Treat Yourself at Pralinboden

 

Pralinboden has two locations in Gothenburg, Sweden, one in Kungälv and the other located in the beautiful Haga neighbourhood. Situated right at the beginning of Haga Nygatan, this little chocolate shop in Haga offers a variety of treats including daily Pralines, different chocolate bars and ice cream. They even have sugar-free chocolate for those who prefer to avoid sugar but still want a treat!

Chocolate gift sets from Pralinboden make wonderful gifts! Whether it's Christmas, Valentine's Day or even just a Thank you gift! 

Started over 25 years ago, Pralinboden wants to provide the customer with not only some delicious treats but also a great experience. They strive to use local ingredients where possible and a large part of the chocolate they sell is made in Sweden. The coffee is from Gothenburg and  and tea is from local suppliers.

My kids and I recently stopped by Pralinboden to pick up some chocolate as a gift for my co-pilot. There's so much to see inside such a little shop and so much to choose from. Pralinboden offers over 100 different kinds of Pralines. The person working that day didn't rush us and only asked if we needed help and even recommended a few different chocolate gift suggestions when I asked. We felt comfortable looking around and taking our time, which we appreciated.

We also got a lollipop for my little one (too big to finish but she liked the fizzy flavor). I think there are over 30 different flavors of lollipops available! I can't remember exactly how much they cost but it may have been 10kr each if you bought 3 of them.

My co-pilot enjoyed the birthday gift from Pralinboden. It's always nice to get chocolate, especially when it's so delicious! 

Pralinboden is right at the start of Haga, if you are entering Haga from the Hagakyrkan side! There is some outdoor seating so you can enjoy your treat or take it with you.

Pralinboden also offers 'Chocolate Tastings' where you can learn more about their chocolate and even "What the difference between a Praline and a Truffle is"! I haven't tried a Chocolate Tasting yet but it sounds like an interesting and fun activity. (Note: There are no Chocolate tastings during the Pandemic).

Recently, I've seen that you are able to buy Pralinboden items on Foodora under the "Stores" category. I haven't tried that yet because I like to visit the shop when I can :)

If you love chocolate and are visiting Gothenburg, take a stroll down to Haga to check out Pralinboden and the other little shops in the neighbourhood. You won't be disappointed!

Enjoy your visit and remember, don't forget your snacks!

Pralinboden Haga
Haga Nygata 38, 411 22 Göteborg

Check out the Pralinboden website for more information
They also have a webshop!

Top 5 Family Attractions in Gothenburg Sweden

Gothenburg, Sweden is definitely a family friendly city. If youve recently moved to Gothenburg or plan to visit in the future post-Pandemic, here are some ideas for Family Attractions the city has to offer!

Liseberg

Gothenburg's popular theme park with lots to see, including Chocolate wheels, rollercoasters and a huge kids area filled with rides, shows and rabbits! 

Check out my past blog on Liseberg!

Slottsskogen 

Whether it's a stroll, sitting at a cafe or checking out the zoo, Gothenburg's city park, Slottsskogen, has a lot to offer. It's a great place for the kids to run around either on the grassy fields or at one of the playgrounds.

See my blog on Villa Belparc restaurant at Slottsskogen. 

Universium

The city's Science center with exhibits on Space, science and even a tropical rainforest. There's a lab for older kids but younger kids will enjoy seeing the fish, birds and monkeys up close. There used to be a play area on the bottom level but it's currently under renovation (as of June 2021).

Botaniska or Trädgårdsföreningen

We are so lucky that Gothenburg has quite a few different gardens to enjoy. There is Trädgårdsföreningen in the centre of the city across from the Stora Teatern. It's the perfect place to take a break from the city and sit at the Garden cafe for a refreshing drink. There is also a big greenhouse and a nice playground for the kids right by the fountain.

The Botanical Gardens or Botaniska right by Slottsskogen, are continuously being updated and maintained. There's even a restaurant if you fancy a lunch or coffee bread. The restaurant offers plenty of outdoor seating so you can sit and enjoy lunch or a coffee in the sunshine!

There is always a new Garden design right by the fish pond at the entrance of the Botanical Gardens! 

