Vinter in Sverige II

I feared that a return to Göteborg would mean the end of winter for a while, as I have been warned that this is not a winter city given our proximity to the sea. And yet, my weather luck is holding, we are in the midst of a lovely winter here in Göteborg.

(Kerry likes Sweden!)

I had the real luck of getting to share some of it with Kerry, Peter and Amelia. Hikes in the city forest, an excursion to the sea, a hockey game, repeated visits to the 'famed' Göteborg Fish Church were my favorite events of our time together…well, actually the favorite aspect of having them here was having family to fika* with…eat dinner with…just be with.

*Swedish coffee-break. Usually at 10ish and again at 3ish. Sometimes accompanied with a treat (like semlor for example…the creamiest, cardamumiest treat imaginable..these pictured below were made by Maggan). Fika is not take your coffee and get back to work or keep moving, fika means stop, relax, talk, break and enjoy a little.

Today I skied. Marie invited me to the forest North of Stenungssund (Bredfjället) and her timing was perfect…I think it would have been too empty to be in Göteborg without my Donars family, thus I readily accepted the invitation, hopped on a train with my skis and headed North. Getting on the train was especially fun today given that many of my fellow travelers carried skis or långfärdskridskor (backcountry or distance ice skates...more about that in my next post...). A solidarity of friluftsliv! And, the skiing was outstanding--over bog and through frost and snow encrusted forest, lovely. Thanks Marie och Per Ulrik!

Getting out on skis made me think of my last ski--I took the tram to a Göteborg park (Skatås) and skied the maze of trails...the tram trip and walk took 1.5 hours round-trip...sitting on the tram helped me consider how much I use my car for recreation. Further, I was reminded of the commitment it takes to get 'out' it takes in an urban environment. I got to thinking about how I try so hard to limit my car use for everything with the exception of recreation! Thus, friluftsliv (or 'nature-based outdoor recreation') may be one of the most resource heavy parts of my life: hmm, it's good to consider where we consume... Even today, I traveled train most of the way, but the final 15 miles was a car trip--a car trip straight to heaven...

A few more pictures of winter adventures around Göteborg...