Johanna

Malmö’s bookish paradise

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When thinking of Malmö i didn’t expect a bookish city at all, but got surprised a lot. There is this IMMENSE contrast of Malmö’s huge, modern public library and small intimate bookshops.

The public library is hidden behind a historic front building and goes beyond a bright glass complex with an extraordinary high window front.

Inside you are privileged to sit down for your studies in small boxes with wify and electricity connection, but you can also sit in the middle of this impressive hall and read a book. 

Stop a second and keep up your head – you gonna be amazed by the view out of the windows at any season. The trees and the park behind do its magic. What a brilliant combination and we all know how important it is for our eyes to stare in the distance for some minutes. 

Beside this must-see you shouldn’t miss ‚Bokfinken-Antikvariat & Kuriosa‘ too. This very cute secondhand bookshop is family owned and deserves a visit of every booklover who lives nearby or visits Malmö as tourist. We spent some time at this antiquarian bookstore because it has so many different books to offer and also a children’s corner what is practical when go visit with your little ones to have some time yourself for browsing books. We got some english travel books, but also a german edition of Pippi Langstrumpf. I never leave a bookshop without buying at least one book. This place isn’t far from the public library, so make sure to combine these two opposites and get the maximum for your bibliophile heart.

SAVE YOUR BOOKSTORE

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It’s true, these days you need to go ONLINE with your bookstore otherwise you may skip a very high number of potential buyers of your books. But don’t worry – creating an optical pleasing instagram account for your bookstore business is NOT a secret at all. The first thing you need are beautiful pictures, that let the instagram user stop and leave a like or even better save the post to come back to it one day and visit your shop in real life. In the past you needed to organize and pay a photographer, but now it’s so EASY. All you have to do is searching for a content creator or so called influencer who takes the pictures, is able to edit them properly and uploads them to his instagram account himself. Couldn’t be easier for you these days, just saying! Like that, most of them share their pictures under the correct geotag of your bookshop and make the visible for other people searching your bookshop’s geotag.They find these eye-catching pictures and decide to go for a visit. Win-win.
Second, you need to write all important information to your instagram biography, so all visitors of your page see them immediately. Important information are opening hours or now online delivery, a phone number, email address and so on. 
If you have no aesthetically pleasing pictures at all, write me an email and let’s discuss how i can help you. I offer you to edit your pictures in an instagramable way, so everyone goes crazy and wants to visit your shop! My email is freyajohanna@gmx.de
Don’t worry i am content creator since many years and worked with some high class brands, but even more important – i made some small shops INSTA FAMOUS by taking outstandingly beautiful pictures of shops which have never been online before. Like that a picture can go viral in the internet and you are seen!
Check the examples above and below.
Don’t miss the opportunity to promote your bookshop on instagram, it’s for free and the so called bookstagram community is one of the biggest of the whole instagram scene. The hashtag #bookstagram reached lately over 40 million pictures. This is quite a number!

Vienna is not only about Sissi

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There are a few cities i can highly recommend for a short weekend trip around Europe and one of them is definitely the capital of Austria, Vienna. This city is not small, but manageable to explore by foot and bike what is always important for me when i only stay for a short time. But over the top, Vienna’s public transport system is very good and you can always skip a 30 minute walk and take the bus or tram instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know my  must-see list is a bit packed, so please don’t do all of the recommended things in only one weekend, but pick your personal favorites. The relaxing part in between is what makes a weekend trip unforgettable. On every bloggers top to-do list you’ll find the Stephansdom for a good reason – the Stephansdom is a gothic cathedral in Vienna, noted for its beautifully colored roof. It’s a photography highlight. You can take a guided tour of the cathedral, the catacombs, and one of the towers.

While exploring the old town you will for sure pass by Hofburg Vienna where you immediately feel like entering a time machine thanks to the carriages and horses lined up in front of the building.

