Gamla Stan | Stockholm, Sweden

Gamla Stan is probably my favorite area in Stockholm. We were only in Stockholm for five days and we found ourselves in the area more than once. The first time was a failed attempt at a Christmas photo and the other was at one of the greatest bars we’ve visited.

Gamla Stan or Old Town is one of the most preserved Medieval Towns in Europe. Stockholm was founded in 1252 in the area of Gamla Stan, which makes it one of the most visited areas. Markus and I went early one morning in the hopes of capturing our Christmas card photo. When we arrived, there was a large truck blocking the iconic colorful buildings. Not wanting to waste the morning, we found a cute cafe and ate breakfast on the terrace. While we waited for our food, Markus went out to get video footage of the beautiful square. A family stopped and asked him to take a photo. I saw this as a one time opportunity and quickly ran over to ask them to take photos of us too. The photos weren’t too bad, but honestly they weren’t that great either. Thank goodness we decided to go to Nyhavn later in the week and took photos there.

After breakfast, Markus and I did a little sightseeing elsewhere, but planned to return to Gamla Stan later that evening. Markus found this amazing bar right in the middle of the square, Pharmarium. Even though it’s in the middle of a tourist heavy area, the vibe at Pharmarium is anything but that. The bar was inspired by the first pharmacy that opened nearby in 1575. Inside it’s dark and moody with tons of Persian rugs and leather chairs. I loved everything about Pharmarium and felt right at home. The vibe is definitely witchy and alchemical since all the cocktails are prepared with seasonal ingredients and traditional medicinal herbs. Markus and I only planned on having one drink, but the first two we ordered were so good that we had another round. There are few bars that I wish I could go back to and Pharmarium is 100% in my top three bars in the world. If you ever find yourself in Stockholm, this is the one place I would recommend!

Stockholm Public Library & Café Pascal | Stockholm, Sweden

The moment Markus and I stepped foot in Stockholm, we were looking for a place to eat and a neighborhood to explore. After a bit of internet searching, we found Café Pascal in the Odenplan neighborhood. The area was perfect because we planned to head over to the popular Stockholm Public Library.

We both loved Café Pascal. The vibe was really laid back and very similar to coffee shops in Chicago or any big city. The food was really delicious and the portions were sizable. I watched a woman seated close to us, eat half of her mushroom sandwich and left a whole half a sandwich behind. She didn’t even take it with her, I was slightly appalled, because I would have and eaten that bad boy later. Our time at Café Pascal was a nice time to recharge before we headed to the library.

I’m sure if you follow any travel instagrams or have a Pinterest account, you've seen images of the famous Stockholm Public Library. In real life, it’s a bit smaller than I expected, but just as beautiful. It was a bit surreal seeing it in real life, since I had seen it so many times before that. Construction on the library began in 1924 and was designed by architect Gunnar Asplund and is an example of the Swedish Grace style. Recently, the library was listed as one of the world's most beautiful libraries by the magazine Conde Nast Traveler. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful libraries I’ve ever seen and a must see when in Stockholm.

Joyeux Noël 2018 | Nyhavn | Copenhagen, Denmark

I honestly cannot believe that we’re only eight days away from Christmas. I’m not going to lie, 2018 has been a rough and difficult year and I’m just ready for 2019. Despite the tough trials and challenges, there were still some really great memories. Out trip to Scandinavia couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. July was a rough month, so a trip right at the end of August was perfect.

For our annual Christmas photo, we had three cities full of great spots to choose from, but we ultimately chose Nyhavn in Copenhagen. We scoped it out the day before and were immediately blown away by the iconic colorful buildings. The next morning, we woke up really early to avoid the crowds, headed out in our matching crane shirts and found the perfect spot. I didn’t think we would top our photo at Château de Boucéel last year, but I think we did. Anyway dear friends, I hope you have a Happy Christmas and a spectacular New Year!

Musée Océanographique de Monaco | Monaco

Musée Océanographique de Monaco is one of the most visited marine science museums in Europe as well as one of the oldest. It was founded by Prince Albert I in 1910, who wanted to have a palace dedicated exclusively to art and science. Markus found out that Jacques Cousteau was the director at the museum for 31 years. Markus has loved and admired Cousteau since he was a kid and watched his program on PBS.  So it was a given that we would visit. The actual building itself is quite stunning and picturesque and is situated high on a cliff that overlooks the Mediterranean.

Our favorite part of the museum was Oceanomania, "the biggest collection of marine world curiosities." The beautiful "Cabinet of Curiosities" is straight out of a Wes Anderson movie and unlike anything I've seen in real life. It's the sort of thing Markus and I thrive on. We love the old, weird and interesting. We spent a majority of our time at the museum scouring through the collection of skeletons and fossils, models, diving equipment and antique books.  After we finished exploring the museum, we headed up to the roof.  There we found breathtaking views of Monaco as well as the Mediterranean. There was also a surprisingly good restaurant on the roof where we ate appropriately ate a delicious seafood lunch of moules et frites and a seafood pasta. I'm so glad that Markus insisted that we visit Monaco and Musée Océanographique, because it ended up being one of the best memories from our trip!

Astoux et Brun and Other Spots | Cannes, France

Cannes, is well-known for its yearly film festival, so it's definitely a touristy spot. I was a little bit worried about this.  Since it was closer to the end of the summer, I thought it would be a great time to visit. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but this worked to our advantage. We ended up walking everywhere and parked the rental for the entire duration of our stay. For this part of our trip, Markus and I had two objectives, eat and tan. As soon as we arrived at our hotel, we quickly changed into our suits and headed to the rooftop pool to relax. It was so lovely and we spent a couple hours up there and met a nice couple from Canada. After baking in the sun, we worked up an appetite and headed out for some delicious food.

Since we were near the ocean, we knew we wanted to eat seafood. I found the highly-rated and popular restaurant Astoux et Brun. The food was really good and very fresh. All of France is pretty pricey when it comes to food, but I didn't think the prices were too high, especially for the atmosphere, quality and service. For our meal, we ordered half a dozen oysters, moules frites and whitefish in a white wine sauce. To wash it all down, we ordered a nice bottle of white wine and enjoyed our meal outside. Before dinner, we passed by a gelato shop that shaped the cones into flowers. I saw similar desserts all over social media, so I knew I wanted that for dessert. I got pistachio and vanilla and it was the perfect combination for a hot and humid night.  Overall, it was the perfect relaxing day I wanted and had been waiting for.