Snow Cannons turn Stockholm into a Winter Wonderland
Last week Stockholm turned into a winter wonderland a little earlier than I expected. More snow fell on Thursday than any other November day for more than 111 years! This was caused by lake-effect snow, when a cold air mass moved across the Baltic Sea. I prefer the Swedish term though, Snökanon, which directly translates to English as Snow Canons :)
It does snow here every year, but the amount we had in such a short period of time was unusual, which meant the city was a little chaotic for a while. Buses and trains were cancelled, the freeways were closed, and the roads and footpaths were partially blocked for days. We also had the new experience of needing to dig our car out of a huge mound of snow. As we don't have a snow shovel, we were attempting to do this with cardboard boxes. Which must have looked very funny! Luckily a very kind neighbour came to our rescue and lent his, which made the process much easier.
winter wonderland - djurgården and hagaparken
I quickly forgot any of the chaos though, every time I went for a walk. One of the great things about Stockholm is that without having to venture too far out of the city centre, you can be somewhere quiet and peaceful. Walking around in the snow makes me feel instantly calmer, everything is more quiet and the air is so fresh. I haven't made a snowman or any snow angels yet, but I did throw a few snowballs :) As an added bonus, the snow brightens everything up. It has been quite dark and grey for a while, so the extra light seems to cheer everyone up a little.
It's been getting warmer over the last couple of days and starting to rain, so the snow is quickly melting. Which does make getting around the city easier, but I am looking forward to the next time it snows! There's something about it that feels so magical. Especially as we are getting closer to Christmas. The decorations and lights are starting to go up around the city. The shops are all festive and the city smells like Cinnamon :) It's time to grab a blanket, light some candles and get cosy.Bring on Christmas!!Cheers, Jess