 

 

The Viennese institution par excellence, the coffee house is far more than a place to drink coffee and to enjoy guilt-inducing slices of cake or a Kaiserschmarrn (cut-up and sugared pancake with raisins). I must confess i only visited Cafe Central because of its very photogenic appearance outside and inside. The ceiling is amazing, it has still an old-world glory and charm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The one thing i need you to promise me you try this out is Sachertorte.is a darkly rich chocolate cake with a slither of apricot jam in the middle, decorated with a shimmering mirror glaze and icing in an italic script.Their recipe is a closely guarded secret and Café Sacher is undoubtedly one of the best places to sample this coveted dessert.

Be prepared – there is usually a long queue at the door. BUT i tell you, please visit The Blaue Bar which is Sacher’s own sophisticated little retreat within the hotel. It’s more or less a secret tip and also where i enjoyed my first piece of original Sachertorte followed by a very good Gin Tonic.

Another cafe i tell you to go is near one of the bookshops i stopped by … SO MUCH COSINESS! And shopping possibility.

My bestie and I were craving some sugar and stopped by Donuteria where we spoiled ourselves with a big box of these candied treasures and took them with us to the hotel. What a bloody good idea. The very best we’ve ever tried!

If you are a sweet teeth and need some more deliciousness , please make sure to try out veganista ice cream. Fancy, handcrafted, hyper tasty and a pretty ice cream parlour.

 

for my book recommendations please visit .. link

 

Vienna, Austria

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Vienna is a LOT about Sachertorte and a very charming old town, but also about bucket list goal pretty book places.

On very top of my list is a small bookshop named  Księgarnia Polska w Wiedniu with polish books and literature. The shop is every booklover’s dream – cosy, small, shelves of books up to the ceiling with an eye-catching spiracle staircase. The atmosphere of this place is familiar like everyone entering feels home immediately.

 

 

Vienna’s university library looks like out of a Harry Potter movie. All Potterheads out there should make sure to see this place with their own eyes at least once in their life. But make sure to not disturb the students, they may have a lot of work to do or finals. You need to lock away your personal stuff, like big bags and jackets before going in. Also the rest of this building is amazing, i highly recommend to stay a while and have a coffee to feel the atmosphere of this place. The university is the oldest in the german speaking world and offers guided tours in English (€5, every Saturday, 11.30am).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

777  This bookstore owned by Dieter Würch transports you immediately into another time – the time before online selling was king, when books were the only escape from a crazy world around you. It has a large selection and can also order you everything you need. True literary friends stay loyal to this wonderful place.

 

This library in one word description would probably be IMPRESSIVE! The ceremonial room at the glorious Austrian National Library is particularly wonderful, not just for its huge collection of literary works, but also an incredible building. The globes standing next to the historic bookshelves give some more Harry Potter vibes, you can almost see Hermione strolling around grabbing a book. This place is made for a family visit when it’s raining cats and dogs and a city walk not so affordable. More information here https://www.onb.ac.at/en/

Malmö, Sweden

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Honestly, this city has never been on top of my bucket list, until my husband asked me to visit Sweden during our summer holidays. I got immediately trapped by its irresistible beauty when i  did some research about the South of Sweden. From there on, i couldn’t wait to travel to this part of the world.

We stayed 5 days in Malmö and 8 more in the area Skane and i must say i don’t regret this decision for a second! The mixture of city and the slow countryside living has been perfect for relaxed summer holidays. Let’s start with Malmö suggestions. Malmö can easily be explored on foot or by bike. The city has a number of interesting neighborhoods, each with their own unique characteristics that are worth exploring.

My favorites are:

Definitley Gamla Staden – Malmo’s historic district. Among the top of the list is Lilla Torg, which means little square. This square contains some of the oldest buildings in Malmo, which can be enjoyed while sipping a coffee at one of its many outdoor places. The square dates back to the 1500’s and was originally intended and is still sometimes today used as a marketplace. If you want a taste of historic Swedish architecture, this is the place to go. Just around the corner of this place is Noir Kaffeekultur, where you get VERY good coffee and cakes, small dishes and so on. It’s utterly picturesque and cosy. We had a slice of citrus cake and cappuccino there. Stayed for hours, when baby girl slept in her stroller.