See my previous blog about the gardens. 

The Archipelago 

It depends how long you are visiting in the city. If you are here for a few days, you may consider heading to the beautiful archipelago that lies to the west of Gothenburg. 

If you decide to check out the Archipelago, you can either take a ferry to the Archipelago from the city (Stenpiren stop) or first take tram 11 to Saltholmen and take a ferry out to the islands from there.

The photos above show what the ferries that take you across to the islands look like. They can unfortunately get crowded but when this has happened they ran an extra ferry too.

We have visited the Archipelago (the islands of Styrsö, Dönso Brännö) many times and we've always had a lovely time walking around the islands and if it's warm enough, even for a cool dip ;)

Note: There are some other islands to the North, but that requires a longer bus or car ride and another ferry across (Those islands include Hönö and Öckerö and these are bigger more populated islands).

Världskulturmuseet or The World Culture Museum

(As an alternative to the Archipelago) If you are just visiting the city for a day, it makes more sense to stay in the city instead and maybe opt for another central activity like the World Culture Museum or Världskulturmuseet!

Pre-covid they offered a healthy and delicious Lunch buffet which included salads and coffee/tea and even a dessert! Afterwards you could let the kids explore around in the kids area or check out the museum's exhibits!

Enjoy your family time and remember don't forget your snacks!

Liseberg
(main entrance) Örgrytevägen 5, SE-402 22 Gothenburg
Check out Liseberg's website for more information 

Universium
Södra Vägen 50, 412 54 Göteborg
Check out their website for more info on Booking tickers during the Pandemic

Världskulturmuseet
(behind Universium) Södra Vägen 54, 412 54 Göteborg
Check out the museum's website for information on Booking a ticket and Covid restrictions 

Botanical Gardens
Botaniska
Carl Skottsbergs gata 22A, 413 19 Göteborg
The Botaniska website

Trädgårdsföreningen
Slussgatan 1, 411 06 Göteborg
The Gardens website

The Archipelago
Check out Goteborg.com for a guide on the Archipelago 

Liseberg is Open!

My co-pilot surprised us with tickets to Gothenburg's popular amusement park, Liseberg, last weekend! We had all been looking forward to going to Liseberg after it was closed for over 1.5 years due to the Pandemic.

With Covid cases much lower than they had been in the Spring, Liseberg was allowed to re-open with some restrictions. Currently before visiting, you must book tickets and choose what time you will visit the park - either an All-day ticket or an Evening ticket.

**Update, on Sept 2nd Liseberg has decreased the capactiy at the park, so many people have had their tickets cancelled. Check out their website for more information.

Some other Covid precautions to stay safe included:

• Hand Sanitizer available before all rides
• Signs to remind people to keep their distance
• Markers on the floor for the line-ups
• Most of the staff were wearing masks
• A Virtual Queueing system on the Liseberg app
• No hugging the rabbit costume performers
• A requirement to book tickets for the Kaninlandet shows
• More handwashing stations by the bathrooms
• Only one person doing the face painting, instead of two
• Lineup for restaurant, you can't just walk in and pick a table like you used to

Other than that the park was bustling with people and the typical theme park sounds, screams from the coasters, the chocolate wheel spinning and landing on a number and the chatter of kids and the occasional kid's tantrum/meltdown which got more frequent as it got later in the day ;) 

Mechanica was one of the rides I rode that day. It was quite the view from up there ;)

Lisebergbanan was one of the rides I lined up for, 

but it only took about 20 minutes to get through the line.

Kaninlandet!

 We got some good seats for the summer show and the rain even stopped when we started watching.

The show must go on! The Rabbit show in KaninLandet required you to pre-book spots for a performance using a QR code just by the Rabbit stage. The stage and seating area were closed off until it was showtime and even when the show was on, you could only enter from the Kaninlandet side (next to the restaurant).

There were fewer crowds at Liseberg, but it was still quite busy from our experience. We managed to do the Virtual Queueing system for most of the rides we wanted, including the brand new ride Kanin Underlandet! 

We used the Virtual Queueing to ride this new Kanin Underländet or Rabbit Wonderland! It's 3 tickets each ride, so I think it's better just to get a ride pass next time. 

