholm. 

We used our SL cards to use the tunnelbana (the subway system) to Tekniska Högskolan (in the red line towards Mörby Centrum) before we changed to Bus number 670 to Vaxholms Kyrka. Once we reached the church, we hopped off, admired the shining sun and walked to central Vaxholm.

Upon walking, we notice that Vaxholm is just like Stockholm's Old Town, Gamla Stan. The architectural design of the houses, the pavement composed out of bricks and the magnificent view of the water makes me think about walking through the narrow streets and admiring the shops and boutiques in Gamla Stan.

Vaxholms Centrum

After some more walking, we reached the pier. There was only a few boats sighted, so you can clearly see the islands close to Vaxholm, separated by the water. The weather was amazing for a walk, so we spent more time walking around the pier and browsing the shops to soak up some Vitamin D.

We then saw one of Vaxhom's most precious attractions, the Vaxholm Fortress. The fortress is situated on a separate island with no connections by land whatsoever.

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Afterwards, Linh and I walked some more and had lunch in Vaxholm's Pizzeria, before boarding a bus bound back to Stockholm.

Another small walk/Sweden adventure today was successfully completed. Honestly, I expected more from Vaxholm, as the standards set by our first trip to Sigtuna were really high. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this day.

Where in Sweden should I explore next? Leave me a comment!

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Read More - Solna's Karlberg Castle

- Unlucky Numbers Around The Wolrd

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The Stockholm Observatory

Located near the Stockholm Public Library is the Stockholm Observatory, located at the peak of the hill at Observatorieparken.

A couple of weeks ago, my friends Lisa, Linh and their younger siblings had a picnic on one side of the observatory. I have been to the Observatory countless amount of times, and I have never been disappointed with my climb.

We had a picnic near this statue, just overlooking the public library itself.

Before reaching the observatory itself, you would need to climb a lot of steps, but once there, you will see the magnificent views of Stockholm that it offers. Below is a sneak peek of the awesomeness that we saw once on top of the hill:

We then chose to go down the hill to Observatorieparken, where everyone had a joyous time playing around the spacious playground.

Since this park is very close to our house, it didn't bother me to walk there. It's really fun to just sit down, relax and savour the views that you are given. It's better to explore the area around you with your friends, too!

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- The Stockholm City Hall 

- Skansen - Stockholm's Open Air Museum

- The Vasa Museum

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The Karlberg Castle (Solna)

A day went pass and I thought, "Why not take a walk with my family?". After a quick fifteen minute Google search, I stumbled upon the Karlberg Castle - a castle in Solna which was a mere six kilometers away from where we lived.

We packed some water bottles, wore our jackets and off we went. 

After arriving, we got to see a small dock where we got to sit and take pictures of the castle. Check it out!

After another kilometer of walking along a path, we then got to see the castle up close. 

All I can say is that the palace is very beautiful from the outside. The simplicity of it's architectural design and symmetry amazes me. Also, there is a reasonable area facing the castle covered with grass facing Karlbergssjön, where it is perfect to have a picnic. 

See you next time Solna! Meanwhile, check out these other great Stockholm posts: 

- The Stockholm City Hall 

- Skansen - Stockholm's Open Air Museum

- The Vasa Museum

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A One Day Getaway In Sigtuna

Stockholm is a very wonderful place. Sometimes, you just really want to get away from the hustle and bustle that is in Stockholm and just go to a  very relaxing place.

A few days back, me and two of my good friends went to a city just under fifty kilometers away from Stockholm called Sigtuna.

After a forty-five minute car ride, we arrived at Sigtuna proper. We quickly got to tour the town and even sit and chat at the one of the oldest coffee houses in Sweden, Tant Brun!

The Sigtuna Town Proper

Tant Brun!

We then walked to the pier where we saw a ton of boats, and this very astounding view of the surrounding islands. At the harbor, we got to see some ducks and birds hanging around and got the chance to feed them!

A view of the majestic pier.

We then had lunch at the local pizzeria, where it offered awesome views of the city.

Afterwards, we tried to drive to the Skolkoster Castle, but we couldn't find the way so we turned back to Sigtuna, and got a humongous ice cream at the shops at the pier.

Words cannot describe the excitement and the joy that I felt while roaming around this small, cozy, astounding city. It was quite of a tight fit for a day, but I got to spend it with two of my craziest friends and had a very filling mushroom and ham pizza for lunch. There was only so much time to spend in this wonderful paradise, so I look forward in going there again sometime!

Where do you think I should explore next? Vaxholm? Uppsala? Kiruna? Leave them in the comments below!

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Paris 2014 (ROUNDUP)

Below is the archive of posts from our trip to Paris!

