goodbye november 2016

As a stark contrast to wonderful October my November has been an uninspiring blah month. The stressful mess of substitute buses, the crazy snowfall, chaos in traffic, icy streets that were so limiting (because even if one works from home it's obviously a must to get out for walks and a bit of socializing regularly. 

But the tension with trying to navigate forward on icy streets, well that's not an option if it can be avoided), the fact that Yelp suddenly shut down its operations all over Europe (so no more Yelp Stockholm events only the options to continue writing reviews and upload photos), the mad outcome of the US election, more sad news regarding climate change and the point of no return. Brooding and mourning. It has certainly been a month for an abundance of that. Reading, watching movies, cuddling cats, drinking a gazillion cups of tea has been my blues remedy, but no inspiration for blogging. Obviously. (And the Schwarzwald thoughts post will be left for another month.)

Though putting together the #november2016 for Instagram I realise it has also held some really great days and stuff. Only overshadowed by all the blah.

So - I will never again complain about reasonably rainy days, because they wash away any icy streets and aren't difficult to navigate only liberating.

The #VeganVikings week with Yelp Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen (at least it ended with a bang) - it was lovely. Even if I couldn't take part as much as I would have liked due to those darn substitute buses. But a vegan dinner, a lunch, a breakfast and a wonderful rawfood fika, that was sweet too.

During that week, on its worst possible day - because my bus/train was 1,5 hours delayed and her train 3 hours delayed... - I rekindled with a friend I hadn't seen for 7 (!) years. It was via her and her then boyfriend (who was a childhood friend of M) I met M all those years ago. She and I studied law together back then. It was lovely to meet up again, hopefully our contact will be much regular than once every 7 year from now on... 

- On a side note I learnt that her then boyfriend and M's childhood friend also suddenly passed away in November. Even if we hadn't had any contact for many years and he didn't come to M's funeral it was sad to hear of another too early passing. And how odd that both M and he doing it so unexpectedly and only a few months apart. This year has held so much deaths of good people. And with every passing I hear of my own sorrow surface again. - 

On an especially blah day, when even more snow fell, I decided to make a snow angel in the garden. (Things that is possible to do when you don't have a dog that has hid pooptastic secrets under the snow.) And despite my hair looking scary gray (no of course it must be snow, of course) it was so much fun. Making snow angels it's impossible to be sad.

Then on the last Sunday of the month, first of Advent, the snow unfortunately began to fall again - hello nasty, icy streets - I went to a group seance with my mum. Simply because I'm open and curious. There are so much in this world we don't know about, things we can't explain. I'm all for having a healthy sceptical attitude, there are many charlatans out there, but I also believe it's important to have an open mind. 

You are completely anonymous and whatever message you get there is no possibility whatsoever the medium could have researched you beforehand. I'm deeply grateful I went. I got a personal message, even if it wasn't a greeting from a special person but more general it was so very accurate with details I've never told anyone. I should have taken notes perhaps, but I remember the most important things. And the one thing that made me tear up once I was out on the snowy streets of Stockholm again was the detail that there's a little bright, happy dog that accompanies me. That's such an endearing, comforting notion. Little Loaf with his liquorice nose.

It was an emotional Sunday, but a very good one and it gave me more reason to really trust that everything will be alright, it really will. I will continue to work on my focus, my goals, but it is also high time for this worrying kind to enjoy herself more.

The last Sunday of November also held the purchase of a gorgeous dress. My intention was only to have a wee look at it in the Marimekko store - it's the same fantastic Pieni Pioni pattern as my coat, only in red, grey and white for a perfect winter dress - but when I tried it on it was simply to perfect to not get. Wonderful heavy viscose crepe fabric, brilliant cut. And pockets. As the coat was a symbolic birthday gift for myself, this dress is the same for Christmas. Bring on the good times.

The month was rounded off with a rare movie visit - 'Fantastic beasts and where to find them'. Loved it. A perfect simple way to end a month of much blah on a light note.

Goodbye November, you were a rough month but in hindsight a good teacher.
Hello December, please be bright, kind and awesome.

goodbye october 2016

Goodbye October, you have been overall gorgeous and awesome in many many ways. I'm ever so grateful for that after a very tough seven months, that you have given me much more highs than lows. My deepest wish is of course that will continue for the months, the years to come.

The hashtag #october2016 on Instagram is limited to nine photos only, which in no way is enough to show every highlight from my month that was, but at least it gives an idea.

So what has been my highlights of October? Here goes -

:: The arrival of Fleur and Li'l Nutter. And cinnamon bun day.

:: The new glasses from the Smarteyes Non-violence collection (have not had the opportunity to wear the new sunglasses becasue honestly we've only had about 8 hours of sun during October...).

:: The writer's talk at the local library with one of my favourite writers, Arne Dahl (Jan Arnald). He seems like such a very likeable guy. And I got to tell him how fantastic I think his language is. And he signed some of my books. (I only chose to take three of them with me, all 15 would have been a bit too much...)

:: The charity picking up yet more big, black plastic bags hence me cleansing more of my home and life of stuff. Oh the relief.

:: That I was able to invoice a reasonable amount of money. To be able to do that regularly would be heavenly.

:: A great evening about the health of our planet hosted by the Consumer Association Stockholm (Konsumentföreningen Stockholm) with speakers such as Tristram Stuart and Mattias Klum. The talks and their subject on sustainability made me both angry and hopeful. 

But to be really honest, I do believe everything we do now is too little too late to save our planet. Most humans want a change, but they don't want to make changes in their own lifestyle. And the politicians we have are just spineless cowards and opportunists without visions and power of action. The best we can do now is to be as good and kind as we can and enjoy life as much as possible while the planet still exists.

:: My Schwarzwald trip. A growth experience on so many levels. So so much to show and tell. And I will. In a post of its own, one day in November.

:: Birthday. The perfect day for inaugurating the Marimekko flowery happy coat. And I loved the Tove Jansson/Moomin exhibition at Millesgården. Followed by a lovely late vegan breakfast/lunch/dinner at Hälsocafét (The Health Cafe). And I bought a couple of raw food pastries that I enjoyed lots the day after.

:: The Yelp elite event making vegan freakshakes with Djurens Rätt (Animal's Rights, the oldest animal rights association in Sweden which does a great job for animals. I've been a member since I was 7 years old.)

