There are a lot of things, that are good about living in Sweden actually. Although i might sound quite negative very often, i have found a few things i absolutely adore here. One of these is the next level of avocado toast (we have all seen enough of them) - Chantarelle Toast. 

I do it the most swedish way anyhow possible. Since i have never eaten Chanterelle at all before coming here, i started some addiction quite recently after trying them for the first time. 

If you visit Stockholm, but would like to see swedish countryside as well, you can either take a boat ride to the archipelago or head south-east to Tyresta Nationalpark, which takes approx 1h30 by Bus from Central Stockholm. 

The protected Area is in total around 47 km² big, so of course you will not be able to see all within one day. 

Me and my friend decided to escape city and go hiking at one weekend last year. We did absolutely not know what expected us, but we were more than happy to come here.

Since the area is that big, you will maybe meet one person per hour, when striking through the forest. (Which is perfect to escape civilisation). I have never smelled this fresh air, nor heard the actual sound of the woods. 

As a German, living almost in towns and cities my whole life, i have never had the chance to embrace nature at this scale. 

The Park features many different landscapes, there are huge forest areas, then rocky mountains in between and endless lakes. A part of the Park burned during 1999 and you can still see the impact today. 

I would recommend you to always follow the path, if you do not know anything about hiking signs, better stay close to the bigger ones.

We entered the Park from Tyresta Station in the East and made our way  to the big lake Ärsjön, where we had a picnic with avocadotoast and lunch break.

Backwards we actually decided to take some smaller path, leading directly into a rocky mountain area. Basically we totally lost orientation and felt like Frodo and Sam, wandering around in middle earth. Somehow we still made it back to the Bus stop.

In autumn Tyresta Nationalpark is recommended for picking mushrooms, especially my favourite Chantarelles, so guess who's back this year. (But with better boots and maybe GPS)

When it comes to bank holidays or national celebrations there is no day that is as important to the Swedes as Midsommar. Even christmas is not as big here.
Swedish Midsommar is celebrating traditionally the longest night in the year (in northern parts of Sweden the sun does not set at all). Midsummer Eve, which is the festive day is always a Friday between the 19th and 25th of June. Therfore it can be some time, that the actual date is not the meteorological summer solstice. 

Anyway Swedes plan this day very much in advance. Usually Stockholm City is empty by Thursday afternoon, since all people leave for the countryside to celebrate in their "Stuga" (countryhouse) by the water.

The celebrations start already in the early morning, where especially kids and girls or women put a lot of work and effort into making a traditional "krans" or flower crown. Even man are doing this as well, but more with green leaves and less flowers. 

Their actual task is to built and lift the maypole, which is used as central spot for dancing in the afternoon. Watched and cheered by the others, it takes them quite a while to lift that thing and secure it on the ground. When the pole finally stands, everyone applauds and the swedish "dansband" similiar to German Schlager starts to sing their songs. Meanwhile everyone has drunk already more than 5 glasses of beer, so the Swedes can finally let go and start the very famous frog dance to increase fertility. (i recommend you to watch some videos on youtube)

This is one of the opportunities in the year, where you can actually make contact to strangers and do not need to feel ashamed, since they will not remember you the next day anyway.
After dancing around the pole, you might have hooked up with someone or celebrate more privately at your place with a barbecue and svensk färskpotatis. If you were unlucky and did not pick someone up, you still got the chance to pick 7 types of flowers, while crossing 7 fences and put them under your pillow. If you believe very hard in it, you might dream of the man you will marry.

But how to look on this very special day in the year? Every female wears a white dress, no matter how cold it is (maybe around 15°c) and a huge flower crown. But of course you get extra attention if you have a very nice crown, so better put a bit of effort into it. 

You can buy the kit (a big wire hairband, satin ribbon and a roll of wire to attach flowers) in almost every flower shop around town the days before. Traditionally you should gather 7 types of flowers, but at that time not many nice flowers grow around. So you have to invest some money to buy them. It is basically really easy since you attach your flowers with the wire around the hairband, but it can be a bit tricky if you do it for the first time. If you have your flower crown and a white dress (maybe rubber boots and a rain cape as well) you are ready to go. 

Do not forget to get your supply of beverages at systembolaget a few days before, since everything shuts down Friday afternoon.

