Well then - it finally came. This seasons first snow in Southern Stockholm. Overall it has gotten pretty cold during the past days and nights - after a long mild period with no frost all the way into November. And then it got really cold, with temperatures down to -12°C in the distant outskirts of the Stockholm Region. In fact, Stockholm City had a ice day, as the temperature didn't rise above 0°C

There isn't much snow on the ground, perhaps 1-2 cm, and part of it is sacking already, due to that it is slightly milder south of Stockholm, while in the city and north of it, it is still colder. (But i don't know if any snow has fallen there). It appears to me, that mainly the southern part of the Region got snow.

Nothing spectacular... just normal winter weather.

-30°C. in the north

In the North of Sweden, temperatures are close to -30°C. So, there is that. The lowest temperatures comes from a place called Abraur, with -29.7°C and it is not even visible in the chart below. No, wait - i put it in there.

Living in the North during winter...

Imagine to live there month after month. Years after years. OK, in summer it looks fantastic at times, including in early autumn. It has a very special type of landscape, light and look.

But still... living there during winter... ?! Nevertheless, once would have to experience it first, and then describe what it is like. I am sure it is somewhat different compared to what we think it feels like. I am sure it has both pro's and con's. With a very different landscape compared to Stockholm city. Northern lights far more often visible, during ice cold, crystal clear air... and snow everywhere.

Dec 2009 in Kiruna & Nikkaluokta

Daniel and I once flew up to Kiruna, just to get the feeling of a polar night (which was the seasons first polar night around 13-14 Dec, if i recall correctly).

It was very special indeed. And we were "lucky" with the temperatures, because it wasn't around -30°C, but more between -12°C and -18°C. Which i thought was already cold enough. Especially when we took pictures and stood there a longer time, it felt like ice needles in the body when the cold hit us after a while.

Then there was this ice fog at times under an almost clear sky. Which felt surreal. And beautiful in a bizarre kind of way. The rim frost on everything was absolutely huge, accumulated over the weeks.

PS Note:
I got the date wrong in the images; in reality it was the 10 Dec 2009 we landed in Kiruna, and went back to Stockholm on 12 Dec.

It was of course luxurious for me to experience this journey: with Daniel as a driver (and having been a photographer, too) I mean, normally I don't get anywhere because I don't have a car nor do I know how to drive a car. Similarly with Sal, who drove me to fantastic places near and at Etna volcano.

Enjoying every minute

I do not take that for granted, believe me. I enjoyed the extended experience of landscapes every minute !! In the photos below I didn't pull out the best of the best. Just an average of some photos along the journey. Daniel and I did great things up there in Kiruna, and i am sure he enjoyed it as much as I did. a half year later, we did the same journey again, in order to experience days when the sun didn't set !

That too, was another amazing journey. Just to have made the experience of comparing the landscape during polar nights vs polar day was fascinating. At least once in a life time.