The event was a kick-off for the #VeganViking campaign in Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen that starts tomorrow on World Vegan Day and lasts for the first week of World Vegan Month. Use your Yelp-app to check in to different restaurants, cafe and shops in these cities to get great offers during November 1-6.

Alas this week will coincide with the same replacement buses for commuter trains calamity as this past summer so I won't be able to take part of as many things as I'd like. But I will go for one dinner, one fika and host a breakfast at least. Edit: I did have a lunch too and it was lovely.

:: Finishing the month off with a sweet afternoon tea with my mother and Stadsmissionen (The City Mission) - not vegan alas but at least all vegetarian. And very good value for money (sadly the only place that do offer that in Stockholm these days. Every other afternoon tea here is posh and expensive nowadays, such a pity.)

:: The cats. Always the cats. They brighten up every month, come rain or shine.

So thank you so much, October, for all your highlights and good people, good things, good food. 

Hello November, please be kind and brilliant.

september highlights

Hello there. 

It has been over two weeks since I blogged. (The reason is not that the blogoversary celebrations where heavy. Really.) And it certainly isn't for a lack of matters to blog about. I've written lots of posts in my head these past few weeks. None of which obviously haven't made it to online status. And now I'm not really sure where to begin.

So, this won't be structured. This will be deeply emotional, this will be light-hearted and possibly frivolous, this will be about sorrow and happiness. In other words, this will be a bit of a long post.

:: First of all - I didn't get the part-time job I had hoped for. They said they'd settled for someone with slightly more experience of the tasks, but they thought I was great too. At least they took the time to call me up and tell me that. Which is a rare rare thing these days alas... Apparently they never got in touch with any of the referees either so the person they hired must have been oustanding in their fields.

But you know what? The more I thought about the job, the more trapped I felt. Sure it was within easy access from home by train - but it would also mean crossing the county border thus forcing me to pay 100% more for the monthly train card. Sure it was a brilliant half-time job - but instead of me working 2,5 days per week they wanted me to work half-days every day. Which is just crazy since that would mean I had to waste 1,5 hours commuting every day and not really being able to do my best for neither them nor running my business with focus for the rest of the time. And having to comply with that schedule for one year - scary and limiting. Also, the salary level crossing the county borders (even if really, it is a suburb of Stockholm still) means lower payment. Which would obviously mean quite low given half-time plus that mad train ticket as well as the stress of having to deal with working in an office environment every darn day for a year.

So all and all, in hindsight I feel this was for the best. Now I'm all open to exciting stuff instead, that suits my lifestyle and what I want from life. To be honest, I was more upset with the fulltime marketing and community manager job that never happened - because if it had been as great as it sounded on paper and felt after the first interview, it would have been something new and exciting to deal with.

So I'm all good about this. In fact I'm proud of how great I am at this resilience thing. And I'm looking forward to more work and clients that suit my needs and wants better. Welcome, welcome.

:: The Indian summer weather has been pretty glorious for most of the days, sure the evenings and early mornings for most days have become distinctively chillier. But the average temperature has been around +15C degrees, some days even more. From a global warming perspective this scares me a lot. But in the here and now I try to enjoy the surprising warmth and generous sunny days, the vitamin D.

:: Since September 1st I've been consulting per hour for my May client. Which is pretty good, it may not be creatively exciting tasks as such, but I know the organisation and what they want, the people are really nice and I have been able to invoice a decent amount since then. I've calculated that if I could do this regularly - and obviously it doesn't have to be for this client only - for 3 days/week I would almost meet my monthly goal in what I want as a salary. And it's enough that I pop by their office on the odd occasion to talk things through. Perfect.

:: It is now six months since M passed away. For me to move on to the next stage in the sorrow process (whatever that may be, I'm not sure myself) I realise I have to tell the people that have hurt me the most during his passing, his relatives, just how I feel and have felt about their behaviour. 

So I wrote draft a couple of weeks ago - only finally writing it was a relief - and have returned to it, rewritten and thought about it since. I will email it this week. I just want to tell my side of the story, I don't expect or want any explanations or discussions. They have clearly decided to delete my importance from M's life, something I will never be able to forget, obviously its incredibly hurtful for a lot of reasons. Perhaps I will be able to forgive some day, but not now. But just sending this email is catharctic and important for me. Not doing so would seriously belittle both myself and M, and our years together.

:: I've been meaning to write about that organic. muesli I 'discovered' at the Yelp event in May, but I've never gotten around to it. But since I won an annual consumption worth of it last week on Instagram, I might as well write a few words right now.

It's a lovely, German brand called MyMuesli - which encapsulate a lot of things I love: organic, colourful, healthy, vegetarian and vegan (when the products don't contain honey or dairy products like chocolate) with a dash of humour. When you sample the mueslis in store there's always oat milk or soygurt available too.

As far as I know they only have stores in Germany, Switzerland, UK, Netherlands and Sweden (Stockholm), possibly you can order online in the rest of Europe too. You can either mix your own unique muesli (which makes for endless variations) or chose one of their regular lovelies. Because yes, lovely they are. Most of the mueslis I've tried has been great (with a couple of exceptions), but my favourites so far is the Paleo Coconut, Mango, Berry and the brand new one as seen in the happy winning picture above - StockholmMuesli. Lovely design of one of my favourite views of Stockholm and a crunchy, fruity granola-like muesli. Only available in Stockholm or the Swedish webstore obviously (like four other limited editions for Sweden).

I'm such a happy, happy winner! Obviously.

This makes my third awesome win in an Instagram competition in a year. I'm thinking I should add this special knack to my CV.

:: The trip to Freiburg is now booked! One might think booking through a travel agent would make things so much smoother, right? Well it has not. Because even if I'm pretty flexible about dates, it has been quite tricky to get a room at a conveniently located central hotel that accept vouchers. But now I have one - and since I definitely prefered that over a more expensive hotel, for various reasons, I also get to fly with a bit of luxury added - as well as the plane- and train tickets (from Frankfurt to Freiburg, looking forward to travel by train in Germany!). It's weird that it's more expensive to travel solo than in pair, so the 4 days for 2 did not extend into at least a week for 1, but 5 days and 4 nights. Which I suppose is rather perfect for a solo trip as this.

