Hej Umeå – hälsningar från Sverige
Half-blinded by the sun, I walk out of the hotel. The air is crisp with the smell of autumn, and it’s still warm enough to unzip my jacket. Although fall has only just arrived, the weather is about to change: soon, the snow will start to fall as the residents of Umeå bundle up in warm sweaters to protect themselves against the elements: temperatures in the negative double figures aren’t unheard of in this part of Sweden. It’s difficult to imagine right now, even though I’m only 350 kilometres away from the Arctic Circle.