Family in Sweden - Day 5 - Gothenburg

Gothenburg was of course a big part of the plan, that we left for later when we wouldn't have the rented car anymore. The sun was shinning but it was still quite cold (it had snowed the day before), so we explored the city combining indoor places with some nice walks in the centre. 

Gotemburgo fazia naturalmente parte do nosso plano, mas deixamos para depois para quando não já não tivéssemos o carro alugado. O sol brilhava mas continuava a fazer muito frio (tinha nevado o dia antes), então exploramos a cidades combinando lugares fechados com alguns passeios nas ruas do centro.

Gothenburg's canal 

Tradgårdsföreningen, the city gardens where we visited the green houses.

Tradgårdsföreningen, os jardins da cidade, onde visitamos as estufas.

Greenhouses / Estufas

The tired visitors enjoying the sunshine and some rest.

Os visitantes a aproveitar uns raios de sol e a descansar.

Feskekôrka, which means fish church in Gothenburg’s dialect, a fish and seafood market.

Feskekôrka, que significa igreja do peixe no dialecto local, uma mercado de peixe e marisco.

Haga’s church / Igreja de Haag

Gothenburg’s canal with the theatre in the background.

O canal de Gotemburgo com o teatro ao fundo.

Saluhallen, the food market / Saluhallen, o mercado de alimentos

The tea shop, my favourite. There’s a whole wall full of cans with different flavours of loose tea herbs. Among my favourites blends are “lovers dream” and “roiboos teaser” (both with a base of roiboos) and Gothenburg’s blend with black tea. I have, of course, many to try still.

A loja do chá, a minha preferida, onde há uma parede inteira cheia de latas com ervas de chá de sabores diferentes. As minhas misturas preferidas são “sonho dos amantes” e “provocação de roiboos” (ambos com base de chá de roiboos) e “mistura de Gotemburgo, com chá preto. Claro que ainda tenho muitos por experimentar.

There’s many other shops as well, selling meat, fish, fresh pastas, sauces, snacks, bread, cakes and others. There’s also several restaurants both inside and around the building. The restaurants always have a lunch menu and it’s a great place to eat delicious and fresh food at decent prices. 

Há muitas outras lojas, que vendem carne, peixe, massas frescas, molhos, lanches, pães, bolos e outros. Há também vários restaurantes dentro e ao redor do prédio. Os restaurantes têm sempre um menu de almoço e é um bom sítio para se comer boa comida com ingredientes frescos a preços decentes.

We finish off our first day at the city by visiting Haga, one of the most popular neighbourhoods, known for its cosy cafes and unique local shops. The tour of the city continued the following day and I will post about it in the next post.

Terminamos o passeio do dia pela cidade na Haga, um dos bairros mais populares, bem conhecido pelos seus cafés acolhedores e lojas de comércio tradicional. A visita continuou no dia seguinte, mas escreverei sobre isso no próximo post.

The dress

Gothenburg, August 10th, 2016

I wanted to write this today because it is fresh in my memory and I do want to remember the details. I will not publish this post just yet, but it will be published in the right time.

We planned a summer trip to the UK and Ireland. Firstly, I would go 3 days to Edinburgh with Johan. From there we would go to Belfast, in Northern Ireland, where his brother would join us and later on we would go down to Dublin, in Ireland, where we would run a half marathon. Johan lived in Edinburgh for 3 years. It was nice to go back as it brought us, more him than me of course, a lot of good memories. We have been engaged for about 8 months by now, but we are planning to have the wedding only in 2018. I was never too much of a girly girl and I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted to wear in my wedding party. All I knew was that I did not want to be a traditional bride. No white dresses, unless they had some really cool and different design. No long princess-like dresses. Nothing expensive. Somehow, I always felt I would rather spend big money on a nice trip than on a dress that I would only wear for half a day. With that in mind I thought it would be a good idea to just look at different models, colours, options to start figuring out what would I wear. Edinburgh seemed a nice place to start. I have always enjoyed shopping in the UK and since I was there I decided to have a look in some shops. 

