Bacchus Restaurant Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea is a British tradition that involves enjoying a light meal of tea, sandwiches and scones and takes place in the afternoon between 3:30-5pm.

At Wedgewood Hotel's Bacchus Restaurant, you can experience a lovely Afternoon Tea where you dine on dainty, crustless sandwiches, sweet treats, and scones.

Top the scones and crumpets with marmalade, butter, clotted cream or jam. We weren't fans of marmalade but the marmalade served was surprisingly delicious. 

The sweet and savory food items are beautifully presented on a 3 tier tower and brought to your table after ordering the tea.

You can choose from a selection of black or green tea, some stronger than others. Just ask if you need more hot water. They had some seasonal teas like Nutcracker, Chai and Apple pie.

We enjoyed the savories - the quiche and lobster tart were delicious.

We had an enjoyable experience and we didn't get rushed out. You could pack up the last treats to take with you, finish your tea and enjoy the piano music.

The cozy dining setting and comfy seats made it hard to get up after our Afternoon Tea. For families, we did see one table with kids during our seating, but it may be a better activity to do when kid-free. 

Holiday themed Afternoon Tea at Bacchus Restaurant is on until Mid January. 

Dont forget your snacks!

Bacchus Restaurant and Lounge at The Wedgewood Hotel

845 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1V1

Check out their website for more info

Japan Market Mini Pop-Up

Taking place this weekend Dec 12-14th at City Square Mall in Vancouver, Japan Market's Mini Pop-up Winter Fair was busy! 🎄 

This mini market is Free admission which means more money to spend on gifts for you or anyone on your list. You'll find creative artists with handmade crafts, stickers, cards and keychains like Rabbits and Hurricane.

and Japanese food vendors like Wa-Bagel selling stuffed bagels, at the mini market.

It's a great place to do some holiday shopping and take a break to sample some Japanese snacks too. Visit the Japan Market pop-up mini market this weekend!

Don't forget your snacks!

Check out their website for more info

Notch8 Holiday Chalet Afternoon Tea

If you want to treat yourself to a really fancy afternoon tea, the Notch8 Winter-themed Afternoon Tea is perfect.

It's a popular event and tables get booked up fast. We were able to book something after Christmas. Notch8 extended how long they were running the holiday afternoon tea because of popular demand.

Kids are welcome to join as well. There is a caffeine-free berry tea option for the little ones. 

For Vegetarians, they can find vegetarian afternoon tea menu. They, unfortunately, can't accommodate other allergies or dietary restrictions.

Located in Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, arrive about 5-10min before your reservation so you can check in and take advantage of the full seating time (2 hours).

The afternoon tea takes place in the Hotel Chalet which was beautifully decorated for the Holidays!

After settling in at your table, you can choose which tea you'd like to have. They have many options including earl grey and a festive christmas blend! They will bring you a full pot of tea to enjoy. The food is a set menu and is brought to you once you select your tea.

Both savory and sweet options are available including fluffy scones with jam and cream.

It's a lovely experience with a friend, family or even solo. The winter themed treats like Santa's hat were delish and oh so cute!

Don't worry if you can't finish all the treats. You are given a to-go box to fill up and take with you!

Book your reservation early for the Notch8 Holiday Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Notch8 offers other Holiday themed Afternoon Teas all season with various themes like the Cherry Blossom Tea (last Spring).

Dont forget your snacks!

Notch8 - Fairmont Hotel Vancouver 

Holiday Chalet

900 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 2W6

Check out their website for more info. Book early to get a spot!

Happy Lucia!

Happy Lucia Day! Glad Lucia!

In Sweden, December 13th is the traditional Swedish holiday of Lucia Day. It's meant to bring light to the dark winter. It celebrates Saint Lucia. 

Kids dress up as Lucia with a crown of lights on her head, a Santa, Gingerbread or a star boy. They form a Luciatåg or Lucia train, a procession with candles.

The little ones sing Lucia songs and parents wake up early to watch them :) 

There are competitions to see who will be crowned Lucia in their town! Lucia performances can be seen all over Sweden, in schools, churches, workplaces, outdoors at a park, anf even at the shopping centre!

Lussekatter or saffron buns are eaten today along with Gingerbread! Read more about Lussekatter on my blog post.

Will you be seeing Lucia celebrations today?

Don't forget your snacks!

Kladdkakans Dag

(image from ICA)

Kladdkaka, a "mud cake" or "sticky chocolate cake" in English, reminds me a bit of lava cake. When you cut into it, melted chocolate in the center oozes out. It's quite delicious if you enjoy chocolate.

