Fields, ringed by dark conifers, lie fallow most of the year. In the middle of September the leaves are already turning. It is a short, sweet and magic summer. When people seem to forget they must sleep. You wander through Stockholm's streets in the long twilight, drink coffee in pavement cafes at 2 in the morning while the sun comes up.
Summer is, of course, when the tourists arrive.
Even on the white boats that ply out to the islands of the Stockholm archipelago , you will be mainly amongst Swedes. And out in the countryside, you may see noone at all. Just miles and miles of forest, with little 'gingerbread' cottages tucked away in the trees. Or wild heathlands where reindeer roam. Sweden is still far from the centre of Europe, and, in many ways, just itself.