There are a few places around town, where you can go as a non-swedish person without swedish friends who own a country house.There is always a big celebration at Skansen (sometimes the royal family attends as well). Otherwise there is a Maypole rise in Bromma. If you like to escape the city, one of the nicest traditional Midsommars can be celebrated on an Island in the archipelago called Grinda. If you plan early you can even rent one of the popular small houses and stay on the island for the whole weekend. Ferries leave regulary from Stockholm and it takes around 3h to get there.

Well if you move to Stockholm and hear around people, where to go out and club, everyone will talk about this mystic place Trädgården or also known as "Under Bron" (Under the Bridge).

Basically this is the place to be on a long warm swedish summer night (unfortunately not happening that often this year) 

The place is built more like a constant festival under the bridge leading from Södermalm to Hammarby. The area is quite big and rebuilt every season. In winter the area is much smaller and only inside, while in summer there is a huge open air space with wooden benches, a restaurant, swings and anything your festival spirit needs. 

Quite nerdy are also the pingong tables all around the yard. Swedish people love to play games (some say it helps them avoid talking). If you want to keep this moment forever, you can take shoots in one of the photo boxes. 

If you do not want so socialize at all, you can even play super mario on a huge projected screen. This is super cool, but you have to wait quite long, if a pro is in action until you get your turn. 

In the back, higher area, which you can access through the clubs or by some small side stairs, you can find a number of swings, which are always very busy. Do not swing to much or you will be told of. 

After your pingpong championship, more than one super mario gameover and some swings, you might be hungry. No worries this place features as said a restaurant and 2 Burger grills, one directly by the entrance and one next to the swings. If you want to fill up your alcohol level, you can do that for swedish price (a beer 6€ approx) in any of the bars. 

Well this sounds all super cool and fantastic. Indeed you have to spend a night here when visiting Stockholm, but there is always a dark side as well. I am not going to hide it from you.

If the weather is amazing, you can directly be prepared to wait between 2-3 hours in queue, unless you come at 4pm already. Most people come around 11, but as said if the weather is nice, EVERYONE in town will be here. Basically there is even a queue, when the area is empty. They just pretend it's always busy.
So while waiting in line you can sip your prosecco (or something stronger) out of your water plastic bottle, since it's indeed forbidden here to drink on the streets. (I did not know and got told of by the police, so don't try)

When you finally reach the end of the queue and are about to get in, the entrance price will probably have risen from 0sek to 120sek or 180sek (around 13 or 20€) and this is not including a free drink! 

Then of course after emtying all your precious alcohol (bought at systembolaget, the only shop to access over 3% beverages) you will need the toilet. 

The later it gets, the more disgusting it is and do not wonder if you can see your neighbour while letting go. There are some wooden cabins that are literally only covering your lower parts, so you can grin your neighbour in the face, while trying not to touch the toilet. These toilets are indeed festive. 

If you are fine now, you can swing your leg on the dancefloor, but do not expect any men to approach or even look at you. There will be plenty of nordic beauties around you, but here it is your turn to get them. While the disco ball is turning and the swedish night never ends, you might find the love of your life (Or end up lonely with a hungover dip at 6am in one of the lakes nearby)

When you live and work in a city, you tend to just do your regular things and at the weekend, one is mostly just relaxing, or at least i am. So when my dear friends from Germany came, i had to come up with some entertainment. I had looked up an amazing vegan café on Södermalm, so me and my friend headed there on Sunday.

Mahalo

This café is one of my favourites here in Stockholm, since it's vegan i never need to mind about my allergies. It is located on Hornsgatan, close to Zinkensdam Metro Station. The place is quite big, there is a ground area with cushions and also a small balcony with second floor, where you can enjoy your smoothie bowl or raw cakes. For lunch they offer the most amazing sweet potato fries and other healthy green treats.

Furthermore the cafe has a back terrace, which is really nice to sit on in summer. Me and my friends had breakfast here, so of course we picked some smoothie bowls. I can never get around coffee, so i had a regular latte, although i was quite tempted to try a rainbow one.

Come here and read a book, or do some research for studies, you will love it. As Stockholm food prices are quite high in general, i would not call any place proper cheap. But here you get at least a lot for your money.

Lakritsroten

When walking up further north Hornsgatan, you will find some very nice unique stores.

If you like licorice, you have to come here. Anything that can possibly be connected to this flavour, is available here. My friends boyfriend loves the taste, so we stepped by to get a gift for him.
Anyway the choice was very hard, due to a massive selection. There are not only candies, but also fresh baked products, lemonades, teas and even licorice salt. Not enough, there are even creams and cosmetics with anis flavour: The absolute licorice overdose.