In Sweden, they love to celebrate Food holidays, specifically sweet, desserts or pastries! On Nov 7th, they celebrate Kladdkakans Dag in honor of this chocolate cake!

You can find this Swedish cake everywhere, from local cafes to the grocery store. There's even some Vegan options.

Serving it warm tastes the best, with a dollop of whip cream or scoop vanilla ice cream or both! :)

Whichever way you try Kladdkaka today, hope you enjoy it!

Don't forget your snacks!

Halloween in Sweden

A relatively new holiday that is celebrated by some in Sweden, Halloween decorations can be seen mostly in stores and a few cafes.

In Gothenburg, Halloween season is celebrated at the city's theme park, Liseberg. Check out my post on Halloween at Liseberg.

In Stockholm, the theme park Gröna Lund has a Halloween season as well. There is an Old Town (Gamla Stan) Ghost tour that has been recommended to us and seems like a fitting activity to do during spooky season 👻 

Pumpkins to carve can be found at the grocery stores!

If you're looking for Halloween decorations or costumes, places like Partyland or Flying Tiger are great places to check out.

"Bus eller Godis" or "Trick or Treat" in Swedish is what kids say when they go trick or treating! 

It's not as popular to do as in North America but we have had kids knock on our door looking for candy! One year I wasn't even expecting it, but the following years we were prepared with candy!

Candy shops like Hemmakväll or even Normal are perfect places to buy the candy for any trick-or-treaters!

The date that Swedes go trick-or-treating is confusing, if Halloween falls on a weekday, it could be the weekend before or even the weekend after! 

Chocolate shops and bakeries usually offer some Halloween themed treats like chocolate!

Bakeries like Haga Bageri and Magnus Johansson Bageri offer seasonal spooky treats!

Past blog post on Magnus Johansson Bageri

Have a safe and fun Halloween season!!

Don't forget your snacks!

Egg and Milk diner in Gothenburg, always decorates for the holidays!

Celebrate Shrimp Sandwich Day - Räkmackans Dag!

On Oct 14th, celebrate Räkmackans Dag or Shrimp Sandwich Day! It's the day, Swedes pay tribute to the iconic, open faced shrimp sandwich. If you're Sweden, you will find Räkmacka at cafes, fish markets and even the grocery store.

Shrimp Sandwich at Göta fisk market in Södermalm. Choose either Rye or wheat for the bread.

This food holiday is actually pretty new,  founded in 2009 by Arlanda Airport in Stockholm to honor this popular sandwich with roots dating back to the 19th century.

What do you usually find on a Räkmacka? 

It starts off with a thin, flat piece of bread, mayonnaise, lettuce, sliced hardboiled egg, then piled high with little shrimp. It might also be topped with some fresh herbs.

We have tried a Shrimp Sandwich at the Gothia Towers hotel in Gothenburg. It was loaded with Shrimp.

Check out my blog post on a staycation at Gothia Towers. 

There is also a Swedish saying about a shrimp sandwich!

"Att glida in på en räkmacka", or “To slide in on a shrimp sandwich.” This refers to someone who didn't need to work hard for what they have!

Have you tried a Shrimp Sandwich? Wherever you try your Shrimp sandwich this weekend, hope you enjoy it!

Don't forget your snacks!

Some cafes to try in Stockholm:

Robin Delselius Bageri

Renstiernas gata 19, 116 31 Stockholm

Göta Fisk 

Götgatan 96, 118 62 Stockholm

Spaaks Konditori

Tumba Torg 3, Tumba, Sweden, 147 30

Restaurant Göteborg 

Midskeppsgatan 31, 120 66 Stockholm

Skeppsbro Bageri

Tullhus 1, Skeppsbron 21, 111 30 Stockholm

Top 10 Road Trip Snacks for Kids

The weather is warming up and Summer Vacation is on the horizon... for those doing a staycation, or prefer to travel by car this year, there will likely be some Road Trip adventures with the family!

Here are some of our current favorite Road Trip Snacks. Top 10 and a few more...

* Seaweed

* Salty chips

* Brioche buns

* Baby bel cheese

* Salami

* smoothie pouches 

* jam sandwiches 

* Ritz crackers 

* Cucumber

* Olives 

* Clementines - have a garbage bag ready for the peels!

