Design outing in Malmö

It was a holiday last Friday in Denmark.  To make most of everything being closed in Copenhagen, we decided to jump on the train, cross the Øresund Bridge and go check out Malmö for the day.  Only a thirty minute train ride outside of Copenhagen, I was secretly hoping that Malmö would be our new, closer version of Dresden which we used to frequent while living in Prague.

Before we left, I tried to do a bit of research to figure out what to see, do and eat on the other side of the bridge. I found it surprisingly difficult to find information and I am an expert when it comes to this- I live for lists and hunting and came up with a measly four or five names. Pitiful by my standards.  Why was Malmö not blog worthy?  With a few addresses marked down on a sticky note, I decided to find out for myself.

We arrived and headed to laid back vegetarian restaurant, Chez Madame for a sandwich and walked back towards the center of the city.  The sandwich was on fresh bread and had an almond pesto with lettuce, sprouts and tomatoes.

After our bite, we zig zagged  towards the center of town, walked in and out of a few interesting galleries such as GKM. It was here I was introduced to the work of Yrjo Edelmann, a Finnish artist who specializes in painting life-like parcels.  Out of curiosity I asked how much a small parcel painting would cost- Nope! Way out of my price range. One can still admire and appreciate.

Tucked down an alley, we found Form/Design Centre– one of the best design stores I’ve been to in a while. It predominantly showcases the work of Swedish artists with a mix of other Scandinavian artists.  Form/Design is three floors in a renovated old building with furniture, accessories, books, kids items, fashion and a cafe.  I could have stayed and looked around for at least an hour but we had more of the city to cover and kept moving on.  There were a handful of adorable design/furniture stores around Form/Design, right in the heart of the city.

We also enjoyed stopping by Svenssons, a higher end version of Habitat in London.  I am currently looking to replace my dining room chairs and was prepared to carry one back on the train if I found something suitable.

Coffee was enjoyed at  Djäkne Kaffebar where they serve filter coffee on their beautiful all white coffee bar. They serve a rotating line up of coffee from Scandinavian roasters such as Coffee Collective, Per Nordby, Kersh and Hedstrom, Koppi, and Tim Wendelboe.  Quite the line-up if you are into niche coffee roasters and a filter experience.

Finally, we were surprised to find such a beautiful looking synagogue as we walked from Chez Madame into the centre of the city.  I wasn’t sure at first if it was a synagogue, knowing nothing about Malmo’s Jewish community, but caught sight of the Star of David on the windows and decided to walk over and take a closer look at its elegant looking design. Unfortunately when I came back home to look up the history of this synagogue, all I found were articles on anti-semitism and hate crimes from 2012 in Malmo.

Don’t get me started on racism (in general) around Europe. It is a topic that drives me crazy how in 2013, people can’t seem to accept people, regardless of race, religion, creed, socio-demographic background as a person.

We all came out the same way.

We headed back to Copenhagen around 5pm and did not make a visit to the twisted torso building, a famous piece of architecture in the city.  I think I prefer Dresden to Malmö in terms of things to do, different areas to visit and food to eat – there is not much going on which may explain why I had trouble finding cool things to do in the city but nevertheless, it was a fun getaway and a nice day outside of Copenhagen. I am sure I will visit Malmo again and will continue to hunt for neat spots along the way, so stay tuned.

Kristallwelten: The Swarovski Museum

On my weekend mountain retreat to the Austrian Alps, I decided I would do one fun thing for myself which was to visit Kristallwelten, the Swarovski Crystal World museum (and original site of the business).  Swarovski was founded in 1895 in the Austrian village of Wattens by Daniel Swarovski.  Wattens happened to be about 30 minutes away from where I was staying.

Exhibit by Arik Levy

Crystalline interpretations of famous buildings around the world. 

