AGONIST "is a Nordic fragrance brand launched in November 2008. AGONIST creates pure 100% natural fragrances inspired by the Nordic climate and culture. Raw materials and product give form to a Swedish but even more Nordic clarity, – fresh with a vigourous weight and beautiful low tones."
BJÖRK & BERRIES "is an ecoluxury beauty brand derived from Swedish nature and traditions. It all began with hand-picked birch leaves that were turned into natural perfume. Our experts refine natural and organic ingredients of the highest quality into essential products for face, body and home for the caring consumer in the contemporary world."
BYREDO "is a Stockholm based fragrance house founded in 2006 by Ben Gorham. Products currently include perfume, home fragrance, body care products and accessories. All products are made in Sweden with a distinct focus on craftsmanship and quality."
ESTELLE & THILD "is more than just a organic brand: it's about providing a sustainable, effective skin care solution with a feeling of everyday luxury."
FACE STOCKHOLM "is the only Swedish cosmetics company that offers makeup and skin care that is true to the Swedish beauty ideal – naturally based, trend forward, simple, clean, gorgeous and fun. FACE Stockholm offers a spectacular and unrivaled range of colors and uses only the highest quality ingredients."
I have made American pancakes on three separate occasions now for groups of my international friends, and this recipe I have been using always produces the most perfect, fluffy, golden pancakes. Just thought I would share it - I have it in American and European measurements. Side note: my favorite topping for these is Nutella, bananas, and brown sugar - yum!!
Instructions:
Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately.
Make a well in the center of the dry mix and gradually add the wet mix.
Only mix until there are no dry lumps - the less you mix, the fluffier the pancakes will be!
Rub a thin film of butter over a frying pan and give it some time to heat up.
Spoon batter on the skillet and flip when you see bubbles appearing all over the pancake.
I think Sweden has given me a coffee addiction. I was certainly no stranger to the hastily-bought mocha on the way to class during my undergraduate years (and I will always have the fondest memories of afternoon coffee dates with friends at our little campus cafe, The Grind), but it wasn't a regular habit until I moved to Uppsala. The typical collegiate American's coffee intake is laughable in comparison to that of the average Swede. Only Finland natives drink more per capita. Maybe it's to stay awake during all those long nights, I'm not sure, but the Nordic countries have institutionalized the daily cup o' Joe.
The untranslatable Swedish word fika describes the daily tradition of taking time for a coffee-and-pastry break (or two or three...) with friends or coworkers. I just love this Kinfolk article about fika, as well as the cheeky Gevalia advertisement at the end of this article. The idea of fika gets at the pause-button effect of drinking coffee. It's a practice that embodies the temptation to siesta at any time of day.
But I also love waking up with coffee. Personally, the smell of coffee will always be my favorite part of the experience. It reminds me of Sunday mornings at home as a child. My father always puts a huge spoonful of cinnamon in with the grounds, and that will always be my favorite smell/flavor. Whether you're a morning person who starts the day with an automated coffeepot, or an afternoon cafe-frequenter like myself, here are my humble suggestions for savoring your daily cuppa.
Invest in a French press. I recently got myself the classic Bodum Chambord, and there is no more aesthetically pleasing or simple way to make your own coffee than tossing the grounds in the bottom of a French press, filling it with boiled water, and then taking it to your cozy corner of the apartment and kicking back.
Clear your desk. Coffee drinking is best suited for reading the news, checking your social media, and curling up with that book you've been letting gather dust on the windowsill.
Find your favorites. Your favorite cafe, your favorite barista... or perhaps your favorite brewer (mine is the Swedish brand Arvid Nordquist). Whatever atmosphere or taste makes the experience yours.
Have it your way. The personalization doesn't end with the package. Add a bit of cinnamon or even some cocoa powder when brewing your own coffee. And after pouring, don't forget to add milk, cream, sugar, Stevia - whatever makes it particularly delicious to you!
Pair with the perfect treat. Whether it's a morning croissant and egg, a Swedish cinnamon bun, or a slice of chocolate cake after dinner, coffee is lonely without something scrumptious to complement the flavor.
Read something. Morning news? Tumblr? Your favorite food blog? The newest issue of Elle or The Economist? Or maybe a couple chapters of Game of Thrones if you're feeling ambitious... find the perfect read to go with that lazy weekend coffee.
