Vörtbröd, Swedish dark Christmas bread

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Vörtbröd recept, with homemade pickled herring, sill, Swedish Christmas dark bread recipe

Swedish dark Christmas bread or vörtböd and pickled herring, both homemade, are two culinary regulars at our Christmas table.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2009

Bread baking in general usually fills the kitchen with such warmth and coziness, it’s recommended strategy that those holding a house viewing for the purpose of selling their house (or apartment), bake bread and make coffee just before the viewing guests arrive.

Now the smell of dark Christmas bread filled with raisins baking in the oven is unbeatable and it’s something I look forward to every year end, when spending the holiday season here in Sweden. What’s exciting about the making of this bread is that we get to choose which dark Christmas beer of the year goes into it!
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Handcrafted, at Kronhuset’s Christmas market, Gothenburg 2009

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Cushioned hearts, Kronhuset, Göteborg julmarknad 2009

Cushioned hearts, reflecting a theme in Christmas decorations in Sweden.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

Kronhuset in the true middle of the old City of Gothenburg, being a 17th century armory, is in itself a place-of-interest for most tourists. Built in Dutch style this was where all artillery and other military supplies was kept for the defense of the City of Gothenburg. Eventually it occasionally did came in handy, but that is a different story. Today, Kronhuset is both museum and a concert hall, owing to its pillar free groundfloor construction that lends ample space for it to be used for most any event.

Cushion heart hanging, Kronhuset Christmas market Gothenburg 2009

The Christmas Heart, hanging cushion.

There are several year-round tenants of the place, everything from a glass workshop, a café, an interior design company, to a chocolate store that sells handmade candy and chocolate truffles. So come Christmas season, this place is transformed into a bustling Christmas market, with all activities taking place within its compounds of the East and West wings of the main building.
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Jultomte variations

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Wise men, Haga julmarknad 2009

My favourite rendition of the tomte this year, with hat pulled down low over the eyes, so they go around incognito, in the true spirit of giving this season.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

What I find refreshing when spending Christmas in Scandinavia is the appearance of the jultomte or nisse, a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore believed to help take care of the house, the animals on the farm and the family of the house, preventing any misfortune.

Having grown up in Singapore, with its Anglo-Saxon influence in terms of movies from the USA to British fruit pudding at the Christmas table and Santa Claus dressed in red and white, I find myself almost jumping in glee when greeting these woollen handmade elves that make their appearance just once a year at the shops.

In this post are several variants of the Swedish tomte that you can bring home this season or give away to a friend.

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Gift ideas from Haga, 2009

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Stainless steel jewellery, Haga Christmas market 2009 Sweden julmarknad

A piece of stainless steel jewellery.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

Scandinavian jewellery (particularly Georg Jensen) has always been an attraction to me, even before I arrived in Sweden. So I became quite engrossed with what I saw at one stall at the Haga Christmas market that displayed stainless steel jewellery bound together with leather bands, and glass art rings and pendants.

What I appreciate about Scandinavian jewellery is that it’s often elegant with thick clean lines sweeping through the piece. If heavy, glossy and statement is what you wish to convey, then Scandinavian designed jewellery is perhaps an avenue you might wish to explore. Silversmith Wiwen Nilsson for example, whose designs are perhaps highly influenced by Japanese aesthetics in the early 1900s even though he trained in Germany, Denmark and France, has had a strong influence on Scandinavian jewellery design in general. Vintage pieces from him are still highly coveted because of his modernist take on shapes in relation to function of the item, which render them timeless.

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Café treats at the Haga Christmas market, 2009

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Haga Christmas market, 2009 Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Gothenburg Sweden

Café assortments are quite fantastic at the Haga Christmas market, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro Nilsson 2009

We were much earlier this year to the Haga Christmas market than previous years, where it seems too, that I favour strolling the old streets of Haga in the same furry hat!

I believe most Christmas markets begin in western Sweden thereabouts on the 28th of November, and I generally appreciated just a smidgen more daylight time than if we were to go Christmas marketing just three weeks on in December.

Chocolate at Haga julmarknad 2009

Handmade chocolates and liquour chocolate balls.

Walking down the street, it became apparent that this year at Haga was mostly about café treats! Even before the extensive renovations to this area during the 1970s, Haga was known for its restaurants. Today, the entire street is punctuated with good coffee places, where I personally bear one or two cafés in mind when headed this way.
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Kueh lapis

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Nonya kueh kueh

Various Nonya kueh kueh.
Photo for CMC © Kevin D. Cordeiro 2009

As a child, I’ve always looked forward to going to the wet market on Sundays in Singapore. The walk to the market was pleasant, where we would often meet neighbours who were themselves either on the way to the market or back. A curious gift I often received from a very old lady back then whenever she saw me, was a piece of ginger.

A hawker center is often connected to the wet market, providing a convenient place to both eat and market. And before buying the week’s groceries, it was breakfast, where I found that the colourful bit of kueh lapis usually sold at Nonya stalls, never failed to attract my attention. Most of all, I enjoyed peeling off its tapioca layers one by one, eating it according to colour.
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Homemade pizza

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Pizza_102

The Hawaiian corner.
Photo for CMC © JE Nilsson, Cheryl M. Cordeiro-Nilsson 2009

Pizzerias are plenty around the city of Gothenburg, where you could literally hop from one outlet to another, finding your favourite version of a quatro stagione or the local favourite, kebab pizza which is a little surprising combination, but very popular. You could also spend weeks trying out different types of pizzas with different toppings without ever having to eat the same pizza twice.

But on some days, nothing beats a homemade, oven-baked pizza with toppings just the way you like it!
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Portobello Road, London

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Portobello Road, London, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

Portobello Road, London
Photo for CMC © Kevin D. Cordeiro 2009

It’s like visiting old friends, when walking down Portobello Road. The sights and sounds of the street market, the second hand shops and the antiques trade, visited by both Londoners and tourists alike, make you feel at home, right through the heart of Notting Hill.

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3 travel secrets…

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I’ve been nominated by Erica Johansson who writes at Travel Blissful, to do a Tripbase blog tag for 3 travel secrets of mine – Thank You, Erica!

There are innumerble places of interest to visit when travelling, so in that sense, I would rather that each traveller unravels their own secret places of wonder, be it a state of art museum in a metropolitan state or enjoying a quiet dinner in the backstreets of Florence.

My travel recommendations in this post has to do with the practicalities of travelling in itself…

Secret 1

Norwegian Forest Cat, drinking from tap, Sweden

Drink plenty of water!
Photo for CMC © Jan-Erik Nilsson, Cheryl M. Cordeiro-Nilsson 2009

Long haul flights are not always the most comfortable if you’re not flying Business or First Class. What I’ve found most useful is to have my own bottled water with me, so that I have instant access to water, without having to call for it. I even tend to drink more than necessary when on long flights because of the dehydrating cabin air.
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Natural History Museum, London

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Natural History Museum 4 London, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

Natural History Museum, London
Photo for CMC © Kevin D. Cordeiro 2009

If London’s Natural History Museum is on your list of places of interest to visit, then set aside the better part of a day to do this – preferably on a full stomach too – because you could easily spend hours touring not only its exhibition wings, but its surrounding compounds on the outside of this Gibbs and Canning building.

London Natural History Museum, Kevin Dominic Cordeiro Photography

One of three large museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London, along with the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Victorian architecture of this museum is strikingly majestic in contrast to its neighbours.

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