Stockholm Adventures

This week, I've done more leisurely activities than the average week I spend here in Stockholm. Jackie and I paid a visit to the city; her enjoying time off work, and my trying to have a life. First stop was shopping. And oh, what a mistake that was. Note to self: never shop with Jackie again. That woman can persuade one to buy anything and everything and not feel guilty about it. The aftermath, however, of looking at your shopping bags and thinking about how much money you spent becomes overwhelming. At least one of the items was on sale? For lunch we ate a well known Italian restaurant that goes by the name of Vapiano. I've heard many good things about this place since my arrival to Stockholm, and I finally had a chance to try it out. I must say, it did not disappoint. For the remainder of the day, Jackie and I walked and took photos around Stockholm. As we walked toward Slussen from Gamla Stan, we noticed some boats that were about to leave for Djurgården - an island I've always wanted to visit. We spontaneously hopped on and made our way. We passed by Grona Lund (theme park), Skansen (museum/zoo), a Biological Museum (if ancient wooden Chinese styled homes were ghetto, it'd look like the building of this museum), a National museum, and more. We mainly walked through a park, admiring the scenery by the water. After we left Djurgården, we walked and walked and walked until.. we shopped and shopped some more.. until we enjoyed a free meal at a restaurant called Jensen's Bøfhus (c/o Jackie). I can't deny that at the end of the day, my legs were killing me.


The next day, I visited my school to pick up a transcript. Running that errand was really the only thing giving purpose to my day but I didn't want to go home straight away. I looked up the Stockholm metro map, picked a station I've never been to before that seemed close to the water, and went. I stopped at an area called Hornstull. I walked around, found a park, found the shore, and sat all by my lonesome self, doing what anyone else would do when they're alone by a beautiful view - reflect. It's not really worth retelling my thoughts on this blog or else it would be super redundant. 

Finally, today I went fishing. There's a great place by my school with a small beach, some docks - overall a nice place to do summer/water activities. There were groups of friends tanning, families having picnics, children playing in the water, and people passing by in their canoes.  I went fishing with a few of my cousins. Although I fish almost every year with my family, I will forever be a noob. I cringe at the thought of placing live worms on a hook, and I squirm at the thought of holding a fish after it's been caught. So naturally, I let my cousins do all the work for me while all I had to do was hold a fishing pole and wait lol. Five tiny fishies were caught in total. One of them being mine (but I give credit to my cousins who technically did most of the work). 99% of the fish we saw were very small and skinny. The 1% belonged to a fairly large fish that had some "eat-bait-without-getting-hooked" expertise. We anticipated that one fish for hours, but unfortunately, it didn't hang around for long. Overall, five little fishies in five hours. We weren't all that successful but I think we deserve a pat on the back for being so cotdamn patient and determined. I'd also like to point out that the weather was perfect until dark clouds started forming, creating a chilly atmosphere that may be the cause of this cold I'm starting to feel! Lame.


Ps. Cruise cruise cruise, pack pack pack, France France France!