Soaking up the sun, Stockholm style

Shortly after moving here, I noticed what I deemed was an obsessive degree of sun worship by the locals. On every sunny day – even the chilly ones – I would see people sitting in cafes, on park benches and even just standing on the street corner with eyes closed and face uplifted to catch the rays. If the weather was warm enough (above 50), women of all ages would also take off their shirts and just sit in their bras. Outside of a beach, I had never seen such a wanton display of sun seeking. Haven’t those crazy Swedes heard that sun exposure is bad for your skin I would snicker to myself as I passed them. But after nearly losing my mind during my first long and dark winter with very little sun, I got it. Now I also indulge in sun worship. I need to soak up as much vitamin D as possible before the dark comes on again. It’s become a matter of survival. I suppose you could also call it an obsession.

Tagged as: An American expat, An American traveller, Cultural influences, Light therapy, Sandra Carpenter's book, Södermalm walk, the light in winter, travel writing, writing about Sweden