Missing Sweden
The Cinnamon Bun family has been missing Sweden lately. A variety of things come up: friends, places we miss, wild swimming, etc. For me, this time of year makes me nostalgic for the light. Stockholm has the nicest light in the summer, probably due to the extreme northern latitude. This makes the light soft. It is pretty common in Stockholm to see someone just standing facing the sun, eyes closed, just enjoying the warmth on their face. It’s like a little effervescent tickle on your skin. In California, the sun is more like a flat slap in the face. It’s strong, and it’s always there. Except during this time of year, it gets softer, particularly at sunrise and sunset, and it reminds me of Sweden. This is somewhat ironic, as Sweden gets like 5 hours of daylight this time of year. I guess nostalgia isn’t rational…
Christmas is Wonderful in Stockholm!
Maybe it’s the existential dread of a long winter, but the Swedes know how to do Christmas right. There are great Christmas decorations. Usually they are tastefully done (decorations can lean toward the garish in the US). And Julbord (Christmas table) is just a wonderful tradition. We also usually did the Julbord with my brother and sister in law.
Winter can be Awesome Too!
Despite the grumbling about the short day, winter is a special time in Sweden. We tried our best to adopt the Swedish attitude of getting out and getting after it in the winter:
The Cinnamon Sticks miss the snow…
It’s the Little Things
I miss a lot of the day-to-day stuff. Living in a foreign country makes daily living more of an adventure. Walking to school:
Playing in our local park:
Fika!:
Wild swimming at our favorite watering hole, Hellasgården:
And of course, who can forget those Cinnamon Buns!
Rumor has it, we may be making a trip back to Sweden this summer. Stay tuned…
Brian, I can understand your feelings. It sounds so civilized.
Sweden misses you too!