I was not sure what to expect on this visit but I knew it would involve a lot of shiny and pretty objects.   The Swarovski Crystal Worlds is comprised of 14 underground chambers of crystal exhibits and art installations.  You enter the museum through a Giant’s head and proceed to walk through the caves of bling.  The museum was designed by the multimedia artist, André Heller, and the space does a beautiful job highlighting crystal through a variety of famous artists’ art, design and jewelry.

It was a really cloudy day (and off season) so the lush green mountain backdrop I was hoping for was not quite there yet.

This is the Giant– When the weather is nice he turns into a fountain and water streams out of his mouth.

An extremely large and heavy chandelier made of crystal in the main entrance of the museum.

A floor to ceiling wall of shimmering crystals.

Me in a reflective, crystal room.

Where I would like to visit: Bonifacio

I am already dreaming of a summer vacation.  Part of my love of travel involves my love of brainstorming places to travel.  Regardless if I ever get there or not, a girl can dream can’t she?

Bonifacio, France is now being added to my list.  It is located on the southern tip of the island of Corsica on the Mediterranean sea and looks divine.  I could use some limestone cliffs overlooking turquoise water and sandy beaches right about now!

Corsica is known for a couple things:

01- The birthplace of Napolean which I read about in the Josephine Bonaparte trilogy by Sandra Gulland -excellent works of historical fiction if you’re looking for your next captivating read by the way-

02- Wild boar- never tried it, sounds interesting.

03- Charcuterie (cured meats)- can’t go wrong

04- Dairy- particularly the Corsican cheese which I’ve had the opportunity to try while visiting family in Paris.

Hotel Capu Biancu looks particularly relaxing…..

Photo Source: Hotel Capu Biancu

It’s still early days to plan, but this one is up there-

Let’s see what else I come up with.

Outing: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

I’ve tried my best to cover as much of Copenhagen by foot as possible.  So far, I think I’ve done a decent job.  If you are scratching your head wondering why doesn’t she bike? Isn’t Copenhagen a biking city? Don’t 1/3 of all Copenhageners ride a bike to work?  The answer is yes but I prefer to take in the city on my two feet.  While biking is a faster, more efficient option of getting from point A to point B, you miss what’s going on.  The streetscape passes you by.  When you are biking, you are biking and have to pay attention to other bikers, cars and pedestrians.  This way, I take my time, pop in and out of places as it pleases me and really observe what is going on.

This weekend, I was craving an outing- something outside of the city but not too far.  I decided to pay the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art a visit to view their Pop Art exhibition which is on until June.

One (35 minute) train ride away and you find yourself in the small town of Humlebæk. The trip itself is quick and easy.  Once you step off the train, you feel like you are truly in the country- or in the forest (there are a lot of trees in the area).

We arrived just before lunch so eating was high on the priority list before we took in any Andy Warhol, Rauschenberg, or Roy Lichtenstein. The museum has a very nice cafe that serves sandwiches, coffee and tea, and pastries.  They also have a buffet but we were too early for that.

We settled on a vegetarian and salmon rugbrodsmadder (rye bread open face sandwich) for sustenance and grabbed a seat on the patio overlooking the museum’s sculpture garden, the Øresund strait and Sweden.   It was a bright and sunny day without a cloud in the sky.

Sandwich #1 Terrine of root vegetables, cabbage, cream of carrot- yes there are mini potato chips on top of my sandwich (for extra crunch?)

Sandwich #2 Smoked salmon from Daniel Letz, celery, pickles

The patio of the Louisiana cafe

The sculpture garden and view of the water while we ate.

Apparently the Louisiana Museum has undergone 7 extensions and renovations- here is a look at two of their buildings from the park in the centre of the building.

A bit of Pop Art- what a great exhibit.  I love seeing the works of Warhol, Lichtenstein, Hamilton, Eames, Panton and Sottsass.  Some of the pieces I recognized and have seen before at other modern art museums around Europe and others were new to me.

Particularly the work of Verner Panton- this was a cool piece. You entered an enclosed space that was outfitted with warm coloured lights and mirrors to give it the feel that the room was going on forever.