Drink outside. Whether it's a warm summer afternoon at a busy street cafe, a rainy morning on the porch of your house, or a day with snow falling past your apartment balcony, take at least a few moments to stand or sit outside and sip your cuppa while breathing fresh air and taking in the world around you.
Fika with a friend. Having a cup of coffee can be a great retreat to clear your head, but obviously it's also a fantastic social lubricant. Make a pot and invite a friend over, or meet an acquaintance you want to get to know better out at your favorite coffeehouse.
Savor. Take your time with that first sip. Make sure you breathe in before you sip, inhaling the aroma. Sip, savor, smile. Repeat.
The Venice of the North. Spanning fourteen islands, and situated within a wider archipelago made up of tens of thousands more, Stockholm is a city well-acquainted with the sea. So the best way to get acquainted with the city is by boat. Start your day on a Stockholm Sightseeing tour, such as "Under the Bridges of Stockholm," which will take you for a couple hours out around the city. The Baltic and giant Lake Mälaren meet among its many waterways, and you'll be able to see everything from the main skyline of Östermalm (above, top) to the Brooklyn-esque island district of Södermalm.
Of course you'll eventually want to explore these areas on foot. Stockholm is a very livable city: it's clean, crime and homelessness are low; there's an unbelievable number of places to shop, eat, and sit down for a cozy fika; and there are cultural must-sees for everyone, from the Skansen to the ABBA Museum to Vasamuseet, a museum containing an entire salvaged 17th-century ship that sank off the coast of Sweden. Skansen is the Swedish version of Colonial Williamsburg, only it's way more epic because it covers practically half of the Stockholm island of Djurgården, and it includes a zoo of Nordic animals. If you want to feel like you've walked through Swedish history and gotten a glimpse of all the regions - including the northern Sami villages - simply visit Skansen. The park is a vast expanse of recreated farmsteads and timber sheds, mills and belfries, glass workshops and stables... It's a beautiful, immersing experience. My personal favorite was seeing the Sami village reindeer (photo below), and watching the wolf pack in the zoo. There are also squirrels and peacocks that run all over the park, and be warned - they're not afraid of people!
Making your way through the main bustling district of Norrmalm around the Central Station, pop into the Stockholm Urban Outfitters at Biblioteksgatan 5. It's housed inside what used to be the Röda Kvarn (Moulin Rouge) of Stockholm, a beautiful old building reminiscent of an opera house (see photo below).
Make sure you take also head to the south side of town and stroll through Södermalm. You'll spot some hipsters and find more than a couple places to buy lunch, fika, or an Indie literary magazine. Speaking of magazines, if you want a really neat bookstore that also has a fantastic collection of old and hard-to-find DVDs and periodicals, check out Papercut. You can see their selection on their website here.
As the sun starts to set, make sure you take a stroll through Gamla Stan, the small island at the heart of Stockholm, and the oldest district of the city. The dusk light will lend itself to all the old orange and pink pastels of the buildings here. In Gamla, you can step down into hovel-like cafes that were stables and wine cellars as far back as the 1500s! You can get lost in cobbled alleyways and winding streets, only to turn a corner and find yourself before a beautiful old cathedral, a bronze sculpture atop a fountain, or perhaps the Nobel Museum, which is small and definitely worth a quick walk-through. Make sure you step into one of the many chocolate shops or cafes and grab something sweet.
If you're staying in Stockholm for a couple days and want an awesome hostel choice, stay at the af Champan, which is the white ship pictured above. That's right, they converted that standing ship into a hostel. You stay in cabins below-decks. I haven't tried it yet, but looks pretty awesome.
Three weeks from today I will be on my way to Uppsala, Sweden! I can't wait to start my M.A. program at Uppsala University, and since I'm all packed at this point I'm spending my time accumulating as much language and cultural knowledge I can. I've been listening almost exclusively to Swedish bands these past couple weeks - mainly because they're so. good. Here are some of my newest favorite songs and bands, all from Sweden (or Sverige, what Swedes call their home country).
1. "On Our Way" - Royal Concept
This Swedish band kind of reminds me of One Direction, only with way better music. This upbeat "live-while-you're-young" song has a great rhythm and a fun, partying-with-your friends vibe. If you like alternative pop music, add this to your list!