PARIS DAY 1 - The Eiffel Tower & The Louvre

PARIS DAY 2 - The Arc De Triomphe & Concorde (+ Notre Dame & Galleries Lafayette)



EATS: The Hippopotamus Bar & Grill



EATS: Tabac Du Roule

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Paris Day 2 - The Arc De Triomphe and Concorde

Read DAY 1, Where We Visited The Eiffel Tower and The Louvre HERE.

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The second and final day in the city of lights began with a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus ride from The Louvre to Concorde. The Place De La Concorde is a popular square in France also encloses the Obelisk. The Obelisk stands 75 feet high and weighs more than 250 metric tons. On October 1836, the Obelisk replaced a guillotine in the middle of the Place De La Concorde, by the order of King Louis Philippe.

The Obelisk, as captured from the second storey of the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus.

Near the hieroglyph-covered monument is the famous Champs-Élysées. The avenue stretches out more than 1.9 kilometers (about 1.2 miles), and is surrounded by small or renowned shops, cafés, restaurants and cinemas. We strolled down the whole avenue from the Place De La Concorde, and taking a bunch of pictures along the way. I was a bit disappointed because we went there in the afternoon and that people tell me it's way better to go there at night. 

After a long walk along the Champs-Élysées, we made it to the Arc De Triomphe. I was quite bummed to see that there was construction going on the upper portion of the arch, something that I obviously didn't expect. I really like the detail of the designs around the arc. The arc honors the people who fought and perished for France during the Napoleonic and French Revolutionary Wars.

The Arch From The Place De Charles De Gaulle

After we visited this very historic monument of France, we used the bus to go to Palais Garnier / Opéra, but we needed to take a quick detour because my sister needed to use the restroom. We weren't planning to go to the Galeries Lafayette during our stay, but we stumbled upon it while we had our search for a restroom. 

We literally went up and down the stairs of this wine-selling establishment (much like Systembolaget here in Sweden) to find the restroom, because people kept telling us that the restroom is just "along the way". We found it, we used it and we got out of the Galeries Lafayette. That was very unexpected, but at least I got a glimpse on what it [Galeries Lafayette] would offer. Shoe boutiques, wine and alcohol and tons of different restaurants offering different types of cuisines.

We then walked to the Palais Garnier which on the outside appeared astonishing. Much like the Arc De Triomphe, it was undergoing construction. This made me sigh. When we entered, we saw more detail of architecture.

To wrap things up, we took the bus again and went to the Notre Dame De Paris. The Notre Dame is one of the many things that I would just dream to see, but I have seen it. The outside of the building blew me away. The intricacy of the architectural design on the outside made our jaws drop. When we entered, I could feel the solemnity of the church. We donated a couple of Euros and offered candles. I was extremely overjoyed on the fact that I just offered a candle on one of the most highlighted areas of Paris.

The inside of the church was amazing. As a part of the Catholic community, I was astounded. I was astounded more when a mass was just about to start, with about 100+ people taking pictures. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to attend the mass, as it was getting late.

That concludes our trip to Paris, France this 2014. I have seen another part of the large, large area that is Europe. I have seen and experienced some sights that I would never think to personally see my whole life. Paris has been a mind-blowing experience not just for me, but also for my family that went along with the journey.

 My favorite part of Paris was definitely seeing the magnificent views on one of the observation decks of the Eiffel Tower. There were also some lows on this trip, such as the Arc De Triomphe being covered with construction and Tabac Du Roule, but those didn't hinder any of the highs we had.

I want to see Paris someday again in the future, just to say "hi" again and to see the things that have changed. Is the city more urban now? Can I still see the flawless architecture I saw the last time that I was here? Is the Mona Lisa still covered with that thick glass pane at the Louvre?

Again, that's it. Hopefully, you too have enjoyed my stay in the city of lights and love. What was your favorite part of my Parisian experience? Comment them down below and let me know! I'm Euan, and from Paris with love, Au Revoir.

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Paris Day 1 - The Louvre and The Eiffel Tower

It's Euan again and it's time to share my experiences when I was in Paris!

The first official travelling day was started by an unexpectedly long walk to the Louvre. Considering that we stayed at the Tonic Hotel at Les Halles-Châtalet which was just a good ten minutes away, we took a thirty minute walk because our map skills weren't up to par (something to work on). 

Finally, we managed to stumble upon the legendary Louvre pyramid, and the view just blew us away. In my opinion, the pyramid and the buildings around it encompass mixed characteristics of simplicity and intricacy.

The Legendary Louvre Pyramid

The thing that didn't blow me away was the long line. After a good 45 minutes of waiting, we managed to get in and buy tickets. € 12 for the permanent collections (18+), while it was free for minors. Oh, did I tell you that the main objective of going to the Louvre is to see the fine art, especially the Mona Lisa? Well, now you know.

