Our trip to Stockholm marked the beginning of the Scandinavian winter. Most November days have been in the 30s and 40s, but in the week leading up to our departure for Sweden, the temperature dropped (and stayed) below freezing. With the prospect of spending many hours outside each day, I was not going to take any chances — the time had come to upgrade to my winter coat, i.e., “the blanket.”
The blanket.
The days are getting noticeably shorter, too. Sunrise now occurs at about 9:00 am, and sunset is at 3:00 pm. I have been enjoying the hygge (“coziness”) associated with the dark days. At home we enjoy sitting by the fire in the evening, and when we’re out I have been really loving the twilight and the warm wool layers. I have come to understand what Scandinavians mean when they say that winter is best.
And no one is more surprised by this than me. If you’ve been following our adventure, you might remember that I haven’t always been coping so well. Compare and contrast Allison in June with Allison in November:
So I was ready for a winter adventure! Stockholm is sits on an archipelago of 14 islands on the southeast Swedish coast. The city is quintessentially Scandinavian in a number of ways: It is clean and has a very efficient public transportation system, which makes navigating all the islands surprisingly easy. There are plenty of opportunities to be near the water. And thankfully, it is much cheaper than Norway, and with a better food selection.
The impetus for the trip was to see a friend from the Health Department who was traveling through with her husband and twin toddlers to spend Thanksgiving with friends in Gothenburg. After a lengthy flight delay and lost baggage, we appreciate the effort they made to see us. Thanks Jen and Jared!
Other highlights included —
The zoo at Skansen. Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum, showcasing Sweden of yesteryear. It also has many exhibits on Scandinavian animals, including reindeer and wooly sheep. Some of the enclosures were not strong enough, permitting this goat to escape.
A trip to the Vasa Museum, which tells the story of a great warship that sunk in the 1600s. At the time, the Vasa was a huge investment for Sweden, costing ~3% of the country’s GDP. Due to some design flaws, it capsized and sunk after sailing about 1,500 meters on its maiden voyage. How embarrassing!
The ship was recovered more-or-less intact in the 1960s — the poor water quality in the Stockholm harbor prevented the oxygenation process that would have destroyed the boat.
A visit to the Nobel museum. I had always been confused about whether the prize was awarded by Norway or Sweden, but both countries are involved, because they were a single country when the awards were established in 1895. Sweden awards the prizes in Chemistry, Economics, Literature, Medicine, and Physics, and Norway awards the Peace prize. This year’s Nobel Laureates will receive their medals and specially-designed diplomas in Stockholm on December 10.
Fotografiska, the Swedish Museum of Photography. It had a number of outstanding exhibits, and excellent views of the city.
It was snowy! We stayed warm in our winter clothes and learned all about how Scandinavians transport their children in the snow:
Stay warm out there!
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Scandinavian cold and dark sounds like it can be lovely. For so long I have just been “over” the idea of snow, but I think I am changing my opinion back to the joy and wonder I felt during the winters of my Michigan childhood. Thank you!