Brandstationen

This is one of the most impressive vintage interiour shops i have ever been to. Here you can find unique decoration for your home, not at all clean scandinavian, but bright and simply amazing. The selection is huge and prices are not cheap, so to say, but you buy these pieces for a lifetime. If i would ever have a home of my own, i would shop here to give my place a character.

One of the top attractions in Stockholm is Rosendal's Trädgård. Especially if you are interested in plants, agriculture and eco-friendly living and food, you will find this place extraordinary. I have been there so many times, just because it changes all year around.

Trädgård is a swedish word for "housegarden" and  the area around Rosendal is a huge one. It is located on the museum Island Djurgården, which you can easily access by ferry or tram. Since the garden is located in the center, one has to walk a bit from the station. Although you are quite in the middle of the city, you feel like being in the countryside.

The whole place consists of several huge green houses, of which several are used for a plant market. The other parts are ocupied by severeal guests, enjoying the delicious fresh food.

The dishes variate, since all vegetables and ingredients are seasonal.

In the main green house you can find a buffet with amazing sandwiches (mackas) and different cakes and raw balls (bullar). The daily fresh kitchen serves usually 4 main dishes, one is mostly a soup and another a salad. Fresh water and bread with butter is included when eating here. A main dish costs between 120-140sek.

Drinkwise there is a huge offer of eco lemonades and vines, as well as coffee and tea. You can sit outside between the apple trees or one of the terraces as well.

After filling your tummy, you should stop by the little shop next to the restaurant. They have beautiful handcrafted products and special honeys and sauces, all eco of course. Also you can get fresh baked bread and harvested products from the garden. This place is an oasis to escape hectic city live and approach farmlife in a different way.

Tipp: Watch out for different seasonal events (rose day, pumpkin day) on their website.

Well it is almost one year ago since i emigrated to Sweden and time for some evaluation. I didn't realise a lot of people travel to Stockholm where i live and it's actually quite a big tourist attraction.

I feel even i haven't seen all sides of this place yet, within a year, because once you live somewhere you always tend to think you have a lot of time. And somehow you take the place you live in for granted and don't realise how beautiful it actually is.

So since i will not travel in April, i will go around here in Stockholm and closer surroundings, to explore the best places to fill my sweden diary.

There are some general facts i concluded within the last year.

Stockholm is the capital and main city, but still it seems more comparable to a mid-size city in Germany. There are not many high rise blocks and nature is easy accessable for everyone. Also a walk by the water is anywhere possible, since Stockholm is built on countless Islands.

Most important here in Sweden are nevertheless the only two existing Seasons: Summer & Winter.

There is literally no spring and no autumn, i have the feeling. Also while Summer lasts around 5 weeks maybe, if lucky, winter lasts for ages!

Everyone has been warning me and saying when i came in April and loved this place so much, that i will definitly change my mind when winter is coming.

So i had an amazing very short summer in Sweden, went to Bali in autumn and when i came back in September it was there.

The really depressing point for me was actually the darkness, in december even at the weekend if you sleep longer, 3h of light. You start to isolate in your flat, starting endless marathons of tv shows, hoping that this might end soon, but well, the winter lasts until April.

Every step outside is a challenge, since you do not want to leave your cosy home. Actually it seems that this city is falling asleep. In summer there are endless amounts of parties, people outside all nights, you hear the laughter in the warm breeze.

In winter you will feel the isolation and uncomfortable stillness, but even i left my house from time to time, since this period of the year has some positives as well.

I have never seen as much snow as here in sweden. Already in november last year we had a suprising snow storm, that bedded Stockholm in a 40cm deep white blanket.

Of course it was so very chaotic, since no one expected it that early in the year. And the temperatures are insanely cold for me, when it is -12° degrees and windy, i get the feeling of freezing to death. But there is no bad weather, just bad clothing, so thats the time when you should leave the house. Since the snow makes everything more light and adoring, you can finally hear some small kids laughing outside while doing their snowball fights.

After December i could literally feel every day getting longer again, now the sun is up when i get up and it's still light after work, which is just such a fantastic feeling. You never appreciate something until you really miss it and i got so addicted to daylight and sunshine.

That was also a reason for me to do from now on a trip to a very sunny place in the middle of winter, probably best in December, to escape the swedish darkness.