It was a sunny and crisp afternoon in Stockholm yesterday. Cold. Very cold. When it's that cold, there's nothing better than being inside. Inside NK that is! I spent part of the afternoon there, undergoing some well earned retail and cappuchino therapy with an old and a couple of new friends.

Shops like NK are part shopping, part fantasy. Everything looks so perfect. The food in their food hall looks delicious, decadent and smells divine. I loved spending time soaking up the sights and smells of this shrine to food. We then went to look at the other levels. The accessories looked chic and expensive. The jewellery in the luxury goods section shone brighter than any jewel you've ever seen.

Even going from floor to floor is an adventure. The escalators have mood lighting and there is classical music playing. The levels are dotted with platforms displaying beautiful designer goods and clothes. It reminds me of a classy David Jones (always my favourite department store in Adelaide).

Each floor is like a maze. At every turn is another area crammed with the best of everything. Crystal, silver, bone china, designer gowns, expensive lingerie, shoes, books. The finest of everything! I usually get quite lost and yesterday was no different. But it's a good 'lost'... if you know what I mean? You can also go for afternoon tea there. Little sandwiches and tiny cakes. So much fun!

The day began badly with the train delayed, then cancelled and replaced by a bus that also broke down leaving us stranded by the side of the road in minus 9C about 2 kms from Västerhaninge. Always a joy early in the morning. So I arrived in town quite late and more than a little annoyed. But that was soon dispelled when I met up with my friends Carolyn, Kimberly and Marie. After shopping a little around centralen, we made our way to Gamla Stan (the old town) and did a little more browsing and buying before heading across to a gorgeous little café in the main square - Chokladkoppen.



They make a very famous white chocolate hot drink that the others all had and raved over. I'm not a lover of chocolate, so I chose green tea instead. It was warm and very cosy inside this tiny but atmospheric café and I will do my best to drag Lars-Göran along there as he adores white chocolate.

The Christmas market was in full spring and we looked at a few of the stalls, smelled the mixture of warm mulled wine and spicy bread and admired the cute stalls of handmade tomte.



Then it was a brisk walk over to Söder via Slussen with our goal being The English Shop as Carolyn needed a few things and I needed to buy Vegemite. Urgently! I also bought some little plum puddings for Christmas Day and am rather proud that I talked Marie (a Swede!) into buying a jar of Vegemite to try. I'll convert the whole country - just give me time!

After a quick lunch and a sticky beak through the food hall, we walked back to the city popping into interesting shops on the way, then prowled through the antiquarian bookshops along Odenplan. This was followed uo by the whole NK experience and a quick prowl through Gallerian, along with saffron buns and julmust at Edelweiss Café.

Then home - tired and broke, but very happy. Now to wrap my purchases....