SkyView attraction premiere, Stockholm Globe Arena, Sweden. Photo Copyright Globe Arenas.

This is actually a top attraction of a top attraction since it’s situated on the Stockholm Globe Arena which in itself is quite remarkable - the worlds largest hemispherical building, used for sports events and music concerts.

It was built in less than 2 1/2 years, constructed on top of 48 curved main columns a Mero space frame carries the dome shaped structure. The new SkyView where built on top of that with help from ski lift builders.

The two SkyView glass gondolas has room for 16 persons in each and the ride to the top takes 3 minutes. The gondola stays at the top of Globe approximately 10 minutes before going back on the same rails.

Skiss of SkyView glass gondola attraction, Stockholm, Sweden, Image Copyright Globe Arenas

• Size of each gondola: 4.5 meters in diameter
• Weight of each gondola: 7,000 kg
• Maximum speed: 1 meter per second

Impressed? No? Maybe these facts will impress you:

42,000 kg of steel have been added to the original structure to strengthen the exterior and 70,000 kg of rail have been assembled on the outside of the Globe with the help of mountain climbers and a helicopter!

Have we been up there ourselves? No, we’re waiting for the spring with better weather - or to get a special invitation with a free ride…. *giggles*

Seriously: it’s fully booked all weekend and they have even squeezed in extra rides, that gives a hint of how popular this is gonna be.

There is no doubt at all that SkyView really will become one of the most important symbols for Sweden internationally, visited by every tourist that comes here.

They claim that you should prepare yourself for shivering kneecaps and sweaty palms - would you like to take a ride in it…?

Read more about SkyView here.

Lifecruiser ♥ SkyView
 

The easiest way to change webhost

We did it the easiest way there is: our new webhost have a fabulous offer to help you transfer your blog to them without charging you extra for this great service!

They did the complete free blog transfer for us including the transfer of the domain name since we wanted that too. All we had to do was to fill in the two DNS addresses they gave us plus our blog and contact details.

Can it be any easier…? Or faster?

We laid the order in the evening and in the next mid day, they had completed the blog transfer!

After changing webhost

Within the hours when the changing of the Domain Name Servers around in the internet were to take place, we had about 4 comments on our old webhost, which we did enter in ourselves afterward at our new webhost.

We haven’t encountered any problems so far, but IF you should stumble upon something strange or not working, please do tell us - in case we don’t now.

We did have some email conversation back- and forward since we had some moments of confusion, but their support were awesome to deal with every time. Very serviceminded.

Choosing a cheaper green webhost with more diskspace

An important fact is that this will be green webhosting. We’ll also save money since HostGator is cheaper than our old webhost, plus we got more diskspace & bandwidth traffic for the money too, so why not?

If we had wanted to have only 1 blog or website, the price right now starts at $4.95/month (Hatchling), but we did choose to go with their Baby plan which will allow us to have unlimited blogs or websites starting at $7.95/month.

We’re thinking of having a separate photoblog.

Whois Privacy Protection

We also requested to continue to have whois privacy protection (cost $10/year as usual) which means that people can’t do a whois lookup and see our name, address or phone number.

We don’t have anything to hide, but for several reasons a bit privacy still can be a good thing.

Awardwinning serviceminded webhost

HostGator has such a good reputation, that’s why we did choose them, they’ve got many awards for their great service. We like them so much that we even decided to become affiliates.

We would not recommend them if we didn’t think they’re really excellent - and believe me: we’ve really done some heavy research before signing up.

So are you interested of changing webhosts or just curious? Click on the image below!

You’ll get a 20 percentage off if you sign up now, I can’t say how it is later, but you might get lucky then too.

…or why not bookmark this page to come back later?

Lifecruiser ♥ Our Webhost
 

I felt right at home at once - of course, since I just love boats. So many different boats in this port, no wonder it’s called the capital of sailing at the Mediterranean.

We did meet up with Claudies sister and husband too (such a nice couple!) and had a very nice walk plus a bite to eat at one of the places there, not just going through the market.

As usual I went crazy with the camera at all that yummy food products, even though the light were difficult at the stalls at the market. The others just laughed at my eagerness.

As you could see, there were a lot of different interesting things, even a boat fight AND a beautiful dressed bride…. You’ll never know what you’re going to see!

Oh, I wouldn’t mind at all at go there once again - or to live nearby to be able to go there every now and then… or maybe I would be a steady customer there when I think about it…. *giggles*

Here in Stockholm we don’t have that many markets with fresh products in the same way. We have a bigger one in the city center at Hötorget, but not with fish and meat out on the street, it’s available inside another building.