So the week before my birthday I'll head south and enjoy some lovely, lovely days exploring a green city on my own. And before I had even booked the trip I did get that new suitcase I contemplated, it's darling and in bright, apple green. Ready to be filled my many, new and fabulous memories.

:: Early March I saw this stunner of a coat from Marimekko online. All flowery in orange, yellow and white on a black background. It wasn't obvious what kind of material it was made of, but I saved the photo on my mobile and have had a crush on that coat ever since. 

When it finally turned up in the Autumn collection last month it turned out to be a padded coat devoid of animal matter, which made me want it even more. Rather pricey, but not nearly as prices as some of their other coats or clothes. I thought I might at least try it on in store to see if it was something I should continue to dream of or not. It was gorgeous. The upper sleeves were too tight for me, but the rest was just as stunning as in that initial picture.

I've thought a lot about this coat. In fact, as ridiculous as it may seem, it has become symbolic in many ways. Apart from its gorgeousness - the print is a revival from 1970 called Pieni Pioni - it's vegan (I'm not shucking out my old wool clothes or leather shoes, but at least I can make better choices from now on) and completely different both in fabric and style from anything else I have in my wardrobe. It's another kind of happy coat than the Marimekko one from 3 years ago, for another type of weather.

I decided it would be one of those new, positive memories, from a year that turned my life upside down in sad sad way, and what would be better than give it to myself as an early birthday gift? From deciding on that to it arriving at my door, less than 48 hours.

And you know what, it fits so well! Just as the above mentioned happy coat #1, even if the model is very different. And given it'll be a great autumn/winter coat for many years it's a reasonable price really. Welcome fabulous happy coat #2!

There, happiness, sorrow, frivolity and emotions - two weeks of my life turned into one blog post of highlights.

my guide to stockholm

First of all, welcome to Stockholm, the beautiful capital of Scandinavia!

Please note that this post was written in 2016 and it has been updated here and there, as much as possible, ever since. For the latest information, adresses and opening hours I recommend you look at the respective website.

The city consists of seven major districts; Norrmalm, Östermalm, Södermalm, Kungsholmen, Vasastan, Gamla Stan (Old Town) and Djurgården. Read more about them here but also keep in mind that the post is from 2007 so a lot has changed since...

Second of all, I really recommend you buy a travel card, they come in different variations but one thing they have in common is that they are much cheaper compared to single tickets which basically are a rip-off. You can't buy travel cards or tickets on buses and trains anymore so make sure you have your fair in order before stepping on the trains, trams or buses because the penalties can be pretty steep. Having a travel card is the cheapest and best way to get around the city and its suburbs.

And please skip the sightseeing buses, they are appallingly bad and expensive, the routes taken unimaginative and the stories told via the headphones (if they work) ridiculously obsolete.

Instead get a good guide-book (or guide) and make your own way around the city. I strongly recommend you take the Tvärbanan tram for a really lovely suburb tour with views and different architectural styles. The Nockebybanan, Saltsjöbanan, Lidingöbanan and Roslagsbanan are other nice trams/commuter train lines too. And of course, being slightly biased, I think the commuter trains are a great way to see more of Stockholm suburbs too. Just beware that a June 11 - August 8 a fair bit of its northern lines are replaced by buses which is very inconvenient and stressful (I know this too well, it's *my* part of the commuter train lines that's affected).
EDIT 2017: This applies July 4 - August 13 for the commuter trains, and the Tvärbanan and other rails are affected too alas. For more information see sl.se 
EDIT 2018: Even more extensive works this summer, inluding railways, commuter trains and subways, see SL.se for more information.

I also think hopping on and off the regular blue inner city buses 1, 2, 3 and 4 is a great way to experience the inner city.

Yes, there is a subway system in Stockholm too, I rarely use it these days, for various reasons. I prefer buses, which I find is a much nicer and convenient way to get you from A to B. And seeing lots of the city while doing it.

Don't miss the Sjövägen (Lakeway) ferryboat which takes you from Nybroplan to the Nacka suburbs and even out to Lidingö on some tours, and back. It's a really affordable (since it's part of the public transport SL it's included in the regular travel card) way to see the city from the lakeside and you can hop on and hop off where you like.

This is a very condensed list of the one in Swedish on Yelp.

Sights:

Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) - this is my number 1 favourite place in Stockholm. A Unesco World Heritage site of immense beauty and serenity all year round. Nearby you'll find cafés such as Enskede Bakgård and Gamla Enskede Bageri.

Stockholm City Hall - one of the most beautiful buildings in Stockholm. Host to the Nobel Prize ceremonies. Wonderful city views and if you dare venture up the tower it'll be even grander. Don't miss the unpretentious cafe just outside the walls where you can enjoy a cool/warm drink, icecreams and sandwiches in beach chairs by the water. A stone's throw from the Central Station.

Gamla stan + Järnpojken - the charming medieval part of Stockholm where everything begun. The main street Västerlånggatan is basically just a sad sight full of tourist traps and shops full of junk these days. But do head up to Stortorget and meander your way down narrow alleyways, Köpmannagatan and Österlånggatan for more authentic shops, cafes and restaurants. Do not miss the little statue Järnpojken (The Little Iron Boy), tucked away in the courtyard of the Finnish church. In Gamla Stan (Old Town) you'll find the lovely animal art shop Charlotte Nicolin and cafes like Grillska Husets Brödbod (sit on the rooftop veranda!) and Under Kastanjen.

Djurgården + Djurgårdsfärjan - take the tram, bus or the lovely ferry Djurgårdsfärjan (included in your travel card) to the beautiful, lush island part of the city where you'll also find attractions like Gröna Lund amusement park, Nordiska museet, Vasamuseet, Waldemarsudde, Thielska galleriet, Junibacken and not least wonderful nursery and cafe Rosendals trädgård.

Norra begravningsplatsen - another beautiful, but more old fashioned, cemetery in the northern outskirts of the inner city, a stone's throw from Karolinska hospital and Hagaparken.

Drottningholm castle - another Unesco World Heritage Site in Stockholm, this mini-Versailles on the island of Ekerö in the suburbs is well worth a visit. A boat or bus will take you here. This is also where Sweden's monarchy lives, not in the palace in Gamla Stan. But since I'm a hard-core republican (anti-monarchist) that is most certainly not a feature I'm interested in. Don't miss the pretty little Kina slott and the nearby waffle house.

