Crosswind

On approach, the inbound Airbus A320neo had to enter an extended holding pattern for more than twenty minutes, waiting for the crosswind to ease enough to make a landing possible. Even then, the aircraft used almost the entire runway before coming to a full stop, the overnight rain having rendered conditions extremely slick.

After boarding, the captain briefed us on the situation, explaining that they would attempt take-off provided the crosswind did not worsen. Rolling down the 2,500-metre runway, SK1041 eventually lifted off, rewarding me with extraordinary views of snow-covered mountains beneath a clearing sky.

An hour and a half later, I found myself at Pontus, indulging in a cured-salmon open sandwich with orange and pomegranate, a combination I will certainly try to recreate at home. And already on Tuesday afternoon, I will be back again at Pontus. But first, time for an Atlantic adventure.

Christmas in Kiruna

With the exception of the pandemic years, spending Christmas in Kiruna has very much become a family tradition. As such, it felt particularly important to return also this year – even if, for me, it was only for four days. While Anna and the kids are staying on until 5 January, I am already checked in on SK1041 and about to leave the Arctic behind.

Looking back on my days here, I managed three swims at the old Simhallsbadet, which is now firmly scheduled for demolition on 9 January. This will leave Kiruna, and its schoolchildren, without a public pool until the new €100-million-plus aquatic centre eventually opens. I also squeezed in a few workouts at Gymmet and made it to the 36th edition of the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi. Unfortunately, there was no winter sports this time around. The kids have outgrown their equipment and insisted they are still suffering from cross-country skiing PTSD ;-)

Icehotel 36: In orbit

Gymmet

Having featured extensively on Rawls & Me over the years, no trip to Kiruna would be complete without a visit to Gymmet. So, with the outside temperature down to -15 degrees, Eddie and I rounded off my first full day here with a session of weight training together.

Tomorrow, Eddie and I are planning an excursion to the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi. With a bit of luck, we might even squeeze in some cross-country skiing around Luossavaara before I fly south again on Christmas Day. Being back here also means that I am back in the kitchen. Tonight’s dinner was salmon with my new favourite sesame pak choi. Sadly, I did not have time to stop by Pontus on my way up to Kiruna, but if all goes according to plan, I will have two more chances before the year is out.

Molnbelupna himlar

For all the talk of polar-vortex destabilisation, the past weeks have instead brought one Atlantic low-pressure system after another, draping Scandinavia in dense clouds, and keeping temperatures well above the seasonal average. Today, however, the sky finally cleared. I woke to a breathtaking morning as I took my Hoka Torrents out for 15k along Kalmarsund before indulging in a sumptuous hotel breakfast at Hotel Witt. I would normally, of course, stay with my parents but with my dad down with the flu, I had to get a bit creative.

Departing Kalmar at 15:10 on SK196 – a route now back from the dead – I have about an hour at Arlanda before my connection north to Kiruna. Yesterday, Scandinavian Airlines informed me that I have been upgraded on the second flight of the day, a telling sign that the holiday travel season is in full swing. Hopefully, I will be able to pay Pontus a quick visit before I fly off into the polar night.

Last evening, I watched a long lecture by Sarah Paine on why Russia lost the Cold War, and it offered precisely the kind of macro-level perspective that I often miss in contemporary scholarship. Moving beyond the simplified “Ronnie did it” narrative, Paine emphasised the role of the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 in diffusing human-rights norms behind the Iron Curtain, the immense soft power of the United States, and how the absence of meaningful price signals ultimately rendered the Soviet economy ungovernable. As the cabin lights dim in preparation for landing at Arlanda, it is oddly reassuring to be reminded that – dark as the present may be – from tomorrow, the days will again begin to grow brighter.

Christmas trains

With all the rail maintenance going on between Gothenburg and Alingsås, I find myself aboard an unusual X2000 service from Halmstad to Borås this morning. Meanwhile, Anna, her mother, and the kids are all stranded in Boden on their way north, as their train suffered a technical issue that worsened overnight. Hopefully, a bus will pick them up before too long. For my own part, I am flying with SAS to Kiruna tomorrow afternoon from Kalmar.

Otherwise, the last few days have been quite busy, with a full round of final one-to-one supervision meetings with my thesis students, but at least I was able to stop by Nordic Wellness for ten faster kilometres on the treadmill. And once I get to Borås, I plan to do some weight training between trains.

