A hanging lantern sign reading 'Haga Församling' on the corner of a tall dark building with a pointed turret.

Gothenburg

Gothenburg, Sweden

A long weekend spent in the western Swedish city of Gothenburg getting to know fika.

A cobbled street in evening light, with a few pedestrians walking away from the camera between rows of old buildings.

I had travelled to the Swedish capital Stockholm many times for work and I had always enjoyed my visits and thought I’d love to explore more of this Scandinavian country. Gothenburg was the resulting destination on a chilly February weekend.

Two copper pour-over coffee drippers on a café counter beside a kettle, with a stack of plates and menus to one side. — A couple of copper drippers are ready to brew the next filter coffee.

The inside of a café seen beneath an arched window, with a customer at a high table, a barista behind the counter and a row of glowing pendant lights.

A blue and cream tram, number 3, turning a corner past apartment buildings.

The inside of an almost empty tram, with one passenger in a tan jacket and headphones gazing out of the window.

Five people sit in a row on a bench in the low winter sun outside a café, with a pram parked at the end.

Empty white wicker chairs and small tables on a gravel terrace, casting long shadows in the low light.

A hanging decoration of a hot air balloon in sharp focus, with other balloons blurred behind it.

Looking through a bakery window at a table piled with cinnamon buns, with an empty café table and a chair draped with a blue jacket in front.

Tiered stands of cinnamon buns seen through a bakery window, with the shop's name painted across the glass.

A church with a tall green spire rising behind bare winter trees against a clear blue sky.

A path beneath an avenue of bare trees casting long shadows in low sun, with a few pedestrians in the distance.

I had read about the archipelago from an article I had read whilst researching for the trip and I was keen to take the ferry over to the islands to get a different perspective. Given the time of year, it wasn’t the most liveliest time to visit. The one or two restaurants that are on the islands had much reduced opening times, and is often the case, I had seemingly missed lunch time.

A large white wooden house on a rocky shore, reflected in still water under a pale grey sky.

Three battered three-wheeled mopeds with flatbed backs parked on a quay, with a jetty, boats and rocky hills behind.