Tusen tack

We woke up to another rainy day in Vancouver. Winter here is kind of amazing in a way, because we live in Canada and yet it rarely gets colder than freezing. This is especially incredible in light of the human-killing temperatures Jeff and I learned to survive in Alberta and Manitoba growing up. -40C/F was not unheard of, in fact, it was to be expected. Jeff lived this way his whole life until we moved to Vancouver. I, on the other hand, had a taste of grey English winters, Maritime snowstorms, and even a few tepid Mississippi Christmases.

When I came across this beautiful Swedish restaurant, Tusen, designed by Hans Murman Architects I couldn't help but feel a little wistful for snowy winters. For all I know, this restaurant is 500 kilometres from the city my Swedish friend Rebecka calls home, but reading about it certainly made me jealous of even the faintest possibility that she, or really anyone, gets to experience winter like this. Idealized? Of course. The snow is always whiter when you don't have to shovel your car out of the driveway to get to work.

But still, I love the way deep snow absorbs sound and quiets even the busiest streets, the way it slows you down, and the impromptu winter adventures that can be had when there is fresh snow on the ground. Living in Vancouver, I find myself missing outdoor ice rinks and sledding. Truly, though, I do not miss the subzero temperatures and frigid wind of the Prairies. It's a fair trade-off in the end.

Let's here what Jens Lekman has to say about The Cold Swedish Winter: