Spring in Stockholm

Photo: Jeppe Wikström, Stockholm Visitors Board

Temperatures in Stockholm over the past week or so have been between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius and most of the snow has melted away. This might sound cold to you, but for Stockholmers this means that Spring is here! One thing you should know about Swedes in general is that warmer weather and sunshine can make them a little nutty. Considering our loooong cold & dark winters, this is not so strange. Besides green buds on the trees and tulips on sale at all flower stores, one sure sign of Spring is that restaurants & cafés put out their outdoor furniture. It doesn't matter if it is only 8 degrees and you need to keep your winter jacket on... if the sun is shining, a Swede will be sitting outside with their face turned to the sun. Every year more and more restaurants have outdoor seating and during the summer it is almost hard to walk down the sidewalks in some parts of the city. According to Metro Newspaper, over 1,700 restaurants & cafés in Stockholm had outdoor seating in 2010 and they are expecting an increase this year.
Unless there is some freak late snow storm... here at the Rival Hotel we are planning on opening both of our outdoor seating areas (Bistro & Café) on April 15th. Heating lamps and blankets will keep you toasty while waiting for Summer to come to town!
I'll be back within the next couple of days to give some concrete tips on what to do here over the Easter holidays...