Fall colors grace the fair city of Gothenburg

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Indian summer IS a thing around here

It’s fall, and according to the Swedish Meteorological Institute (SMHI), winter is on its way south. Sweden is a huge country, and while the northernmost parts are already snow-covered, the south is still, meteorologically, enjoying summer. I don’t know about you, but to me, these definitions are all a bit academic.

The Swedish Met Office’s strange definition of our seasons

In our country, the met office considers it fall if the temperatures over a period of five days have not surpassed ten degrees, but only (this is Sweden after all) if it happens after August 1. Silly, I know. Same with winter. We can’t have “spring” before February 15, no matter how hot it is.

Personally, I find the astronomical definitions more useful using equinoxes and solstices or even just the calendar: September-November is fall, December – February is winter etc. But I can see the value that SMHI’s definition has to their research and the maps they publish of the progress of a season, e.g. fall.

However, it leads to strange events, such as the fact that we currently have two seasons in Gothenburg: fall in the East and North-East and summer in the South and West of the city, due to the warm ocean waters.

Fall is the advent of colors around here (and elsewhere, and a peaceful and quiet time)

I like fall. Not as much as the summer, but it is a season when things calm down around us. Nature gets ready to go back to a slumber where plants and animals alike recuperate and get ready for yet another cycle of life. Humanity doesn’t really do that. For us, fall usually means back to school, back to work, back onto the treadmill.

In the hectics of our busy schedules with work and school, it’s a boon to be able to go out into nature to enjoy the changes in color, see the quiet ocean, pick mushrooms and just be outdoors. Come winter with its rain- and snowstorms, it’ll be too cold and wet to spend a lot of time outside.

Some pictures of what Gothenburg looks like right now…

To give you an impression of what our fair city looks like right now, have a look at these pictures that I’ve taken in the past couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Fall brings later sunrises and often provides us with the most amazing colorful spectacles in the morning.
Fall brings later sunrises and often provides us with the most amazing colorful spectacles in the morning.
And, as befits a country in the far north, the sun's trajectory is flatter and flatter and by three, four o'clock it is already low (we're still in DST), providing the typical pale blue skies.
And, as befits a country in the far north, the sun’s trajectory is flatter and flatter and by three, four o’clock it is already low (we’re still in DST), providing the typical pale blue skies.
Even in the middle of the day, the sun no longer rises as high as she does in the summer, but her light is still warming.
Even in the middle of the day, the sun no longer rises as high as she does in the summer, but her light is still warming.
A typical, sunny fall day in Gothenburg. The picture is taken in Färjenäs on the island of Hisingen, where the ferries used to dock before the bridge connected it to the mainland.
A typical, sunny fall day in Gothenburg. The picture is taken in Färjenäs on the island of Hisingen, where the ferries used to dock before the bridge connected it to the mainland.
A shot from the same place, straight across the river where the old port brewery has been turned into an upscale hotel, and where the run-ins of the old castle of Gothenburg can be found.
A shot from the same place, straight across the river where the old port brewery has been turned into an upscale hotel, and where the run-ins of the old castle of Gothenburg can be found.
Finally, some color. I don't recommend eating this mushroom, amanita muscaria, but they sure do make a pretty picture.
Finally, some color. I don’t recommend eating this mushroom, Amanita muscaria, but they sure do make a pretty picture.

If you have questions, comments or plan to visit Gothenburg, send me a message. We look forward to showing you our town.