Midnight sun in Luel&aring, Sweden

DSC_0993.jpgLuleå is a small city in the North of Sweden. While it isnt most northern city, it is very beautiful do being by the ocean and due to its breathtaking archipelago. In the summer you have nearly never setting sun. In the winter on the other hand, you are faced with many months of darkness.
This is a trip that we had been looking forward to for a good while. My father in law, coming from Brazil, was especially mesmerised by the prospect of constant daylight (23 hours of sunshine). So he and his wife travelled nearly 16 hours to get to Lule&aring.
I had once previously celebrated Swedish Midsummer in the North of Sweden and it was a lingering experience. A lot of eating and drinking, a lot of dancing around the Midsummer pole and a lot of wearing silly garlands of flowers.
Lule&aring on Midsummer night however turned out to be a very deserted, windy and cold place. Only due to the caretaking of our good friends did we manage to get to a proper Midsummer banquet. This was no easy feet because the location was on a remote island, 25 minutes away from shore by a supreme speedboat.
On the way back we all stopped over for a couple of days in the capital city of Sweden, Stockholm. It turned out to save the trip with its sunny atmosphere, crowded streets and open colourful shops. I guess that once you have gotten used to sharing living space with many, many other people the total lack of human presence is uncomfortable.
Check out some of the photos from Luleå and Stockholm, those places are quite scenic.

Heja Sverige!

Sweden secured 3 gold medals within 24 hours. That’s a very good feat considering the size of the country. Again and again they prove how talented and athletic they are.
First the heroin Carolina Klüft got gold for women’s heptathlon where she frankly dominated (6952 points). Then Christian Olsson in men’s triple jump (17.79m). Last Stefan Holm in high jump (2.36m); his first win in a major competition in a long time.
Being born in Czech Republic, raised in Sweden, living in England and soon to be married to a Brazilian wife, I sometimes get confused about who to cheer on. As long as all of them are winning gold medals, it’s all good!