Stockholms stadsbibliotek - our beautiful city library, full of not only books but also ambiance and quirky architectural features galore. Nearby you'll find Café Himlavalvet and vegetarian/vegan restaurants Lao Wai, Organic Green and Kokyo. Edit 2018: Lovely Mahalo has opened up its second place nearby too,


Viewpoints:

Monteliusvägen - near Mariatorget you'll find this gem of a walking path with outstanding views over the city. If you're lucky you can find a spot to sit down and have your picnic lunch/fika here too.

Katarinahissen + Fjällgatan - the elevator itself is no longer in use with the extensive construction works at Slussen, but you can walk out on it from Mosebacke torg and have a grand view over Stockholm and also walk/take the bus up on nearby Fjällgatan street,

Norr Mälarstrand - this is on the opposite side of the lake Mälaren from Monteliusvägen and Södermalm, at the Kungsholmen side you'll see Söder and at the end of Norr Mälarstrand you'll find Stadshuset.

Västerbron - if you are a really keen walker you can actually walk all in a long circle from Monteliusvägen, Gamla Stan, Stadshuset, Norr Mälarstrand and up on the large Västerbron bridge and continue down to Hornstull and then up Hornsgatan back to Mariatorget.

Högalidskyrkan - in my old childhood hoods of Hornstull you'll find this spectacular church which its twin towers that can be seen near and far over Stockholm. Some days they have guided tours up into the towers and that's well worth your time. A bit scary, endlessly interesting and the views at the very top is spectacular.


Restaurants:

Needless to say, all these are all vegetarian/vegan or vegetarian/vegan friendly.

Falafelbaren - (Söder) best falafel in town? They have two locations now, but the original one is the only one I've visited so far, near Mariatorget.

Greasy spoon - (Söder and Vasastan) breakfast and brunch alla day, every day. And a few brilliant vegan options too, like delicious buckwheat pancakes, full English vegan and smashed avocado sandwich. Lovely food, not cheap though.

Green Peas - (Kungsholmen), great vegetarian and vegan food, open both for lunch and dinner. Don't miss their fresh springrolls with tofu, delicious! EDIT 2017 - this restaurant is permanently closed alas.

Gro - two creative chefs in a minimalistic restaurant with about 20 seats serving organic food pretty as a picture. It used to be a popular lunch restaurant, with at least one vegetarian option on the menu, but now they only serve dinner Tues-Sat. One omnivore and one vegivore tasting menu are the only options, but you will not be disappointed. If you ask well ahead they can make a vegan option. Edit 2018 - sadly permanently closed.

Indian Street food & Co. - (Vasastan) foodtruck turned lunch restaurant. One gem I found at my latest gig in the hoods and quite probably the best Indian food I've had in Stockholm, brimming with flavours. The menu is short, only four dishes, where one is vegetarian, one is vegan and two are for non-vegetarians. EDIT 2017: They now have a restaurant in the city centre too, at Drottninggatan 73B.

Lao Wai - (Vasastan) Near Stadsbiblioteket you'll find this miniscule, popular restaurant that serve Asian, vegan food making their own soy and tofu dishes. Open for lunch and dinner, booking a table for dinner is essential. Don't miss their fantastic soymilk cappuccino and amazing ice cream.

Légumes - (Söder) situated at Bysistorget square near Monteliusgången and Falafelbaren, this is a classic vegetarian/vegan buffet restaurant. I only discovered it a few years ago because I've always shyed away from it due to the shabby interior. The food is very affordable and flavoursome. Always fresh since you point and they ladle your plate with all you can eat and refills. (Imho much better food and value for money than Herman's at Fjällgatan, minus the views.)

Kalf & Hansen - (Söder) at corner Mariatorget/Hornsgatan you'll find this little organic, healthy fastfood restaurant with many vegan options. Award-winning place run by wellknown Danish chef father and son duo. Great picnic food too.

Kokyo - (Vasastan, near Stadsbiblioteket) Chinese restaurant with a generous vegan menu. They make their own tofu and it's delicious. Open both for lunch and dinner.

Mahalo Hälsocafét - (Söder) Wonderful and very popular healthy, colourful now all vegan cafe. They make amazing smoothie bowls, noodle salads, wraps, sandwiches, smoothies, juices and raw desserts. Don't miss their amazing burger plate, with a delicious vegan burger (sans bread) and sweet potato fries, or the Knivsöder noodle salad! Edit 2018 - They have opened up a second place in Vasastan too.

Minh Mat - (Vasastan) Popular Vietnamese restaurant with lots of delicous vegan options. Open both for lunch and dinner, one vegan dish on the lunch menu, more in the evenings. My favourite is the dishes with the (organic) tofu, noodles and their fantastic soy sauce. Bookings for dinner is essential. Edit 2017: Closed in July, will open again in August.

Organic Green - (Vasastan/Norrmalm, near Stadsbiblioteket) Affordable, generous, no fuss, tasty vegan/vegetarian food.

Stockholm Brunch Club - probably the most Instagram-friendly place in town. Breakfast, brunch, lunch all day and they have some lovely vegan options too.

Wagamama - (Norrmalm, adjacent to Centralstationen). British chain-restaurant with a lovely array of vegetarian (and vegan if you ask) dishes on the menu. My favourite is the Pad Thai Yasai. They used to have a divine seaweed salad starter, but alas no more. Their freshly made juices are great too, ask for more ginger in the carrot ginger one.


Cafes:

Älskade traditioner - (Söder) currently my number one cafe crush in Stockholm, this retro cafe should not be missed. Very popular and not only amongst the hipsters who roam the area. Their speciality is wraffles, filled food waffles (my favourite is the one with hummus, beetroot and coleslaw) and dessert waffles. There are vegan options for both food and fika. Their breakfast (small, medium, large) is lovely and don't miss the yummy cinnamon buns.

Systrarna Andersson (previously Borgs Café & Brödbod) - (Vasastan) Cute cafe with an interior made up with missmatched thrifted furniture. Fika, sandwiches and salads.

Chic - (Söder/Mariatorget) Very unpretentious, liberatingly non-hipster cafe with good fika, salads and sandwiches.

Espresso House Vasagatan + Sheraton - (Norrmalm) You will find the Swedish coffee chain Espresso House all over Stockholm, but their coffee is so much better than all the other chains (and Starbuck's, really, their coffee quality is so poor compared to most any other coffee chain in Sweden). Usually very friendly staff and cosy interior, free Wi-Fi so good for working (when not *everyone* is connected, which can happen).

