Cafés
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A Cambridge Weekend
Posted by Suzi on 15 Nov 2009 | Tagged as: Art, Cafés, Places to visit, Things to do
I braved the wind and the rain yesterday to go to the lovely warm colourful FitzWilliam with Jolien and Nils. We wandered around for an hour or so in the delicious atmosphere chatting to other visitors about the paintings and appreciating every minute of the place. After a quick drink in The Anchor we went to King’s College chapel to listen to the sublime music at Evensong. We sat out in the ante-chapel and had a most particular experience there in the slightly chilly church. Sitting on the wrong side of the rood screen we were taken hundreds of years back to a time when the laity sat away from the grace of the alter. Through the archway we could see the flickering lights and the lucky people who got to be closer to God. We could hear the signing perfectly but the voices weren’t half as clear and we heard the odd word but out there in the cold you could imagine how it must have been for the medieval laity unable to have a direct relationship with God. It really struck me how revolutionary it would have been when the Protestants started to change that. It’s a really interesting experience and well worth a visit. Evensong happens most nights from 5.30 and you can enter the chapel from 5.15. It’s free and open to everyone.
Today in the bright glare of the sun we cycled to Grantchester to visit Chris’s little cottage and have lunch at The Rupert Brooke - where the food is pretty good but the seating policy a little odd. We cycled back in the dusk to the CB1 cafe where we drank delicious lattes and warmed up.
Tomorrow there is a talk at 7.30pm in the Kennedy Room in the The Cambridge Union by Ariane Sherine talking about The Atheist Bus Campaign and The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas. It’s organized by Cambridge University Atheist and Agnostic Society but non-members are welcome although they may be asked to pay a couple of pounds entrance fee. For anyone planning to attended a few events - life membership to the group is only £10.
Cafes and Liseberg
Posted by Suzi on 19 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Cafés, Places to visit, Things to do
K and I went and had a fika at Steinbrenner and Nyberg on Södra Vägen thanks to Karin and her money saving two for one voucher. It’s a lovely cafe with a hidden courtyard at the back. We munched paninis and sketched the brick work and bushes. Thanks Karin!
It was a day of free things and thanks to Anni we had free entrance tickets for Liseberg and perhaps most exciting of all we had free tickets for a ride. So very bravely we went on Balder and it was truly terrifying. I was clinging on for dear life as the tiny carriage plummeted to the earth leaning on its side. The pictures show me pale and frozen while K is smiling and relaxed as if he’s strolling in the park on a sunny day. It was all worth it as afterwards although my legs were shaking and my mouth was dry - I felt I’d been given a new lease of life. Thanks Anni!
Back to Sweden and its cafes
Posted by Suzi on 12 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Art, Cafés, Travelling
I arrived back in Sweden yesterday morning and Keyvan and I wandered straight up to the library to check out the art by Pushwagner on display there. After a rest, some soup and a nice cup of a tea in the art museum cafe we had a look round the photos and the latest exhibition (It’s a wonderful world) in the adjoining Konsthallen. After which we walked down through the grey streets to Haga where I met up with Cheri and we went off to munch more soup in Cafe Kringlan. K and I are now back in Haga at our favourite Grappolino’s where we’re reading Erich Fromm - Beyond The Chains Of Illusion.
The weekend in Cambridge
Posted by Suzi on 01 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Art, Books, Cafés, Museums
The weekend passed under grey skies but no rain. Friday I spent with Jolien, Vassessa and Nicole in the Fort St George. On Saturday I convinced Jolien to come to the FitzWilliam with me and we managed to go on a free tour of the Darwin exhibition. On Sunday my neighbour, Jolien and I all went to Jesus College to look at the sculpture and the church before winding up in the Copper Kettle for a drink. Then it was back to work yesterday with aching fingertips because I decided to take up playing the guitar on Sunday night. Tim’s guitar is left handed so I’m learning it all the wrong way round but I can almost play a couple of notes although moving between the notes quickly and gracefully is really hard. Today the sun is shinning and after work I’m off to the Peace Cafe’s book club to discuss John Berger From A to X and then to the Free Press to meet up with the humanists.
Finding home
Posted by Suzi on 08 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Cafés, Politics, Things to do
It was a busy week last week. Work ate a huge chunk of every day and then the evenings were spent cycling backwards and forwards to the letting agent to sort out the flat key and other such neccessities. I did manage to get out a bit and squeezed in a Stop The War meeting at the CB2 Cafe on Monday evening. On Thursday Andy and I wandered around the centre of cambridge, stopping for chips at the Greek Fish and Chip Shop, tea at the Copper Kettle, a bottle of cider at one of the many river side pubs and a plastic cup of lemonade at The Mill.
I then spent the entire weekend moving, lugging boxes, bags and flat packed tables around. I couldn’t have done it without Mum. By midnight on Sunday we were dropping with exhaustion as the adrenalin wore off but we nipped off the the train station to collect Tim so we could hear all about his trip to Vancouver.
