From the summer when it was possibly the most hot and humid day of the year. They were all such great sports to ignore the stickiness that we were all feeling and to just go with the flow while I snapped away. I'm so happy in the long run that we didn't reschedule because the light coming through the trees that evening was magical. Its always so nice to meet a new family that has moved into our town and this was no exception. So nice to meet you Z family!
Memories of our last summer 2016 weekend. The weather was gorgeous, the water was near perfect and the sunsets each night were simply out of this world. I can hardly wait to go back next year!
Loom Series Catskills | Creative Direction: Ginny Au | Art Direction: Kaela Rawson | Food Styling: Tess Comrie | Hair & Make Up: Amy McVey, Kaela Rawson | Creative Assistant: Emily Michaels King
After spending a few days in Denmark we made our way back to Sweden. Out of the blue we came across the most beautiful seaside town called Mellbystrand where we stopped for lunch and dipped our toes in the cool ocean.
Prior to our trip as we were Googling routes along the way, we found out that the Ikea Museum had just opened a month before. It is in the city of Älmhult where Ikea was born and now lives a museum dedicated to the iconic Swedish furniture giant. We decided to make a stop and luckily for us it was during lunch time so we enjoyed, yet another, meal of Swedish meatballs and chokladbollar (or chocolate balls as my kids call them). They also have an Ikea hotel nearby.
Next stop was a lovely city called Växjö in the middle of Sweden. We made it our home base for a couple of days.
We visited a moose farm where we walked along acres and acres of forestland and tried to spy a moose or two. We were lucky enough at the end of our visit to spot a few lounging around. Because they are used to people they did not charge or get spooked by us, which was quite surprising. They really are amazing animals!
We decided to take a break from staying in hotels so we booked an Airbnb in the countryside of Mörbylånga, in the south-eastern side of Sweden, on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea. The house we stayed in used to be an old general store which the kids found super cool and they ended up loving it the best of all the hotels we stayed in. It was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of all the busy cities we had visited.
Our next stop on the journey was in Vastervik which is a beautiful coastal town. The property we stayed at was right on the Baltic Sea and of course we had to go swimming in it, along with experiencing an authentic floating Swedish sauna which was pretty heavenly.
We spent the last few nights in Stockholm which is definitely one of my new favorite cities. The vibrancy of this city can be felt everywhere you go. It is a very walkable city and the fashion, arts and design can be found all over.
Good-bye Sweden .. I'll definitely visit again!
Previously: Our travels in ... Copenhagen and Gothenburg
I could go on and on about how much I loved Copenhagen. It is such a colorful and charming city. The moment we drove into the city we couldn't get over how cycling is such an important means of transportation. Over 45% of the population commutes by bicycle to their work or schools each day. I read that Copenhagen has earned a reputation as one of the most, possibly the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. Everywhere you turn you see people young and old biking the cobblestone streets.
We stayed in a very beautifully designed boutique hotel situated in Copenhagen's old Latin Quarter district called Hotel SP34. The rooms, lobby and restaurants were oozing with understated coolness. They pride themselves on their organic breakfast and let me tell you … it was definitely one of the best breakfasts we had during our stay in Europe.
We were told to check out the changing of the guard at the Royal Amalienborg Palace which takes place at noon each day. The changing of the guard is accompanied by music if the royals are in residence but since we were there during the summer we didn't see that part.
On our way out of the city back to Sweden we took a quick stop to see the Little Mermaid statue which we had read so much about. Tour buses were flocking to it and as we walked up to it we were all a little taken back by how small it actually is. Its been a major tourist attraction since 1913. There is a replica of it at the Carlsberg brewery which we visited the day before and we joked that that one was a little more impressive ;-)
Of course a trip wouldn't be complete without a little shopping, especially at all of the Scandinavian design stores that I've been eying and making notes on over the years. Hay did not disappoint.
Copenhagen's waterfront and canals are so beautiful filled with the most amazing colors.
One of the greatest things about traveling overseas in the summer is how long the sun stays out. This image below was taken around 9:30pm on our way home from dinner.
Next up is our travels through Southern Sweden and Stockholm.
Previously: Our travels in Gothenburg.
This summer we traveled to Sweden and Denmark. Visiting these Scandinavian countries has always been on my 'travel bucket list' so when we were planning on purchasing a new Volvo this year, we decided to take advantage of their overseas delivery program. Volvo has a fantastic program -- you order your car in the US and then they fly you and a companion over to Sweden to pick it up. Along with some other perks, they allow you to drive it around for a few weeks and then return it and they ship it back home. Our car was unfortunately not ready for us to pick up from the factory, so they kindly provided us with the exact same model to drive around during our time there.
Our journey started in Gothenburg which is the second largest city in Sweden. It is a lovely and beautiful city to walk around. I was consistently in awe of the architecture. The restaurants are amazing with the freshest seafood you can find. Luckily, I have two children who love trying new foods and especially bubbling pots of "just caught" mussels. We also definitely ate our weight in Swedish meatballs, but then again how could you not when you are in Sweden!
Two things my kids couldn't believe while in Sweden were the fun children's parks that they had all over. Everywhere we went we came across unique and different play-parks where they were able to let off some energy and run around. As well, we must talk about the candy in Sweden! There are so many stores that just have bins upon bins of candy, chocolates and salty or sweet licorice. Oh the Swedes love their black licorice!
Up next I will share our time in Copenhagen. It is in the running for one of my favorite European cities.