Stockholm is waking up again

Spring is in the air. Summer really. Not so much in the temperature, but more in the whole ambiance of Stockholm. The sun helps. But it's more the attitude. 

Schools are closed this week for Easter. And the streets are a bit sparse in the mornings. Some offices have signed off already for the occasion. This Friday and next Monday are national holidays, but I guess they figure why wait? In fact, some offices are even off next week, too. Easter is certainly a big deal for a country with so little religion. 

Not that I'm complaining. It's glorious! 

Half of my office is empty. My received emails are down by about 3/4. And this is just the start of the season. The pace will only slow down more as summer gets closer. May is scattered with sporadic, mid-week days off (also religiously affiliated). And once June hits, the offices won't be full again until September. I swear it's true.  

photo inspiration: GAE

 

These coming 4 Easter days off could not be better timed. To celebrate our temporary freedom, NS and I are road-tripping down south to Skåne [pronouced Sko-nay - emphasis on the Sko], the southern region of Sweden. Strangely enough, Skåne has been a part of Sweden for less time than Finland. Sweden's deep south - another world, some say. We shall see for ourselves.

Anyway, I'll be back next week to tell of our travel adventures. And God willing have a bit of color - come on sun!!

The land of sun and falcons

As it's snowed today in both Stockholm and my hometown, Annapolis (how is this happening on St Paddy's Day?!?), I thought it might be a good time to re-visit NS' and my trip to visit M & N in Abu Dhabi last month. A reminder that warmer temperatures do exist somewhere at least...

Have you heard of falconry? The practice of hunting with falcons? I would say it's an art, if not a way of life for many people in the United Arab Emirates, as our trip to Abu Dhabi brought to light. 

me feeding a quail to this falcon

The sheikh (pronounced shake) - the ruler of the land - has 300 falcons at his disposal, and brings them all along on his 3-week trips into the depths of the desert in search of what little wildlife is out there. His entourage sets up a mini-city transported by hundreds of vehicles to the middle of nowhere as a base camp - the most luxurious camping you've ever seen. And each day he chooses a few prized falcons to bring on his excursion. What a life.

Falcons can even have their own passports, and are given their own seats on flights. Can you imagine sitting next to one?

Abu Dhabi is also home to one of the world's largest mosques - and undoubtedly the most grandiose - the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. There's space for 40,000 worshippers inside, lined up in straight rows along the world's largest hand-woven carpet. It's truly a life-size Aladdin palace, no expense spared.

I thought I was safe with my head scarf and long skirt, but I couldn't show my arms either so here I am

NS and I splurged on an escape to luxury at one of Abu Dhabi's many beach clubs, this one at the Monte Carlo Hotel on Saadiyat Beach. A warm, turquoise infinity pool overlooking the Persian Gulf flanked by enormous sun beds was all we needed for an afternoon in the sun. It was heaven...

yesssssssssss

And on our last day in AD, we got to see the Red Bull Air Race soar through the skies above Abu Dhabi. It was by far the most impressive display of aerial feats I've ever seen (sorry Blue Angels, but you just don't compare). 

I guess the colored smoke helps (it's food coloring!)

Thank you so much to our fabulous hosts M&N for an incredible week of discoveries, sun, and amazing smoothies and falafel. 

we don't wanna leave!

I'm disappointed, Stockholm

When I moved here, Stockholm, you promised me beautiful winters. In exchange for cold days with little light, you said you'd bring me snow to silence the city noises and cover it with a blanket of pure, bright white. You promised days of winter sporting - sledding and cross country skiing and, if nothing else, walks with a crunch underfoot.

my walk to work this morning - a dusting turned to rain a couple hours later

This year, Stockholm, you've not given me any of this. I may be exaggerating slightly - we've had about 6 days of the blissful winter that I love this city for.  

Of course, summers in Sweden are incredible - but when they let me down (which they often do with a drizzly grey tepidness that would hardly be described as summer at home), I assure myself that Stockholm does winter right at least. With the gorgeous snowfall and the cozy, candle-lit windows - it's a fairy tale. 