Critical Mass, cafes and walks
Posted by Suzi on 03 Jun 2009 | Tagged as: Cafés, Environment, Sites, Things to do
We started the weekend with a trip round Gothenburg with the Critical Mass. There is now a new video of the ride up. Although there was only eleven of us, we remain optimistic that more will join each ride. The next ride is on 26 June 2009, meeting at Gustaf Adolfs Torg at 18.00.
The weather was amazingly hot over the weekend and Monday. On Sunday I wandered round Slottskogen failing to find Karin and her music quiz possy but managing to get a bit of sun. On Monday it was back to work but in between I have mainly found reasons to sit in Star Cups drinking beverages. On Monday I managed to convince K to hang out there with me and yesterday Cheri and I spent a pleasant hour or so there people watching and sipping English Breakfast tea.
Today after a few pleasant hours with Cheri in the centre of Gothenburg, I went for a very pleasant walk with Karin and Ted and paid a visit to the shop near the habour which sells lost property found on the trains. We spent the evening chatting and munching popcorn which was very satisfying.
The bookclub now has a blog all set up and ready to go - so now you can all read the books and comment on them even if you can’t come to one of our meetings.
Rosendals Trädgård, Moderna Museet and Arkitekur Museet in one day
Posted by Suzi on 22 May 2009 | Tagged as: Art, Cafés, Museums
K and I hopped on the ferry to get to Djurgården today and walked up past the theme park Gröna Lund Tivoli which was heaving with massive queues outside. We walked up to Rosendals Trädgård and wandered around the gardens, orchard and the ‘castle’. We stopped at the cafe to sample their carrot cake recommended by Karin and it was as delicious as promised.
We walked back along the strand in the drizzling rain and on to Skeppsholm to the Moderna Museet which has a fabulous collection of modern art. It cost a princely 80 sek to get inside but the adjoining Arkitekur Museet is free on Fridays between 16.00 and 18.00 so we got to wander round that for free. The Moderna Museet provided free audio guides in several languages and these are well worth taking advantage of.
Another day in Stockholm
Posted by Suzi on 22 May 2009 | Tagged as: Art, Cafés, Museums
Yesterday we spent the morning walking along the waters edge on Södermalm and through old wooden houses and cute gardens. You can get great views of the Stockholm skyline from there. We found our way down to Tantolunden - a large park on the west of the island - and wandered amid the allotments, frisbee golf course and past the Zinkensdamm youth hostel (which looked very nice). It was then on to Gamla Stan and to Kaffe and Annat on Österlånggatan - which is a tiny little cafe with friendly staff and ancient wooden beams.
We wandered past the National Museum (entrance fee required) to Skeppsholmen where there are three more museums (fees also required) before walking down Strandvägen - a wide street on the waters edge to Djurgården another island complete with theme park, large open air museum and lots of green space.
Arrival in Stockholm
Posted by Suzi on 20 May 2009 | Tagged as: Cafés, Places to visit, Travelling
K and I got an early train to Stockholm this morning so we were here in the city by 9am. We walked through Gamla Stan (Old Town) to the island of Södermalm where our hotel is. Scandic hotels rock - the standards are great, the breakfast buffet huge and they even had our room ready at 10am in the morning. After a look around the room were heading back into the center down Götgatan and across the bridge to Gamla Stan. We stopped by Sundbergs Konditori in Järntorget to sample their coffee and cake - it was delicious of course. Sundbergs Konditori is one of the oldest cafes in the city and it was wonderful munching cakes and imagining people 200 hundred years ago doing the same thing.
Refreshed we made our way to the Riksdagen (Swedish Parliament) and although they no longer do tours during the week we were allowed into the chamber to see the MPs talking. The parliament is now in the old bank building and the area the MPs work in is modern and relatively low key.
We then rushed up to the Royal Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. It was a trifle terrifying because the guards had machine guns with bayonets attached. The whole experience was cheered up by a marching band which played a variety of songs including one by ABBA.
We stayed in Gamla Stan for lunch and then crossed the river to the new center of Stockholm and spent some time in the Kulturhuset where we had a good look at the library, the photos on display and the various cafes there. The building also houses a cinema and a theatre. After a bit more wandering we hauled ourselves back to the hotel for an early night.
Kringlan, Starcups, Egg and Milk, Condeco and Notting Hill
Posted by Suzi on 11 Apr 2009 | Tagged as: Cafés
Since coming back to Gothenburg I’ve been cafe hopping. I spent a rainy morning in Café Kringlan with Jo and a sunny afternoon with Moragh in Starcups. Starcups is great - the slices of cake are huge and incredibly satisfying. The place is immaculately cared for and there is free wifi access. Best of all Starbucks the evil giant doesn’t like the name of the place and is engaged in a dispute with the owner.
I breakfasted at Egg and Milk yesterday morning with Cheri and was pleasantly surprised at how good their smoothies were. It’s a 1950s style America diner and it was fun watching people much on their syrup covered pancakes in the depth of Sweden. We enjoyed sitting out in the sun so much that we wandered up to the botanical gardens and had a coffee outside their cafe. I then spent the afternoon and evening hopping from Starcups to Condeco to Notting Hill with Moragh. This is the life.