Lifecruiser ♥ Bandol Market
 

Earlier posts in this serie:

Big Fig Dig in France
French Cooking a la Pierre
French Art Gallery Exhibition
France Bandol Beach Sunset
To Tour Toulon Too
Le Castellet Medieval Village
Vintage Marseille Soap Posters
French beach leach
Bloggers toast in France
Bloggers finally meet in France after three years of blogging
French blogger host lost
Start Fart of France Trip
Marseille Air Lair Stare
Pastis in Provence Southern France
Photographer beholder but not older
Connect Hotel Skavsta Airport
 

So when we got the chance to taste fresh figs just picked from a fig tree in Claudie and Pierre’s garden we found it very interesting.

Just the things we want to experience when on trips: to see or and taste things we don’t have at home!

As you can see, they also had wonderful tasty tomatoes for our lovely breakfast - or more like brunch - table.

We were surprised to find the figs so juicy and sweet, it was not at all as we had imagined they would taste - they tasted much, much better. So good that we wish we could have them every morning…

We do have seen a fig tree before, but none so up close and with ready fresh fruits to eat, so this was a new experience for us.

How nice it would be to have this green tree in your garden and to get fresh fruit like that!

Since we’re having a bit too cold climate around Stockholm for figs, it has not been commonly grown and the only figs we’ve known during our lives are dried figs - which are too sweet & sticky for my taste - and mainly during Christmas time.

There are some that has been able to grow figs in the South of Sweden with success since they have milder winters, but not so much here around Stockholm and up in the country.

We can only hope that this will change!

Lifecruiser ♥ Fresh Figs
 

Earlier posts in this serie:

French Cooking a la Pierre
French Art Gallery Exhibition
France Bandol Beach Sunset
To Tour Toulon Too
Le Castellet Medieval Village
Vintage Marseille Soap Posters
French beach leach
Bloggers toast in France
Bloggers finally meet in France after three years of blogging
French blogger host lost
Start Fart of France Trip
Marseille Air Lair Stare
Pastis in Provence Southern France
Photographer beholder but not older
Connect Hotel Skavsta Airport
 

The best was when Chef Pierre, who is a very caring person, surprised hubby with a delicious octopus dish he had made just because he had heard that hubby love it!

…and what did hubby think about it? Honestly: he did love it! It was the best octopus he had ate in his whole life!!! Talk about being spoiled….

Not only that, but he had made me a special fish dish since I don’t like octopus - wasn’t that the sweetest thing of him to do? Equally delicious I can tell you!

Another evening we had another fish dish, but I really can’t tell what kind of fishes they were since we’re not that good in French.

I think they tried to explain and showed us in the internet, but do you think I remember that now? *giggles*

Something else very special and I think was very Provencale (?) was this soup - perfect in the hot evening - with the small breads in it with some kind of Aioli in them.

Claudie, what was the name of this soup?

We also had a delicious Daube de Boeuf de Provencal one evening, where the coking time is many many hours, as in fact it’s a bit similar as our traditional Swedish Kalops and we simply love that.

There were several occasions we simply forgot to take photos and just enjoyed - I’m sure you understand…

The beef he served us another evening was super as you can see for yourself… Getting hungry yet?

I was thrilled when I saw that they had a pressure cooker, but not surprised because where else if not in France should you spot one?

The principle for how it works were invented already in 1679 by the French inventor Denis Papin.

I haven’t seen any one here in Sweden in ages. I think they started to disappear around here at the same time as the microwave become so popular.

It’s a pity, because the pressure cookers are a bit like steamcooking - it cooks so much faster and keeps more of the nutrients.

Besides that: it’s a greener alternative since it uses much less electricity/gas - something to think about in this global warming times.

….and no, it won’t “explode” as those vintage pressure cookers could, the modern ones have several safety features…. *giggles*

Did you know that pressure cookers often are used by mountain climbers? They need to compensate for the low air pressure if they’re at very high elevations, because up there the water boils at temperatures way below 100 °C and if not using the pressure cooker, their dinner may be undercooked!

Our dinner however, were not undercooked or overcooked: it was delicious every day of our stay - thanks to Chef Pierre - we still miss his cooking and Claudie’s who did an excellent job showing us their Provence.

The last week now here at home we’ve been busy preparing to start our new health diet though: the LCHF Diet - LowCarbHighFat.

To cut it short: max 5% Carbohydrates in the food products, no pasta, rice, potatoes or flour (no bread), only vegetables from over ground, no sugar and lots of fat from cocosnut oil, pure butter, cream. No light products what so ever, there are unhealthy stuff in them.

