It’s Sunday evening here and the sun is setting on my first höstlov. (The sun actually set ages ago and it’s dang dark, but nevermind.) Skollov is my favorite Swedish word because it means school holiday. And I like those. Aside from the Christmas and summer holidays, Swedish school calendars observe höstlov (autumn break), sportlov (like ski week) and påsklov (Easter break). School holidays are awesome. And necessary. Time spent away from any job makes us all the more productive and passionate - or at least that’s what people who know more than me say.
So how exactly did I spend höstlov? Doing Swedish things of course! I was lucky enough to be invited to the ski resort town of Åre for a week of beautiful hikes, delicious meals and evening board games. The ski resorts hadn’t opened for the season yet, so we had the town largely to ourselves. From walks about town to all-day excursions up the mountain, each day was marked by stunning landscapes, good company and distinctly Swedish traditions. A few new favorites include blåbärssoppa, a bilberry soup that offers the best warm-up on a chilly day; fika at a fjällstuga or mountain cottage because fika is a way of life; and all-season grilling because Swedes won’t let frigid temps spoil a good barbecue. (Why do all of my favorite Swedish traditions involve food? BRB - going to the gym.)
Well, the recipe of mountain air and toes-up time worked its magic and I’m feeling rested and ready to get back to work tomorrow. It’s crazy that in less than two months, I’ll be toes-up in Tahoe! But as the saying goes, “Time flies when you love your job and have five weeks paid vacation!” That is how it goes, right??