A trip to Stockholm with a focus on sustainability

I love revisiting Stockholm for a dose of Scandi chic, colourful facades and of course cinnamon buns. This trip was no different in that sense, but in addition to all the usual things, it was focused on sustainability.

First things first - a stroll through Stockholm’s old town Gamla Stan to kick off the trip. Followed by a stop at the Monteliusvagen viewpoint to admire the views of the city.

And this takes me to the real purpose of this trip - an exciting launch with Nespresso, which I joined as part of my on-going partnership with the brand. In the evening, we arrived at the launch venue, Spritmuseum - below is the view from across the road.

That evening an exciting new product was unveiled to the public. Continuing it’s commitment to sustainability, Nespresso has partnered with a Swedish start-up Vélosophy to produce a bicycle made from recycled aluminium coffee capsules. There are 300 recycled Nespresso capsules in each bike, plus a capsule-shaped bell and cup-holder basket so you can enjoy your favourite drink on the go!

What’s more - Vélosophy is the only bicycle brand in the world with a full one-for-one promise: for every Vélosophy bike produced, another bike is given to a schoolgirl in Africa to improve her access to education. For every RE:CYCLE bike created by Vélosophy in partnership with Nespresso, a bike will be donated to a girl through World Bicycle Relief.

The morning after the event we woke up early to have another walk through old town and were lucky to have it almost all to ourselves.

After an early start, we popped into Stockholm Nespresso boutique for a much-needed caffeine kick. Have you ever heard of Swedish tradition called fika? If you haven’t, you are totally missing out! Fika is the time you take throughout the day for a coffee break with something sweet (very often cinnamon buns) - fika can be shared with family, friends and colleagues.

Stockholm archipelago consists of 24,000 islands and the best way to see some of them is to take a boat. That’s how we got to our next location - Rosendals Trädgård.

Rosendals Trädgård - is a botanic garden focused on biodynamic agriculture. It reminded me of Petersham Nurseries in London if you know what I mean. We had a delicious zero-waste lunch in one of the garden’s conservatories and listened to Jimmy (Velosophy founder) who shared a story of the making of the bike. We then had an opportunity to test the bikes ourselves.

You know my love for libraries so during free time I couldn’t miss an opportunity to pop into the gorgeous Stockholm Public Library.

Last stop was Nobis Hotel to see the beautiful spiral staircase and then it was time to go back home.

This post is a part of my on-going partnership with Nespresso.

Autumn in Smaland, Southern Sweden

While we are all patiently waiting for spring to arrive in London, let me show you the wonderful autumnal colours of Smaland, a province in southern Sweden I visited back in October last year. 

This beautiful area is packed with picturesque lakes, pine and spruce forests and is just great for everything outdoors. It’s also home to Sweden’s famous children’s book author, Astrid Lindgren (think Pippi Longstoking). Some of her most well-known books are set in Smaland. 

Our trip has started with an overnight stay at one of Smaland’s manor houses, Vastana Manor. As we arrived when it was already dark, it took us all morning to admire the house’s fascinating details.

We then headed to the old town of Granna, famous for its wooden red houses and rock candy making. You can find a few shops along the main street and have a go at making your own peppermint rock, which we willingly did. It’s such a fun process to watch and try! 

A walk around Granna to admire the red timber houses.

My favourite Swedish tradition that I happily adopted is ‘fika’ - a break with a coffee and a sweet pastry (Swedish cinnamon buns are just the best!) shared with your friends, colleagues or relatives. Of course, we stopped for a fika in Granna.

Granna is also known for its delicious organic ice cream (I opted for lingonberry, red berries common in Sweden) and crisp bread.

After savouring all the delicacies we boarded a ferry to Visingso island. 

Surprisingly, there’s a muesli making facility on the island, home of Susanne Dalsatt and her family who have been producing organic muesli since 1972! 

A few more pretty red houses and autumnal hues of Smaland taken on the way to our next destination.

Have you ever heard about Bruno Mathsson? - I haven’t before this trip but this furniture designer and architect is well known in Sweden. His designs are really interesting and were way too modern for his time! Bruno Mathsson carefully studied the mechanics of sitting in search of the perfect sitting curve for his chairs’ designs.

We visited Bruno Mathsson Centre in Varnamo and saw his birth home which now houses a museum/showroom of his furniture (photos above). We were also lucky to be able to visit Bruno’s and his wife Karen’s house in Tanno. It was built in 1964 has been basically left untouched since the couple lived there.

Autumn truly is the best time to visit Smaland - just look at those colours and patterns!

This local specialty is called raggmunk - a dish made from grated potatoes, bacon and lingonberries. Not pictured here - a super fun Segway cross-country adventure we shared at Isaberg Mountain Resort.

I was a guest of Visit Smaland. All opinions are my own.