Stockholm is a flâneur’s paradise. There aren’t really any tourist ‘must-see’ monuments to tick off your list so it’s best to follow your instincts and amble across the 14 islands and 50 bridges which comprise the city. We pass the Royal Opera House and stop in Strömparterren Park to admire the Adonis-like form of The Sun Singer statue, then onto Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s quaint old town.

Next we stop off in hip neighbourhood Södermalm on the South central side for ‘fika’. The Swedish take this enlightened coffee break very seriously. Its purpose is to take time to slow down, appreciate good company and have a baked good with a hot beverage; preferably coffee – another fundamental part of Swedish culture. We order sugar-adorned cinnamon buns at Gilda’s Rum café opposite popular summer hangout park Nytorget but swap our coffee for cold white wine; no doubt a sacrilegious move.

Embrace Stockholm Syndrome