Sweden / Adventures in Stockholm / Dine with a star at Ekstedt – the Michelin type

So off I go again. The destination is Sweden with my best friend Jeffrey. Bundy attempts his ‘guilt-trip for mommy who is going on a trip again’ eyes and sulks. Thank GOD he can’t talk! 
Dubai Airport – me and the monkey have known each other for almost 10 years now and he still looks just like he did back then. Freak of nature! Shame on us for not holidaying together any earlier but better late than never. 

Travel tip for Turkish citizens:

Did you know… that you can transit via the UK without a transit visa if you are heading to USA and Canada? I did – done it many times.
Did you know… that you cannot transit via UK to Schengen states without a transit visa? I didn’t and it did not even occur to me to check as I have transited via UK so many times… but never to a Schengen country. Ooopsiieee… 
This is a boo-boo but neither myself nor Jeffrey are big fans of drama so we see what we can do. Small change of plans and, like a bus, find another flight out to Sweden that leaves half an hour later. Aeroflot, it is via Moscow. 
It is a night flight so the lack of in flight entertainment doesn’t bug Jeffrey as he falls asleep. I am a reader so it is always a non-issue for me anyway. Definite downside: some nations are more inclined to live it up with plenty of alcohol so it does tend to get boisterous and noisy of you don’t have a lucky seat.   
Retro cups – just like the airplane. Love the look. 
Moscow Airport. Quite cute and modern. 

Travel tip for first-timers in Stockholm:

Stockholm has a pretty good metro system. When navigating your way around it make sure you have a best friend with you who is Swedish so you don’t have to do diddly squat when it comes to logistics 😉 

Shuttle from the airport into the city.

Travel tip for dummies:

Make sure you have booked a hotel prior to your arrival! The usual trick Jeffrey employs of walking in to a certain hotel that always has vacancies doesn’t work because of a certain event that was taking place that had the whole city fully booked. Still no drama. 
The second hotel we tried up the road from the first one – fully booked too. 

We chill and have some coffee. No drama mode is still on.

Still ping-pong balling around, there seems to be yet another hotel which is more suitable. This is Audrey my carry-on. She never complains. Bought her from a flea market in Thailand.

Bingo! Best Western Hotel Bentleys. We put our bags down and rush out again.

Not sure why but there were posters of Rob Lowe everywhere! Anyone know the significance??

We sit in Tures restaurant and have Swedish shrimps on toast AKA toast skagen.

I start taking in the sights and sounds.

The first thing that strikes me is how gorgeous people are.
The second thing that strikes me is how gorgeous people are.
The third thing that strikes me is how gorgeous people are.

Little miss picky has disappeared and been replaced by a teenager who has way too many crushes to give away. I distribute them like frisbees – from a distance.

We pit-stop back at the hotel to change for dinner. Love people-watching, love this window.

Dinner time. We are in Ekstedt, as in Niklas Ekstedt. As in our friend Peter’s brother Niklas. Thus, we can skip the waiting list and be able to experience the Michelin starred dining experience. Meet Anna Hanna, Catrin, Emma and Gabriel, the coolest family ever. They live in stockholm but travel to Dubai frequently and it is always a delight to catch up with them no matter where.

The special thing about this place is that everything is cooked the old fashioned way – over fire – the meat and the veggies as well as the bread, all smoked & baked.

Dessert, dessert, dessert is on fire! It is always very interesting to experience fine dining. We leave with a very good taste in our mouths.

Practicing to be a daddy (and Godfather too hehe). Just like everything else, this also suits him wonderfully.

We drop by Lisa pa Torget after dinner. It is that part of the world where the sun pretends to set but just jumps right back and it is daytime again. It is daylight but it is way past many of our bedtimes. Niklas joins us too. He is an actor as well as a singer and we met him recently during the launch of his album in Dubai. Him and Jeffrey seem to have shared a few past lives together as they just clicked… which is not very surprising as they are both are so similar: big warm smiles, big warm hearts – all real and sincere.

Christopher, our other friend who visits Dubai a lot, also joins us. Yes, he is super clever, yes, he is super cute and yes, he is single. Just sayin’ ladies, just sayin’ (the matchmaker in me never sleeps).

We are pooped! What a delightfully busy day. We head back to the hotel and sleep with big smiles on our faces cause Musketeer # 3 Tanja is joining us tomorrow. Big YAY to that!