And they make the best soy latte, to go or to sit down, your choice. The vegan spinach wrap is really good and filling. The chocolate balls are vegan too. My two favourite EH cafes are the big one at Vasagatan - sit in the armchairs sofas in the window and enjoy people watching galore. Be very aware of pickpockets though, it was here my iPhone got stolen a few years back - and the little one situated a short stroll down the street at Sheraton hotel. It's small, kind of intimate and cosy. And the toilets are the ones in the hotel lobby so they're very fresh (and have Molton Brown toiletries).

Sturekatten - (Östermalm) Classic Stockholm cafe (used to hang here often when I was in high-school) with a very cosy granny flat-interior in different little rooms on two stories (thus the infamous pram mob shy away from this place). Tea and apple pie with custard is my favourite here.

Johan & Nyström - (Söder, Mariatorget) Very popular hipster cafe - the staff can be either very friendly or ignoring you because you're not hip enough, beware. Since Johan & Nyström started out as a coffee- and tea-merchant (excellent quality) you can also buy their coffee and teas here. Great oat latte, iced latte or a fruit rooibos tea are my usual choices here. Enjoy their vegetarian sandwiches a lot too. Edit 2018 - They have more cafes and shops in the city now, find the locations on their website.

Stikki Nikki - (Söder, Mariatorget) Swedish icecream chain which sell their own organic gelato in tiny shops all over the city. Half of their gelatos are vegan, sorbets and creamy gelatos. The change flavours all the time, but hopefully they'll have some of my übertasty plantbased favourites when you stop by: sunflowerseed, peanut butter and pumpkinseed. Edit 2018 - ALL their icecreams are vegan at their Mariatorget shop.

Kafé Himlavalvet - (Norrmalm/Vasastan, near Stadsbiblioteket). Situated on top of the Observatorielunden and its observatory, this cafe is rather a little secret in the middle of the city. Lovely summer cafe with both lunches, food, sandwiches, fika and not least waffles. Plus homemade elderflower cordial not to be missed.

Vete-Katten - (Norrmalm) Not far from the central station you'll find another classic cat-related cafe (katten = the cat). Award-winning pastry bakery with lots of nice things to chose from and light lunches. The old parts of the cafe and the inner couryard is much much nicer than the rebuilt part which you step into from the street, so venture further back please. Also remember that a lot of those delicous looking pastries does contain animal gelatine, but they have other vegan options too if you ask. They serve a great, affordable afternoon tea (August - mid June) and their vanilla buns are de-lovely.

18 smaker - (Söder, Mariatorget) Stockholm's best icecream? Lots of vegan options, 18 Swedish flavours every day so you're never really sure what's on offer except that it's delicious. My favourites are usually the vegan liquorice, dark chocolate and raspberry sorbet. And saffron. Free wi-fi. Edit 2017 - closed alas.

Fru Marias Bak - (Älvsjö) Very cosy and cute cafe/bakery situated in the suburb Älvsjö. Lighter dishes, vegetarian options and lots of tasty buns and fika. The proprietor Maria is very friendly and so is her young staff. My favourites are the baguettes and vanilla buns. Free wi-fi.

Konditori Lyran - (Bredäng/Mälarhöjden) This cafe is situated in my second childhood-home hoods. A beautiful turn of the century villa overlooking lake Mälaren (you simply must sit on the outdoor veranda with a view!). Classic fika, sandwiches and lighter dishes.

Ulriksdals Slottsträdgårdscafé - (Solna) In the suburb of Solna, near Ulriksdal castle, you'll find this lovely, dog-friendly nursery and garden cafe with lots of vegetarian options. They have a vegetarian lunch buffet on weekdays and they've written a few vegetarian cookbooks (of which one is my favourite). A little lush, friendly oasis with its own garden-cat.


Museums:

Free entrance to public owned museums now, but apart from Hallwylska not to these which are privately owned.

Thielska galleriet - (Djurgården) My favourite museum, still I don't visit it all that often since it's tucked away a fair distance out on Djurgården. Beautiful building which hosts different art exhibitions and also has its own permanent exhibitions. As well as a beautiful tower room with a mural. The cafe in a bathroom is very cute too.

Fotografiska - (Söder) Fantastic photo museum with a great, award-winning restaurant with a view. It's a rather unpleasant walk to and from the nearest subway/bus station and it's still a mystery why they haven't their own bus station, since it's a popular destination. That said, well worth a visit with lots of interesting exhibitions (my favourite still being Nick Brandt's).

Carl Eldhs ateljémuseum + Cafe Bellevue - (Vasastan) Tucked away in the park Bellevueparken in the northern outskirts of the city, this little beautiful sculpture museum/home/garden of artist Carl Eldh is a well kept secret. Guided tours only. Nearby you'll find the Cafe Bellevue which is a little gem for fika and lunch.

Millesgården - (Lidingö, suburb) Beautiful sculpture garden and the former home of Carl Milles built on the cliffs overlooking one of the inlets of Stockholm. The modern building hosts different art exhibitions and the museum shop is really nice. Unfortunately the adjacent cafe that used to be lovely changed owners some years ago and is now a very animal flesh oriented cafe/meat shop.

Hallwylska Muséet - (Norrmalm/Östermalm) Lovely inner city museum/palace which is the former home of countess Hallwyl and family. Over the years it has hosted interesting and unusual exhibitions like the story of perfume, House of Elliott costumes, Downton Abbey costumes and flower artist Tage Andersen's camelia show. Recently they opened up an evening bar in the inner courtyard.


Shopping:

For hipster overload I recommend the shopping around Hornstull and Nytorget/SoFo with lots of independent stores in all price ranges. And many second hand shops of course. Slightly less pretentious it is around Mariatorget/Hornsgatan (my favourite part of Södermalm), where you'll find one of my fav shops

Bric-a-Brac and many more.

Charlotte Nicolin - (Gamla stan) Fantastic animal art, both original paintings, prints, postcards and souvenirs. Don't miss!

Goodstore - (Söder) vegan, organic food store (one at Nytorget, one at Hornstull where they also recently opened a vegan cafe, Delivore).

House of Rym - (Söder) A lovely little shop with adorable pottery, home fabrics, prints and selected things like tea and chocolate.