All rabbit costume performers are behind a rope but you can sit and take a photo with them.

Wheels of Fortune or "lyckohjul"

One of my favorite activities at Liseberg is the "Chocolate Wheels"! Where you choose a number or a set of numbers and see if the wheel lands on your number. Ok, we have only won this once, but it's still fun to try. Especially since there are so many of these wheels all over the park offering different Chocolate, snacks and even toys (in Kaninlandet).

This is how it looks to win at one of the Chocolate wheels! Haha, nope that isn't me! It was someone who won before we decided to play the Oreo wheel. The Anthon Berg wheel is one that my friend who visited Gothenburg during Christmas season really wanted to win but didn't win either :(

Baby Room!

It's really nice that the baby room has private areas for breastfeeding and free diapers and wipes in case you need them! This was very appreciated when I had a newborn and needed to feed them.

Shopping and Face painting!

One of our favorite activities is the Face Painting station, they currently have just one person doing Face painting. I asked the staff about it and they said it's busy all day long!! And especially with just one person working due to Covid (they don't want to crowd the face painting room). Siigh, we waited pretty long for this, since we missed our first number, and they wouldn't honor it, so we had to take a second number.

We also let the kids shop for a souvenir to bring home at the end of the day at one of the shops in Kaninlandet. Hey, it's been 2 years since our last visit to the Theme Park, I think it's OK to treat ourselves for the tough year!

One of the City's Top 5 Family Attractions!

A visit to Liseberg is a must if you are visiting Gothenburg (post-pandemic) or live in Gothenburg and always wondered about it!). It's one of Gothenburg's top family attractions offering something for everyone even the little ones. You don't even need to ride any rides to enjoy yourself since there are games, shows, 'Wheels of fortune' and food ;)

Delicious chocolate covered churros! 

After summer, Liseberg re-opens for Halloween where pumpkins are aplenty and spooky scares start after it gets dark. Liseberg is also open for Christmas season with traditional Christmas Julbord, Christmas markets and Ice Skating performances. 

We really missed and definitely plan to visit again soon - although it's fully booked on all weekends except for evening tickets for the next month!

Enjoy your weekend and remember, don't forget your snacks (there are so so many at Liseberg too)!

Liseberg
(main entrance which is right across the street from Gothia Towers Hotel) 
Örgrytevägen 5, 402 22 Gothenburg

Gothenburg, Sweden

Be sure to check out their website to book tickets!

Sahlins Struts Ostrich Farm in Sweden

On our recent Summer staycation Road Trip in Sweden, we saw many Moose signs along the road, but who knew we would see actual Ostriches instead of Moose this time! This was only because we stopped at Sahlins Struts, an Ostrich Farm just outside of Borlänge in Dalarna Country, Sweden. 

As soon as we parked, we saw a couple of Ostriches behind a fence walking around. It was my first time seeing an Ostrich up close. They are much bigger than I expected. It's also hard to tell if they are happy or not, so we didn't get too close. 

For those visiting Sahlins Struts for lunch or dessert, there is a main restaurant, an outdoor pub and a little Ice cream stand. When we arrived after 5pm, the main restaurant was unfortunately, already closed. However, the Summer Outdoor Pub was busy with customers sitting and enjoying the summer sun. The ice cream area was still open and a had a few customers too. 

Note: As of Jan 2022, the Main restaurant is temporarily closed. 

We weren't sure whether or not we would stay to eat anything, so I asked the staff at the Pub what kind of burgers they were serving and they looked at each other funny, asked each other the word in English, and one guy replied, Ostrich meat of course, haha.

We walked around the area to see more Ostriches. There is a really nice playground for kids, a little car track, and a trampoline. There is also some baby Ostriches in the barn labeled "Chicks" in Swedish. Here you can get much closer to them and see Ostrich chicks of various sizes.

During our visit to Sahlins Struts, we only spent time looking at the Ostriches and letting the kids run around outside before getting back in the car to continue to our destination for the night. It's an interesting place to stop at especially when it was unexpected. It was actually recommended to us by the hotel we stayed in Borlänge.

