A Scandinavian Summer Part 2

Life in Sweden continues on as usual with a hint of chaos and a ton of new memories being made. Madness ensued at the beginning of the week when I took a short trip from the island I am staying on (Högmarsö) to Stockholm for some shopping. Naturally, with my luck, not everything on my journey was meant to run smoothly. When I transferred buses in the first town, I stopped in the convenience store to buy some water. Just as I watched my first bus pull away, it dawned on me that I had left the grocery bag, which contained my wallet and my MacBook charger, on the bus… I have never ran so fast in all my 20 years. I dropped everything I was holding, embraced my inner Usain Bolt and chased that bus all through the station parking lot until I was breathless and still penniless. As terrible as this situation started out, getting my bag back surprisingly turned out to be a smooth process. We got a free transit ride to the bus garage, met a very sympathetic mechanic, and got a ride back to the bus station (with my bag in hand) from a very friendly employee. And with a lost and soon found wallet under my belt, the shopping began.

Shopping in Sweden was a must on my list, especially in the country that founded one of my favourite stores, H&M. Finding an H&M in Stockholm is like finding a cake in a bakery; the possibilities are endless. Street corner after street corner, they show up for miles, all with very distinct styles. Some are very preppy while others have a rocker edge to them. Regardless of what your looking for, you are bound to find it in one of the 35 stores located in the city.

A quick update on our café: things are running fantastically now, especially with my moms’ zucchini bread recipe tucked up under my sleeve. Fortunately, my wonderful mother has agreed to let the family recipe out of the bag and share it with you all. I’m telling you, nothing but rave reviews from the Swedes, Canadians, and even my vegetable hating boyfriend. And a pro tip: try spreading some butter on it, I assure you, you won't regret it.

2 cups flour

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. cloves

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup cooking oil

2 eggs beaten

1/3 cup milk

1 ½ cup grated zucchini

1. Sift first six ingredients together

2. Combine oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla

3. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture, mixing alternatively with milk

4. Stir in zucchini

5. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 1- 1 ½ hours

Skål my friends! (That’s Swedish for cheers!)

#lifestyle #fashion #travel