Stockholm

The original plan was to go to Denmark because so many psychology studies and public health articles cite Denmark as THE example of good health practices. For example, Healthy Eating Magazine a couple years ago wrote a short article about how public health in Denmark has facilitated a reduction in obesity by making the city more walkable by making sidewalks available everywhere.

BUT I'M SO GLAD WE WENT TO STOCKHOLM INSTEAD! Tickets were much cheaper since RyanAir had a 50 Euro round trip deal, and little did we know at the time of booking that this quarter, we were going to be friends with none other than a fantastic Sweden named John (pronounced Yon).

John, who we affectionately call "Sweden," made a fantastic guide for us full of restaurants, sites to see, shopping, and nightlife. It was amazing -- addresses, metro stops, and general comments written in his adorable swedishified english vernacular came attached with every single suggestion. So thank you, Sweden (the person), for we would've surely not have had such a great time without your guide.

We stayed on the Red Boat Hotel for two nights, which was so very cute. I did not get seasick, which was surprising, and actually quite enjoyed the gentle rocking of the boat. It was docked in a great location -- right near Slussen, which had wonderful restaurants and bars, and walking distance from Gamla Stan, the quaint (albeit touristy) area and Ostermalmstorg, where we did most of our shopping.

Highlights of the trip included:

1. Shopping at Beyond Retro, this huge, kitsch vintage shop that actually had all american stuff, Weekday, where it seems every Swede gets their clothes, and H&M of course.

2. Eating Swedish food at Pelikan, an old pub that was most likely established in the 1660's.

3. Walking around Djurgården : an island and a park. Also: the fact that Stockholm is 14 islands and that we were surrounded by beautiful water always.

4. Strömmingsburgare! a.k.a. Herring Burgers from the Herring/Strömming Wagon!

5. Day all day. It was around that season where the sun shines most of the day, doesn't ever get pitch black dark and starts getting lighter around 2:30am! The picture I took of the water at night is already past midnight and you can still see blue in the sky!

I just fell in love with the general culture of this place. Perhaps it's only because it was one of the first sunny days in a while (I can't imagine being there during winter), but everyone was wearing color. Red pants were just as ubiquitous as denim jeans. People were also so friendly and willing to speak english to us.

Suffice to say, we love Sweden (both place and person).