4:53 pm in Stockholm on February 8, and the sun has just set. The calm and quiet atmosphere in the picture belies the fact that it is very, very cold.
Stockholm saw one of the coldest and snowiest winters this year, while northern towns well within the arctic circle, like Abisko and Kiruna, complained about a relative lack of snow. The emphasis has to be on 'relative', since much of what you see during the winter in Abisko and Kiruna is ice and snow, and more snow, albeit just for a few brief hours during the day. Nights are brutal, particularly if you decide to take the ski lift up to the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko. The hope to experience a phenomenal aurora might warm your heart with anticipation, but when you are strapped into the chair lift that inches up the completely dark mountain for 20 minutes at -10 degrees Fahrenheit you are likely to be frozen solid upon arrival at the top. But more about that in a couple of days...