Travel

Stockholm surprises

Stockholm is hot
Literally. Last weekend I was in Stockholm and the weather was actually better than Amsterdam. That was one of the first Stockholm surprises, as I assumed Scandinavian countries are always cold. The second surprise was how green the city was. Spring exploded and gave the city a touch of nature I really enjoyed. My first time in Stockholm was in February, when both city and countryside where completely covered in snow. Fun finding: it is possible to make something nice of a practice need, the roundabouts in Stockholm are very pretty!

Stylish Stockholm
Enjoying the sun at Muggen terrace in Skoho (yes, this area is named after SoHo and if you look around, you know why), I couldn’t help noticing that dressing up according the latest fashion seems a second nature for the Swedes. It was like I was reading a fashion magazine and watching H&M, Filippa K, Acne and Soya models walking over the catwalk, but it was regular streetlife on Sunday.

Culture and cocktails
Stockholm is a very dynamic city with lots of activities, museums, exhibitions and other things you could do when you visit the city. I’ve visited the museumvillage Skansen, an outdoor museum that shows you how the Swedish people used to live in the typical wooden houses. Skansen also has a zoo, playgrounds and a fair. The weather was great and lots of families spent their time in the park, picknicking and enjoying quality time together. On my last day I went to Fotografiska, the photomuseum. The main exhibition was from the worldfamous photographer Albert Watson who captured Mick Jagger, Kate Moss and president Obama in a very artistic way. The Fotografiska building was very impressive, from both the in- and the outside. Very clever is the cooperation with local fashion designer Filippa K for its accessoires.
No matter how much fun culture brings, I also wanted to taste the Swedish nightlife. One of the most famous nightclubs is Berns, but I visited a skybar. I like places with a view over the city and so I ended up in Och Himlen Dartill for an Amaretto Sour. The view is breathtaking as there’s a 360 degrees window.

Food
Alcohol is said to be expensive, but the difference between a cocktail in downtown Stockholm or Amsterdam is very little.
Food is a bit pricier, but all products are fresh and the quality of products is better. If you like muffins, carrot cakes etc., Stockholm is a party. But there are also a lot of ecologic restaurants with healthy food. Of course they eat lots of fish in Sweden, but also meat is very popular. I haven’t been to typical Swedish restaurants for dinner unfortunately, so no tips for that.
But if you’re looking for a pleasant break in between your shopping spree, I can recommend you the champagne bar in the NK shopping mall (Veuve Cliquot)!

Sky Bar Och Hilmlen Dartill in Stockholm

Sabine de Witte