Springtime in Gothenburg!

Today was such a beautiful day! Technicolor blur skies and that crystal clear air that tells you spring is right around the corner, so I went for a walk in the Linné neighbourhood where the flower stands are packed with tulips in all the colors of the rainbow :)

Let's kick it!

So, despite the sun's best effort, there is still snow and ice on the ground and every step you take is a danger to your health (or at least, your pride) and I can't help but wishing I had my "Kick" here!
The Kick has been used since the 1800's to get to school, go to the grocery store and just for a lovely afternoon out on the snowy lakes. It is basically two long ice skates with a wooden chair or crate on top and you stand on one skate while kicking the ground in between the skates to speed up!
When it's this cold, the lakes freeze and it's so nice to just skate out to one of the archipelagos with some hot chocolate and sandwiches (really, such a great way to spend the day!)

 

And nowadays, there's a newer (and I'll admit, perhaps a bit more sturdy) version on the market!

Cereal vs. Chocolate

One of the things that baffled me in the US was the grocery stores, and more specifically; the seemingly endless variety of one single product. Take cereal for exemple, I remember walking into a grocery store in Connecticut for the first time and actually had to take a picture of the cereal aisle! Rows and rows of different cereals when at home all we had was maybe five varieties.

Today I found myself in my local grocery store and realized, Sweden might still not have as many types of cereal as America, but just look at the chocolate aisle!!!

Dark chocolate varieties in everything from chili and ginger to sea salt and almonds

Milk chocolate, the plain is actually a favorite of mine (beats Hersey's by miles!) but these bars come filled with creamy nougat, raspberry yogurt or cookies and cream as well!

Of course you got to cater to your audience!

I know its cold but....

...damn it's beautiful too!

Northern Lights in Östersund

The bridge I have to cross to get to my friends in Norway

More Northern Lights in Kiruna

Värmdö close to Stockholm

Still afternoon in Ängelholm down south

Perfect Snack!

One of the best winter snacks has got to be fried apples! So easy to make and a great substitute for apple pie if you don't have the patience to bake one :)

Just fry the sliced apples until they're a little soft, add some cinnamon and serve with vanilla yogurt!

On the Road

On the way to spend New Years Eve with my friend in Borås about an hour from Gothenburg I snapped these pictures to show a little bit of winter Sweden.

Christmas Break

Well, this was a bit of a long christmas break for me, unintentionally I swear!

It really has been a wonderful christmas though, as usual the entire family gathers at my grandparents' home
and it's the same every year:

December 23rd, we stay up late into the night, fretting about putting the perfect little rhymes on all of the presents

My grandpa is putting the finshing touched on the gingerbread train,

And of course, we eat eat eat!!!

 

In Sweden we celebrate christmas on the 24th and since 25th and 26th are holidays as well, most people just simply take time off of work starting the 23rd through Jan 2nd to spend time with their family or go abroad :)

Lucia

In the early morning hours of December 13, all over Sweden and the other Nordic countries, "Lucia" brings light in the darkness of winter. Each school and each city chooses a girl to represent Lucia, the lightbringer, and she is followed by a procession of maidens carrying candles and sometimes treats such as gingerbread cookies and lussekatter for the people.

When this tradition first started out back in the late 1600's, December 13th was believed to be the longest and most dangerous night of the year and many stayed up through the night with candles burning. In the morning, they knew the darkest part of the winter was over and with only 11 day left until Christmas, it was time to celebrate!

This is my favorite Swedish tradition, in school I always loved getting up early in the morning and dressing in the gown, making sure I knew all the songs and had the candle ready. It was such a magical feeling when the school is completely dark except for the procession lit up by candle light, moving through the hallways lined with people while singing songs that have been sung for hundreds of years.

A friend of mine recently pointed out that it seems a bit strange if you haven't grown up with it, and I suppose he has a point, but here, judge for yourself :)

Hot chocolate the Swedish way

Today is one of those days; the wind is howling, the rain is beating hard on the windows and the sky is just grey.
In short, perfect hot chocolate weather! For some reason, I almost never made hot chocolate in LA, I always bought it, but being back in Sweden it felt perfectly natural to turn on the stove and make a cup :)

To make traditional Swedish hot chocolate, you mix cocoa and sugar with a little bit of cream in a cup and pour hot milk over and it's so yummy!