Embracing Fall

Moving back to Sweden from the US has had its ups and downs. Naturally. But overall I have really enjoyed being back in my natural habitat. The summer was unbelievable with high temperatures, bright sunny days and short nights. Fall rolls around and although it’s pretty, the season does offer a bit of a challenge to me. The fall of 2014 has actually been unusually warm in Sweden so it’s not the cold that’s the problem. It’s the darkness. It gets dark early and some days are just gray and hazy. I have been away for 12 years. I am not used to it. But now it’s time to fully embrace Swedish fall! As a side note though, some days are sunny and the air is crisp! During those days, the fall in Sweden is amazing, beautiful, just electrifying! The colors of the leaves are mesmerizing in the sunshine! But for the other days, here is my humble survivor guide for fall:

Light candles, preferably fu fu smelling ones like pumpkin (total influenced by my years in the US) and cinnamon. One of my favorite candles is called “Marshmallow Fireside”, a candle from the brand White Barn my dear flight attendant sister picked up for me from Bath & Body Works in New York City.

Drink tea. Okay, I drink tea all year round, but in the fall it’s even cozier to cuddle up with a hot beverage. I love all kinds of teas, but perhaps especially Chai Tea and also Early Grey. Tea can be drunk at home or at a café. And boy is it nice to sit at a café with a book when it’s dark and rainy outside. Sweden has an impressive amount of cute cafés.

And speaking of cafés, my sister and I did make a special trip (okay the walk from our apartment is only like 20 minutes long) to Starbucks at the Central Station in Malmö to get hold of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Also a habit I obtained while living in the US. The drink was good as usual, but generally a strong, double shot of espresso is my thing. The downside to that it’s hard to linger with a book over such a small amount of black gold.

Take walks in parks and kick (oh yes I do this!) the multicolored leaves!

Wear scarves. I am known for the massive amounts of scarves I own. I was an international student on a budget for a very long time so when I could not afford to buy whole outfits I bought scarves. But if I feel like buying anything clothes related, I am over the moon that the stores during the fall season carries my favorite colors, mustard yellow and burgundy red.

Books! I tend to read many more books in the fall than during the other three seasons. Okay, one can totally read books basking in the sunshine on a beach too, but it’s something about fall and books that seems so right. I guess it feels more “allowed” to be inside. Swedes generally love to be outside, but even we don’t like bad weather. Maybe reading many books is  my way of compensating that my school days are long gone. Recently I have enjoyed reading the book about/by Zlatan Ibrahimović and of course books about Argentina, my next travel destination.

With fall comes All Saints Day and Halloween. I love to see the many candles lit at various cemeteries (I hope that does not make me a morbid tourist) to honor our loved ones that have passed away. And then we have Halloween, the imported tradition from the US. I did not celebrate it decked out in a costume this year, but was out clubbing that weekend. It was thrilling to see Spiderman and Superman catching a train together in central Malmö. Maybe the Batmobile had broken down and they had to take the train? But then again, the Batmobile was probably not an option for them as Batman was not hanging out with them that evening.

I am not a fan of rain, but there is something to say about falling asleep hearing heavy rain pound on the glass window. It’s magical!

On a more serious note, to feel okay some may need to take a vitamin D supplement to counteract the lack of sunlight up in Northern Europe during this time of year.

Or one can do what I am planning to do: Head to South America to spend some time in the sun. (I have learned this from my parents who usually leaves Northern Europe for a week in the sun during the fall season). Does this make me a hypocrite after writing the above paragraphs? Maybe. But I am very fond of the saying “Do What You Can, With What You Have, Where You Are” by Theodore Roosevelt. So I am embracing the leaves and darkness until my brain and body will be south of the equator. My next blog posts will come out after I have returned from Chile/Argentina :)