journeying

Sunday, two weeks ago:

I’m on a train between Stockholm and Härnösand.

And I am reminded: It is possible that this is the time of year when Sweden is at its most beautiful. The aspen and birch bright yellow, the spruce and pine a heavy contrast. The grass around the small lakes and marshes has turned light and brittle. And the blueberry shrubs on the forest floor have acquired a deep red. I never noticed before, what a passionate shade October gives to the blueberries’ leaves.

The combination of colors outside the train windows, the greens and yellows and reds and browns. The sky a soft blue, and the setting sun glittering behind the trees. It makes my head spin.

***

Later, the Härnösand skyline. Water can make most places beautiful.