Day 91: City Adventure

If you had an afternoon to spend however you chose, what would you do? I am not suggesting that the day would have some sort of magic about it and that you could go anywhere in the world. I am merely asking what you would do, in your city, with an afternoon to kill. I went shopping. Well, actually exploring might be a better description. I love to explore. You could say that I am an adventurous spirit. Delving into every nook and cranny of a city is a passion of mine. I love to find the old, hidden treasures but I also like to check out the new kid on the block.

MOOD Stockholm is the new kid on the block. Mood Stockholm is a shopping center that just opened a week ago. Calling it a shopping center however is a bit of an understatement. "Trends, lifestyle, excitement" are three words that are used to describe one's experience. Before I even walked through the entrance a new restaurant (Vigårda Barbeque) on the corner of the center caught my eye. The style of the restaurant's decor and the name are what drew me. Gård means farm in Swedish and when restaurants refer to a gård it usually means that the ingredients used at the restaurant come directly from a local farmer. The menu, located on the wall above the counter and kitchen, looked like a giant black board and everything was written in white to resemble chalk. Everything looked delicious and I can't wait to go back and try it out.

So fast forward to entering the mall. I had no idea what to expect really but I pictured just another mall like ones that I have been in around Sweden. Was I in for a surprise. It tended toward the upscale with regard to the clothing stores and there were several funky furniture stores, cafes and restaurants inside. At first I thought it was just a circular-shaped, three-level, mall but once you arrive on the top floor you can see that the stores stretch back on one side as far as the eye can see. Wow. It was quite impressive. And very crowded both inside and out. Cars where lined up in traffic on all of the surrounding streets and people were lined up as well.

I had to leave but I will be back again once the newness wears off. Afterward I headed to one of my absolute favorite stores in Stockholm, called Svensk Hemslöjd. Hemslöjd is Swedish for handmade and the store is filled with lots of lovely items all made by Swedish artists and artisans. Before you ask, yes, I bought two, adorable, little, carved, wooden chicks. Easter decor, of course. We have a little, black bird made by the same artist so these will be a nice addition to the home and holiday decor collection.

Adventures such as these really invigorate me. It's funny because this type of day has the exact opposite affect on my husband. Just walking up to the mall, not even going in, would have worn him out. He stayed home working on his projects and I snuck away for a little city adventure. I forgot to mention that it was snowing when we woke up this morning but by the afternoon the sun was coming out and the only remnants of the snow were little piles here and there and a car or two driving by with snow on top. Otherwise it was a lovely late winter/early spring day.