Hej,
As of June 20th we have lived here in Sweden for 10 months now. Wow, time goes fast, but somedays it does seem like it drags on, especially when it never really gets too dark here!
Yes, we live where the sun stays up for about 19 - 20 hours a day. We do not live far enough north in Sweden to experience 24 hours of sun, but the 19 - 20 hours is plenty. The sun does go down, but there is still a glow in the northern sky, so the sky is not really dark. The only time it does seem dark is if it is cloudy due to rain. If you get up around 3:00 a.m. the sun is already starting to lighten the sky. When you go to bed around midnight, the sky looks basically the same as it does at 3:00 a.m. It really is a strange feeling. We have to have room-darkening shades so that we can go to bed at a normal time. When we go to bed at around 10:00 p.m. usually, it is still bright outside. I even had to make a black drape to cover the glass panel into our room because the sun comes in from the windows in the hall to wake us quite early. We have managed to live with this and survive. However, our cat Tiqui is not doing so well with it. For the last several weeks she has been coming into our room around 2:30 or 3:00 and starts meowing wondering why we are not getting up! We cannot get her to sleep or be quiet past this time, therefore, we are not getting the sleep that we need. We have to put outside our room and shut the door trying to keep her from patting us with her paws, licking our faces and walking across the bed. However, putting her outside the room does not stop the constant meowing and pacing she has been doing! If you know Tiqui she is not a quiet cat and can make an abundance of sounds all echoing with the high ceilings in our flat. I am hoping that our neighbors cannot hear her. I do not want to upset anyone. Does anyone have any ideas? She is healthy and I try to keep her from sleeping too much during the day, but no matter, she is up at 3:00!
That is the other thing, if Tiqui is not waking you up, then the sun wakes you up early and by the time you get up and start your day, the sun is gone because the clouds have moved in for the day! Then when it is time to go to bed, guess what, the sun comes out again! The weather has not been the best this summer, cloudy, rainy and not so warm.
With our ten month anniversary here, we missed the Swedish holiday called "Midsommer." Yes, we could have participated and stayed in town, but we decided we would rather spend our time in London. Midsommer is a pagen holiday and there is a lot of drinking that takes place. We prefer to spend our time off exploring and taking advantage of the time to see other parts of Europe, while we have the opportunity. Do not get me wrong, I like to learn about other cultures and such, but when so much drinking is involved, I would rather do my own thing.
Since Midsommer has occurred, the mass exodus to go on vacation has started. Most everyone gets 5 weeks of vacation and pretty much takes the month of July and the first week of August off. Literally, businesses close, so I do not know how they make money during vacation season. The business model is not the same here and the one we understand in the States and other countries. Since I returned from London last week, most of my neighbors are all gone and we basically have the neighborhood to ourselves. What does concern me though is the fact that everyone goes on vacation at the same time, so do the thieves know this is a prime time to break into houses? Already, in May, one of our neighbors in the lower section of the neighborhood had their house broken into while they were gone for the weekend. That is the other thing, when summer starts, everyone leaves on the weekend for their summer home and it is quite easy to tell that they are gone. Many times, they do not have timers on their lights and if you watch enough, you know that they are gone. Perhaps watching them pack their cars every Friday afternoon provides enough information that they could be a prime target. Who knows?
Anyhow, that is the story from here, not enough sleep, not enough sun or warm weather. We are excited to get back to the States, but we understand that it is really hot and lots of fires. Nothing like going from one extreme to another! :)
Have a very happy day!
Love,
Bridgette
