From everything I've seen and read. Stockholm is inherently a beautiful city. It's a bunch of islands joined up by bridges, retains most of its gorgeous old architecture, and is packed full of ridiculously healthy and attractive people. But when it's blanketed in snow it's completely stunning:
(From the front door of our hostel)
I'd like to say we were very cool about the fact that it was snowing, but we really weren't:
Snow angels:
Tobogganing down the side of a hill on a garbage bag:
Carrying a thermometer around with us everywhere to keep tabs on how cold it was:
And licking things that we probably shouldn't:
(It was a stop sign, covered in so much snow it looked like a lollypop. Come on, tell me you wouldn't do the same thing)
(RCH readers may note that yes, I'm wearing the tiara ... it went everywhere with me, even if I did usually leave it in my suitcase and only remember it once I was standing in front on a landmark taking my photo)
Though we were sad about leaving Sweden, we weren't so sad that we particularly wanted to be stuck in Sweden (in the Swedish equivalent of Avalon airport) overnight. We started to get a bit suspicious (and Steph considered starting to hyperventilate) when the three flights before ours were diverted and/or cancelled. Then we were sent out onto the tarmac to pick up our luggage and go back into the main part of the airport, where we eventually found out that all communications were down and no planes would be landing or leaving at our airport until at least the next morning. We'd spent all our Swedish money already because we didn't realise we would need it to buy our dinner, and ended up hiding in the corner of the airport, with no money and no idea how we were going to get home. Eventually it turned out that the internet terminals were still working, so I booked us onto the flight the next morning, not knowing if that would be cancelled as well, rummaged through our luggage and pooled all our English money to get exchanged (the ATM wasn't working as it needed a phone line) so we could buy some sandwiches and set up camp for the night. I think I got about an hour's sleep, and Steph didn't get any, but we did finally get onto the plane the next morning. When I finally arrived in London my phone was full of messages from friends telling me they hoped I got back in time to see the "snow" in London. A week earlier I would have been very excited, but when I saw the paltry scattering of snow on a few parked cars, I just laughed.