2. "Down On Life" - Elliphant
Liv Tyler look-alike Ellinor Olovsdotter has a very unique voice, which lends itself well to Elliphant's reggae-style electropop (unlike anything I've ever heard before). This is one of those songs that easily gets stuck in your head - super catchy!
3. Esbjörn Svensson Trio
I truly love everything by this jazz group. They rekindled my love of jazz music, and I was amazed to discover that they're one of many Scandinavian jazz groups! Apparently Scandinavians know jazz, because this group is fantastic! Sadly it's founder died in a scuba accident, and I don't believe the group is active anymore. It really is a shame, because their compositions are so wonderful - I recommend "Eighthundred Streets by Feet", "Behind the Stars", "Seven Days of Falling," and "Goldwrap."
4. "I Follow Rivers" - Lykke Li
You might already recognize this artist - she's rapidly becoming quite popular in the US. Lykke Li loves to have famous Swedish actors in her music videos, it would seem: Stellan Skarsgård is her costar in "Sadness is a Blessing," and in "I Follow Rivers" she costars with Fares Fares. I love this song - it's so eerie and beautiful, blending indie rock with a lot of cool percussion/electronic elements.
5. "Vårens Första Dag" (First Day of Spring) - Laleh
This song is so cute, and it's all in Swedish! Believe it or not I actually found it hard to find Swedish bands that actually sing in Swedish. Just goes to show how prevalent English fluency is in Scandinavia. Anyways, the music video for this song is pretty adorable as well.
6. "Wolf" - First Aid Kit
First Aid Kit is the folkiest band I've ever heard from Sweden. Some of their songs remind me very strongly of Mumford & Sons, but this one in particular really illustrates their unique style. The melody is very catchy and features the harmonic voices of sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg. Also check out "The Lion's Roar."
7. "Northern Lights" - Kate Boy
You will be hard-pressed to find a sicker beat than this, or a cooler music video. Swedish band Kate Boy features Australian lead singer Kate Akhurst, whose slowly rotating face you see featured in this computer-generated spiral. Kate Boy is touring in the US all through the month of September, in case you're interested in seeing them live after hearing this badass technoey song of theirs.
8. "Tough Love" - Sailor & I
Indie band Sailor & I's airy use of instrumental and percussive elements will just enchant you. This song is particularly beautiful, with gorgeous violin forming the underlying rhythm and haunting lyrics reminiscent of the band Washed Out. The "Tough Love" music video is eerie but enrapturing, some simple slow-motion shots of a man swimming, as if for his life.
9. "Call Your Girlfriend" - Robyn
You probably already all know this song, but did you know Robyn is from Sweden? Kind of a one-hit wonder, but I thought I'd include her just the same. The music video to "Call Your Girlfriend" is fun because it's done in one take, and features Robyn herself dancing in an empty warehouse surrounded by a constantly-changing lightshow.
10. "Breathe Out" - Faye
Faye is, in my opinion, the Swedish Rihanna. She has incredible range and her angst-y, heartfelt songs really pull you in. The piano melody in this particular track is so gorgeous, and I just love how she screams out the refrain. Also check out "Water Against the Rocks," because the music video really captures her intensity as a singer.
11. "Snow" - Frida Sundemo
I really like Frida Sundemo. She reminds me of Imogen Heap or Regina Spektor - sort of techno/electronic music, but airy and more melodic. If you like "Snow" then check out the music video to "Indigo" - it's very strange, she has a giant white bunny boyfriend (idek).
12. "Habits" - Tove Lo
I've had this song on repeat significantly more than the others in this list. I can't put my finger on what makes it so addicting, but the rhythm and the refrain are just so catchy. I seriously can't stop listening to this one, and I love the scandalous music video featuring haunting close-ups of Tove Lo's tear-streaked face interspersed with various scenes of reckless abandon.
13. ABBA
All of it. We love them. You should see how excited Zab gets before watching Mamma Mia. It's hilarious. "SOS" and "Take a Chance on Me" are just a couple favorites. And who doesn't love "Dancing Queen"?
BYREDO "is a Stockholm based fragrance house founded in 2006 by Ben Gorham. Products currently include perfume, home fragrance, body care products and accessories. All products are made in Sweden with a distinct focus on craftsmanship and quality."
