My Summer Vacation - Part IV - The Light

This picture was taken in the archipelago about two hours north of Stockholm at 11:00pm. Dude. 11:00pm.

(I return to you, dear B&E readers, after what I will refer to a "Harry Potter break.")

The light is crazy in Sweden. And Swedes are understandably obsessed with it. In the summer, many Swedes are over-sunned and suffer from damage caused by UV rays. But they have to soak it up to prepare for the long winters.

The days were officially waning during our time (being after the summer solstice and all), but the sky never lost at least a little glow while we were there. The sun would dip below the horizon at about 11:00pm, hover out of sight for a few hours, and come back up by 3:00am. It's full-on daytime by 4:00am.

One morning, the missus and I woke up at 4:30am, convinced we'd slept the day away. Another day, we assumed it was again that early, and it turned out to be after noon. The light is confusing, dear B&E readers, and hard to get your head around, even when you're there.

Obviously, on the flip side of the summer days are the winter nights. Our kind Swedish host informed us that, on Christmas day, the sun barely peeks over the horizon to say hello before heading off to warmer climes.

From what I could gather, the Swedes are drunk and partying all summer. And they're drunk and suicidal all winter long. Sweden has the highest suicide rate in the world. But Finland has a higher rate of alcoholism. Maybe that'll be our next holiday.