Sweden in October

First weekend in October we made our way to Stockholm to visit Phoebus and have dinner with the LBS Stockholm Trek folk

Max's Junior Burger... best deal in Stockholm (this is one EXPENSIVE city) and oh so yummy... Phoebus was our saviour and bought us burgers and garlic fries for dinner on our way back
Stockholm is gorgeous and pristine... especially nice to have our knowledgeable guide Phoebus to show us around
A must see! Vassar Museum... basically a poorly constructed but super ambitious warship sailed for 20 minutes and then sank by a strong wind (reinforcing the importance of physics).. because of the level of salt in the water wood worms can't survive so it's pretty much in pristine condition
This is what it looked like in its original form... I personally like the classic dark wood look better
This ship is HUGE
Even the cold air doesn't stop people from sitting outside and people watching... according to Phoebus this was also a square where there was a massacre...I have forgotten the details
Smallest street in Stockholm... good thing we're skinny
One of my favorite places to visit in a foreign city... the supermarket! Stockholm'swas super interesting... tunnbrod...sort of like big ol crackers
Interestingly...they like to vacuum pack everything... probably because space is even tighter here than London
Being a homogenous society perhaps they don't know why some people may find this offensive...
We went to _________(means frog) with LBS it was soooo goood....
Swedish delicacy plate...herring is surprisingly good
Fish soup... fancy fish soup that is so good....this place had amazing bread too!
THE BEST place for Cinnamon Rolls and Cardamom Rolls
Skansen...its a park of old farmsteads and structures around Sweden, Finland and Denmark, its meant to give people a view of what life was like back then
That isn't snow, its the leftover glass from the glass blower building
It was arts and craft weekend which meant all of the craftspeople were there to show how things were done back then. I think the cobbler looks a lot like St.Nick =)
The good students... Phoebus and Eugene chatting up the engraver
and then the printer
Phoebus' favorite place in Skansen....and I suspect favorite place in Stockholm
The home of fresh, home made Tunnbrod!
Skansen also has a mini zoo... I've never seen an owl's head actually turn 360...until today! CRAZY
Oldest structure in Sweden... I think it was a mill house
Eugene and Phoebus tempting a moose with some leaves
Skansen... gorgeous view of a beautiful (but expensive) city! Thanks Phoebus for hosting and showing us around!

Waltzing around Edinburgh with Parents

October 23rd and 24th we took Eugene's parents to Edinburgh, Scotland...gorgeous city but oh so cold!

Again, Eugene will jump anywhere he can...
Scottish breakfast... like an English breakfast but with Black Pudding
Edinburgh castle...check

As seems to be our timing... protests held in front of Edinburgh castle while we were there



One day.... Ed will be able to afford this ;)

In Bruge... and Brussels =)

November 13th and 14th we ignored the planes and took the Eurostar to Brussels... where we found protests in Belgium too... we're getting the world tour of protests...

Unfortunately what we didn't realize was the Belgium was known for its rain...lots and lots of rain... two umbrellas destroyed
Frites with Mayonaise.. yum! Still no Amsterdam Mannekinpis(sp?) we dream of you still..
Belgium is also known for its food... and Noordzee is almost worth the Eurostar ticket itself... most amazing meal ever! Totally worth standing in the cold
Poisson Soup ... basically fish soup that was soo good... Eugene and I weren't sharing
Oysters.... ::sigh::
Mussels... can't go to Brussels and not eat mussels
Perfectly cooked and seasoned Scallops... so very perfect
We met a Belgium at Noordzee who said if we wanted waffles we had to go to Belgraufa... we did and this was our first taste of heaven!! (**we luckily found a stand at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park)
Tin Tin shop/museum... oh those Nickelodeon days
The original mannekinpiss... as usual much smaller in person
Cafe Leon.. tourist trap for a good reason.. the most amazing mussels I have every head... I literally ate every last drop...even using the bread to soak up all the juices... soooo gooooood!
Showing extreme self control we just picked a few tasters of Belgium Chocolate... Eugene was disappointed they weren't making the chocolate in the store.. I think he thought it was going to be like Chocolat the movie
Good fortune shines upon us as we find a Belgaufra stand outside our hotel ... we didn't share this time .. making for a delicious but VERY heavy brunch to go
In Bruge we find our home away from home
A Hot Chocolate Lover (me!) dream... you bet I brought some home
This is Belgium beer made from a 17th century recipe... it was yummy... but all Belgium beer is quite yummy...
We wouldn't be the Chu's without an awesome jumping photo
Bruge has got a lot of history and is really a beautiful city to wander


Very pleasant before we got poured on and had to ride soaking wet back to London... but all in all with our bellys full and romance rekindled it was an amazing trip

Happy Holidays to our friends and family!