Eurotrip 2026 part 3

When Pandy went home from Geneva, I tried to be very brave about it.

I waved. I checked that Mini Blue was with me. Then I thought about all the places we were going to see, and all the things I would want to tell Pandy afterward.

It turns out you can miss your best friend and still be excited about an adventure. Both feelings fit inside a small plush dog. You just have to leave a little room for lunch.

So we went to Sweden.

A very useful Swedish word

In Stockholm, I discovered fika.

Coffee. Something lovely from a bakery. Time to sit together and enjoy it.

I have been trying to explain this arrangement to people for years. The Swedes already had a word for it.

At Sundbergs Konditori, Mini Blue and I settled down for important bun research. Cinnamon or cardamom? A difficult question. The sort of question that should never be answered hastily, or on an empty stomach.

There was also a double espresso and a cardamom bun during our Stockholm wanderings. A small cup, a beautiful pastry, and nowhere we needed to hurry for a little while.

Mini Blue looked very content.

I think some adventures happen while you are sitting perfectly still.

One more sausage

We found Günter’s.

More precisely, we found a Kabanoss in a bun at Günter’s, and I immediately understood that this was an important location.

The first visit was a discovery.

The next was a confirmation.

By the time we returned for dinner, I felt we were maintaining a valuable international relationship.

Eventually there were two sausages in one bun. I admired the efficiency. Mini Blue gave me a look that suggested he was doing a different calculation.

People sometimes ask why you would return to the same place when there is a whole city to explore.

Well, we did explore the city. Then we explored our way back to Günter’s.

A boat that raised questions

The Vasa was enormous.

I stood beneath it, looked up, and then looked up some more. There were carvings, ropes, masts, and an astonishing amount of boat above my head.

“That boat seems too tall. Was anyone supervising?”

Mini Blue stared upward too. He did not offer an answer.

There is something strange and wonderful about standing beside something so old. Someone made those carvings long before any of us were here. Now a little dog in a red hoodie was looking at them, trying to imagine the hands that had made them.

I wanted Pandy there. He would have taken his time looking at everything.

He also would have appreciated my supervision question.

Dinner deserved its own itinerary

At G.A.T., there were deep-fried deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, and a cheeseburger.

I was extremely available for this assignment.

Mini Blue took an interest in the shrimp cocktail. I concentrated on the burger, although I remained aware of the rest of the table. A good dinner correspondent must keep an open mind and an observant nose.

Then there was Hantverket.

Oh.

Some meals make you happy. Some make you stop for a moment after the first bite because you need to give that bite your full attention.

Hantverket was that kind of dinner.

Hasselback potatoes with roe. Crispy pork belly. Lovely little details to discover on the plates. And dessert, including a doughnut with soft serve, which felt like someone had read several pages of my private wishes.

We even picked up a cinnamon bun from the bakery next door before it closed.

There was also a Vallmo punsch bulle that I acquired while Mini Blue was momentarily occupied.

I intended to tell him. My paws were simply busy.

Looking, wandering, and being small

We walked beside the water and through streets that kept giving us reasons to stop.

There was a statue selfie. There was a sculpture that made us imagine our own silhouettes standing in its place. There were little moments when Mini Blue and I looked at each other, and no explanation was needed.

At Monteliusvägen, the city opened out below us: water, City Hall, Riddarholmen, and a skyline I wanted to fold carefully into my suitcase.

We stayed to look.

Another evening, we watched the sunset over Gamla Stan. The light softened, the water caught the colors, and even I forgot to ask about the next snack for a little while.

Pandy would have liked that part.

I was glad we had pictures to bring home to him.

Next stop

By the time we reached ARN, Mini Blue and I had collected a week’s worth of things to remember.

A very tall boat. Quiet water. Good company. Fika. A dinner that made us pause. Several perfectly reasonable sausage decisions.

I still missed Pandy. I also had so much to tell him.

And now Dublin was waiting.

I checked that Mini Blue was with me, tucked the memories away, and got ready for the next adventure.

Though, for the record, I could have managed one more sausage.

Love, Doggie 🐶
Mini Blue adds a small, enthusiastic wave. 🐙