Adventures in Sweden - Part VI

 

Once we arrived in Lysekil we were greeted by Adrian and his dad who are mussel and oyster farmers in the region. They own a small island no bigger than a football pitch and both farm full time but on occasion will also take a group out like ours to explain the process and experience an afternoon on the sea. They took us out to the mussel beds first where we saw the 'christmas rope' that the larva attach to and then the cages they are transferred to. We then went on a bit futher and watched Adrian dive for Oysters (in Sweden it is illegal to collect Oysters in any way other than by hand) and then we came back to his tiny cabin and had the fruits of his labour! I can honestly say this was the best afternoon of my entire life. I learned so much and saw some amazing scenery and nature, we had great company and ended the day with a beer and the mussels sat on the rocks watching the sunset, it was a really perfect day and I think the pictures do all the talking, although they perhaps do not do it justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After this trip we went to a local restaurant to have dinner and then back to our next hotel to bed.

 

Adventures in Sweden - Part V

Saturday 1st September

We woke up and got on the coach to an island called Marstrand. We actually had to stop on the mainland just outside and get a 2 minute ferry across the river to the island as there is no bridge and no cars allowed on the island. Marstrand was by far my favourite stop of the trip, the history of the island is so interesting and it was fascinating to be with such a knowledgable guide in the form of Anthony, we walked the cobbled streets and he pointed out buildings and landmarks and explained how and why they were there. The island was originally classed as its own republic in the way that Monaco is now, so it was a haven for the rich and also for criminals. The island is hugely popular throughout Sweden as a summer holiday spot and the population rises from it's usual 2,000 to 10,000 between May and September.

 

 

 

After a walk around the whole island which took us about 35 minutes we went back to where the ferry had dropped us and we were met by Marcus and Nickolas who run RIB Events. A Rib is a 'reinforced inflatable boat' and we went out on the open sea, stood up in the boat at 70mph, dodging waves and islands and at one point even seals. I was so scared before we left as I'm not much of an adrenaline junkie but it was absolutely amazing and I would highly recommend it, the scenery was amazing and the ride was just superb.

 

We got off the Rib boat at a floating hotel and restaurant called the Salt & Sill (Sill being the Swedish term for pickled herring) it was great to be able to get straight from the boat to the restaurant with no other transfer time/cost (although we did make the place look a bit untidy as we were quite windswept!)

 

 

 

 

 

We ate pickled herring, drank Schnapps and generally lazed around on the roof terrace for a few hours before popping on the coach for another hour or so to another island called Lysekil where we had the best afternoon EVER.

Adventures in Sweden - Part IV

After we had scrubbed up and got our glad rags on we walked for 15 minutes from our hotel and arrived at the Swedish Taste restaurant. It has a ground floor a la carté restaurant, the first floor is for private events and the second floor which was ours for the night is where they hold the most fantastic cooking classes. We were greeted with a glass of champagne and then talked through the menu by Chef Toto (Christopher!) and our waitress Clara who coincidentally is actually from Cardiff.

We split into pairs and each of us took a course each, I went for the main course as I really wanted to make the most of the opportunity and learn a new skill from the chef and one of the tasks was taking the Venison meat off the bone, filleting it and tying it up into a fillet.

Our menu consisted of:

Venison Tartare with Pearl Onions and balls of cucumber with a baked egg yolk.

Chanterelle Mushroom soup

Roasted Venison Rump with Anya Potatoes and Honey Roasted Pumpking served with a red wine jus

Spiced Ginger Cake with Seabuckthorn Sorbet and a cream cheese froth

It was amazing to get so involved and learn from the chef - and it all tasted excellent so that was a bonus! Chef plated up for us and Clara served a selection of wines to fit the meal and explained about the regions and grapes which was really insightful. At the end of the night we were all given an apron and tea towel from the restuarant. We then sat down and had a drink with Toto and he gave me a copy of a swedish cookbook that the restaurant and his head chef were featured in, there is a tiny picture of Toto on one page behind his head chef so I asked him to sign it and took his picture holding it!