It was Monday morning. We were walking towards Princes street, the shopping street, when we passed a shop with gorgeous and colourful dress-up clothes. There was a particular skirt + top combination that caught my eye. Johan, walking a few steps ahead of me turned around and said "you liked that, no". I was very impressed. The boy who never notices anything, had not only noticed there was something there but also that it was something that I liked. After some moments of hesitation we decided to go back and enter the shop. They had really gorgeous outfits. The materials were lovely and the colours adorable. That particular one on the window was just beautiful. I did not try it on. It would probably make me fat.

We went to Princes street and looked for dresses the whole morning and part of the afternoon. Nothing was to my taste. Everything was too normal, nothing seemed special enough. And the damn outfit in the window did not let go of me! In the end of the day I told Johan I wanted to go and try it on. The shape of the skirt made me think that it would not make me look good, so I could just as well go and try it, to get it out of my system. I tried it on. The lady working there was really nice and lend me some matching heels to see the full effect. As I stepped out of the cabin into the big mirror I loved it. It looked gorgeous! Johan loved it too. Very well... now I was thinking about it even more. We went back to the hotel weighting the pros and cons of buying that outfit. The biggest disadvantage was that the wedding is only in 2 years and my taste can change in the meantime. I wanted some girly opinion as well, to see if I was not completely crazy. I sent two pictures to my sister. She hated it. The colours, the shape, it was not me at all. Am I crazy? 

I checked that the same shop existed both in Belfast and in Dublin, and that gave me a full week to think about it. When we got to Belfast, we had to wait for Johan's brother in the bus station. There was a shopping centre just about 10 minutes from there and Johan suggested that I go there and see that they did have the same outfit. They did. On the window. I fell in love with it again. It was also then that I got over the pain of the fact that my beloved sister, who I adore so much, was so much against it. Assuming that it was a too big shock for her, a more traditional girl, that I would be wearing something colourful in my wedding, I emailed the photos to 2 friends. One of them works in fashion. The responses couldn't have been more positive. They both told me it was gorgeous and it fit me well. Whether that would still be in fashion in 2 years was questionable but they also told me that something beautiful would always be something beautiful. Every time I passed near that shopping centre I went near the shop and looked at the window. I didn't want to rush. I would wait until Dublin.

We got to Dublin around lunchtime. We ate something, picked up the start numbers to the races and wondered around. We ended up very near one of places I knew they had the same shop. I told the boys I wanted to go in and I would try it again. They came with me. On the way there I remember passing by a bus stop in which the next bus was going to a place called "Bride st.". No I did not want to make my decision based in signs from bus stops. I tried the same outfit. I loved it again. I tried different tops but the original one was still my favourite. I decided to buy it. D. also said that since it was not that expensive and not that eccentric even if I changed my mind in the future I could still wear it in another occasion. And I bought it! I bought it! There, in that very busy crossing in Dublin, wearing jeans shorts and a t-shirt, accompanied by the groom and the brother, I bought my wedding outfit. This was really unexpected. I never thought I would return from my trip with my wedding outfit.

I am not known for doing things in the conventional way, but what's conventional anyway? I have met so many different people throughout my life that no matter what I do or how I do something it will always be normal to some, out of the ordinary to others and probably a bit crazy sometimes. Still, I did not expect to go against tradition this much. I am enjoying the feeling of being different though. 

My dress is not a dress. 

It is not white. 

It is not long. 

The groom was the first one to see it.

My mom has no idea I bought it.

My sister doesn't like it (but she has only seen it in 2 pictures, so there's hope).

I bought it together with the two least fashionable men I know.

It doesn't matter whether people will think I'm not a proper bride or that I do not look good enough. It doesn't matter because I love it and it is what I want.

Every time I look at it I know that it's beautiful, that it represents me and that I do want to use it in my wedding party. I am sure of that now because today, as I tried it at home, in the quietness of my bedroom I felt like a bride for the first time.

That's also why I had to write this text today.

Gothenburg - my 5 favourite places - Newbie

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, the capital. Gothenburg is a city that doesn't have an obvious beauty, but its slowly grows in you the more you get to know it. It has soul. A special atmosphere. It's enchanted. 

In my latest article for the Newbie I wrote it and my favourite places in the city I now call home. 

To read my article click here. Enjoy it!

