Sunday, October 29, 2006

An Autumn Walk Through Linköping






Weather is always a hot topic in Sweden--pun absolutely intended. From what I've been told, autumn ("höst") is just postponing the inevitable that still seems to arrive so quickly. Winter ("vinter") is the inevitable. Spring ("vår") is just extra winter and summer ("sommar") is simply Swedish heaven.

Though this autumn in Southern Sweden has been "the warmest in memory," this week marked the arrival of temperatures below freezing, though during the day the weather is still enjoyable and not too much different from my experience of autumn in Seattle. Eventually, when we're in the heart of winter, snow will be on the ground, but the average high will be in the 20s and lows in the 10s--not all that different from my time in Ohio, but significantly less than Seattle. Though Sweden's latitude is equivalent to that of central/northern Canada, we fortunately have a jet stream that comes up from the Caribbean. Yeah, it's almost tropical around here sometimes...

The difference is the darkness. Coming from Southern California, when the Seattle winter sun would rise at 7:30am and set around 4:30pm, that was much more alarming than the rain (which I loved and still do). Well, in a few weeks, I'll be crying for the sun to rise and set at those times, because there will not be sun in Sweden until 10am and then a few hours later, it will be gone (3pm). That's apparently when we settle in with movies, books, candles, homemade bread, hot coffee during "fika," Ikea lighting and, of course, Swedish schnapps.

Though probably a weekend and one wind storm late for the heighth of fall foliage, the sun was out yesterday and Linköping was begging to be photographed during autumn. I obliged. I hope you enjoyed the walk.

I think I've figured out the Blogger picture deal, so please come back for more pics, especially next week after a long weekend in Stockholm during what is anticipated to be the first snow storm of the year. Until then, "Hej då."

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

We read your blog together. How nice, those pictures are quite pretty. Today is one of those typical Seattle days where it rains the ten mins later the sky is blue. The leaves are mostly on the ground, though. It was great talking today, Sean. We'll do it again soon. =D

-Sarah and Geoff

Anonymous said...

it is a beautiful fall here in washington, but i am wishing i was there to experience linkoping without snow on the ground...KR

Anonymous said...

Better post seany, keep it up and mayb i will bring the funny back. Love ya

Todd said...

To my loyal readers - I'm terribly sorry for my haitus last week due to traveling. Hopefully you used that time to review my previous comments...or as we in the TV biz call it...re-runs. And special thanks to "Anonymous...KB" commenter last week for adding some color commentary to what was becoming a Linkoping Lovefest.

Now, Sean...I very much enjoyed your pictures of fall in Sweden. We, too, enjoy the fall colors in New York, although they are different colors...we get a glorious concrete-gray on those crisp fall mornings. Then, once a week or so, that light gray of the concrete jungle turns a dark shade of gray as the rain falls from the sky. And finally, towards then end of fall...we get the light gray again which is the color of the city dirt mixed with snow. It's not all bad, though. Once in a while I see a glimmer of yellow. But's it's not the beautiful leaves of Linkoping...it's a damn cab speeding by which brings me to the final NY fall color of black, the color of my pants after the cab has splashed them with city sludge.

So Sean, happy end of fall and winter. I'm looking forward to it all as well.

And if anyone wants to see the glorious colors of NY this time of year, let me know. I'm happy to give the tour.

Anonymous said...

enough about the weather...let's talk women

Katie said...

i am very late coming to the party that is
the comments page of sean's blog!

now what todd the intrepid new yorker has failed to mention is that NYC is going thru a seasonably warm halloween right now
it was 70 degree today
but he is spot on about the hundred shades of gray

sean, i love reading your entries
they remind me about all the things
that i love about my CK/BB/SW!

Anonymous said...

I really like reading your blog. It kind a changes my way of looking at my own town.
When you leave somewhere you might just take things for granted.
Hope you keep on blogging =)