But this year, it's mostly been an endless gravel-ground-covered grey. It wears down the soul. And the sun - I'm forgetting what it feels like. I'm craving that feeling. 

So I've decided to put a stop to this. Right now. Well, tomorrow. I'm off. We're off. NS and I are going away for a week to another land far, far away - the land of the United Arab Emirates. To Abu Dhabi to be exact. To visit some very dear friends. To see a place so different to any I've ever seen. And to get some sun - because I don't function without it, and I've almost reached that point. 

And all I can say, Stockholm, is that you better straighten up by the time I'm back!

Sayonara!

Solen Skiner i Stockholm!

the

sun

in 

stockholm

shines mainly

in the summer

So we have to take advantage of the few moments when it's actually sunny in the winter months. And this is what you get - walking through the cold streets of Stockholm, people are stopped, faces sky-ward, eyes closed, soaking up as much warmth and color as possible. And then most Swedes head to the solarium anyway. That or take the healthy route, developing a ghostly tint by mid-February. Either way, everyone is counting down to that first warm day - could it be ... still 4 months away? Maybe less. Best not to remind myself

Ljusterapi!

Ljusterapi=light therapi=happiness

Every day when I get off the bus on my way home from work, I see this ad and wish I was in it. Sitting on the beach in the warm sun feels so far away right now as the Stockholm sun rises and hovers just above the horizon for a few short hours each day.

For now, though, the light and color this ad brings to my walk home will have to suffice, at least until

A) a fairy drops a bag of cash on my doorstep which i will promptly use to fly far away to a warm place. i'm thinking south africa, maybe thailand? or perhaps an island somewhere...

OR

B) summer comes, which requires waiting for 6 more long months

Guess I don't have much of a choice on this one. But there is a redeeming factor: the days are getting longer now, by almost 4 minutes every day. So in just 2 weeks, we've got a whole extra hour of light! That's at least one thing you can rely on in Swedish winters, which I'm learning are more unpredictable than not.  

Last Saturday was beautifullllllllll ... we planned to get some shopping done, but were too tempted by the sun and ended up sun-bathing beside the Lake Mälaren, enjoying what may in all likelihood be one of the last summery days for the next 9 months.

This was the Volkswagen Regatta on Lake Mälaren

These benches are perfectly made for sun-bathing 

I love these little piers, perfect little secluded spots

And now, just a couple days later, tropical hurricane Katia has been raging to the west of Sweden, causing some serious wind here in the east. I didn't know that Sweden even had hurricanes, much less tropical ones! Fortunately, there have been no power outages or flooding - the extend of my being effected is my biking, which has been slightly more hazardous than usual with branches covering the paths and much slower than usual, with the wind at times completely stopping any forward movement. Plus the fact that I arrived home from my Swedish class tonight soaked from rain. Just see if a little wind and a few rain drops stop me from riding ... no chance!

April in Stockholm

Saturday was the first day of warmth I've felt in, let's see, about 6 months. Stockholm spring comes a couple weeks later than spring in most of Europe, and much later than the spring I'm used to back home. But sure enough, it doesn't disappoint.

view of Gamla Stan (old town) from Skeppsholmen

Stockholm is truly a beautiful city, and in the sun, even more so. On Saturday I strolled around for hours, trying to soak in as many rays as possible along with everyone else in the city. It seems that everyone has been in hibernation for the winter, and they've all just woken up. 

Walking down the street, there are dozens of people standing completely still, eyes closed, in the middle of the sidewalk with their faces tilted toward the sun. Get me some Vitamin D! It looks silly at first, until you realize, yes! that's exactly what I want to be doing right now! Or rather, I'd love to lay in a park in my bikini, but lets not get ahead of ourselves, it's only 15 degrees C (60 F). But it's only a matter of time. 

one of many people soaking up the sun... and me trying to discretely take a photo of it

Another new development in Stockholm is the amount of light we're getting. It gets light around 5:30 am and dark around 8:30 these days, something I'm used to in the middle of June, not April. I'm definitely not complaining, though... just anxiously awaiting the days when it's never really completely dark. And the month of summer holidays everyone in Sweden gets... I have to say, the meters of snow just might be worth it all.