Crossed the Arctic Circle into Pajala on the border of Sweden and Finland, -35 degrees, and everything became white. The snow was so heavy on the trees that their branches weighed down, and I finally understood why some fake Christmas trees come in all white (something that had always confused me!). The next morning when we woke up in the hotel I could hear children laughing, there was a school next door and they were all in their snowsuits and playing on the swings and running up and down 6 foot mounds of snow, all very normal before school fun…but for someone who spent their childhood in a warm country I was so astounded. The moon was now a constant in the sky, luminescent and pearly, we’re in a pastel dreamworld.
Brändön, Sweden + Baltic Sea. My first time driving a snowmobile, the air was like knives in the face but the snowmobile handles were heated so my fingers were warm. Sunset shines so beautifully with nothing but snow to reflect the incredible pastel peachy colours.
Luleå Harbour, Sweden. I thought it was a big field at first and then realised it was the harbour frozen over. People were walking for miles out of sight, or skating, maybe to work, what a commute! Was quite nervous walking down to it at first, but found some sled things that were there and free to borrow, fun time trying to figure out how to move on it, I thought I was going so fast until I watched back.
Gamla Uppsala, Sweden. We visited The Royal Mounds, three large barrows, that according to folklore, lay the three gods Thor, Odin and Freyr. The West Mound is from around AD 600. I thought at first that burial mounds had hundreds of bodies, because they were so big, but learnt that they only have 1, and the body is cremated with the belief that as the flames leapt high when the funeral pyre is lit, the fire transforms the body and moves it to Valhalla. The villagers build the mound up and up over the body, with cobblestones and then a layer of gravel and sand and a thin layer of turf. The West Mound was called Thor’s Mound, he was buried in clothes interwoven with gold thread, and he had several gold items, some with garnets. It felt like a special and sacred place, quiet and beautiful. It was also starting to get really cold and I realised that this trip was going to be absolutely freezing. I was not wrong.
The Vasa Ship at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, a 17th-century warship 69m long and 59m tall, that sank in Stockholm harbour very shortly after it set sail in 1628. It was commissioned by King Gustavus Adolphus, who wanted it to be a symbol of military might, so it was heavily armed with 64 cannons and brightly painted with hundreds of intricate wooden sculptures. All the weight and ornamentation made it too top-heavy, and in front of the whole town that had come to see it launch, it tilted dramatically from a gust of wind and sank quickly, with crew jumping into the water. Sadly around 40 people were trapped inside and drowned, some under heavy gun carriages that slid and pinned them down while the ship filled up with water. It was salvaged in 1961 with 98% of it fully intact and is the best-preserved 17th-century ship in the world. Quite beautiful, unbelievably huge, and heartbreaking to hear the stories of ego and style over substance leading to the disaster.
Serene Helsingør Harbour with its sunset sounds. A creaky pier, sea birds and ambient music floating over from an installation in the square. About an hour from Copenhagen, on our way to Stockholm.
Kronborg Castle, Helsingør, Denmark, the setting of “Elsinore” in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Apparently he never visited here, but relied on descriptions from travelling actors and his imagination. It was tranquil, cold and spooky, and you can see Sweden across the water.
Drove to South Downs National Park to watch the supermoon rise, made it just in time to see it peeking over the horizon. Waiting a few hours to drive back to the hill and watch the Quadrantids meteor shower 🌚💫 @warwickrocket
Walked through Shadwell to The Grapes in Limehouse for a pint this afternoon. Christmas markets, high tide on the Thames and a rainy walk back with @warwickrocket