Now we’re on Day 3 and a half on the LCHF Diet and feel just fine! We’ll go on for 3 weeks and evaluate the results then.

We might write some more about it later, let me just tell you that we’ve never eaten so much delicious food as we do now on this diet - it’s almost like Pierres cooking!

Lifecruiser ♥ Pierre’s Cooking
 

Earlier posts in this serie:

French Art Gallery Exhibition
France Bandol Beach Sunset
To Tour Toulon Too
Le Castellet Medieval Village
Vintage Marseille Soap Posters
French beach leach
Bloggers toast in France
Bloggers finally meet in France after three years of blogging
French blogger host lost
Start Fart of France Trip
Marseille Air Lair Stare
Pastis in Provence Southern France
Photographer beholder but not older
Connect Hotel Skavsta Airport
 

Let the Champagne flood into the New Year of 2010!

Cheers my dears!!!!

Lifecruiser ♥ Fireworks
 

Ollioules Mayor, Robert Beneventi - which we had the pleasure of meeting afterward - opened the Exhibition with a well appreciated speech.

One of the many artists that had their work hanging in the gallery, was in fact Claudie’s sister - an excellent aquarelle painter.

The three paintings below are painted by Claudie’s sister, wonderful motifs of three women. Look at the different details in their outfits and the movement in them!

There were so many paintings there - and people - so I couldn’t really take photos as I wanted, but I managed to take one of this fun and creative sculpture.

I had one or two other favorites besides from Claudie’s sisters paintings, which I totally forgot to take a picture of!

…and then we saw a fantastique stilleben (still life)…. or…..?

No, it was Tor taking a pause in the walking around in the gallery, obviously totally taken by the art…. *giggles*

So many artists participated with their work in this exhibition, that I couldn’t mention them all, I’ll just have to say that I loved that there is so much creativity going on in this little town!

Food and drinks was served outside in the gorgeous weather. It was such a pleasure to have some French snacks and some drinks. We were very honored to mingle with the people there, even though we only could speak English with a few of them.

Yes, it was definitely one of many highlights during this trip.

Another painting in a total different place catching our eyes while we were in France, were one of Pierre’s paintings: a very beautiful woman…

We definitely could notice that France really are the country of artistic heritage, everywhere there were so interesting and creative people!

Lifecruiser ♥ French Art
 

Earlier posts in this serie:

France Bandol Beach Sunset
To Tour Toulon Too
Le Castellet Medieval Village
Vintage Marseille Soap Posters
French beach leach
Bloggers toast in France
Bloggers finally meet in France after three years of blogging
French blogger host lost
Start Fart of France Trip
Marseille Air Lair Stare
Pastis in Provence Southern France
Photographer beholder but not older
Connect Hotel Skavsta Airport
 

Click to see Lifecruiser Christmas 2009 photo slideshow.

A Merry, Merry Christmas (God Jul) To You All!

Lifecruiser ♥ Christmas Gift Wrapping
 

This might be one of the very rare cases when I’m glad that I’m not coming home from a trip, because it can’t be fun to land in this weather. However, hubbys daqughter Jane is, she’s coming home from Gran Canaria with her boyfriend today - and she’s afraid of flying. Poor her!

Our only question now is: will it last over Christmas?

The reason for the question is that it’s not that unusual that it start to snow around the Lucia (13th of December), for some time and then right before Christmas Day, it all melts away and it starts raining!

So, keep your thumbs that we’ll have a white Christmas this year.

Lifecruiser ♥ Snow (only on Christmas!)
 

Bandol don’t just have great beaches, it’s perhaps most known internationally for it’s excellent wines, so if you ever go there: make sure to get the chance to taste it.

I couldn’t resist to take a photo of this stranded shark laying on the beach turned to the sunset… *giggles*

No, I didn’t swim, I was too afraid of the sharks… ha ha… or was it maybe since my back can’t handle to be chilled down? Hm…

The others were swimming before the sun did set even though some were a bit hesitating….

Ah…. those wonderful summer memories to dream about… *sigh*

Lifecruiser ♥ Bandol Beach
 

Earlier posts in this serie:

To Tour Toulon Too
Le Castellet Medieval Village
Vintage Marseille Soap Posters
French beach leach
Bloggers toast in France
Bloggers finally meet in France after three years of blogging
French blogger host lost
Start Fart of France Trip
Marseille Air Lair Stare
Pastis in Provence Southern France
Photographer beholder but not older
Connect Hotel Skavsta Airport