The museum itself is a stunning building (set of buildings).  The architects used a lot of wood, and glass so you feel like nature is around you at all times.  This is a picture of one of the long corridors that connect the buildings/exhibits.

The art is not only inside the building. There is a sculpture park on the grounds of the Louisiana and when it is nice outside, like it was this past weekend, the grass is filled with people sunning themselves.  There were quite a number of kids attempting to roll down this hill without success.  Each attempt resulting in a vertical position.  It was fun to watch.

Across the water, you are looking at Sweden- I was amazed by how clear and blue the water is.

Before we called it a day, we headed down to the museum shop for a peak.  You can find plenty of Danish and Scandinavian design pieces as well as posters and a substantial collection of coffee table art and design books.

As we walked back to catch our train back to Copenhagen, we stopped by Brødsnedkeren, a great bakery that serves homemade waffle cones and ice cream.  We each got a cone for the train ride back.

Starting the last week of April, my flat will be packed with visitors until the end of July.  I am sure I will be making a trip back to the Louisiana soon enough and look forward to my next visit.

Grød (porridge) Taste-Test

What a weekend!  I’ve been battling with a smoking issue in my flat where smoke from a downstairs convenience store seems to be filtering into my unit through an unidentified hole.  We had a carpenter come twice to seal our baseboards and I think the problem has now been solved.  To celebrate, my husband and I spent the afternoon hanging pictures on the wall.  We were sitting on the fence over finishing our decor due to the possibility of having to move.  We also took our first outing outside of Copenhagen- a visit to the Louisiana museum of art- (another post will follow with pictures later this week).

I am finally getting around to posting pictures from my Grod taste test.  The week before last, Lasse Andersen’s Grød, the all-day, sweet-savoury-porridge-only Nørrebro hotspot opened a second location in Torvehallerne market.  Grød is a special dining concept unique to Copenhagen.  It was started in 2011 as a porridge only establishment and has since developed a loyal following of porridge-heads in CPH (I am now one of them!).

Porridge in Copenhagen is not your standard flavourless mushy oat gruel.   Of course you can find  oatmeal in Copenhagen but here, porridge is typically dolled up and has been elevated to a respectable dish of admiration.  In fact, porridge is taken so seriously there was a city wide  Grød competition in February where 23 of Copenhagen’s chefs battled it out for the title of  best porridge in the city.

As I alluded to earlier, oats are not the star attraction in porridge as you  might find in North America.  Here, many other grains are thrown into the mix such as barley, rye, and spelt.   Porridge toppings are equally as important as the base grain. It is not surprising to add a dollop of Icelandic (or Danish) skyr, or some cream, whipped flavoured butter, chopped nuts, sliced fruit, liquorice powder and I am sure chocolate is also an option on some menus.  Porridge is a creative pursuit, which makes ordering it and tasting it around the city an adventure and a delight.

When I visited the new location in Torvehallerne market, I ordered a spelt based grød (porridge), with bananas, chopped nuts and liquorice sugar powder as a topping.

It was a little bowlful of heaven.  The texture was just right.  This one take-away cup contained a creamy spelt porridge, crunchy nuts, sweet banana and melty liquorice sugar powder (not overpowering at all).  I was a bit hesitant to select that particular concoction because my love affair with liquorice has not developed to the Danish level of appreciation.  Together with the other ingredients it just worked.

I look forward to returning to the Torevehallerne location to sample more of Grød’s grød. They also have savoury options that resemble more of a risotto than a breakfast porridge.

If you find yourself en route to Copenhagen, a stop at either of Grød’s locations is a must.

No one does porridge like the Danes.

What I need: Alife Design

From my experience, being based in Europe means the amount of travel you do increases tenfold.  It means you can cover quite a bit of territory when it comes to short visits and vacations and you are able to do so more often.  In one hour you can land in 50 different cities (an understatement and an exaggeration)- in reality, you would be in more than 50 cities.   The increase in travel certainly puts some extra strain on luggage- I am starting to see this first hand.  Zippers seem to be the first to go followed by warn luggage corners and then bent frames.  I guess what I am saying is that my Toronto luggage has seen better days.

