Stockholm in June

This summer my husband and I had an extraordinary opportunity to visit 3 countries in Europe.
The first country on our itinerary was Sweden. my husband attended a conference in the hotel in suburbs of Stockholm and after it was over we stayed over and took commuter train to visit the city in the next 3 days.
It is a beautiful city we really enjoyed visiting. The are so many pictures that it is hard to choose what to put on the blog.

We spend a lot of our time in the Old Town, or Gamla Stan and in surrounding islands. Even though we had three days, we still did not get to visit all there is to see.

When we got hungry we went to look for a place to eat. I have to admit that we were somewhat shocked at the prices. When we recalculated the price of a meal from kroner to US dollars we realised how lucky we are to live in USA. Even with the prices growing almost daily on most items here, from gasoline to produce, we still have a way to go to reach the prices that are common place in Europe, and, in this case Sweden. After a long day of wandering and enjoying the city, one must find a spot to sit down and eat, no matter how shocking the prices may be.  So, after some deliberation, guided by exhaustion and hunger we found a reasonable spot. It was not a sit down restaurant, but rather a small cafe with just a couple of tables. Old Street Cafe boasts of having an oldest cellar from middle ages in Stockholm. Well, that meant, that we found where to have our dinner that evening. We had to see the cellar and we stayed for a meal. The food was very nice and did not leave us wanting anything else, we were pretty full, and in fact, we made an effort to finish everything.

My husband got himself a panini sandwich with turkey  and I chose tuna salad served in a baked potato. It was not your American tuna salad. I remember that it was different and lovely. At the time I even got all of the ingredients, but now I realised that I should have written them down, right there and then. Unfortunately,  the ingredients for that  recipe that I thought I figured out are no longer in my head.



The way to the cellar. Very tall steps.



This is the cellar and I think we caught a ghost sitting on the bench... and he is wearing a watch.

Overall, we really enjoyed visiting in Stockholm!

Mexico and Riviera Maya

Mexico and Riviera Maya in particular is probably my favorite vacation spot.

 

I have been to Pacific Coast of Mexico and it was nice, but it does not compare to Riviera Maya. Not only there is fantastic food, there is beautiful turquoise water, white sandy beaches, fascinating attractions and most importantly the culture! I simply can't get enough. We have been to several hotels at this point and settled on a a particular hotel complex that fits our needs. We love going to all inclusive Barcelo Maya.

 The food is not the reason we go there but is a definite plus to the overall experience. Besides several buffets that are almost always open, there are several specialty restaurants that are open only in the evening.  A lot of resorts have similar restaurants.

After this meal we were full but we just had to see this show!

 I still can't get over this presentation of the Gazpacho soup! The bowl is in the block of ice and there vegetables within the ice. So beautiful!

There are usually Japanese cuisine specialty restaurants in large resorts. This one wasn't not only a dinner, it was a show.

Unfortunately, we can't always get a good deal so we explore other wonderful resorts. And I dream of going to Riviera Maya again soon!

In Paris

French couisine is famously delicius. My husband and I got to try it when we went to Paris few years ago. I can't believe that it's been so long.  La Pharmacie the restaurant was located right near our hotel and was recommended by the hotel's clerk. It would have been perfect, if not for the hair in the salad.

In a small bakery around the cornener from our hotel we had brunch and planned our Paris walks.

We did try fig tart from one of the bakeries.

I could not help but notice things that are related to the kitchen. This store was very cute.

There is a lot of window shoping in Paris. We did slow down to take pictures. How can you not?

Just look at all that cheese

We walked up the Montmartre and there we needed a break, so crepe with bananas and chocolate made our lunch.

I love NY

I love NY for it is an amazing city! When I just came to USA,  I lived in NY. First in Manhattan, then in Brooklyn, then in suburbs in upstate, in Rockland County. I worked in Grace's Market Place in pastry department. There I tried my first Tiramisu and cannoli, and love those deserts ever since. These days I visit NY as a tourist and my daughter will likely to go to college there, she's nagging me about going and even moving to NY. I know how she feels.


View from New Jersey

The restaurants in NY are numerous, and I'm not even going to go there. If you do want to try something delicious go to Katz Deli. Famous Katz Deli in NY is where Sally demonstrated to Harry how to fake it...

If in NY eat there! Totally worth it! The walls are covered with autographs and pictures of celebrities that ate there. Make your selections quick, new yorkers don't tolerate slow pokes. I loved their Reuben Sandwich and Pastrami is divine.

Now far thom there, is NY China Town and that place is very interesting. Straight out of Andrew Zimmern' s Bizarre Foods 

Gotta love it!

Up to the north of the city, about 20 minutes after you cross George Washington Bridge there is a fantastic bakery that is very popular and well loved by locals in my mom's neighbourhood. it is impossible to leave with only 1 bread.... You have to go there after large dinner, or risk buying 2 bags of breads. The smell is overwhelming and prices are very reasonable! LOVE that place. It completely dispels the rumors that there is not good bread in the States.

NY I <3 U

San Francisco

There are around 5,000 cafes and restaurants in the city of San Francisco with population of over 805,000. That is 1 for every 16 resident. The food is defiantly diverse and worth a try.

San Francisco is home of famous Ghirardelli chocolates. If you come to Ghiraidelli square and in the shop, you'll get a free sample of the chocolates.

Here you can enjoy their famous ice cream with chocolate

Well, SF has just so much more to offer besides the food. Do come in the late spring or early fall!  

Alamo Square



Alamo Square

Pier 39

Hyde Street, overlooking Alcatraz



Top of the Lombard Street overlooking Coit Tower

   

View from Coit Tower with Lombard street on the top right





China Town