Month: April 2026

A lifelong tradition. This year with less family members than we usually are – but nonetheless as special and nice for us who was here. 

First half of the day I had to work – hubby worked the full day. Then we met up at home, prepared some bbq for the evening. Turned on the grill, bbq some ribeye steaks, served with a potato gratin and sauces. And a glass of red wine. A lovely day with 20C outside and bright sunny sky. But, a bit too chilly at night to sit outside for dinner. 

We walked over to watch the bonfire at Långängen and there was a lot of people gathered there for the traditional festivities.

When we got back we watched the broadcast on tv of the gala dinner for our King Carl XVI Gustaf who is turning 80 years old today. Big celebrations in Stockholm all day with our finest aircrafts passing over the city, speeches and performances all day. Flag up for you today, dear Majesty! And this summer our Queen Silvia celebrates 50 years on the throne. Impressive! 

Today I went out to lunch – first time in ages. Decided to have something with a summer-feeling since it was such a pretty day outside today. When I saw the cured salmon with dill creamed potatoes on the menu I knew I found the right dish. My favorite! And look how pretty they served it! 

Worked my hours and could almost get off on time. Took a walk back home from the subway to get some more steps in. Now I’ve crashed for a bit before it is time to start dinner for the troops. 

Every month we have a celebration for the colleagues who has had their birthdays since last months celebration. So today we celebrated the April-birthdays (mine and two more colleagues) and the birthday boys and girls get to choose what to have with the coffee. This month we had vanilla ice cream with fresh berries and chocolate sauce. Mmmm.

We had a good day at work – got a lot done. Nice. And this is another short week due to the Walpurgis celebrations on Thursday and then a national holiday on Friday. The weather forecast has promised +20C too – lovely! And dad just called about going to a soccer game on Sunday. Fun!

Back again to the everyday life. Not as nice and warm here as we could enjoy in Amsterdam. Still around 0C during the nights so quite chilly.

Went thru my work-emails and took care of this and that which needed my attention. Had to stay on a bit but I got home in time to dig in to my private emails and pile of laundry. Lol. Took a nice walk back from the subway and passed these lovely wood anemones by the lake.

Prepared dinner for the troops and we could sit down and have a nice meal together for the first time in a while. Lovely.

Last day of an amazing long weekend. 

We checked out of the Mozart Hotel after breakfast and decided to take one last stroll around the city. Amsterdam is getting ready for the “Kings Day” tomorrow and a lot of tourists are arriving. Also all the souvenir shops are packed with orange t-shirts and stuff, the streets are decorated with orange flags. 

We found a nice little café (avoided the coffee shops the best we could – lol) and had a coffee and a treat before it was time to head back to the hotel to catch a taxi out to the airport. 

We have had such a great visit and time together! Can’t wait for our next adventure – wherever that will be. 

Today we had planned to visit the area with museums in the big park close to our hotel. First we went to the HardRock Amsterdam for breakfast (most breakfast places open a lot later than what we wanted) – and I could buy another refrigerator magnet that we collect. 

Unfortunately, the van Gogh museum was sold out so we were not able to enter. Bummer. The other museums didn’t really attract us so we skipped them all together. Instead we took a very nice stroll around the city. A lot of steps later we decided to go back to the hotel for a lay down before dinner. 

Tonight we treated ourselves to a real Dutch dinner at The Hollandse Pot and we all chose the “Witte asperges mit Stoofvlees” – mashed potatoes mixed with white asparagus, served with slow cooked beef and gravy. It was delicious! 

After dinner we walked over to a square near by and sat down for a bit at a nice place outdoors to cheer in a glas of prosecco! 

After breakfast we walked over to see the Anne Franks house. It was impossible to get entrance passes to the house but we wanted to see it anyway.

After that we walked over to the Damrak area where there is a lot of canal boat tours to choose from. We picked one we liked and could enjoy a 1 hr guided tour of the city. 

After the tour we sat down for a nice lunch – I could have the “kroketten” that I love! Then we went shopping for the rest of the afternoon. We didn’t really buy anything besides for a few bits and pieces. Ended the long day at another Italian restaurant close to the first one. Another day with 20.000 steps to the record. 

We had pre-booked an excursion to visit the Keukenhof tulip park. So, we took the tram over to the Central Station where we could catch the commuter ferry to get to the place from where the transfer buses was. Everything went without any problems and we could enjoy a fantastic day in the park. 

Lovely sunny weather and gorgeous tulips and other flowers everywhere! Perfect day to go too since it was a regular weekday and less crowded than in the weekend. 

Several hours later we decided to return to the city. All filled with impressions and with more photos of flowers than we will be able to use. Lol. We finished the long day enjoying a nice pasta dinner at an Italian restaurant close to the hotel. 

Took the day off since I had an appointment for a mammography before lunch and I only work half a day. Love that we get summoned to do this every other year for free. Sweden delivers! It went without any problems and the result will be delivered within a few weeks. 

Then in the afternoon my husband took me, my sis and our friend C to the airport so that we could start our weekend getaway to Amsterdam. The flight was on time and we arrived safely a couple of hours later to our hotel. Let the fun begin!