Accessories Accede: Swedish Sweeties is Deco Domination

Q&A On Silja Symphony

Do you collect local handcraft souvenir?

Indeed, especially if the craftsmanship is exquisite, the size is rather mini and the price is not too outrageous. For examples, I love Russian doll from St. Petersburg (by courtesy of parents), rooster stand-up made in Portugal, and hooray, Swedish Dala mini horse!

How do you search the information of any other local souvenir?

Before travelling, no matter if it is a weekend holiday or a grand tour, I always purchase a paperback travel guide to develop the mood, at the same time acquire the basic knowledge of the language. This reading is my pre-souvenir before on the road, which providing souvenir recommendations from the editors/authors. When the departure date is approaching, I search some random travel bloggers’ posts and make my own conclusion. Notice that if some bloggers post very similar choices to each others’, meaning that probably they travel with the tour group and passively shop at cooperation vendors, because not everyone is devotedly crazy about collecting Starbucks city coffee cups.

✔Chanel Le Vernis long wear #516 Marinière is my new bluish collection of nail polish. I adore Chanel cosmetics collection so much, that the richness of the colour and the easy brush application take the great part of my admiration, of course the black-and-white-plus-gold packaging always capture my intensive attention.

✔Swedish Dala Horse is a traditional carved, painted wooden horse statuette originating in Swedish province Dalarna. It was mostly used as a toy for children, or a pastime hobby during the dark winter season; now it has become a symbol of Sweden since 1716, a beloved souvenir to attract visitors around the world. The wood from which carved into Dala horse is from the pine forest around Lake Silijan, through hand carving, priming, smoothing, polishing, sanding, painting and varnishing, no two Dala horse are exactly alike. My choice of 7cm height horse is 125 Krona from a lovely boutique, the mini 4cm one is 60 Krona found unexpectedly at a small Kiosk where I also choose the postcards. They like parent and child side by side, approach to somewhere out there together.

✔BYREDO, abbreviated from ‘By Redolence’, founded in 2006 by Ben Gorham, a native Swede with Indian and Canadian descends, graduated from Stockholm Art School. A chance meeting with perfumer Pierre Wulff that makes Gorham into the universe of fragrance, with the world renowned perfumers Olivia Giacobetti and Jerome Epinette, Byredo’s scented candles and perfumes using simple composition of the highest quality raw materials, have been developed with an understated approach. At NK department store, I choose Burning Rose (70g) fragranced candle and Gypsy Water hand cream (30ml). The packaging of Byredo reaches up to a luxurious experience: A paper cover carved with arte nouveau pattern, after the removal, the white cardboard box printed the big letter ‘B’ atop. The candle glass is in matte iron black, and gives a fresh sniff already without kindling it up.

TIP 1: Choose the Dala horse with rich painting colours, try your bargain luck at some mini Kiosk.

TIP 2: Purchase the cosmetics/skincare on board (cruise) since it’s duty free!

On the Road: Hej, Igen Stockholm!

Stockholm, Sweden 

July 2017

‘Hej igen Stockholm!’ Hello Again Stockholm! This time without Silja jackpot tickets, the family reunion trip takes us to revisit Sweden during the high season.

Silja Serenade departures at Helsinki Olympia Terminal on Friday at 17:00, we have to be on board no later before the gate closing. The weather is amazingly sunny, so going up to the upper deck to view the seaside view is the must-do. In 2015, my hubby and I travelled to Stockholm by taking Silja Symphony due to the mysterious jackpot tickets (I can not reckon how I got the chance, through magazine subscription or lucky draw?), the late October chilliness did not allow the opportunity to enjoy the sunshines during the embarking. Summer does not linger longer term in the Nordic territories, and the great landscape of Helsinki provides yet another chance to cherish the best moment.

After a great buffet breakfast, On Saturday 10 o’clock, we arrive at Stockholm. Six of us take metro to Gamla Stan, we have a brief morning coffee time and we take a rather touristic route to Stortorget, the old town square. Along the crook passages, we discover more interesting souvenir shops with various kinds of wooden Dala horses (Dalahast), the size range can be width 3 cm to 50 cm. I choose the medium poppy red, and when I select postcards at Kiosk I pick another mini one.

The second visit at Stockholm, we are more of familiar with its history of involving: After the Ice Age, a large number of people had been living in the present-day Stockholm area. At the intersection of the Baltic Sea, Stockholm’s core, also known as Gamla Stan was first built from about 1000 CE by Vikings. They had a positive trade impact on the area because of the trade routes they created.

Gamla Stan, was built on the central island next to Helgeandsholmen from the mid 13th century onward. The city originally rose to prominence as a result of the Baltic trade of the Hanseatic League. Stockholm developed strong economic and cultural linkages with Hamburg, Gdańsk, and Riga during this time. The old town is always the most interesting, the baroque doors, the pebble roads, the tiny houses, the Royal Palace, the lovely boutiques, the unique coffee houses, that compose the exciting feels of discovering.

After Gamla Stan, it takes 15 minutes walk to NK Department store (Nordiska Kompaniet, the literally Nordic Company), and also try our afternoon tea at Espresso House in new city centre. I still check at ACNE if there is anything for my shopping lust, unfortunately the most popular grey cardigan is sold out. The retails changes a lot at women’s wear section, still, Isabel Marant, CK underwear or Sandro give me good time to kill.

When time is about to return to Silja Serenade, we pass by Bibloteksgatan and find Marc by Marc Jacobs turn into an luxury mini outlet. Even though the selections of designers’ brands are quite thrilling, such as Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, Isabel Marant or Cholé, still there is a weird, or so-called nostalgic melancholy, that less than 21 months the retailing market swiftly changes in Stockholm. Once my all time favourite Marc by Marc Jacobs is gone, chain coffee store Espresso House is spreading every corner of the city, more of foreign owners run the monotone souvenir shops in Gamla Stan. It is as if you revisit a newly met mate, you would like to reward the best moment, and suddenly realize the mate rapidly converts another personnel. Perhaps the mate is moving forward for her own best, but, for that short second you find it slightly lost, before you shake the hands with each other.

Special Thanks: PH 
FURTHER READING: ON THE ROAD: STOCKHOLM 48-HOUR TRIP 2015