Sweden trip, 21st December 2023 to 26th December 2023 (people, Swedish, culture)
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I'm starting planning on a Swedish winter vacation not this winter, but probably next winter. I know a brief trip like this won't really show me what its like to live there, but I like what I've seen in youtube videos. I want to save some money specifically for this trip so I'm not tapping into my emergency fund, which will require I cut down my eating out to one meal a day, with a fast the rest of the day, both to save some money and lose some weight before the trip. The conventional wisdom to save money and lose weight is to cook at home, but I've always hated my own cooking, so I'm going to try OMAD instead and try to make balanced choices for that meal by going to the local hospital cafeteria and having vegetables and lean meat. I'll also take heartburn meds to help with the heartburn I get when I haven't eaten in the past hour, to help break me of the habit of grazing all day. I expect this process to take some time, which is why I'm giving myself a year before this trip.
I'm going to fly from Shreveport to New York City, maybe spend a few hours sightseeing NYC if the advice I get here suggests it's feasible as I've only ever visited upstate NY for any length of time and not NYC, maybe stay the night, maybe not, fly to stockholm, and while in stockholm get a feel for the culture and people and food, do a few tourist things that are suggested here on the forum, then fly back. I'm still in the early phases of planning this trip, so any advice is welcome.
EDIT: I'll make this a summer trip instead. 14th June 2023 to 28th June 2023
Last edited by Magic Qwan; 09-30-2022 at 10:44 PM..
Reason: Date Change: I will be going from June 14th to June 28th instead
Too short a trip for the price of the ticket, and stores will have limited hours Saturday Dec.23. Many stores will be closed Dec.24 (Sunday), and all of them will be closed Dec.25 and 26 (2nd Christmas Day /Boxing Day), and the "tourist things" may not be open at all over Christmas. So you'll really only have Dec.21 and 22 to "get a feel for the culture," and in all likelihood you'll have massive jet lag. And remember that daylight hours are extremely short at the winter solstice. The sun rises around 10 am, and sets around 3 pm.
Unless the point is to experience a Swedish Christmas I'd go during the summer instead, and for a full week at least. That way you could include a day trip to the archipelago (Skaergaarden), and you'll have daylight from 4 am to 10 pm!
As for spending a couple of hours in NYC before flying out, I wouldn't do that, either, because you can't be sure that you can get back to the airport in time. Too many variables.
As for the diet, I'm sure people can give you good advice in the Food and Drink forum, or the Health forum (look up intermittent fasting).
Too short a trip for the price of the ticket, and stores will have limited hours Saturday Dec.23. Many stores will be closed Dec.24 (Sunday), and all of them will be closed Dec.25 and 26 (2nd Christmas Day /Boxing Day), and the "tourist things" may not be open at all over Christmas. So you'll really only have Dec.21 and 22 to "get a feel for the culture," and in all likelihood you'll have massive jet lag. And remember that daylight hours are extremely short at the winter solstice. The sun rises around 10 am, and sets around 3 pm.
Unless the point is to experience a Swedish Christmas I'd go during the summer instead, and for a full week at least. That way you could include a day trip to the archipelago (Skaergaarden), and you'll have daylight from 4 am to 10 pm!
As for spending a couple of hours in NYC before flying out, I wouldn't do that, either, because you can't be sure that you can get back to the airport in time. Too many variables.
As for the diet, I'm sure people can give you good advice in the Food and Drink forum, or the Health forum (look up intermittent fasting).
Would June 14th to June 28th be a better timeframe? That's going to be around the summer solstice, so I'll get to see midnight sun, which is something I've never experienced.
Too short a trip for the price of the ticket, and stores will have limited hours Saturday Dec.23. Many stores will be closed Dec.24 (Sunday), and all of them will be closed Dec.25 and 26 (2nd Christmas Day /Boxing Day), and the "tourist things" may not be open at all over Christmas. So you'll really only have Dec.21 and 22 to "get a feel for the culture," and in all likelihood you'll have massive jet lag. And remember that daylight hours are extremely short at the winter solstice. The sun rises around 10 am, and sets around 3 pm.
Unless the point is to experience a Swedish Christmas I'd go during the summer instead, and for a full week at least. That way you could include a day trip to the archipelago (Skaergaarden), and you'll have daylight from 4 am to 10 pm!
As for spending a couple of hours in NYC before flying out, I wouldn't do that, either, because you can't be sure that you can get back to the airport in time. Too many variables.
As for the diet, I'm sure people can give you good advice in the Food and Drink forum, or the Health forum (look up intermittent fasting).
Stockholm rises at 8:45am during that time, it's on CET.
Would June 14th to June 28th be a better timeframe? That's going to be around the summer solstice, so I'll get to see midnight sun, which is something I've never experienced.
Much better in terms of catching the sights, but remember that summer may not have arrived yet, weather-wise. Saturday June 24, 2023 is Midsommar; everybody celebrates, and everything is closed.
Much better in terms of catching the sights, but remember that summer may not have arrived yet, weather-wise. Saturday June 24, 2023 is Midsommar; everybody celebrates, and everything is closed.
I saw a horror movie called Midsommar. No human sacrifices, I hope?
Would June 14th to June 28th be a better timeframe? That's going to be around the summer solstice, so I'll get to see midnight sun, which is something I've never experienced.
But at the same time, don't you want to experience a period where the sun doesn't rise at all? If you go to Kiruna, they have a period of time in December where it's complete darkness for 1 month straight. You'll also get to see the Northern lights for sure. Maybe something to think about for a 2nd trip. If you want to move to Stockholm then you should spend all your time there considering it's such a short trip.
But at the same time, don't you want to experience a period where the sun doesn't rise at all? If you go to Kiruna, they have a period of time in December where it's complete darkness for 1 month straight. You'll also get to see the Northern lights for sure. Maybe something to think about for a 2nd trip. If you want to move to Stockholm then you should spend all your time there considering it's such a short trip.
Polar Night sounds super interesting, too, I have to admit.
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