On almost every blog and must see list for Stockholm, Vete-Katten would almost always be included. I figured if that many people though it was a place that had to be visited, then Markus and I had to go. On the day that we went to Vete-Katten, it was really rainy and gloomy so we didn’t do as much sightseeing and shopping as we planned. Luckily, we stumbled on a hidden gem, the Medelhavsmuseet and ended up spending most of our afternoon there!
I don’t know if it was because it was a rainy day, but Markus and I did not enjoy our visit to Vete-Katten. It’s terribly unfortunate because we were positive we would get the ultimate fika experience. Fika can be translated in many ways, like “coffee and cake break”, but it’s much more than that. It’s an important part of Swedish culture and means to take a break with family and friends and have something to eat. The dessert I was most excited to try at Vete-Katten was the princess cake, a traditional Swedish cake. The sweet dessert is made with alternating layers of jam, whipped cream, pastry cream and sponge cake and then covered with bright green marzipan.
Since it was breakfast we ordered a whole spread consisting of shrimp and chicken salad sandwiches, a slice of princess cake, a cardamom bun and coffee. Honestly, everything was just alright. Personally, I think we paid way too much money for things that could be found at any bakery. Markus and I ate a lot of pastries and buns on our Scandinavian trip and I remember all of my favorite ones and I can’t even recall what the bun from Vete-Katten tasted like. If we were ever in Stockholm again, unfortunately, I wouldn’t go go back.
After a bit of a disappointing breakfast at Vete-Katten, Markus and I walked around a bit looking for shops and things to see. We got tired of the rain and wanted to find a place that we could relax for a bit. As we were trying to figure out what to do, we came across the Medelhavsmuseet. Located in central Stockholm, the museum is focused on relics from the Mediterranean area and the Near East. We walked around the Greek, Assyrian and Egyptian areas. They even had a lovely little cafe on the second floor with a view of the museum below. The best part? The museum is free and has great wifi. Markus and I thought we would pop in to escape the rain, but ended up spending a few hours. It’s a nice little spot to escape the crowds and also soak up some culture.