We ate a late lunch at Grinda Wardhus.

The Baltic Sea view from Grinda.

On the boat, leaving Stockholm behind.

On Saturday, Robert and I took our first trip of the season to the archipelago. We went to Grinda, one of the closer-to-town islands, on one of the old Waxholmbolaget steamboats. It was a gorgeous day and our friends saved us seats in what we decided were the “captain’s quarters”– a gorgeous lounge with plush red velvet-covered benches and chairs at the front of the boat.

Carmen and Colette on board the boat to Grinda.

My starter at Grinda Wärdhus was a Swedish classic: toast skagen.

Our friends were a mixed group of internationals, including two Swedes, one Irish, one Mexican, Aussie Robert and me. We  had lunch at Grinda Wärdshus. As a starter, I had a Swedish classic: toast skagen med rödlök, gräslök & löjrom or shrimp on toast with  red onions, chives and roe. Robert did it properly and had Swedish snaps with the skagen. Leif recommended drinking two glasses: “so that you have one for the other leg.” Otherwise, you will be off balance. While there may have been some sort of Swedish logic to that thinking, I just had a taste and otherwise stuck to wine.

For my main, I had havsabborre med potatis and citrusstomp, gräslök, flugfiskrom & fänkålsskum–pan fried sea bass with lemon, chives, flyfish roe fennel foam and crushed new potatoes.

Afterwards, we sat at the bar directly next to the Baltic Sea and had one last glass of wine before taking the boat back to town. Even though I would have liked to stay longer, it was a perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon. So now I am left thinking about when we should head out of town again. We spent a week on our own island two years ago with friends. And I am thinking that sounds pretty OK.

Seaside drinks on the rocks.

The Queen Elizabeth was just one of about 10 cruise ships that we passed.

The pink haze of blooming cherry trees in Kungsträdgården.

Stockholm in spring.

Kungsträdgården.

Strolling.

Playing king-sized chess.

It’s spring!  The cherry trees are blooming in Kungsträdgården so it must be true. It’s become an annual tradition for Robert and I – and indeed, all of Stockholm – to admire and photograph the pink glow. We went yesterday and the warm 20-degree C weather meant that everybody was out and taking pictures.  So nice.

Buzzing around Stockholm in springtime.

DJs working at the season opener party for El Taco Truck.

“What’s the best time of year to visit Stockholm?” It’s a question I get asked all the time. And I can easily say: now.

From the first of May until midsommar (June 21 this year), Stockholm buzzes.

Spring is finally arriving, of course. Just in the last two days, I’ve started to notice the cherry trees are beginning to bud. The grass is moving toward green. I even saw a dandelion the other day.

But in an even more spectacular way, the city comes back to life. People are out. The contrast is so strong: it’s literally like moving from all dark into all light. The buzz sneaks up gradually at first and you notice the changes, but then bam! It’s SPRING. In capital letters. With exclamation points, too.

On Friday night, I was invited to a pop-up restaurant – El Taco Truck sponsored an opening night bash for their food truck in Södermalm store Nitty Gritty. The  place was packed with Stockholm cool by 6:30, aided no doubt by the combination of free tacos and El Sol beer. (Read more about El Taco Truck.)

James, Robert and I enjoyed the crowd. Then we moved on to a gallery opening and later to dinner with other friends. And everywhere we went, the streets, subways, cafes and bars were all jammed.

It’s the time of year when everything feels possible. When the evenings out go on from one thing to the next. Nothing could be finer.

The valborg celebration at Riddarholmen.

All photos by Robert Corkery except where noted.

Ready to begin lighting the fire.

I always enjoy going to the valborg celebration. The symbolic burning away of winter with a big bonfire just feels right to me. And I’d been wished trevlig valborg or happy May day all afternoon at the office. But as I came home from work yesterday, it was raining and cold and it felt like the last thing I wanted to do.

As we ate dinner, the sun rather miraculously came out and stayed. So Robert and I couldn’t resist going to check out the big bonfire at Riddarholmen. We met up with James who is still visiting from Sydney and had such a perfect night. We threaded our way up to the front of the fire where we quite literally felt roasted. Then we listened to the karaoke and felt rather lucky to be celebrating the end of winter.

See some of last year’s photos here.

I like how it looks like city hall is on fire here.

James and I getting scorched.

Posing in front of Stadshuset. Photo by James O'Brien.

The newly opened Hornhuset in Stockholm.

And looking at the building from the other direction.

Hornstull has had a huge facelift. The nips and tucks on this gritty urban neighborhood started a few years ago and  on Friday, Hornhuset opened for the first time. This cool glass building was literally tucked into what used to be a rather nondescript square that was often populated with rather shady looking characters. Now that’s all changed.

While not everything is open yet in in the mall adjacent to it, most of the 39 new butiks, bars, cafes and restaurants are. And while many of the options are standard Swedish stores such as H&M and Indiska, there are also interesting new options such as Taylors & Jones with the twist: a restaurant that combines local favorites Taylors & Jones sausages with Oliver Twist’s beers. Picard, a French food butik, is coming soon.

Robert tries the tasty pizza at Enzo's.

Olives at Enzo's.