We wandered back to our hotel and drank Raspberry Collins and Lemon Meringue cocktails and then crawled back upto bed

Adventures in Sweden - Part III

Liseburg amusement park opened in 1923 and is one of the only large amusement parks in the world to be directly in the city centre, of course when it was originally built it was out in the countryside but it is a beautiful green park with so much open space and really not at all commercial which is pretty much akin to the whole Swedish culture. There are 37 different attractions, 9 restaurants, a small house from 1879 (pictured) that they use for meetings and a 2,000 seater indoor arena. They also have an open air concert arena that was really beautiful in the sunshine and a band called 'This is the story of my life' (not very catchy) was soundchecking ready for the evening show.

 

 

 

After the amusement park we went back to our hotel and changed for dinner ready for the evening ahead.

Adventures in Sweden. Part II

 

We got into the tram and were greated by a lady called Jeanna Kanold. She is bascically Sweden's Willy Wonka and is something of a local celebrity. She has three chocolate shops and cafés along with a small factory in an indoor food market. She was so inspiring and it was amazing to hear someone talk about something so passionately, it really is her whole life. Jeanna owns a small plantation in the Dominican Republic and ensures that the cocao is grown organically and the staff are paid properly, educated and housed. She showed us pictures of the plantation and we tasted pure cocao - I can't say I would go back for more but it was great to try it!

 

She had prepared a box of chocolates and a glass of port for each of us and the tasting began as we set off on our journey around the city.

 

 

 

 

 

We worked our way from pure cocao to milk, 40%, 60%, 80% & 100% chocolate - the latter being a little too bitter for my taste, but I was surprised that I really enjoyed the 80%, you only need a little to satisfy your cravings!

 

The picture above shows the chocolates we tried, they include: Cardammom, Salt, Mojito, Chilli & Passionfruit, Coffee, Five Spice and Blue Cheese - yes really!

 

We then stopped outside one of Jeanna's shops and had a wander around the factory with a cup of coffee before walking on to our next hotel.

 

 

 

 

The next hotel we visited was the Elite Plaza. It's the only 5 star hotel in Gothenburg and was lovely. A little too traditional for my tastes (very very nice, but not as modern as I like) then onto the Avalon hotel which was more my style. It's part of the Design Hotels group and the accreditation is well deserved, everywhere you look there is a painting, sculpture, chair or photograph that takes your breath away - it's a brilliant place to just sit and take stock. We stopped here for lunch and had an amazing steak and pomme puree (not very Swedish but hey!)

 

 

 

 

After the Avalon hotel we walked about 15 minutes to my favourite place on earth (in any city) the amusement park! This was a particularly good one - Liseburg.

 

 

 

Adventures in Sweden. Part I

SWEDEN IS AMAZING.

Here's why;

 

Thursday 30th August.

I met the group I was to travel with (Gabriel from Visit Sweden, Andrew from Scandinavian Airlines, and 4 girls from other agencies like mine around the country) we checked in and made our way to the business class lounge where we drank Prosecco and had our first taste of Swedish food in the form of a cold cuts selection. We boarded and 1 and a half hours (and a few more gins) later we arrived at Gothenburg Airport.

 

We drove for about 25 minutes before arriving at the Clarion Post Hotel, it's one of Gothenburg's oldest buildings and was the main post and sorting office for hundreds of years. The hotel bar was absolutely packed and it was immediately clear that we were in the hottest spot in the city judging by the beautiful people and amazing looking cocktails. We went into the restaurant and had salami and cheese sandwiches with beer and met Anthony from the Gothenburg tourist board who was our local guide for the rest of the trip. As it was now about 11pm and we had all done a days work before the journey to Heathrow we retired to our rooms.

 

Friday 31st August

 

We woke and met the group in the hotel lobby at 9am, and had our first proper look around the hotel. The history of the building has been really nicely retained, with exposed walls, original features and quirky elements that remind you of the original purpose of the building - every where you turn there is something post related!

 

 

We wandered around the hotel and saw all of the different bedrooms, suites, meeting rooms and public areas which are all amazing. The hotels in this area all have a real focus on design, not just comfort. Everything has to be efficient and luxurious, but also slightly unusual and eye catching - so I was in interiors heaven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The rooftop terrace and pool was certainly my favourite part!

 

 

we gathered oustide for a 'mystery tour'

Imagine our surprise when we were walked out to a vintage 1920's tram that had been privately hired just for us.

 

 

 

 

 

We all thought we would just be doing a tour of the city but they had a much bigger suprise planned!

 

To be continued...