Spending a Winter Holiday in Sweden has to be one of the most magical things I have ever experienced. The moment I landed in Sweden after 14 years brought me to tears! The beauty of the land, the people, the smells, the tastes, the wildlife...the ICE? :) Wait a minute...ok...so the first time I was there was in July/August 1994. It was warm & full of sunshine to bask in almost 24 hours a day! :)
This holiday was different...the moment I felt the cold air, Brrrrr! I was so happy to see a friendly face arriving to greet me at Arlanda! Yet the temperature was...hmmmmmm! I admit, it was COLD, but a chilling cold I had never experienced before deep down to the core. Next a short drive to see friends, seeing the land, the country, all those red houses...I almost forgot how tired traveling had made me.
The ice on the sidewalks was nothing I had ever seen before in the US. Sure, I've been in snow, ice, freezing rains...yet this was much thicker. I quickly thought to myself, walk normal, with purpose, yet don't fall. So far so good, yet...a "almost slip" a few times. As I quickly looked to see if anyone had noticed. I had two weeks to master the art of "ice walking" like a local...proud to say I never fell once! :)
Advice: Those metal spikes for your shoes...BRILLIANT!
The darkness or "limited sunlight" was a bit hard to adjust to at first...but as I quickly learned, sleeping in= super short days :)
As my holiday took me from Stockholm to the High Coast, I was intrigued by the beauty of this ICE, how thick, strong, layers upon layers, quite impressive! The snow was beautiful, glistening in the sun! Blowing in the wind, laying so peaceful upon the land. I'm not sure if my eyes were dry from the wind or forgetting to blink. I didn't want to miss a thing! The smiling faces, the kind hospitality & love of everyone was so amazing!
Seeing my friends, hearing the language, tasting the food...I knew that piece of my heart I left there back in 1994 was found again! This time...the feelings deeper, richer and knowing I'll return again soon! A Swedish Winter holiday I'll never forget! :)