But if you’re game, expect to shell out some cash as pretty much everyplace charges about 250 Swedish kroners ($42 US or 26 Euros) for reindeer steak. I had to seriously contemplate this expenditure but given my love of trying different animals, I just had to give it a go.

We decided to give a place called Restaurang C C a try because they boasted their specialty in wild game. In fact, there are only about 7 main dishes on the menu, including boar steak, regular deer and wild salmon for fish eaters.

Unfortunately, this place was a mistake and given that the restaurants sign has a reindeer pictured should have been a dead giveaway to steer clear.

Like most restaurants in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan (old quarter), Restaurang C C is nice inside, but given that the weather was good we chose to eat outside. The experience was terrible from the get go, the service was slow and we were given no bread-I can’t think of ever experiencing this in a restaurant of similar stature, anywhere in the world.

The reindeer steak was served in 2 small mignons, accompanied by boiled potatoes (pretty stock standard side in Sweden). Normally I eat steak medium rare but I asked that they serve the reindeer the way it normally comes, which is medium well. If you prefer your steak medium rare, I suggest you ask for your reindeer to be cooked the same rather than trust the chef like I stupidly did.

The food was decent, but for the money it should have been great. It was also not a large portion of food. If you want to try reindeer in Stockholm, I would suggest giving Slingerbulten or a restaurant called Movitz a go (both in Gamla Stan as well). They both serve reindeer steak and my wife and I had fantastic experiences at these two restaurants. Restaurang C C is a gimmick that needs to get its act together.

photo credit: me

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Thank goodness we visited Birka Island’s Viking Museum or we never would have learned that there were dragons back in those days.

Ah, Sweden’s glorious past.

photo credit: me

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Ericsson has really gone to hell in allowing the Finnish company to do this in Stockholm. If they weren’t such pushovers they would have this thing blown out of the sky!

photo credit: me

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One of the things that I’ve always wanted to see in life is a day with no real night. And if you’re in Stockholm close to the summer solstice like I was, you’ll see just that. Stockholm is in the eastern part of the Central European Time zone so it’s official sunset isn’t insanely late (around 10:20pm at summer solstice), but if you’re looking to the north this is the light you’ll see from around 11:30pm-2:30am. At around 2:30am it starts getting lighter because sunrise was around 3:30am when we were there (July 2nd-4th).

Stockholm is around the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska so if you’re bothered by light at night, make sure there are good drapes where you are staying! On the boat we stayed on there was only one small window but for god knows what reason, the curtain was just a white flimsy thing. So I took a black t-shirt of mine and hung it over the worthless curtain, which helped immensely.

Seeing light around the clock is a pretty surreal experience and if you get the chance, I highly recommend checking it out, somewhere in the world. Like most cool things, the pictures don’t it justice, but here are some shots from around 1am in Stockholm.

photo credit: me

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We decided to give a cute place called Slingerbulten a try because their posted menu had Swedish meatballs for 98 kroners and salmon for 148 kroners  (both dishes a whopping 50 kroners less than everything else we saw posted).

The decor of Slingerbulten is nice too, chandeliers are pretty common in Swedish restaurants and this place sports some medium sized ones along with several pieces of classy art work. Although Stockholm restaurants are very expensive, they are generally very nice.

The portion of Swedish meatballs isn’t huge but it’s filling as the brown gravy sauce is rich, heavy and delicious. It took a few bites to get used to the taste of a savory gravy, mixed with cranberry sauce on a meatball, but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife’s salmon dish was excellent as well and wonderfully presented.

I highly recommend this restaurant for the food, service, decor, price and overall value by Stockholm standards. You’ll enjoy the food and you’ll save about $17 US dollars off two very nice meals. The address of the restaurant is Stora Nygatan 24 and is located on the corner of Kokbrinken.

photo credit: me and my meatballs

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The Danes have it all…does life really get any better than boobs, beer and burritos??

photo credit: me

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Truck in Stockholm…Best beer in the world?!?

