Sophie's swedish journey: December 2009

Monday 21 December 2009

Mondag 21 december 2009 - Mera mera snö

Posted by Sophie at 13:41 2 comments

Mondag 21 december 2009 - En katt i vinter

Posted by Sophie at 13:27 0 comments

Lördag 19 december 2009

Posted by Sophie at 12:00 0 comments

Umea, Sweden: 19 Dec 2009
SUNRISE 09:27
SUNSET 13:45
Duration of daylight 4h 18 min.
The longest night of the year.

Onsdag 16 december 2009 - Mera snö...

Posted by Sophie at 17:37 0 comments

I hope you've enjoyed these photos. I am very sorry to announce that they might be the last ones you see for a very long while as my camera's lense has just died by -11°C.
So that's all folks!

Tisdag 15 december 2009 - Det snöar!

Posted by Sophie at 16:03 0 comments

Tisdag 8 december 2009 - Taking action

Posted by Sophie at 18:20 1 comments

http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/goto/the_green_testament

Lördag 5 december 2009 - Arctic Hare?

Posted by Sophie at 13:02 2 comments

I believe I was mistaken. This little guy could not possibly be an arctic hare Lepus arcticus. The arctic hare's natural habitat covers Greenland and North America.
My supposition is that he may have in fact been a montain hare Lepus timidus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Hare
They certainly look very much alike to the untrained eye!

A few facts I found on the WWF website about arctic hares:

The arctic hare lives in the arctic tundra of the Arctic islands, western Newfoundland, and the coastal regions of Greenland -- where ice is not present -- and a portion of northern Manitoba, along Hudson Bay. The arctic hare's diet includes woody plants, mosses, and lichens in winter; in other seasons, buds, berries, leaves, roots, and bark. It faces threats from habitat loss and climate change. The hare averages one to two litters per year, with an average litter size of five to six. Gestation is approximately 53 days.

You can adopt arctic hares (and other species) on the website. So help WWF!

Onsdag 1 december 2009 - Polar hare

Posted by Sophie at 13:23 0 comments

Today when I came back shopping, I saw this little guy resting under the outdoor bench. I wonder what he might be doing in this area.
I tried feeding him some Wasa, but didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about it (the magpies were though).

En helg i Stockholm

Posted by Sophie at 22:55 0 comments

On my way to Stockholm...
Annika and Jonne had kindly offered to drop me off in the capital and I couldn't refuse! A break from Umeå, great!
This is me in front of the Höga Kusten Bridge, about 100 km North from Sundsvall.
Sundsvall was in fact our next stop. The place is amazingly crouded with gigantic shops. We stop at the Ikea store (probably the biggest in the world!) to have lunch and buy a load of cheap perfumed candles (THE thing to have in Sweden!).
Umeå - Stockholm = 740 km, over 7h30 driving...
Early the next morning... making my way to Gamla Stan.

Gamla Stan(The Old City), primarily consisted of the island Stadsholmen. This part of Stockholm dates back to the XIIIth century.

Gamla Stan and its 'alleyways and cobbled streets'...

The Royal Palace

The Parliament

Swedish phonebox (I've seen that somewhere else!)

The architecture is supposed to be inspired from the North of Germany, but I think it reminded more of Bruges.

A native...

Swedes like to gamble...

Another view on the Palace

Another native...