A visitors guide to Florence, Italy – Part 1
October 29, 2009 by Lost in Europe
Filed under Restaurants
With its gorgeous views and elegant atmosphere, Florence is truly the artist’s city. If you feel the burning need to do a painting in a foreign locale, this is the one. Florence is the third most popular tourist destination in Italy, and for good reason.
The art in this city is exquisite. You will find some great art all over town but one item in particular stands out among the throng… Michaelangelo’s David. If you like David you will love Florence, because he is everywhere! There are David clones all over town. But the real deal lies along with many of the masters unfinished works in the Galleria dell Academia. You simply have to stop by this place. And the Palazzo Vecchio has a lot of great art, too.
When you are through art gazing and are looking for someplace to eat, there are a few places that come to mind. The Trattoria Za-Za is a string of outdoor eateries that each have their own unique flavor. It is a very popular spot and you will find the atmosphere warm and inviting. The Festival del Gelato is another strip of restaurants that provides a great taste of life in this fair city.
As far as nightlife is concerned you have a few options. Central Park is a great place to go to see all sorts of performance art shows, live exhibitions, and live music. The Space Park Electronic Night Club is like half club half amusement park. You go inside and have so many options it is almost overwhelming. One is fun if you feel like watching, the other is great if you feel like dancing.
In my eyes this is one of the most interesting places in the world. You get a real taste for life in a place like this. It is easy to see how its scenic views and warm people could lead one to produce much great art. This should be at the top of your list if you plan on traveling to Italy.
The World’s Best: Stockholm Gastronomy
April 15, 2009 by Lost in Europe
Filed under Restaurants
The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant is not just some fancy countdown. It is the most highly credited, respected and acknowledged indicator of where to best dine in the multitude of places in the world. To be included in this much-coveted list is the aspiration of ALL restaurants. For more than a decade, Stockholm has consistently ranked as one of the World’s Best.
Stockholm is one of the most diverse and exotic culinary destination. Surrounded by rich waters and luscious vegetation, Stockholm has easy access to the freshest ingredients that are essential in preparing the most satisfyingly delicious and heavenly cuisines. Only the freshest frutti di mare, finest berries and exquisite spices are used.
In 2007, the Oaxen Skärgkårdskrog located in the picturesque island of Oaxen garnered the 39th position in S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant list. Around an hour drive and 10-minutes ferry ride away the metropolitan area, Oaxen Skärgkårdskrog is nestled in such serene countryside in the southern part of the Stockholm archipelago. Coined as the “restaurant of the archipelago”, Oaxen offers the most luxurious and poignant dishes to satisfy your discriminating palate.
I am greatly blessed to have sampled the food of this renowned restaurant. Believe me the experience is astonishing. The flavor of the dish heightens with every bite. An explainable feeling of pleasure and longing enveloped me. I never dreamt that I could taste something so good, and long to return to the warmth embrace of this gastronomical paradise.
Visitors can take their fill in admiring the panoramic view of Himmerfjärden beach while eating the most scrumptious cuisines. Agneta Green is in-charge of putting together the best aperitif and wines to complement the restaurant’s dishes, while Magnus Ek is the genius responsible for the culinary creations. A distinguished member of the Swedish Culinary Team, Magnus Ek is able to combine such kaleidoscope of flavors achieving such harmony in palate and throat. A certified master of food, Magnus Ek takes you on the heights of culinary delight. I am not the only one impressed by Magnus’ talent. Gastronomika Akademien awarded the gold medal to him for his “extraordinary achievement within Swedish food culture”.
With menus ranging from a la carte, vegetarian and Christmas buffet, Oaxen is indeed the best place to spend the summer and winter holidays. Sleep in the immaculate cabins of m/s Florence, the beautiful ship built in 1935 using oak, ebony, Brazilian rosewood, slate and marble. There are various cabins to choose from depending on your convenience namely the: Ship’s owner’s cabin, captain’s cabin, stoker’s cabin, navigator’s cabin, old office cabin, engineer’s cabin and the chief mate’s cabin.
Oaxen Skärgkårdskrog expert’s craftsmanship that stems from the restaurant’s ability to provide cuisines that unconventionally combines local ingredients and international flavor which is considered a breakthrough in culinary. They are one of the very few restaurants to revolutionalize taste and gastronomic enjoyment.
Oaxen Skärgkårdskrog’s food is luxurious, heavenly, delicious, and awe-inspiring. It is the best restaurant in Sweden and soon enough maybe the best restaurant in the world. The other awards and recognitions received by Oaxen Skärgkårdskrog include 1st place in the Gourmet 199 Tables, Winelist of the Year in The Cupbearer, the Best Restaurant of the Year in Masterclass, and many others.