We had an early dinner at Enzo, the trattoria on the top floor of Hornhuset. It was probably the best pizza I’ve ever had in Stockholm. Really. The atmosphere was casual/sporty/cool and the service friendly. By the way, this building has three floors, two restaurants and four outdoor eating areas. There are floor-to-ceiling windows offering great views out over the new streetscape.

The ad campaign for the area is kind of clever too. Roughly 40 years ago, Södermalm was known as knivsöder or knife Söder thanks to its tough reputation. Now the area is being called Gaffel och knivsöder or fork and knife Söder in reference to all the new restaurants and food shops.

I plan on going back soon to check out more of the options. I’ll keep you posted. For now, I have to say, that much like Mood Stockholm, Hornstull is worth a look. Read more about Hornstull here.

One of the ads for "fork and knife" Söder.

I liked all the options for eating outside at Hornhuset. Even if it was too chilly to eat outside today.

Södermalmstorg street musicians.

The drum line even had a conductor.

I came across this group of street musicians at Södermalmstorg recently. The beat of the drums bounced off the surrounding buildings and the bass pounded right down to my toes. As the musicians were having such a good time, I couldn’t resist stopping and listening for a while. And as I walked away, a couple of three-year-olds spontaneously ran up and started dancing. I kinda wanted to join in too.

On a more historical note, Södermalmstorg is one of the oldest squares in Stockholm. It’s on Södermalm, just outside the Slussen subway stop. In the 1600s, it was known as Malmtorget and at one point, was used as an execution square. One of Sweden’s most famous artists, Anders Zorn, had a studio on the square from 1930 to 1920.

El Taco Truck. Wanted: dead or alive. But hopefully alive and cooking.

I keep seeing El Taco Truck around town. It promises me “Genuin Mexikansk Mat. Sedan 2012. Hemlagat med Karlek” or authentic Mexican food, Since 2012, Homemade with love. There’s a window marked: “Hungrig? Beställ här!” or Hungry? Order here!

Oh yes, I am hungry for Mexican food that’s homemade with love. Right.here.in.Stockholm. I want it bad.

But life is so unfair. El Taco Truck is never open for business when I see it. It’s just parked. Tempting me with food that never materializes.

I tracked down a Facebook page and even a video about El Taco Truck, but I can’t find out when and where it is open for business. Now I’m on a mission. Yo quiero El Taco.

Genuine Mexican food.

Hungry? Why yes, I am!

Iceberg bird.

Boat-side ice view.

Last weekend, there was still a good number of icebergs floating around town. This past weekend, as in yesterday, it was glorious and sunny. No sign of those icebergs. So I am going out on a limb and saying goodbye to winter. Goodbye to ice. Hej då. Adios. Ciao. See you next year.

OK, I’m not stupid. I’m enough of a realist to know that it’s likely we will get snow again. But I am hopeful that we are done with the ice. So I am calling this my personal requiem to winter…

Watching the ice melt.

Boxes of red hyacinth remind me that spring will come to Stockholm.

When walking by Mälarpaviljongen on Kungsholmen recently, I saw gardeners planting bulbs in wooden crates. I loved how the bulbs looked in the burlap-lined crates. It felt like such a portent of the spring to come. So far, I’ve only seen crocus blooming. The grass is still brown and trees aren’t budding yet. But, I have not worn my winter coat for the last two days. That has not happened since October. It was such a great feeling. Even though it did rain most all day and I was kind of cold in my spring jacket.

Perhaps the surest sign that spring is on the way? All the gravel on the sidewalks on my street have been cleaned of the gravel. No more dirty boots and gravel in the house. Love that!

And purple blooms too.

Tulips. All photos © copyright Sandra Carpenter 2013.

Sculptures by Cosima von Buren sit in front of paintings by Paul Gernes at Artipelag.

And here Cosima's mushrooms sit in front of more of Paul's paintings.

I’d been wanting to get to Artipelag since it first opened almost a year ago, but somehow never found the time. At the end of March, Robert and I finally went. We wanted to take the boat from town, but as the jetty by the gallery was still frozen in, that wasn’t an option. So instead we took the bus to the musuem, which is just outside of town in Hålludden and right on the water overlooking Baggensfjärden.

More of Gernes' art in the front lobby.

I couldn't resist doing a little reflection photo.

The first floor cafe at Artipelag.

The name Artipelag was created as a combination of art, activities and archipelago. I love the idea of that. The building is amazing and takes full advantage of the views over the pines, rocks and water. There’s a boardwalk trail you can take just outside the back of the museum that goes through the woods to the water. And there are several outdoor spaces to hang out, including a rooftop terrace. Since everything was still frozen solid when we were there on March 29, we walked out on the ice.

A walk on the ice.

This buckle in the ice was so beautiful, but it made me nervous as well.

This will be a great spot to have lunch and a glass of wine.

Many of the pieces in the museum, such as the vase here, are available for sale in the gift shop.

Like MONA in Australia, I like the concept of putting art in a natural setting and then being able to get to it via boat or car. But unlike MONA, Artipelag does not have a permanent collection–it’s a gallery space. So while the space is huge and could handle a lot of art, it feels a bit empty. That said, wow. It’s definitely worth taking the boat out and spending an afternoon there both inside and out. I’m thinking that when warm weather comes, sitting outside the gallery will be a perfect spot to have a glass of wine.

Just outside of Artipelag.