It’s Sunday night and all I can say is wow – what a week! I’m feeling quite lazy after an eventful week in two beautiful Nordic capitals. This week we had our kitchen fixed, Stockholm drowned in snow, and I also paid a quick visit to Helsinki. Oh, and I probably don’t need to mention the US elections. Next week will not be any calmer (although I do hope that any blizzard will stay far away).
Two Nordic Capitals, Snow Chaos, Kitchen Renovation & Donald Trump
It’s funny how the first (or in this case the second) snowfall of the season can paralyze an entire city. Or in this case, at least two Nordic capitals were affected. What happened was that we woke up to a world covered in white on Wednesday. First, we noticed that everything was strangely light, then we read the news about Trump. Anyhow, although the world was beautiful on that very morning, it was almost impossible for people to get anywhere. The blue line of the Stockholm metro was running, but all buses and local trains stood still. People were not able to go to work, nor get home after work had they managed to get there in the first place.
On Thursday I went to Helsinki for a business trip. Because of weather situation I left for the airport quite early. There are several daily flights between these two Nordic capitals and I was so happy that my flight to the other side of the Baltic Sea went quickly and smooth. I took a nap and forty minutes later I was greeted by another white town and people speaking my mother tongue.
As I stayed with a friend in the center of the city, I only needed to worry about getting into town. Once in central Helsinki, I walked everywhere – the city center is quite compact – and the weather was not so much an issue. I really like Helsinki! It’s very different from Stockholm. It’s smaller, and I’d say that it’s quirkier but also more conservative than its Swedish counterpart. It also felt rather strange to be back in the old homeland.
Back In Stockholm
Friday was a beautiful day in Helsinki, but it felt so good to be back home in the evening. The flight back was not as smooth as the one on Thursday, so it felt extra good to return home. And the kitchen was done by now! This weekend has been all about sleeping in, walking in the sunshine, and relaxing.
On Saturday we had this year’s first glöggfika. And what is that I can hear you ask? Glögg is mulled wine and fika is a nice Swedish tradition. The fika usually refers to a short coffee break, but sometimes you may swap the coffee for glögg and gingerbread instead.
Now I’m looking forward to the new week. I will not visit any other Nordic capitals and I hope there won’t be much of snow chaos, but I’m quite certain that we can expect some travels and adventures.
Have a nice week & happy travels!