Iris Hantverk - (Norrmalm) Great Scandinavian craft and home shop, with both own design and other selected designers.

Kaolin - (Söder/Mariatorget) Cute coop pottery shop with Stockholm designers only.

Krabat - (Norrmalm, Kungsgatan 53) Quirky, colourful interior and gift shop for all playful ages. It has a special Moomin selection corner too.

Marimekko - (Östermalm) The flagship store for the famous, colourful Finnish brand that design colourful, inspiring clothes, fabrics, bags and ceramics with a 60ies vibes.

NK - (Norrmalm/Östermalm) One of Stockholm's two department stores. This one is the posh one, but I usually prefer the other one.

ReMake - Stadsmissionen's (City Mission) upcycling projects shop where they sell remade clothes, toys and clever gifts. The shop can be found in different places but the original one is situated inside Kulturhuset at Sergels torg.

Åhléns City - (Norrmalm) The largest one of the two department stores and my favourite. Great beauty department with Dermalogica, Bare Minerals, Kiehl's and alike.


For tea (and coffee) -

Johan & Nyström - (Söder/Mariatorget) The above mentioned cafe.

Stockholm Tea Centre - (Söder/Mariatorget) The first specialist shop dedicated to tea. They have their own blend, Söderblandning. Nice, but I prefer their cherry tea.

Thehuset Danielsson - (Norrmalm) Really nice tea shop in the inner city with a selection of teas and coffees, sweets, pottery, tins and gifts.

Sibyllans Kaffe & Tehandel - (Östermalm) Founded in 1916 it's a posh tea- and coffee shop with delightful teas, coffees and biscuits. My favourite tea blends are the black Änglate (Angel's tea) and Svenska frukter (Swedish fruits) rooibos. The window display and the interior is a feast for the eyes (and nose).

Tehuset Java - (Vasastan/Östermalm) - Apart from their own tea blends - that come in cute packagings - they sell a full range of Kusmi tea (but alas not the sister brand, my favourite organic Löv tea), coffee and a lot of pretty pottery, pots, chocolate and luxurious gift baskets. My favourite teas of theirs are the Fredagsmys and rooibos with orange/cactus.

Chaikhana Teahouse - (Gamla Stan) This is also a posh tearoom, but to be honest the quality of that (if you're vegetarian) has declined over the years so I only buy tea here. Quite expensive tea, so it's not a regular thing.


For books -

Akademibokhandeln - Bookstore chain that can be found all over Sweden and Stockholm. My favourite is the large one at Mäster Samuelsgatan/Regeringsgatan, great selection of Swedish and English books. The store has a cafe too.

Bok & Bild (Norrmalm) Friendly family-owned bookstore at Drottninggatan with really great prices.

Bokslukaren - (Söder/Mariatorget) Sweet children's bookstore with a little cafe that serves miniature pastries.

Bysis Bok- & Pappershandel - (Söder)  cute bookshop with cafe and an unusual selection of books.

S:t Pauls Bokhandel - (Söder/Mariatorget) Small, friendly bookshop with an unusual selection of books, postcards and stationary. 

Well worth a visit outside Stockholm:

Drömkåken cafe - (Norrtälje) Lovely garden cafe and shop situated in an old countryside missionary house with a vast garden. Painted and decorated as if Barbie and Pippi Longstocking met and bought a house together. Lovely fika and light dishes like pies and sandwiches. My favourite is the vegetarian foccacia, but it's very filling so you might want to share if you want a dessert to (and you do). Edit 2018 - new owners, might be very different. More information on their Facebook page.

Sigtuna - Sweden's oldest town, adorable and picturesque town which is actually more a suburb to Stockholm within reasonably easy access by public transport.

Skokloster castle - Beautiful 17th century castle well worth a visit and guided tour.

Vaxholm - beautiful little archipelago town, perfect little day trip within reach by car, bus and boat. Independent craft shops, picturesque architecture and lots of restaurants and cafes. Near the harbour you find the excellent organic restaurant Sva Marga that has a wonderful vegan Hälsotallrik (Health plate) with tofu on the menu. For fika I suggest the adorable Vaxholms hembygdsgård by the water with a mouthwatering pastry table. It's very popular and the queues are often long. The garden seating is lovely and the best seats are on the deck with sunchairs.

Växplats Nybyn - (Norrtälje) My favourite garden cafe. Organic nursery and pick your own flowers field. The fika is only vegan and vegetarian, fairtrade and organic. So are the nice things in the gift shop. A haven of kindness.

Wenngarn castle + Dammstugan Vedugn - (Sigtuna) Recently renovated castle, hotel and park with conference facilities, restaurant, cafe etc. But my favourite thing is the adorable pizzeria in the pond cottage - supertasty gourmet pizzas made from organic, locally produced ingredients. You will love it. And the interior.

Äppelfabriken & Wiksunds trädgård - (Ekerö) Supersweet organic summer garden cafe with an apple factory situated far out on the island of Ekerö. The fika is great, the ambiance too but it does take a long time to get here by bus from the city and there's a long walk to and from the bus stop.

PS Apart from my When in Stockholm-list on Yelp I have several others for different cities like Berlin, Copenhagen, Gdansk, Krakow and Helsinki and more. You'll find them here DS.

what to see, do and vegetarian eat in stockholm

Was kindly asked to give my recommendations on what to see, do and eat in Stockholm. And since I love sharing the things not to be missed in this beautiful city, mainly off the boring tourist tracks, I happily said yes. I've been meaning to do one for years now, but never gotten around to it.

I already have several lists on Yelp on the subject but they are in Swedish and if you are like me, not a fan of Google translate, the only indications are my ratings, so I'll give you a few highlights here in blog. Some of my favourite places are a fair distance from Stockholm by car or bus, but the tips in the post to come will mainly be for inner city Stockholm and its nearby suburbs.

As I'll only chose a few to highlight in my next post - since I could go on and on forever... - you'll find the rest on the aforementioned Yelp-list in Swedish (there is one major one for "don't miss in Stockholm" but there are several others focusing on vegan/vegetarian restaurants and food-places, cosy cafes, thoughtful shopping, day trips etc).

When I began to compile the list I realised it will take quite some time to do so, thus I thought it would be nice to let you know it is at least coming along and will hopefully be finished this weekend.

