ABBA

While I admit that was too vain to ask for directions from the achingly cool hipsters and confirm my fatally uncool status, the 12 year old in me that was OBSESSED with ABBA would not allow me to spend time in Stockholm without visiting the ABBA museum.

The curators of the museum did a great job with interactive bits (recording an “audition” in a recording studio booth”, dancing on stage with ABBA avatars, and making a music video). It was clear that those hundreds (thousands even?) of hours of listening to the Supertrooper record on repeat did not go to waste, as I there seems to be a significant part of my brain still dedicated to recalling all the lyrics to a large portion of the ABBA discography.

Bicycles

Even though my bike had a minor malfunction for most of my stay (more details here), that did not stop me from spotting pretty bikes as I wandered about town and snapping a few pictures.

Coffee

The coffee game is strong in this city!

The first excellent cup of brew was from Kaffeverket. This cafe is beautifully decorated, with furs draped over wooden benches. It seems very lux while being warm and lovely. As I was meeting my supervisor, I was not sure what the etiquette of ‘gramming my visit, so I only have the pictures in my mind, but trust me when I say, it is spectacularly beautiful.

Conclusion: lovely place to sit, work, or chat.

During my wanderings, I stopped at Coffice, which as it sounds, is a co-working space, as you could probably guess by the number of laptops churning away. It wasn’t the best cup of coffee, but it is likely the most conducive place for getting work done, as there are plenty of large tables, laptop plugs, and lots of light. It didn’t hurt that there were plenty of beautiful man buns and other fine scenery to watch while you worked.

Conclusion: good place to hunker down with your laptop and hammer out work.

I cannot say enough about the coffee at Kafé Esaias. The two americanos (betcha can’t have just one!) were crafted to absolute perfection – smooth and flavourful. I think this was also the friendliest of cafes I had a chance to visit in my stay. They do not have wifi (which is a pro and a con, but just something to know).

Conclusion: the BEST coffee. Would like to sit here with a novel and sip the afternoon away.

Without a doubt, Café Pascal might win decor as it is impeccably decorated with modern industrial style, with plenty of plants and adorable elements. It was the busiest cafe I visited (in the 1h30 I was there, I moved seats 5 times to accommodate waves of other patrons). It is a bustling place for good reason, with a solid cup of coffee and a wide variety of beautiful and delicious food. It seems to be a great go-to spot to go out for lunch, to catch up with friends, and to have a good chat. Perhaps because it was mid-day on a Monday, it seemed to be the hip spot to bring your infant. There were so many strollers and tiny humans, I wonder if I accidentally joined the mommy and me date club.