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The Local: So, a bit of background – who are you and where are you from?
My name is Lisa Mikulski and I come from Connecticut. I am a writer and photographer. I moved to Gothenburg for love.
If travelling to Sweden, is Gothenburg a better destination than Stockholm if you could only visit one Swedish city?
Oh yes, I think so. I've been fortunate to visit Stockholm and I will say it is a beautiful city with a long history. But for me, Gothenburg seems so full of light and positive energy. Although it is a small city, it is jam-packed with cultural events, sports, music festivals, nightlife, great restaurants, and the people here are welcoming and enthusiastic.
If you had a visitor for just one afternoon, where would you take them to show off the city?
As I imagine this, I'm thinking of a beautiful spring day. Gothenburg is a walking city and you can cover a lot of ground in one afternoon. So I think we'd start with a stroll through Kungsparken along the canal. There is a lot of people-watching to be done here, and of course, a walk in the park is always a pleasure.
From there, I'd take my visitor to Haga and Vasastaden. Haga is a lovely section of the city known for its old wooden buildings and its history as a 17th century working district. During the 1980s and 1990s, it was renovated and today it is a charming section of town with cobbled streets, independent shops, and the coziest of coffee shops. The little neighbourhood of Vasa offers its visitors some wonderful stone architecture dating to the late 1800's.
Once we have made our way through Haga and Vasastaden, it's an easy walk to the top of Avenyn at Götaplatsen where we can look down on the entire city. From here all of Gothenburg can be ours… just a few steps away is also the Liseberg amusement park, the Universeum, The Museum of Art, or Trädgårdsföreningen.
IN PICTURES: Click here to see Gothenburg through Lisa’s own lens
Where is your smultronställe? (A place you hold dear)
I know you'd like me to be more specific, but I would have to say it's the actual city of Gothenburg that captured my heart. It's a very different environment for me and one which I've been waiting to get to for many years. Connecticut lies between New York City and Boston. Both of those cities were easy for me to get to, but my hometown was a coastal community. I am excited that now I live in a very clean, cosmopolitan city that has so much to offer.
There are many delightful things about Gothenburg… little cafes, boutiques, charming coffee shops where I can do my writing, and even Palmhuset at Trädgårdsföreningen which is beautiful and so lush even in the winter. I love many of these different little venues, and it is all these special places which make up the whole face of the city for me.
Tell me something about Gothenburg that the rest of the world doesn't know.
Liseberg, Gothenburg's spectacular amusement park, is home to one of the world’s best wooden roller coasters, Balder.
And finally, where is the best place in town to take in all of Gothenburg at once?
That's easy. That place would be Götaplatsen at the top of Kungsportsavenyn, of course. Here you can find the Göteborg Museum of Art and Konserthuset, outside of which stands the famous sculpture of Poseidon as he looks across the city. This sculpture was created by Swedish artist Carl Milles and is perhaps Gothenburg's most famous sculpture.
From this vantage point at Götaplatsen, one can see straight down Avenyn through the entire city. At the very end of our view lies the harbour, the opera house and the river Göta Älv.
SEE ALSO: A list of The Local's past My Swedens
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