Last week, my sister had the pleasure of having me again in Gothenburg, this time with H.

(Actually, it might have been a displeasure for her, since she had to retreat to the guest room with a small mattress to give up her room and comfy bed for us. Thanks, sis).

If last time I was elated upon seeing Gothenburg covered with a thin layer of snow, imagine my hysteria when the snow was 1000 times better this time. I thought we’d lucked out with the light snowfall we had on the second day, but it seems Gothenburg wanted to impress me even more before I went back to Southampton.

On our very last day, we woke up to the heavy snowfall. It was like winter wonderland right there in my sister’s backyard. I dressed up and grabbed my sister’s camera, then shot out of the door with poor H, who was still bleary and hadn’t had his coffee (I might, in my euphoria, have used some force to drag him out of bed, bless him).

I was afraid the snowfall would stop soon and the snow would turn into ugly brown slush, but it turned out I didn’t have to worry.

We took a few photos in the backyard and also on the street while waiting for our bus, and I just couldn’t believe how effortless it was to find pretty subjects and captured great photos. Red and yellow houses, snowflakes, and a thick blanket of snow.

On the way to the city center, we stopped at Vasaplatsen on the way to take a few photos.

Gothenburg in the snow certainly looked dreamy.

Our destination was Trädgårdsföreningen, a 19th-century park located near Kungsportsplatsen. We’d been there a few days before, but I knew it would be a whole other world in the snow. I was right.

The park was stunning.

It was around 8 am on a Monday, and while the city was busy with people rushing to start their day, the park looked deserted, save for two or three people cutting across the park for shortcuts. It was eerily beautiful. The park was tranquil, and the snowflakes made it all the more whimsical.

But apparently, we hadn’t seen everything. This horticultural garden is still considered as one of the best preserved 19th-century parks in Europe, and some of its features were still prominently stunning, despite being heavily covered in snow. Sure, it might have been more lively and vibrant had we visited in the spring or fall, but the park in the winter was beautiful in its own way. Quiet, magical, and soothing.

The palm greenhouse, one of the notable features of the park, stood grandly on one side. From afar, it’s easy to miss it in this weather; the white beams and transparent glasses blending in perfectly with the snow-covered landscape. In fact, I had missed it the first time I came here, and I had to look through my photos when my sister mentioned it (in my defense, the snow had concealed it really well, and we’d been in a rush for an appointment at that time).

The palm greenhouse

It was still closed when we were there, but by that time we couldn’t bear the cold any longer, so we left the park for hot steaming cups of coffee. But I’m still hoping I’ll see it again someday, maybe when the weather is a bit warmer and there are more colors around.

Honestly, Gothenburg needs to stop trying to steal my heart.