Oh right, I forgot, This is Swedish Summer, Too

Haha Beautiful Swedish May you tricked me. Yes, you did. Here I was remembering Swedish summers that looked like Swedish butter commercials – green green fields, cows romping about, rolling green hills – ah Swedish summer, the most idyllic place on earth.

But wait – wait – because while there are those weeks where everything stands still like in a photo, and summer seems to be like in the movies – they are usually followed by an 'oh crap, did I really put my coat in storage already? Because damn it is cold out here' week, or two, or three. Weeks where it is windy, rainy and you wonder why you didn't decide to book a month long cruise to Italy.

There are days when you wake up and think 'This looks like a lovely day' only to watch the clouds roll in, the sky open, and giant clumps of hail pelt down at deadly speeds. In the middle of July. Three days in a row.

Because all of this is Swedish summer, too. Having 18 hours of sunshine doesn't really help if you have a giant wall of clouds between you and said sun.

But crappy weather be damned. They are predicting sun for Midsummer tomorrow. And though they are notoriously often seriously wrong about the weather prediction here (Doppler 4000 why are you stuck in Rockafeller Center we need you here!) - I am hoping they are right.

But just in case, I am packing a sweater, a rain coat, some boots, an extra blanket, an umbrella and a summer dress. Because hey, you never know!

Ooh, and here is a Swedish butter commercial - to keep those positive thoughts alive

Swedish Rules: The Sun is Out! Take Off All Your Clothes!

There is no doubt about it – spring in Sweden is a wonderful time of year. After months of darkness, dampness, and cold, Sweden errupts in green. The clouds clear the sky. And we are reminded that there is indeed still a sun at the center of our universe.

And let me tell you – I think even the newest Swede on the block runs out of the house to celebrate.

I get that this time of year, you want to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I do, too.

But already, I can tell you, my neighbors are out sunbathing in their skivvies.

Maybe it hit 70 degrees today – tops. But probably more like 65. After work I spent the day walking around in a nice lightweight long sleeve shirt and a pair of pants. It was comfortable. I could even roll up my sleeves after awhile. But I didn't decide to dig out my bathingsuit from the storage box in the attic.

But the people living two buildings down from me? They were using the age old trick of lying around in your bathing suit next to a well-positioned wall, to limit the wind. It's ambitious. It's brave. And to me, it is still one of those crazy 'assimilation into Swedish culture' steps I am not willing to take.

Many of my Swedish friends say crazy things this time of year like 'We don't need sunscreen, the sun isn't that strong up north.”

Whatever. I turn into a lobster if I use anything less than SPF 50 practically anywhere in the world in June. So I'm not taking any chances. I'll be that super-pale woman on the beach come June (if we manage to have any beach weather days in June) and I'll be OK with that.  

Swedish myth #1 - There is no bad weather, only bad clothing

One of Swedes' favorite topic of conversation is, undoubtedly, the weather. Good, bad, or indifferent opening small talk is usually about what is going on outside.

Given that the weather in Sweden is not the greatest, Swedes have adopted a rather optimistic tag line to describe the best way to deal with the Swedish climate 'Där finns ingen dålig väder, bara dålig kläder' which translates to 'there is no bad weather, only bad clothing.

All I can say is, 'They Lie!' Or as my Mother used to say "Just because everyone says it, doesn't make it so."

Seriously. There is some terrible weather. And a lot of that terrible weather seems to be in Sweden.

There is some great clothing as well. And terrible weather seems to be a great excuse to jack up the price on some pretty great 'all-weather gear.' Fjällraven will outfit you in hardcore rain gear, winter jackets, and backpacks for several thousand dollars, if you are so inclined. But even with all of your fancy outdoor gear on, chances are you will still hate the weather.

I mean, let us turn the phrase around. 'There is no good weather, only good clothing.' That doesn't even makes sense. Because every Swede and their mother will tell you that despite all of its terrible weather, Sweden has some fantastic weather, usually during it's mythical summers, or for three days in April.

This phrase does not reassure me when I sit around wondering why I didn't move to Italy, or California. Places where the weather is often great. Swedes will tell you this is patently untrue - the weather in these places is often, the worst of the worst, too hot. When the weather is too hot, no amount of Fjallraven gear can help you.

I was thinking about this as I was trudging around town today in slushy rain/snow with  my giant SUV stroller. The phrase should be 'there is no bad weather, there are only bad strollers," because while the water seeped up my pant leg, my winter coat got damp and heavy, and my hair went to hell and never came back, my SUV stroller kept on trucking.