Gunnebo, a baroque manor house near Gothenburg

Day 4 - THE day

It was a tuesday at the end of March. We woke up to find a white layer covering the gardens outside. It was the last snow of the winter, We wanted it to be a relaxed day and the snowy landscape helped. We started by having a breakfast buffet at Ikea. Afterwards me and Johan headed home to our flat and got ready and met everyone else (parents, syblings and sister's boyfriend) down near the city centre. 

Era terça-feira e final de Março. Acordamos com uma camada branca que cobria tudo lá fora. Foi a última neve desse inverno, Queríamos que fosse um dia descontraído e o cenário nevado ajudou. Começamos por ir ao Ikea onde servem pequeno-almoço buffet todos os dias. A seguir eu e o Johan fomos para o nosso apartamento para nos arranjarmos e encontramos os restantes (pais, irmão, irmã e namorado) perto do centro da cidade.

No one except us knew where the ceremony would take place. We were told at the city hall that we could choose whichever place we wanted, so we chose our favourite place - the library! It has recently been moved to a new building and it's gorgeous. On the first floor it has these large windows all the way up that overlook the church and the centre and it was right there we did it. (The pictures don't do it justice, believe me) 

Ninguém, exceto nós, sabia onde a cerimönia ia ser. Quando fomos tratar dos papeis ao governo civil disseram-nos que podíamos escolher o sítio que quisessemos. Assim fizemos e escolhemos o nosso lugar preferido - a biblioteca! A biblioteca foi recentemente transferida para um local novo e é linda. No primeiro andar há grandes janelas que dão para a igreja e para o centro e foi lá que fizemos a cerimónia. (As fotos não fazem justiça, acreditem)

Hugs from the mommies / Abraços das mães

We chose the long version of the ceremony and that took about 2 minutes (imagine the short version...). Afterwards, there were a lot of pictures, both inside and outside in the park. 

Escolhemos a versão longa da cerimónia que durou cerca de 2 minutos (imaginem a versão curta...). Depois, houve muitas fotos, tanto dentro como fora no parque.

Me and my sister / Eu e a minha irmã

Us, the library responsible (left) and the one officiating the ceremony (right)

Nós, a responsavel pela biblioteca (esquerda) e o mestre de cerimónias (direita)

Unfortunately, the park was under construction and there were a lot of cars and scrap around, but we still got some nice pictures. To improve the pictures we took off our jackets and we were so happy that we didn't feel cold at all.  

Infelizmente o parque estava em construção e havia muitos carros e tralha em volta, mas deu na mesma para tirarmos umas fotos giras. Para melhorar as fotos tiramos os casacos e estavamos tão felizes que nem sentimos o frio.

None of us has ever worn a ring and none of us wanted to change that, so we got wedding watches instead. 

Nenhum de nós usou anéis na vida e nenhum de nós queria mudar isso, por isso em vez de alianöas temos relógios de casamento.

Afterwards we went back to our flat where we had snacks and champagne, a bottle we found from the year we met. It was really good! 

Depois das fotos voltamos ao nosso apartamento onde beliscamos e bebemos chamanhe, uma garrafa que tínhamos comprado do ano em que nos conhecemos. Era mesmo bom!

We went for dinner after a while and enjoyed really good food. At the end of the evening, the two of us headed to Gothia Towers, an iconic looking hotel in Gotheburg where we spent the night and woke up with this beautiful sunny view over the city. 

A seguir deliciamo-nos com um belo jantar e no final da noite, nós dois fomos para o Gothia Towers, um hotel icónico em Gotemburgo, onde passamos a noite. Acordamos com esta vista linda sobre a cidade.

It was all very simple and perfect, just as we wanted it!

Foi tudo muito simples e perfeito, mesmo como queríamos!

The secret spot

One of my favourite hobbies in Prague was to find small charming gardens in the middle of the city. Prague is very busy and touristic but sometimes behind a wall or building there's a small quiet garden, that most people miss because it doesn't come in the guide books. 

Now, I found a secret nice garden in Gothenburg. It's about 2 min from the busiest crossing in the city and still, not so many people know about it, or at least not so many were there enjoying it. So far I only have pictures from my phone, but I want to go back and get proper ones (by Johan of course!). 