Once upon a time I did a couple of Sweden Q&A, perhaps those can be of some use if you're planning a trip to Stockholm/Sweden to. Part one and part two.

And by all means, feel free to ask if you have any specific questions!

EDIT: My guide to Stockholm can now be found in this post.

thank you, may

Thank you, May, I do believe you've been a kind and useful month. 

Full-time work for pretty much the whole month has been quite exhausting, mainly due to the rush hour commuting. But it has also been really good for the brain having been forced to concentrate on working and learning. And socialising. 

I may be an extrovert social introvert (or closet extrovert as some might say), but to be honest, having to chat regularly or listen to others chatting every single day 8 to 6 is too much for me. And it doesn't matter if they're nice and friendly, I want more space of my own.

That said it has been a great gig, I've had a room on the opposite side of the office from rest of the communication department and that has suited me perfect (for the above reasons). Yes, the people have been very friendly and uncomplicated - and overwhelmingly grateful for my work it seems (hooray) - I've been left to my own devices in a very liberating way and I've learnt a lot on various levels. The gig is finished now and I've been able to relax a wee bit in the sun the last couple of days of May. Gratitude.

Just what I needed really. I'm ever so grateful for the opportunity and not least the person who tipped me about the project on Facebook - which is a place I rarely visit, it mainly annoys me in all sorts of ways, but see, now it has proven to be very useful too, go figure! - I'm a bit amazed really how well things aligned for me in May.

But the month of May has not been all work and no play. Oh no, the gig also helped me discover some new, great places for lunch and food in that part of town. Which is a part I've mainly seen as a thoroughfare and these days a supersized building site. But now I see it as something much more. Not least a place that helped me forward in a very difficult time in my life.

So I've discovered a fantastic little Indian street food lunch restaurant, foodtruck turned restaurant, which serves both flavourful vegetarian and vegan food too. I've discovered an organic food-shop/lunch restaurant (a part of well-known Swedish foodstore chain) which is pretty brilliant. And gotten tips about other places to explore. Which I may write a bit about later.

I went to a really great Yelp breakfast club-event and discovered a new-ish organic, muesli brand which is right up my alley from brand philosophy, copy, packaging to of course flavour. I've been munching on grand muesli pretty much every morning ever since the event. And if I hadn't worked early mornings already then I would never have decided to go up as early as 5.15 in order to be at an morning event 7.30. But now I did and did and it was such a nice experience.

The weather has been great, from really hot summer days - too hot for comfort, both personally and on an environmental level - to very cold ones - which too is uncomfortable for the same reasons - and some well-needed rain. From always gorgeous cherry blossoms, to apple blossoms to wonderful, generous lilacs, nature has been ever so beautiful.

And the charity shop's pick up of all my bags and boxes of clothes and stuff early in May gave me such a liberating feeling. I'm planning to do it again during the summer. There are lots and lots of stuff out in the garden shed which needs sorting through (many boxes which I haven't opened since I moved here in 2001. Yes, really...) and possibly in the wardrobes too. Even if granted, I've done a lot of much needed, liberating wardrobe cleansing already.

But of course I haven't been all practical and busy, I've had days off on my own with my thoughts. And the sorrow continues to be striped, a couple of months after the passing, but it also makes more and more room for self-reflection. What could have, should I have done differently and most of all of course, what can I, must I do differently from now on. To create the life I want and need.

As devastatingly sad and unexpected as the reason for all this is I can safely say that it has forced me to grow a lot in a very short time. Some days the problems and issues that need sorting seem overwhelming, others I'm just doing them. But no matter the daily mood shape I'm always aware that sorting has to be done and I'm the one that has to do it. Though perhaps I can be kind to myself today and leave it until tomorrow.

In general I'm not really good at asking for help, when it comes to everyday practical stuff, but I'm ever so grateful for the best mum in the world and her nearby friend with car who kindly help no-car-me getting the cat litter and food home. 

My next thing is to get help with transporting many big bags of garden waste, the old kitchen sofa and old bathtub to the nearby waste site. Which currently seems like one of those huge, overwhelming deals when you don't have a car or a trailer or know someone obvious who has or can. But as problem-sorting alongside 'everything will be alright because it has to' are my new mantras that will be done one way or the other.

It's interesting how the really mundane things suddenly become so complicated when you can't lean on someone else but yourself. 

Obviously I have no travel plans for the summer this year. It would certainly be good for the soul to get away for a while, just be in a new environment but any such ideas are simply not viable financially. But as the Swedish summer is a thing of wonder and I have lots of things to potter with at home I'm alright with that. Circumstances are so very different now from a year ago when we planned for Berlin in a few weeks... Instead I'm looking forward to my Schwarzwald-trip I've decided to take in September.

I have a great joint work project I hope will kick off soon, but I would also love to get new gigs during the summer. Sweden is notorious for closing down during June-August for holidays (yes, I know, crazy) but really there are always need for telecommuting freelancers and temps during the summer months so hey, Universe, please get in touch on that subject. Keep them gigs rolling in, thank you kindly in advance.

Goodbye, May, and thank you ever so much again. 

Hello, June, please be helpful, kind and soul-soothing - and full of hedgehogs.

yelp review of the day

Yesterday my Yelp-review of lovely cafe Älskade Traditioner ( = Beloved Traditions) - which I blogged about here - became ROTD ie Review of the Day. 

I've had a few of them before but what made it extra fun this time was that the cafe was thrilled when they saw a glimpse of it on Yelp's Instagram and copied my whole review and published it on their own Instagram account. So it got a bit of extra buzz.

It really is such a perfect kind of cafe, so fun all around. And waffles.

the yelp stockholm gold elite 2016

Time flies. It's now 5 years already since Yelp was launched in Stockholm, Sweden. My first client. It's been a fun and interesting ride.

5 years Yelp Elite apparently means you get an extra gold badge to your profile. We are a very small gold Elite group in Stockholm, 14 of us I think, so looking forward to extra special, small events with a golden lining (suitable for vegans and vegetarians who aren't keen on alcoholic beverages, at least a fair amount of the times...) Such fun!

vegan food in helsinki

So. I've been enjoying a fantastic array of vegan food here in Helsinki. The Yelp-app has helped in finding those gems that didn't exist when we were here in 2012. And I have rekindled with old favourites. Yes the food has been great. The cakes not so much alas, but the odd cinnamon bun thrown in has been fabulastic too.