After a dizzying maze of corridors with complex paintings, marble sculptures and a very, very long hallway, we managed to stumble upon Mona Lisa. The painting was enclosed in sort of a cabinet, with the front side composed of a thick glass pane. 

My Best Picture Of Mona Lisa.

There was about fifty tourists gathered together near the painting. It was believed that Leonardo Da Vinci painted this from 1503 to 1506. 

My feelings after seeing the Louvre: disappointed and unsatisfied. I was disappointed because we didn't get to explore as much as we wanted to, because we were only in Paris for a short while, and wanted to savour as much as we can. Unsatisfied, because I expected everything (not just the Mona Lisa) to have more "oomph".  

We exited the Louvre and got on the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus with the intention of disembarking at the Eiffel Tower. 

We got dropped off, and the Eiffel Tower immediately made me smile. This is something that I've only seen in movies and shows all my life. I couldn't believe that I was going to personally see it! 

That smile was quickly rubbed off because of the astoundingly long line that we saw. It was long enough that you needed to line up for the line to get tickets. To give you an idea on how long the line was, we managed to enjoy some sandwiches and take a bathroom break, even before we reached a quarter of the line. 

We bought our tickets and went up the elevator to the second floor. I literally got blown away, not just because of the astounding view of Central Paris, but because of the forceful winds that came in our way. 

I cannot explain the happiness that I experienced when I was on the observation deck. It was just so cool seeing all the buildings from something that you just saw in the movies! 

An Awesome View of the National Navy Museum

A View of the Emile-Anthoine Stadium and the Bir-Hakeim Bridge (Pont Bir-Hakeim)

A View of the Seine River

That basically wraps up our first travelling day in Paris! Don't worry, there'll also be some Eats! 

So, from Paris with love, Au Revoir.

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EATS: Euphoria Bar & Grill | Bansko, Bulgaria

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Ireland- Getting There (PART 1)

by Shriya

Ireland. A country with great history. Even after eight hundred years of British rule, part of it is still not a free country. The southern part is still under the rule of the British. That was one reason for the visit, to learn its great history. Second reason is very complicated... So, my cousin was three years old when my uncle moved to Ireland. I am one year younger than her, so I barely remember seeing her in India, and she meets me once in three years which is a lot considering we talk to each other every day through social media and I miss her a lot.... So, that was the second reason. Now, the fun begins…

Ireland was my first travel through a plane and my first international travel so I find myself pretty lucky. I had a mixed feeling when we were on the airport, going through the security check in and stuff... I was very excited as I had never seen a plane from the inside, just in movies. Later, while waiting for boarding, decided to have a quick visit to the wash room and on my way back, I ran and that was an act I regretted as I got a cramp in my leg! It took me three hours to get through the security system and sit in the plane and honestly, I was tired by that time and so was my leg.

Indian airport from the inside

As the flight had to travel for a long time, we had a halt in Abu Dhabi. I wish I had went outside, but even it's airport was huge and lavish! It was a very tall building with multiple floors and I was just surprised by the fact that the ceiling was visible! In the center, it had a huge pillar covered with colorful tiles, there were glass railings all around the pillar and the dim light just made me sleep, but the excitement kept me awake. Actually, there was another thing that kept me awake. The cold coffee. I personally hate coffee if its hot, but cold coffee is just perfect! And even though we ordered a small cold coffee, their “small” was as good as an XL Sweden. Soon, it was time to leave for the next flight and in no time, I was in Ireland!

Abu Dhabi airport from inside

I had always wondered how a country will look like if you see it from a height. I expected it to be something different, was not sure of what to expect, but surely something I had not seen before. When the plane came closer to the ground, ready for landing, I saw it.

Plane view of Ireland

I saw a country. I saw Ireland from a height and to my surprise, it looked no different than a satellite image except closer.

Satelite image of Ireland

I was disappointed, but fair enough! Then there was the moment of truth, the landing and for a first experience of a plane journey, it was the worst landing one could possibly have. It landed on one wheel and was shaking even after it was on ground. Then the pilot had trouble slowing the speed down and I felt like I missed several heart beats!  

Then when I came out of the plane, out of the airport, I saw my uncle standing on a distance waving at us. He took our bags, put them in the car and I told him all about the journey, specially, the landing. He asked us if we were cold and that he had brought jackets from home and at once, my mom and dad agreed to put the jackets on. I wanted to do something different, so I said I was not cold and that I was good without the jacket. We all then drove to my uncle’s house with my mom, dad and uncle talking to each other and me shivering but trying not to show it! It took us about half an hour to reach home and I was relieved by the warmth inside the house.

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