Um dos meus passatempos preferidos em Praga era encontrar pequenos jardins encantadores no meio da cidade. Praga é muito movimentada e turística, mas às vezes atrás de uma parede ou de um prédio há um jardinzinho tranquilo que a maioria das pessoas não vê porque não aparece nos guias.

Agora encontrei um jardim secreto em Gotemburgo. É a cerca de 2 min. do cruzamento mais movimentado da cidade e ainda assim, não deve haver muitas pessoas que o conhecem porque estava lá pouca gente. Por enquanto só tenho fotos do telemovel mas quero lá voltar para tirar fotos como deve ser (tiradas pelo Johan, claro!).

On instagram #3

Summer in Sweden continues warm and sunny, and we continue to enjoy it as much as possible. It's been so dry that the grass is now yellow and we are starting to wish for some rain. 

O verão na Suécia continua quente e com muito sol e nós continuamos a aproveitar o máximo possível. Está tão seco que a relva já está amarela e nós começamos a desejar alguma chuva.

Gothenburg needs no filter

Last weekend it was less warm and a bit gray, so we took the chance to go cycling. We headed south and took a couple of breaks for pictures.

No último fim de semana esteve menos quente e nublado, então aproveitamos para ir andar de bicicleta. Desta vez fomos em direção ao sul e fizemos alguns intervalos para fotos.

“It’s the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels” Heinz Stücke 

To see these and other pictures follow me on Instragam.
Para veres estas e outras fotos siguam-me no Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/asvoltasnomundo/

Family in Sweden - Day 3 - Marstrand

The region embracing Gothenburg has a million islands and one of them is Marstrand. I have been there several times and I have written about it here and here. When my family visited I took them there. It was sunny but cold and windy, as usual in the islands, but nothing stopped us from hiking around the whole island.

A região que abrange Gotemburgo tem milhentas ilhas e uma delas é Marstrand. Eu já lá estive várias vezes e escrevi sobre isso aqui e aqui. Quando a minha família nos visitou, levei-os lá. Estava ensolarado, mas frio e ventoso, como de costume nas ilhas, mas nada nos impediu de fazer a caminhada à volta da ilha. 

Map of trails / O mapa dos trilhos

Marstrand's fortress / A fortaleza de Marstrand

It was winter and a weekday, so we didn't meet many people and there was almsot nothing open on the island. After our nice hike we were hungry and returned to the city to have a late lunch. We needed to warm up and we went to a soup buffet that also includes cake, tea and coffee. It was perfect! 

Era inverno e a um dia de semana não encontramos muitas pessoas e não havia quase nada aberto na ilha. Depois da nossa bela caminhada já tínhamos fome e voltamos para a cidade para um almoço tardio. Precisávamos de aquecer e fomos a um buffet de sopas que também incluia bolo, chá e café. Foi perfeito!

Re-energised and warm again we dared to go for another walk, this time in the Delsjön area, where the lake was frozen. There was snow in the forest but the paths were clean and not icy.

Re-energizados e quentinhos outra vez ousamos dar um novo passeio, desta vez na área de Delsjön, onde o lago estava congelado. Havia neve na floresta, mas os caminhos estavam limpos e sem gelo.

Small cafe in the middle of the forest and by the lake, very popular in the weekends. The owners play with the mysterious atmnosphere and pretend that are witches around, so there's some decorating the trees outside and there's a parking for brooms. There's also a dog bar. 

Pequeno café no meio da floresta e junto ao lago, muito popular ao fim de semana. Os donos brincam um pouco com a atmosfera misteriosa e colocaram bruxinhas a decorar as árvores ali ao lado e há estacionamento para vassouras voadoras. Também há um bar para cães.

Everything was very grey but still beautiful, as only nature can be. Now, just a few months later the lake is full of people swimming and paddling (like us), the sky is blue and the forest is green. A much more colourful image.  

Estava tudo muito cinzento, mas ainda assim bonito como só a natureza consegue ser. Agora, apenas uns escassos meses depois, o lago está cheio de pessoas a nadar e a remar (como nós), o céu é azul e a floresta é verde. Uma imagem muito mais colorida.

Sara Jump - Fjällbacka + Bergsjön

Very similar Sara Jumps, but the background is two different lakes!

Me and my sister - Fjällbacka, March 2018

Me, Johan and my sister - Bergsjön, March 2018