Summer Travel in Review, Part 3: Stockholm, Sweden

So, after my last post, you were all probably expecting some California-ing up in here. And don’t worry! We’ll get there. But, in keeping with the path of my travels, it seemed only right to make a pit stop and chat about Stockholm.

Typically, I try to avoid layovers. They always seem to add unnecessary, painful hours to any expedition. But, when I saw that my layover between Munich and Oakland would give me 24 hours in Stockholm, my heart began to race with the promise of adventure. It’s true. I was that excited.

Before this summer, I had never been to Sweden. Actually, for no particular reason, I had never really given Stockholm much thought. But all of that was about to change.

The evening that I arrived in Stockholm, I checked into my room in the airport hotel. As it turns out, there are two hotels in the Stockholm airport and I managed to find the wrong one first. So, it would be more accurate to say that I was eventually directed my hotel by the helpful staff of the first hotel.

Sigh.

Once I’d settled in, I found out that the Arlanda Express–the train that takes you directly into Stockholm–would be the equivalent of $60 for a round trip ticket! I’ll talk more about this in a later post, but I was definitely not going to be able to go into Stockholm both that evening and the next day, as I had expected.

I turned in early that night, so I could be ready for a busy day of exploration in the morning.

The hotel room was actually so comfortable I easily could have stayed in bed all day until I had to check into my flight at 2pm. But, my curiosity (thankfully) won me over.

My first stop of the day (after biting the bullet and buying my Arlanda Express ticket, wandering through the central station and then buying my subway pass) was Pom & Flora. Ever since one of my favorite blogs wrote about the avocado toast there, I knew I had to try it.

I know what some of you are thinking. “Oh my gosh, avocado toast, I am SO over it.” I get it. It’s one of those annoyingly trendy foods that people will pay $16 for, just because it’s hip. But, for the record, this toast was definitely not $16 (although converting from Dollars to Kronor in your head is a little confusing). But if it had been, it still would have been so worth it.

I’m pretty sure they put an entire avocado on this giant piece of toast. And it was a good avocado, too. Perfectly creamy, it was the kind of avocado that I almost can never find when I’m looking for it. The lemon and chili flakes balanced out the creaminess, without overpowering it. And although the baby salad on the side was fine, I think we can all agree that this was about the avo.

Also, shout out to my orange-carrot-ginger juice in the background. I always find myself slurping up something orange-based before a big flight.

One aspect of Pom & Flora, and all of Sweden, actually, that I found surprising, was how readily people spoke English. Although I always feel bad about visiting a place without knowing the language, it seemed that English-speakers could get around quite easily, here.

Pom & Flora lives here

With my belly happy and full, I set off for the rest of my day.

Conveniently, Pom & Flora is not far from a magical view of Stockholm. I walked along the water, soaking in the perfect, sunny weather, and feeling so grateful for this chance to explore a new city.

During my walk, I smelled the most beautiful cinnamon air wafting out of a window. Naturally, I had to peek in. And what did I see? A bakery!

Somehow my nose always leads me in the right direction.

I bought a little roll to keep as a snack, and headed back out in the direction of the Saluhall.

When I was doing a bit of research online, I’d heard that the Saluhall was a large food hall. It sounded great. I mean, I love a good food hall. Who doesn’t?! So it seemed like a reasonable destination.

But when I got there, I was more than a little underwhelmed.

Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely beautiful. It just…wasn’t what I was expecting. I also happened to buy a wrap that had both chicken and mayonnaise in it because I apparently had a serious lapse in brain functioning in that moment. (PSA: Kyckling = chicken in Swedish!) I hate wasting food, so I left feeling rather disappointed and frustrated with my carelessness.

I realize, however, that these were my mistakes. So I wouldn’t be opposed to giving it another shot, next time I’m in the city.

Since that stop was a bit of a mess, I set out in search of a lunch destination. On my way, I walked down the prettiest ribbon-lined streets.

Eventually, I stumbled upon Koloni. This cute little cafe-style restaurant had two very helpful waiters/cooks, and a ton of vegan and vegan-friendly food.

I know. Another salad. Something about the idea of sitting in a plane for 11 hours was making me hungry for food that would fill me up without being too heavy. Don’t be scared off by the strawberry-colored mound. It was a strawberry-walnut mixture that was surprisingly tasty. There were also lentils, brown rice, and lots of yummy vegetables.

I’m beginning to think that warm salads with lots of lovely grains and veg might be my go-to food this fall and winter. I’ll keep you posted.

I also had a tiny brownie that I ate before getting a proper picture! But we can imagine it together. It was delicious.

Sadly, after lunch, I had to head back to the airport to check in for my flight. But this little taste of Stockholm was such a tease. I’m certain that I’ll have to go back and spend more time here, in the future.

Til next time, friends–when we’ll actually talk about California. Promise.