Brewery in Copenhagen:..Best beer in town?!? Seems like they’re totally fucking with the Swedes, who for the most part don’t have good beer, and which may be retribution for IKEA naming door mats after Danish towns.

photo credit: me

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This is something you probably won’t see at your local 7-Eleven in say, Valdosta, Georgia. But have no fear, if you’re in Sweden and you’re craving a Big Bite, you can still get one! Despite all this fruit crap posted on the front window, they still have big bites rolling around all day, just like in the US and A.

Another thing you can nab at Swedish 7-Eleven’s is stale loose candy. Swedes love candy and their 7-Eleven’s have many germ filled bins with candy that was delicious days ago.

In Denmark, you can actually buy liquor at 7-Eleven, which is extremely convenient for drinking on the street which is perfectly legal there. Unfortunately here in the Netherlands we have no 7-Elevens and must settle for eating food out of vending machines. The upside is that we can still drink on the streets, which is illegal in Sweden, haha Magnus ver Magnusson!

photo credit: me

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Those aren’t my words, nor is it technically truth, but it’s the claim you’ll find immediately upon arrival in Sweden’s capital. Stockholm boasts itself as the capital of Scandinavia because of it’s elegant beauty, cleanliness, fine cuisine (and we did have 2 fantastic meals in the city) and the fact that the Nobel Prizes are awarded in this grandiose city built on several islands.

Swedes are obviously proud of their culture and heritage and once you pass a totally pointless customs at Arlanda airport, you’ll find pictures commemorating famous Swedes. People such as golf great Annika Sorrenstam and tennis relic Bjorn Borg (who retired like 20 years ago) are featured. The tribute is in a fitting spot since it’s in a tiny hallway with lots of traffic heading out to Arlanda’s main concourse. It’s a great place for tourists to stop and admire while they get in the way of annoyed locals who just want to go the hell home.

From Arlanda to Stockholm’s central station, the way to go is the Arlanda Express. A spiffy high speed train that goes non-stop from the distant airport to the heart of the city in just 20 minutes (don’t worry, you’ll be reminded of the time a lot, which is why my wife wanted to whack me upside the head when I kept asking her how long the train will take). You can also take the bus, but that takes about 40 minutes and only costs a few dollars less. The train is really nice, has 4-6 departures per hour and is very convenient. It’s not cheap but neither is the bus, Stockholm is one of the most expensive cities in Europe in getting from the airport to the city. Even the bus will run you about $16 ($20 on the train), whereas in Amsterdam the train from Schipol airport to central station only costs about $5 (which also runs very frequently and because the airport is closer, can take as little as 15 minutes).

So immediately upon arrival in Sweden, you are whacked upside the head with a hefty cost! But it’s nice that they let you know what to expect in their very pricey city. Anything less and you might be led to believe that you could get a good deal on accommodation, dinner or drinks. There are some good values, by Stockholm standards, but the term value is much more applicable when discussing euros, not dollars.

photo credit: me

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The only downside to the trip was how expensive Scandinavia is. While Sweden and Denmark are part of the European Union, they do not use the euro as their currency. Instead they use kroners, same name for both countries except the Danish kroner is a little stronger than the Swedish kroner.

This is partly why Copenhagen is currently ranked as the 3rd most expensive city in the world. And it’s damn pricey! It’s pretty standard that enjoying a beer out in Copenhagen will run you around $10 (pretty common in Stockholm too). My wife and I sat down for coffee in a cafe in Copenhagen and paid the equivalent of over $6 each for the coffees. And I’m not talking about Starbucks equivalent venti latte’s here, just a small coffee. Ouch!

Luckily we were traveling mostly on euros so this eased the cost of these very expensive countries. In the coming weeks look forward to several posts on Sweden and Denmark such as: Where to eat Swedish meatballs in Stockholm; Where not to eat Reindeer in Stockholm; Why is Red Bull illegal in Denmark?; Ways to cut back on costs; Couch surfing in Copenhagen; and of course, jackass pictures of the week…Sweden and Denmark style!

It’s summer, so why not talk a little less politics and a little more travel!

photo credit: my camera

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