Student blogs

Over June and July, I stayed in Stockholm as I was doing an internship with a lab at KI. As a result, I got to experience my first Swedish summer! Swedish summer is not to be underestimated: the sun is out past bedtime, the city’s outdoor venues are buzzing with life and a daily swim in Stockholm’s waters is mandatory (at least when the weather is above 20 degrees). Here are my favorite things about Swedish summer:

Midsommar

I got to spend Midsummer with Swedes, which made it such an authentic experience! We went up to a summer cabin north of Uppsala, danced around the Midsummer pole, made flower crowns and ate a lot of food (which heavily consisted of potatoes and fish – all amazing of course). One of my favorite parts was the fact that it never got dark (I had never experienced this before!)

Swimming spots

When the temperature rose above 20 degrees and once I was done for the day at my internship, I would go swimming! There is so much water around Stockholm, and there are so many different swimming spots throughout the city that you can go to. I loved trying them out and seeing different sights all while enjoying the sun and the outdoors. My two favorite ones were the Albano swimming spot, (where you could swim amongst the trees), and the Kungsholmen spot (where you were in the city, but further from the noise).

Outdoor venues

One of my favorite things about Swedish summer is how life shifts to the outdoors. Almost every cafe with the option to set up camp outside does so. There are so many activities that are student-friendly that one can go to. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Gröna Lund, a popular amusement park, has a summer pass, Gröna Kortet, which provides free admission to the park on all open days, including for all the concerts and dance nights it offers during the summer! They host around 50 concerts during the summer so you can definitely get your money’s worth.
• I really made use of the ferry rides to Vaxholm (which is a part of the Stockholm archipelago), as they were included in my public transport monthly ticket. I brought all my friends that were visiting Stockholm to this island and it was so much fun to see Stockholm from another angle (the water!).
• Trädgården is an outdoor club that only opens up during the summer. It’s located under the Skanstull bridge in Södermalm which makes the space super interesting and unique! It hosts many concerts and even screenings. This summer it hosted a live-screening of the Sweden-Germany UEFA women’s football game, which was super fun to watch amidst hundreds of other people.
• Lastly, I love going to cafes with gardens or outdoor seating, of which there are so many in Stockholm. One of my favorites being Rosendals Trädgårdskafé, which is a cafe located within a huge garden and park.

Hiking

One of the coolest things to do during the summer is go on hikes! Stockholm has so many national parks and forests, and there are many routes available that one can take advantage of. During the summer I went on hikes in Nacka and Sätra, and if you’re feeling adventurous you can always go for a cold swim!

I really loved my Swedish summer, and as it comes to an end, I will be going on as many hikes, swims and outdoor cafes as possible. I’ll try my best to welcome fall and winter with a smile, but secretly I’ll be looking forward to my next Swedish summer throughout the upcoming academic year.