tretton37 treats us to a buffet lunch once a month. Today was one of those days, so we walked to a hotel restaurant nearby, just on the other side of Sergels Torg.

Even though I work right in the middle of Stockholm, I barely see any of it. Either I cycle to work and then I see mostly suburbs and cycle paths and half of Kungsgatan. Or I take the train and the metro and then I see nothing but stations, because our office is right on top of a metro station. I don’t go out for lunch normally since I bring a packed lunch, and I rarely have time to just go out for a walk.

The two things that stand out are the construction works just off of Sergels Torg, which have been going on forever, and the electric scooters, which have been around for a much shorter time but are now everywhere. First there was one brand and then two and now I think there are at least five competing scooter firms in town.

And scooter riders, of course. Nearly always helmetless, usually quite uninterested in traffic rules and in the traffic around them. I always feel anxious when I see one of them near me because I feel I cannot predict what they will do, not even what speed they will move at. When the rider is a tourist, they sometimes even try to read a map on their phone while continuing to drive.

Electric bikes meanwhile are so common now that I am getting used to their patterns now.