Summer is fast approaching! What I mean is the astronomical beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere is at our doorstep. It’s when the sun reaches its highest in the sky, and is set for Saturday, June 20, at 5:44pmEDT. It marks the longest day, and shortest night, of the year.
Here the frogs have been thick and loud, and the woods are full of new lives. Baby whitetail deer have been regularly crossing my path, and wild baby bunnies are beginning to peruse my flower beds for the most delicious blooms and leaves they can get their little bunny lips on. Mr. Woodchuck found wildflowers in my field and at first I thought he was making me a bouquet, but he was eating them. Fireflies will soon be twinkling in the hot nights to come. And we are likely looking at our first 90-degree days over the weekend.
Sigh…Which leads me to the thoughts of something icy cold. Really icy.
You’ve heard of Icebars? The original, ICEBAR Stockholm, was opened in 2002. In years since, several other Icebars have opened around the world, but I was curious about this original.
The Icebar Stockholm is open year round. And yes, it appears to be open now during the COVID-19 crisis. Their website states that they are taking precautions much like we have in the U.S. upon our “re-opening,” with sanitizing methods and reduced capacity. The Icebar would normally have 60 customers maximum, now you and 29 others can have a frosty beverage inside the facility which is kept at a minimum -5 Celsius, or 23 Fahrenheit. You are given a warm anorak to bundle up in, and wearing gloves to hold your cocktail is recommended, as all drinks are served in molded ice. (I suppose a mask wouldn’t hurt, either.)
Every year in April, they “redecorate” the ice with a new theme. Below you’ll see the process that took place apparently in 2015. The current theme is “The Promised Land,” a tribute to all the people who have left their homes in a search for something better, inspired by the wave of Swedes migrating to the United States in the 19th century.
If you ever choose to go to the coolest bar in Stockholm, keep in mind that you are only 250 miles as the crow flies from Helsinki, Finland. You know Finland, isn’t that part of Russia? No, really, if you were to go, here’s a glimpse of the experience at ICEBAR Stockholm.
Happy Friday, cheers, and what the heck, you can play your favorite ABBA song here, among friends.