Scandinavian Midsommar Serenity

Happy Sunday Lizteners,

If you’re in Luxembourg, I hope you’ve all had a lovely National Day, spending it with your loved ones. If you’re Scandinavian however, I hope you’ve had an amazing Midsomer celebration. Speaking of Northern Europe, your girl just got back from Stockholm, Sweden and wow was I impressed. To sum it up in a few words: it was idyllic, clean, very green, beautiful and energetic at the same time. The Swedes have definitely won me over with their capital. It’s no secret they got it  together, but just imagine that you can’t even find bottled still water at a supermarket, because everyone just drinks tap water since it’s so pure and clean – definitely something we can all learn from. As someone who’s very keen on living a sustainable lifestyle, I felt very inspired by this Nordic city. (Plus everything’s within walking distance so no need, especially when it’s nice out, to go underground or get into a cab.)

Although this is a travel post and the most exciting part of this are probably the pictures, I still wanted to give you my suggestions on what to check out when you decide to visit Stockholm. Above I circled my favorite districts of the island. Scroll down as I share more of my tips with you all…

Gamla Stan is the Old Town; it’s characterized by narrow streets, old buildings and houses the Royal Palace. Although there are tons of tourists, make sure to take the smaller streets around the big one running down the middle to find the true gems. If you’re in the mood for some very simple, but delicious, whole foods vegan spot, Hermitage is sure to feed your cravings.

Norrmalm is the area our hotel was at. See it as the center of the city, but more commercial and not as homey as the other parts. A cute place to check out though to either have an afternoon snack or just a drink is Urban Deli. You can also have some healthy brunch at Pom&Flora. As far as shopping goes, there are a few Acne Studios stores in that area and for a more affordable option, make sure to pay Grandpa a visit.

Östermalm on the other hand (which is next to Norrmalm) is a more upscale area that features not only every big-name designer store, but also some more independent boutiques with either unique clothing or Scandinavian furniture (gets my heart pumping every time!!). Filippa K is a great Scandinavian designer with a minimalistic aesthetic that is very appealing to me. (Shocker) Asplund is just one example of many beautifully curated design and furniture stores located in Östermalm.

Södermalm was one of my favorite areas of Stockholm; it was young, absolutely gorgeous, had tons of cute shops and cafés and housed the Photography Museum called Fotografiska, which is definitely worth checking out. A great Scandinavian and organic restaurant we found called Kalf&Hansen had great locally sourced food options (the smaller the spot, the better honestly). Funny how most streets here reminded me of the ones on the French Riviera..

From there it is close to take a boat to Skeppsholmen to visit the Moderna Museet, which is free of charge believe it or not and did not disappoint.

 Lastly I wanted to tell you about Djurgarden aka ‘the green island’; this might’ve been my favorite area. It was so idyllic and being surrounded by so much nature in a relatively big city made me feel very much at peace. You could stroll around with your pet, go for a picnic in the park or spend an afternoon at the Scandinavian Children’s Books Museum (Although I didn’t go, I will never forget how much these books and movies shaped my childhood. Astrid Lindgren, you’re an idol!). My favorite favorite favooooorite area though was called Rosendals Trägdård: It features a café, a small shop with local products, as well as a bunch of greenhouses. It couldn’t have been more picturesque. You get your food inside the café and then grab a seat in the garden and lunch underneath a tree under the glowing Sun. Magical.

I hope you all enjoyed this post! I sure did composing it and I would recommend this city 11/10.

Have a wonderful rest of your day everyone,

Love,

Liz