I also look at a lot of luggage while waiting for my own.  I never understand why some people plastic wrap their entire suitcase, only to have it cut open after (what a waste).  Then there are those people who think by putting a ribbon on their suitcase, will help theirs stand out from all the other suitcases with ribbons.  I am not sure that this strategy works but maybe offers peace of mind to the owner.

I am not investing in new luggage yet- that is a whole other beast of a topic that I have no patience to sift through but I did find an adorable design company called Alife based in Seoul that makes great travel accessories.

What a great name right?- Alife Design– This is the only time where you can say something cheesy like, I need “Alife.”  I couldn’t resist.

Some of Alife’s items that I love:

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Any favourite luggage brands out there with a bit of style and design?  Feel free to send me your tips as I embark on the task of “how to find better luggage and cute accessories” this summer.

Il Giardino- Finally a top restaurant in the mountains

As I mentioned yesterday, sometimes the food is hit or miss in the Austrian Alps particularly if you visit off season.  Some of the restaurants/hotel restaurants we wanted to try were already on vacation until the next tourism season.

You can always find a simple meal of pizza or schnitzel at a casual Italian or Austrian eatery, but if you are looking for an experience that is beyond a college pizza joint or a smoky old hotel restaurant or bar, the options are few and far between.  On a recent trip to the Alps, my husband and I decided to make a 1.5 hour detour to the Aqua Dome therme in the town of Langenfeld (Tirol).  We knew we would need to figure out a dinner option after our soak and steam and threw it up to chance to find a restaurant on the way home.

Don’t ask what made me say “STOP” as we drove through the town of Oetz, but my Michelin-dar sensors lit up as we passed Il Giardino.  We parked the car outside of the apartment-hotel and walked inside the all white, French-Scandinavian, cosy dining room.  I saw the two big red Michelin nominated stickers posted on the door from 2008 and 2009- a good sign and a significant boost from all the pizza I’ve been eating over the weekend.  The restaurant and hotel is owned by husband and wife Peter and Christine Singer and has been around for 22 years.

We were one of four table that night (off-season) and had almost an entire section to ourselves.  We were seated in a sunken, garden room with sliding windows that opened on-to the outdoor seating (in nicer weather).  The room was dimly lit with candles, soft lights and decorated with framed black and white posters, a few plants and white orchids.

To start, we were served an amuse bouche of cooked beef in a jelly roll, a tomato puree and a fresh slice of baguette.  It was delicious and I am not one to scarf down a beef jelly roll.

We both had the ruccola and Parmesan salad, a habit from earlier in the weekend.  Il Giardino’s rucola salad was excellent.  It was spicy, salty and tangy all at the same time.  There was generous shavings of Parmesan and the pine nuts were perfectly toasted.

For our main courses, my husband ordered the pork schnitzel (he was sick of pizza) which came with sauteed cabbage, a homemade cranberry sauce and roasted cauliflower.

I was sick of pizza so I ordered pasta!  I chose the mascarpone and tomato pasta which was a little bowl of heaven. You could actually taste the acidity of the tomatoes among the creamy mascarpone cheese.  Typically it is all cream and no tomato.  The flavours were very balanced and very satisfying.  I devoured the entire mound of pasta.  When pasta is cooked by a top chef, it tastes extra good.

To finish, we had espresso and tea and could not resist an ice.  Over the course of our weekend in the Alps, at every restaurant we ate at, we saw order after order of ice cream sundaes coming out of the kitchen.  We figured if we were going to have ice cream on the trip, it might as well be here.

We chose the ‘Nutty’ ice cream which came with two very long spoons to scoop out cashew and walnut ice creams topped with whipped cream and a tart raspberry sauce.

