By Helena Honkaniemi The holidays are right around the corner, and though some of you may be well aware of what that entails, not everyone is familiar with Swedish Christmas traditions. For those who are new to the country, and wish to experience this holiday to the fullest, consider this a crash course and quick guide on Swedish winter holidays. PREPARATIONS ...

With a population set to increase by 1 million by 2020, will fears of segregation in housing, healthcare and education in Stockholm become a catastrophic reality? What is the situation now and what can be done to bring down the borders. By Sarolta Gabulya and Diana Čekatauskaitė   Two sides to Stockholm There are so many reasons why we enjoy ...

A guide to urban farming in our capital By Martha Nicholson Stockholm is home to one of Europe’s fastest growing populations. With a projected 2.5 million people living in the city by 2024, segregation, unemployment, food and housing shortages are all challenges. Urban farming is now widely recognised by city planners, academics, public health practitioners and architects alike as part of ...

By Alex Browne A guide to your Scandinavian summer   Festival Tips Buy tickets early – all festivals have early bird options and some have incremental price increases each month. Plan travel and accommodation – places to stay will get booked up pretty quick and prices are hiked up during popular periods. Camping is rare. On a tight budget? Be ...

By Martha Nicholson   Stockholm’s woodlands are much more than meet the eye. The late Swedish Poet Laureate Tomas Tranströmer agreed, and commented on moments of blissful creativity when walking in the woods on his home island Runmarö in the outer archipelago. With this in mind, I took a look at the health and social benefits that Stockholm residents get ...

The days are getting darker, temperatures are dropping and knowing that we have exams after the “break” doesn’t really help us get into the Christmas spirit. But don’t despair! Even though you might be going home or away on vacation, there is still time to enjoy the best of the Christmas season in Stockholm. Here are some top tips on ...

“They considered it a food of the divine realm…” by Parvin Kumar   Theobroma Cacao, food of the gods, hardly an exaggeration. Chocolate is a delicious and popular food group. If you’re not in agreement consider yourself uniquely extraordinary, mysterious or incomprehensible. Perhaps you’d rather wax lyrical about coffee. I grant you that. But now let’s talk about chocolates. Chocolate loving ...

Is there a link between them? by Douglas McBride   There has long been a link between creativity and depression. Pain and sorrow seem to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for poetry, love songs and novels. Famous artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Kurt Cobain and, recently, Robin Williams all suffered from depression and ultimately chose to take their ...