Valborgsmässoafton

It's the evening of April 30th, for most people in North America this is just another night. In Sweden it's a reason to light a fire. Valborgsmässoafton, which has been celebrated in Sweden since the Middle Ages, is one of two Swedish holidays which still resemble their pre-Christian merrymaking. The other is Midsummer.

The guys at work suggested I head to Skansen, to check out the bonfire. This fire did not disappoint. When I arrived, there was still plenty of daylight, and already there was a large crowd gathering. I stood around, listened to Mikaeli Chamber Choir, and made sure I found a prime location to catch the lighting of the fire. Around 9pm a parade of people showed up with torches, shortly afterwards they lit the fire. It was big fire and hot fire. So hot, at one point I had to step back for fear of my coat melting. You can find more pictures here.

The view of the city from Skansen was just great.

Spring in Stockholm

I can tell it's spring here. There seems to be more energy in the city, more people out. I believe a favorite activity for people is to sit in the sun. Anything that you can sit on, and is in the sun will have people on it. I went to this park, there was a circle of benches around a monument, but only the benches that were in the sunlight had people on them, the others had no one.

The church around the corner from where I live has flowers that are beginning to emerge. I noticed them the other day on my walk to work. I have no idea what they are, purple, white, and yellow flowers? I image that they will get mowed off once the grass is long enough. Not sure if these things are planted in the grass or if they are wild?

On another note, I wanted to get my hair cut on Saturday. As it turns out, most hair places close at 3pm on Saturdays. This makes getting your hair cut at 3:30, a bit tricky. Yet another lesson learned. I purchased a blender today at Åhléns City, I feel domestic.