On the other side of the same street is another charming café named Eida what i can only recommend. Both have outdoor chairs and tables.

Cafe Eida
Cafe Eida

Make sure to visit Malmo Saluhall at least once – it’s an indoor market with beautiful interior. You find everything you wish for when hungry!!

Malmo has unexpected pretty flower shops. I visited the most beautiful tiny flower shop Florista. It’s one of the places I had been eyeing for  a while. I had the pleasure of meeting the sweet owner Sophie and also her dog. The shop is about locally sourced flowers with more of a natural and wild basis, which is exactly what I adore. Sophies floral wreaths are eye-catcher you shouldn’t miss when you are in town. She shows a lot of her work via instagram here Florista

In summer you can jump in the water from fix installed platforms right in the middle of the city. The inhabitants go for a swim every late afternoon after work. There you also get a glimpse of the Oresundsbron Bridge. This five mile long rail and motorway bridge (the longest in Europe) was made famous by the Scandinavian TV crime thriller The Bridge and unites Sweden and Denmark. One of the best things about visiting Malmo is the ability to hop across the sea over to Denmark. Set just 30 minutes by train across the water is Copenhagen. We had a delicious outdoor lunch at La Bonne Vie this is next to Florista and also not far away from the famous public library (link).

 

Stockholm, Sweden

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This city offers not only good food and beautiful alleys, but also pretty book places to die for.

 

One place is for me the most incredible library at ALL times, the Stockholm Public Library also known as Stadsbibliotek. For the archilovers some detailed information about this building: It’s designed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund in 1922 and completed in 1928. The library is one of the city’s most notable structures and is replete with a majestic rotunda that provides a unique cylindrical hall. You find also an impressive clock on one of the floors and some benches to sit down and enjoy a book in the middle of the hall. This impressive monument to modern functional design is home to more than 2 million printed volumes. Can you believe that??

The library houses over 2 million books, in over 100 languages including Thai, Spanish and Russian. But if I’m being honest, this library is more about the photo opportunity. Trust me, your Instagram followers will appreciate it.

The other masterpiece you couldn’t miss when in Stockholm is the National Library of Sweden, where they collect, preserve and make available almost everything that is published in Sweden. It’s also known as Kunglia Biblioteket. Find the royal library in Humlegården in Östermalm.

 

There are visitors very welcome, but you need to take off your coat and backpacks and lock them before going in.  Free lockers available! You don’t need to pay anything. No wonder this hyper impressive library has been the King’s personal library and is now the National Library of Sweden. Today, the National Library is both a library and a government agency. Super interesting!

(Perhaps the most fascinating work in the collections is The Devil’s Bible. It’s the world’s largest surviving medieval manuscript measuring at around 90cm in height and 50cm wide. It is worth visiting the library just for this!) www.kb.se 

 

 

Here are two of the best bookstores in Stockholm you should definitely make space in the diary for.

I lost my heart to Söderbokhandeln Hansson & Bruce by second one. This shop is one of Stockholm’s oldest bookstores on Götgatsbacken. Lets sum it up – books up to the high ceiling and a wonderful cosy atmosphere. There is a vintage couch in the back where you can sit down and get lost in a good book. They also host regularly events like seminars and discussions with authors which are very popular.

Another beautiful antiquarian bookshop i can only recommend is Rönnells Antikvariat. Two floors full of antiquarian books. The shop is a staple of Stockholm’s literary scene since 1929. It owns a huge collection of secondhand books, oddities and also out of print rarities. It specializes in art, fiction and academic literature and has on occasion auctioned the private collections of famous authors. Swoooooon!