I have yet to write reviews on Yelp for most of the places, but I can still give you a hint on where to go for a kind and great meal if you find yourself in Helsinki! (And be sure to check out my When in Helsinki-list on Yelp, I will slowly add things to it. These have been my favourite food moments over the long weekend:



Classic vegetarian - vegan restaurant Zucchini was just as good as I remembered it from 2012. Old school, healthy and very flavourful vegan and vegetarian food. Kind staff that speaks both Finnish, Swedish and English. (This was a potato cake with tofu and spinach plus a great salad and ratatouille.)



This is a wonderful vegan meze plate at Just Vege. Lovely textures and flavours, the pita bread is fab. Mostly organic stuff and just as the name says, an all vegetarian (mainly vegan apart from the halloumi) place were they make their own bread and falafels. The owner got so excited about the bobbaloos he took a lot of pictures too - myself I politely declined to be in them. M had a seitan kebab plate which he enjoyed a lot.



Remnants of a, surprisingly given the looks, good vegan pie at cafe Bergga. Simply filled with great, firm tofu, carrots and onions in a flavourful gravy. Their cakes weren't nearly as good, quite the opposite, but this savoury pie, mmm...



A simple falafel from Fafa's - which is a chain of falafel bars that, unfortunately, offers some meat dishes too - which wold have been rather nice (but of course not as lovely as the falafel at the Stockholm place Falafelbaren) if M hadn't said yes to extra chili and we'd gotten it as takeaway...



At another vegan fast food place Soi Soi, situated in the same street as above Just vege, we had these vegan burgers and sweetpotato fries that was quite heavenly according to at least me. Mine is a tofu burger in oat bread and M's is a hot chili tofu in pita bread. I really really enjoyed the texture of the tofu here too, in Sweden the tofu despite claiming to be firm often is to soft, not in Helsinki obviously.



This was the nicest, by far, breakfast (brunch) I had in Helsinki. The popular (amongst all ages and walks of life) cafe is called Tin Tin Tango and they have different breakfast menus of which this is the vegetarian. I don't eat egg, so M got that one, but I fully enjoyed the rest, including a strawberry smoothie, orange juice, an apple, two rolls, cheese and veggies. Plus tea of course. Who knew there was such a thing as a heart shaped roll, too cute!



We shared this freshly baked cinnamon bun too - it was delicious. All and all we shared three different buns at three different places, they were all very very good in their own ways. Conclusion: Helsinki knows how to make a most pleasing bun for a discerning Swedish fika high liver.

a perfect soy latte in berlin

So my intention was to blog a little something live from Berlin every day. That didn't happen because the app refused to upload by first post for several days. And when it finally did upload I was just to overwhelmed by impressions, swollen feet - power walking shoes are apparently not my things for really long walks... - etc etc. Back home now and I will backdate the posts to come, so there will be more than a little something for some days to come, okey?

This soy latte in Berlin was perfection. And I'm so happy because it's only my third place where they've been able to make a perfect soy such. The name of the place is Father Carpenter Coffee Brewers and they have lovely sandwiches, salads (vegan and vegetarian too) and a very pleasant staff that even speaks a tad Swedish if you're lucky (and Swedish).

I yelped it here. And if you happen to visit Berlin you really should go there for a really sweet coffee experience.

hello summer according to yelp

had a really lovely evening at this year's yelp stockholm summer party. good drinks, good food (although very little of it alas) - loved the bubbies mochi icecream!

 - and good company. and a gorgeous summer stockholm setting.

also unintentional selfies are the best.

welcome summer, how lovely to see you!

10 things to refill your happiness account

I don't watch the Eurovision Song Contest (not my cup of tea for a gazillion reasons), but if it was like this always I might reconsider. Watch the viral success of the Swedish sign language interpreter doing his fabulous thing during the show last Saturday here - if you haven't done so already. It will put you in an instant happy mode. Promise. It's most likely the peak of Swedish public service television.

When people talk to brands on Twitter. Oh the stupidity. Oh the cleverness.

I bet you don't love your banana as much as this rescued fruit bat - I know I don't.

Cats as kittens, cats now. Adorable always.

Oh why do I never find a koala trying to drive my car?!
Because a) I don't have a car and b) I live in a sadly void of koalas country.

Fill your office with cats and improve health and productivity - it's such a obvious thing, crazy that noone (except us with home offices) have figured that out before!

Men and their cats - so much awesomeness in these pictures. And loving your cat/s or any other animal has never been crazy, just totally cool, lovable and right.

Tourism posters being improved by Yelp reviews - because honestly, sometimes the must-sees aren't all that fun to see or visit.

A beautiful dog and owl friendship.

More people should include their (rescued) pets in their official portraits.

on international animal rights day 2014

I may not care much about the Nobel Prize ceremony - even if the Peace Prize laureate this year is wonderful - I obviously care much more of the importance of animal rights. So the fact that we had a Yelp Social vegetarian/vegan lunch at an Indian restaurant was of course pretty perfect today of all days, on International Animal Rights Day.



We all opted for the vegan Thali and it was rather lovely and flavourful (though the plating could have been nicer...). As was the company. The only thing that was horrific was the miserable weather (yes, I will probably grow grumpy weather horns myself soon). But three of us had the most awesome of pink umbrella meetup - such a rare treat it had to be captured.



I wish Animal Rights Day wasn't necessary still. But sadly, even if it's a steady growing movement of veganism, vegetarianism and awareness, the world is still full of too many animal flesh eaters, zoo visitors and animal abusers of various kinds.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated"~ Mahatma Gandhi. 

Just keep in mind that the path to moral progress begins with each and everyone of us as individuals, from what we eat and wear to how we entertain ourselves home and abroad. That peace is only achieved once we begin to fully respect all earthlings and their right to a full and natural life for their own sake not humans'.

from prison to flower field

it's been a day of contrasts. yelp turns 10 this year apparently and the stockholm party was held at långholmen prison (now museum - hostel - hotel - restaurant). 

so from being marched to prison, to having a light 'lunch' - only 2 of the 6 things served at the buffet were suitable for vegetarians, the flavours were lovely but i'm glad i wasn't hungry - in happy company of fellow yelpers.

to flower picking at växplats nybyn, the day has been full. and colourful. 

and shoe changing. though accompanied by my wistful mind throughout.