Enjoy your summer and remember, don't forget your snacks!

Sahlin Struts
Sveden 1, 781 92 Borlänge
Check out their website for more information.

Our First Canoe trip with Kids!

We did our very first family Canoe trip during our Summer vacation! We were a little worried about how the kids would do on the boat but the water was calm and so were the kids, so we decided to just go for it!

We rented the canoe from Långbergets Sporthotell, the resort we stayed at for a few days on our recent staycation. The lake was just a short drive from the resort and you park on the dirt road and walk a short path down to the lake. You unlock the canoes when you get there so you don't need to worry about transporting a canoe anywhere. 

The rental included, paddles, life jackets, a middle seat and even a dry bag to keep a few items dry.

Out on the water, we made sure the heaviest sat at the back of the Canoe, and that the other parent sat with the toddler, while the preschooler sat in the detachable metal seat in the middle of the canoe.

When we arrived to unlock our canoe, it looked like there were a few people who had rented canoes that day but we didn't see any on the water.

The kids patiently waited on a log, and played with sticks, while we moved the canoe (you get a key that unlocks the lock for the Canoe). We moved it so the front part was in the water and then we each climbed in, making sure to keep low as we walked inside of it. I carried the toddler to the front of the boat, and my co-pilot sat in the back to steer. 

We weren't sure how long we would be out there, but we were sure to bring some snacks (nuts, chips, seaweed), lollipops and water. And we ended up being in the water for about 1.5h and even went under a small bridge. I'm so glad the water was really calm for our canoe trip. My co-pilot did most of the paddling and steering as well.

It was such a great activity during our summer staycation. And although it wasn't that long of a trip, we were all proud of ourselves for making it back from our first Family Canoe trip! 

Hope you are enjoying your summer, and remember don't forget your snacks!

Långbergets Sporthotell Canoe rental
You can choose a guided tour, minimum 8 people or

rent a canoe and go on your own (which we did).

Check out the website for more information.

5 Swedish Chocolates with Interesting Names

When we travel, one of my favorite things to do is to go to the Grocery store to see what kind of Candy bars they have. Every country has different ones and some are pretty tasty. It's nice to discover some new ones when we are visiting a new country. 

After we first moved to Sweden, of course I had to start trying the new candy. Bulk candy or candy by weight is HUGE in Sweden. This is only because traditionally Saturdays are when kids get to eat candy. Check out my other post on "Saturday Sweets".  Swedes and Scandinavians also love Licorice. It's really an acquired taste. My favorite type of candy has to be Chocolate and lucky for me, here is also wide variety of chocolate bars in Sweden.  

Here are some Chocolate bars you can find at the grocery store or a corner store (7Eleven or Pressbyrån) that stand out because they have some interesting/unusual names.
Note: The Chocolates are Swedish and two of them are in fact Finnish.

Japp

Marabou is a big Swedish Chocolate company, they make big bars of chocolate and various candy.
One of their chocolate bars is called Japp. Pronounced "Yapp". This one stuck out because in English it would be "Japp" with the J. 

Plopp

This one has to be one of the funnier names for a Candy bar. Plopp is Milk Chocolate filled iwth Caramel. This candy bar is made by Cloetta, a Swedish nut and confectionary company.

Kina

I looked for the chocolate  bars it in stores recently and couldn't find it anymore. I did see some bigger candy bags with the Kina logo though. There's even a hat above the A that looks like a Hat that farmers would wear while working in the fields. I don't get why it's called that. Fazer is a Finnish brand.

Dumle

Milk chocolate covered chewy caramel. This is also made by Finnish company, Fazer and very popular in Sweden.

Pigall

Pigall is whipped hazelnut truffles with a coating of milk chocolate. I haven't actually tried this Chocolate yet, but just noticed it in the shop. 

All the candy bars vary in price. The chocolate bars can be around 10-15 Swedish Crowns at the regular grocery store. And it looks like these are all milk chocolate so if you're more interested in Dark chocolate, it may be too sweet for you.

If you're in Sweden or plan to visit sometime, add these to your list to try or bring back as souvenirs/gifts. Enjoy your treats and remember, don't forget your snacks!