* Pretzel sticks

* Hardboiled eggs 

* Nuts and dark chocolate - for the non-allergic parents.

* Bananas - sometimes they love it, sometimes they don't! 

* Mini Swedish Cinnamon buns (they're even Vegan!)

We mostly have these snacks when we stop along the way for a little picnic. The kids, especially the toddler, often get carsick because they aren't used to traveling in the car. We always have a vomit bag(s) at the ready after buying a bulk package on Amazon. 

Have you tried any of these Road trip snacks? Safe travels on your Summer Roadtrip Adventures!

Don't forget your snacks!

TUI holiday at Atlantica Aegean Park

This was our second time booking a Tui resort holiday to a warmer climate but it was the first time grandparents joined us on the trip. 

Why people stayed in all inclusive resorts was something I really wondered about before becoming a parent! After becoming a parent, I realized why these places are so great for families! Especially with young kids AND aging grandparents coming along. 

Details

• One week all-inclusive with TUI to Rhodes, Greece. 

• Trip was taken during Fall break, late October to early November. 

• We flew Aegean airlines and most if not all, of those onboard were also staying at our resort.

Popular kids cartoon character Bamse and Captain T and the "Bamse kids club" with the evening dance activities for kids was a huge hit! Grandparents enjoyed watching the kids dance. The kids made sure to finish dinner most nights so they could see the show. 

Atlantica Aegean Park is a TUI Blue hotel located at Kolymbia Beach on Rhodes. To get from the airport, buses were waiting at the airport exit. When leaving the hotel to go back to the airport, shuttle buses picked us up at the hotel.

Good

• 2 separate rooms - one for us, one for the grandparents 
• Rooms faced Pool side 
• Exercise classes available 
• Kids club 
• Kids entertainment 
• Kids pool
• Buses took us from airport to the resort
• Allergy substitutions 
• Very friendly and helpful staff
• All inclusive includes 1 free dinner at each of the resort restaurants 
• Condition of the hotel was pretty good for it being the last week of the season
• There was a water park that was free to visit with slides and a kids splash area!

Snack bar offered greek iced coffee 

and slushies all day.

Would have been nice to have

• More Greek food options
• Kids club stayed indoors instead of walks outside for example
• The flight was 10pm at night so by the time we arrived it was early morning and kids were cranky and exhausted 😩 
• They gave out sandwiches but unfortunately they were all cheese and ham and with allergies we didn't eat most of them.
• The wristbands didn't work at the sister hotel (with the water park) for any snacks.
• It was missing a spa with a sauna and jacuzzi. There was spa services like Massages and facials but not much else. 

Excursions

The hotel is located next to a couple of small shops but not much else. You can walk along the beach to get to another area and it was nice being right by a beach.

There was also a hiking trail up a mountain that you could do for an incredible view of the island.

Atlantica Aegean Park also offers daily excursions to different parts of the island that you can sign up for.

There is scuba diving nearby. Check out my past blog on Scuba diving on Rhodes.

Overall, we all had an enjoyable time at Atlantica Aegean Park! We enjoyed pool time, the fitness classes, water park, walks and scuba diving. 

The grandparents visited a few towns and did some shopping. The kids loved the Bamse kids club and evening entertainment! It was great not to have to worry about what's for dinner or any cleaning for the week! 

We visited on the last week of the season but the hotel grounds were in great shape and the staff was friendly and always attentive. We especially appreciated the allergy alternatives they had for my little one. 

We would definitely visit again!

Don't forget your snacks - The snack bar by the playground was always open for snacks like Gyros and fries!

Atlantica Aegean Park

Βρυξελλών, Kolympia 851 03, Greece

Check their website for more information 

Cats of Greece!

We were lucky to visit Rhodes, Greece as our Fall getaway trip. We have visited a couple of times before but it was our first trip to Greece with BOTH the kids and grandparents! 

The kids loved the sunshine, activities, food and of course, the cats!

Wherever we walked, there were little cats saying hello! 👋 

It was a nice learning experience for the kids. We don't have any pets yet, so they get  excited seeing cats in the neighborhood. The kids understood that they needed to wash hands after touching a cat. They also learned that if the cat didn't want to be petted, they would run away and that was absolutely ok. No need to chase them.

We even encountered a few kittens. Their mom was nearby so when they meowed the mom cat would come closer and we would leave the cat alone.

What a fantastic trip to Greece that was. We were lucky that everything went smoothly. Seeing such sweet cats on our visit was an added bonus.

Don't forget your snacks!