We finally got home from Venice at about 3 in the morning and then I was up again at 8am and off to a different airport for a flight to Stockholm. Had a 3 day sales conference at my work's main office.
It was snowing and freezing in Stockholm but it was great to see the city in winter. I was in conference all day and then it was networking and drinks at night so not much exploring but one of the days we went out into the Stockholm Archipelago and that was definitely worth an entry in the blog.
The Stockholm Archipelago is a series of approx 24,000 islands/islets which are absolutely stunning and they are made even more stunning by being covered in ice and snow. Up at 4:30am to get on a bus out to catch a ferry. It was amazing to take the ferry through the archipelago in the middle of winter. We had to crash through so much ice and the atmosphere was so peaceful as the sun was coming up.
I'm not a big fan of boats and I didn't have any tablets on me but I decided I'd rather fight the cold then feel sick so I spent most of my time on the back deck. No-one else was really game, I don't blame them, it was like -15deg or something crazy like that.
After our day at the conference we were allowed to relax in the indoor or outdoor spa. Now all conference I had been told about this activity that the Swedes do in the winter which is ice swimming. And we all had to take part. Now at first it sounded like a bit of a laugh and something a bit different, then I actually got to the island and felt the temperatures and started to realise/think that they may be having us on. I thought this even more when I realised that all this 'ice swimming' business would have to take place in pitch darkness since the sun went down at like 3pm.
So there I was walking out to the outdoor spa in my bathrobe and slippers, walking over snow up to my ankles, and I got into the hot spa happy in the knowledge that they were pulling my leg. Well yes it turns out they weren't! The Swedes are actually crazy enough to jump into ice covered water in the middle of the night! And guess what... I was crazy enough to do it too!!
Yep that's right, one of the guys from Sweden cracked the ice down at the foot of a set of stairs in the harbour and one by one they started to jump into it! I was quite happy sitting in my hot spa, watching these crazy fools jump into who knows what crazy temperature water. And yet somehow the fever and excitement of it all got the better of me. I mean how many times in my life would I have the opportunity to do something like this?!
So after psyching up the courage and convincing one of the guys they had to be right there next to me just in case (... well you never know what might happen) I jump out of the spa run along the ice and snow in bare feet (pain pain pain!!! my feet would not stop stinging), I then climbed down the ladder and jumped into the water up to my chin. My feet then connected with the ladder under the water and I managed to pull myself back out again (thankfully since the ladder was actually covered in ice and rather slippery). I ran back along the ice and snow (more pain, more pain!) before jumping into the hot spa covered in a million prickles of pain on my skin and saying more swear words in one time than I think I have ever in my life!
But I did it! And I was the first girl to go in, and the first one from the London office so I felt pretty proud of myself. A lot of the boys went in more than once but once was enough for me. It was quite funny because after a few beers in the spa (& sauna, there was a sauna there too) the games started, including 'lock the poor sod who just jumped in the ice out from the sauna' and 'throw open the sauna door and throw snow over all the nice warm people' and my personal favourite 'tackle a fellow colleague to the ground and cover them in snow'. The last one always resulting in nice big red welts on the unfortunate victim. Sometimes I'm very happy I'm a girl.
I only have one regret and that's not getting any photos. But unfortunately when its like -15 deg outside and every single surface is covered in ice and snow there isn't really anywhere to put your camera. To give you an idea, I put my robe and slippers down and when I picked them up again after the spa they were covered in ice. My hair was like that too, hard little icicles all over my head.
I did manage to go back and take a photo of where we jumped in which I have shared with you and a pic of the outdoor spa & sauna after everyone had left. I also unfortunately hit my legs (quite hard) against the ladder when I jumped in and I ended up with two massive bruises on my shins which turned a nice shade of blackey purple the next day. I didn't even notice I had done it because my whole body was numb. Well I have to say it was an adventure.The rest of the night was filled with drinking, dancing and shenanigans. Gotta love it.
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