Keeping Warm in Stockholm
It’s pitch dark outside, even though it’s barely 3:30 in the afternoon. I am bitterly cold. My heavy scarf feels like an amateur in this Scandinavian winter. My ears are covered and my coat collar is stiff, pulled all the way up to keep the cold out. It doesn’t work. I feel the ice settle down in my chest, creeping through the gaps and falling in place with a painful thud.
“You’re lucky, it’s still a warm winter,” the lady behind the counter tells me as she wraps my wooden bookmark in a soft white envelope with the Swedish flag, “usually by this time, we are much much colder, under snow.”
I’ve been walking around Stockholm’s old town, Gamla Stan, all day, conflicted: should I leave my hands stuffed in my coat pockets, or do I pull them out, along with my camera, to take pictures? To keep warm I walk into the stores that line the old quarters. I am not picky. When I feel my face is about to fall off, I walk into the nearest one. As a result, I’ve spent a fair bit of today with reindeer and moose masquerading as kitchen towels, fridge magnets and candle stands, and the Swedish Royal family, smiling from cups, caps and cards.
What I’d really like to do is step into one of the cosy candle-lit restaurants serving lunch. The candles stand right by the window, the flames are sturdy, strong, tempting the cold to come in and try something warm. But I’ve never learned how to squeeze in a second lunch, so I settle for a compromise. I go for fika.
Fika, as I gather, is a sort of Swedish mix between high tea and coffee break. It involves something warm in a mug and something sweet on a plate. And given the weather, they are both had in a warm, comfy place. So I fika.
I fika, I take a photo, I look at plastic moose. I fika, I take a photo, I look at reindeer hangers.
I try the tea in a kitschy cafe, with a cinnamon bun, a Kanelbulle - I think it’s called. In an airy cottage-type cafe, I opt for black coffee with a gigantic fruit studded muffin. In the third, I sit on a bench with a pastry and a glass of water. In each, I open my guidebook, and plot tomorrow in Stockholm.
I can feel the cold from your post, and they say its a warm winter! Though right now I miss the cold…my town is never ever cold. Ever!
Coming from Mumbai, even a hint of winter excites me, but this is way too crazy for me. The worst bit is that since I wear glasses, they keep fogging up each time I breathe out. It gets old pretty quickly!
Been there ! Experienced just this
So your post brought back some very very pleasant memories. Enjoy the warmth of the Swedish people…the cold will stop bothering you soon:)
Thanks for stopping by Gauri. You’re right, I really enjoyed my time in Stockholm, despite the cold!
I agree that coffee and cake solve pretty much anything. Lovely writing, Neha:)
Thanks for reading Marie. The cold weather does result in way too much cake though, eventually that becomes a problem I really can’t solve!
What great writing! I want to fika.
Thanks Andi! Stockholm also has the cutest cafes. Even when you don’t particularly want to fika, you end up going for it anyway. At least I did.
Brrrr …. ! Initially felt cold but now me too want to fika . Loved your writing Neha .Looking forward to more .Thanks.
previously i commented with my account that i no longer use .
Thanks for reading Kavita!
I can imagine what it must be like. Here’s hoping a warm spell descends your way.