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Visiting Stockholm was a spur of the moment decision or something we all like to call, a last minute trip. We found some cheap tickets with WizzAir from Budapest to explore the city for the weekend and we thought to ourselves...why not?
We were pretty fortunate to have good weather and cherry trees were in full bloom, so exploring the city was a great pleasure.

WHEN TO VISIT
Being so up north the best time to visit Stockholm is during the spring or summer days. Winters are literally dark and of course cold.

GETTING AROUND
We found it pretty easy to explore the city by foot, especially if you book a hotel in the central area. However Stockholm is a very bike friendly city and you can find a bike to rent at every corner. Or an electric scooter.
They also have a good metro system in place, but at 4.5 euros per ticket I would reconsider the bike option.


EXPLORE THE OLD TOWN


STORTORGET SQUARE
This little square is one of the oldest squares in Stockholm and it is most famous for the picturesque buildings below.


VASA MUSEUM
We don’t usually visit a lot of museums as we mostly like the outdoors, but this one felt like a must as it contains a real ship relic dated from 1628 and preserved for more than 80% up to this day.


VISIT THE ARTSY METRO STATIONS
These have rapidly become famous landmarks in Stockholm and even though the metro ticket is expensive, buying one or two is a must so that you can visit the cool metro stations. Central station, Solna and Stadion are by far the best ones and of course the most popular.


RENT A BIKE or AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER
As mentioned earlier the city is a really bike friendly one and this allows you to explore it at a faster and more fun pace. There are a few apps that you can install, like Voi for scooters and for bikes there are Digi Bike or City Bikes. They all require a credit card and they charge you by the minute. The process is pretty simple and straight forward as you can pick them up and drop them literally anywhere.


ENJOY THE CITY FROM ABOVE


SKANSEN OPEN AIR MUSEUM
I am going to put this on the list although it’s not necessarily something that I would recommend. It’s basically a park but it has a small street where you can see how the houses, libraries and different shops used to look like years ago. Let’s say that this particular street is interesting to see, however that’s pretty much it.
There is also a small zoo inside but do not expect to see a large variety of animals. I would only recommend this place if you are visiting with kids, they seemed to have a lot of fun.

ENJOY A SWEDISH FIKA
Sweden is one of the world's largest coffee drinkers, therefore they have a large variety of coffee shops where you can enjoy a good fika (Swedish word for coffee).
We are not very big coffee enthusiasts but we do enjoy the occasional frappe or latte macchiato, and we really liked the ones and the atmosphere at the Espresso House.

I would not rank Stockholm as one of the best cities we have ever visited, but it was a lovely city to visit during a weekend getaway, especially on nice weather!

Taiwan is an up and coming tourist destination and the country has so many beautiful places just waiting to be explored.
We went to Taipei on a small detour from our Hong Kong trip and we spent two days there. Indeed the city does not have a lot of landmarks to visit, however its charm lies in something completely different.
Due to not being the typical city with a lot of attractions, Taipei developed a very large coffee shop and restaurant culture. You will find the craziest, most interesting or even the cutest places to enjoy your coffee here. Also the city's charm can be mostly observed at night when everything comes to life.

Press PLAY to get the right Taipei mood.

Here is a short list of things to do in Taipei:

1. Visit Taipei 101
This landmark is by far the most famous in Taipei so you must not leave the city without seeing it. The impressive building holds the tallest Starbucks in the world, but you need to call in advance for a reservation. Like a lot in advance, as we tried calling a day before but the lines were busy all the time.


2. Hike to the top of Elephant Mountain
...and enjoy the amazing view from above this lovely city. It's a great place to put things into perspective and actually realise how tall Taipei 101 is.


3. Explore the city by night
...and be mesmerized by the colorful neon lights.


4. Check out the crowded night markets
Taipei has a night market at every corner...well almost, but for sure has the most night markets we have ever seen in a city. They are very lively and offer a lot of variety of products, especially food. Our top picks: Raohe Night Market and Ningxia Night Market.


5. Indulge yourself in some tasty local food
...and if you feel brave enough and have a hardcore stomach, try the stinky tofu. We couldn't...the smell was just too appalling.



6. Visit their crazy and eccentric restaurants
One of the most famous ones is The Modern Toilet...I guess there is no need to explain the main theme here, right? However, this is not for everyone, I guess.

7. Try a 3d art latte
...or visit any cute coffee shop you can find. Trust me they have them at every step. From coffee shops were you can play with alpacas to ones were you can feel like Alice in Wonderland and sit in a huge tea cup, without a doubt in Taipei you will find at least one to fulfil your childhood fantasies.


The colorful neon lights and the lively night markets will for sure make for an unforgettable experience in Taipei.

Hugs,
O