At the end of the meal, Chef Wolfgang Scalet even popped his head out to say hello.  What a wonderful treat after a weekend of mediocre dining.  I could not recommend this restaurant enough if you happen to be passing through this part of the world.  You will not be disappointed.

Il Giardino, A-6433 Otz: Hauptstrasse 86, Austria

www.ilgiardino-oetz.com

A mini getaway to the Austrian Alps

I like a good mountain get-away.  I am a non-skier/non-snowboarder but when I am in the mountains, I can unwind, I can breathe and I feel relaxed.  There is something about walking outdoors surrounded by mountains that is humbling and grounding.  I also like eating muesli, which can always be found on the menu of an Austrian alpine hotel. Double score!

Let me tell you a bit about taking a mini getaway to the Austrian Alps.  Living in Europe makes a weekend getaway to the Alps very plausible (not just the Austrian Alps- really any Alp range in Europe).   We flew one hour from Copenhagen to Munich, rented a car and drove about an hour and a half south into the Tirol region of Austria, where we checked in at DasPost Hotel.

This hotel was adorable with its contemporary wood and stag interior design.  Come to think of it, DasPost was stag happy!  I tried to snap a couple shots around the place.

In traditional alpine custom, there was lots of wood used throughout the hotel.  As we drove through the valley towards our hotel in Zell am Ziller, we passed several lumber/timber yards.  My favourite room in DasPost was the breakfast room.  There were floor to ceiling windows on three sides of the space with sliding glass doors that could be opened when the weather gets a bit warmer.  They accented this ‘sun’ breakfast spot with modern light fixtures, bold coloured felt chairs, a brightly patterned fabric on the banquet wall seats and a single tulip in a white vase.  When you look out, your view is to the hotel’s backyard which is an outdoor pool, decks and one of their outdoor saunas.

The basement of the hotel came equipped with four lovely saunas and they also had a spa, a fitness room plus an indoor and outdoor pool.  All the right components for a relaxing non-skiing weekend.  (Remember- saunas are naked-only in Austria)

Zell am Ziller is a small village (one of many) dotting the mountains of Tirol.  Right across from the hotel was an inter-village train that you could take up to the ski area.  There is also a run/walk/bike park, a nicely groomed path that runs along both sides of the river, where you can run/walk/bike for kilometers on end.  I tried it out on foot one morning and it was great.  Everyone said their hellos, and good mornings as we passed one another.

Of course since I was in Tirol, I did a bit of MPREIS hunting.  MPREIS is my favourite Tirolean grocery store chain.  Each MPREIS is designed by an architect and they are all made to look different from the exterior.  They stock each store with a lot of local produce and the shopping experience is just a pleasure.  I think I found six on this trip. It’s like the where’s Waldo game, but I play the “where’s MPREIS” game.

It is no wonder that the timber industry seems to be alive and well in the mountains, all the houses, hotels and buildings seem to be made of wood or have wood trimmings and accents.

Depending on where you stay in the mountains the food can be rather hit or miss.  I found one bit HIT but I will write about that in a separate post.  For the most part, there is an overabundance of apfel strudel and pizza.  On this trip, I ate pizza three days in a row at three different restaurants.  I had pizza coming out of my ears by the last day.  It was a total pizza overdose, and now I am on a no-pizza mission until I am detoxed from it.  -FYI when you order a vegetarian pizza, it typically comes with corn on top!

All in all, our mini getaway was a perfect vacation after a hectic trip to Toronto.  We even to a detour and drove down to the famed, Aqua Dome, a therme which has received a lot of press for its interesting architecture.

If I had to choose where to return, I would go back to Bad Gastein (see below) over Zell am Ziller, but that is because there was a bit more to do there (for me).  For my husband, the snowboarder, the Hintertux glacier and Zillertal mountains were more than enough to keep him happy.

________________________________________________________________

My last mini getaway to the Austrian Alps was to Bad Gastein and you can read about it here.