ELO, exams, and a faster line south

First, I must share the happy news that William came second in the U1800 chess championship over the weekend, which means that he now has his long-awaited ELO rating. His next game will be in early January here in Halmstad, and he could not be more excited. 

Returning yesterday on the morning high-speed train, I got to ride one of the first services to make full use of the new 3,100-metre rail tunnel in Varberg, cutting the journey time from Gothenburg to Halmstad to just 58 minutes – a small but tangible reminder of what public investment can still achieve. Once at work, I was greeted with 56 exams in quantitative methodology to mark, something which, ever since my days as a PhD student in Lund, I take extra pride in doing as promptly as possible. Without wanting to lapse into the all-too-familiar complaining university-teacher trope, the results were nevertheless abysmal: roughly half of the students failed, with some scoring only one or two points out of twenty. It is troubling how many lack even the most basic skills in mathematics and logical reasoning, deficits that clearly originate long before they reach the university.

Anyhow, once the marking was done, I went for ten kilometres of indoor rowing, which I topped up with a seaside half marathon this morning. Afterwards, I stopped by Bärlin for a lussekatt and some time with David Van Reybrouck’s book on Congo, which I am reading to better supervise one of my students this semester. From La table ronde to cobalt mining, I am repeatedly struck by how much thesis supervision extends one’s world into new domains.

Kakelinna

According to Norwegian folk tradition, all the Christmas baking would soften the air and create a mild spell in December known as "kakelinna". Running laps around Skatås this morning, I was reminded of this notion and the newer Swedish "ovinter" as the rain kept falling and winter was nowhere to be seen.

Yet in a little more than a week, I will be in Kiruna for Christmas, where it is currently -10 degrees. From there, I am heading off on an Atlantic adventure, as this year comes full circle, before returning to Halland for New Year’s out in the woods.

William turns eleven

On a cold December morning in 2014, Anna and I had the privilege of becoming parents to William. From mastering parkour well before he turned one, he has always been both daring and grounded – quick to excel, yet just as quick to offer kindness to the people around him.

Last Friday, he celebrated his birthday at Jumpyard, and it was wonderful to see him bring together classmates and friends from the chess. And tonight, dropping him off for his Chalmers math class, I could not be prouder, even if it hurts that I am no longer able to be there for him every day. But already on Friday I will be back in Gothenburg, cheering him on as he takes part in the U1800 chess championship over the weekend. Eleven years on, he still amazes me – and I feel grateful for every moment we get to share.

Annual goals

After a long day of thesis supervision, I passed by Nordic Wellness on Kyrkogatan where I finally completed my annual rowing goal. Having decided to cut short my volume targets for both running and swimming this year, I am at least happy that this is one goal I have managed to meet. As for the running, I am now aiming for 3,500 kilometres rather than my original 3,650. With 21 days and 160 kilometres left, this should not pose a problem – as long as I do not get sick or anything.

Instead of pushing Strava to its limits, I have been focusing more on my academic work and, this morning, I submitted yet another manuscript for review. Following the remarkably swift publication of my aviation paper, I feel like I am in a creative streak, one I intend to make the most of while it lasts, knowing there will surely come other days when writing will not feel as easy. For tonight, however, I am just pouring up a glass of Sicilian red wine over a Walt Whitman classic.

Take Me Back Tuesday

Academic writing

Back in July, I submitted an abstract for a co-authored book chapter that went on to be accepted for publication with Routledge in an edited volume entitled Ideology and Environmental Politics: Rethinking Sustainability. Since July, Jon and I have agreed that I will take the lead as single author and, over the last week, I have more or less been glued to my laptop screen. As the week now draws to an end, I find myself with a 7,000-word manuscript ready for submission which feels incredible as I have a long list of other things I need to do before Christmas.

Sourdough bakery

To my great joy, I stumbled upon a sourdough bakery called “Bärlin” just around the corner from my new apartment. Obviously, I had to stop for some bread and an extraordinarily tasty lussekatt–cinnamon bun crossover that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

In print

To briefly follow up on my previous post, I am happy to report that my new article “Biofuel bottlenecks and synthetic fuels: Leveraging aviation for global climate action” is now in print and published online as open access. Feel free to read and learn how the aviation sector can go from climate villain to climate hero!

Biofuel bottlenecks

In January this year, I learned that I had received my first major research grant together with my colleagues here in Halmstad. As part of this three-year project, I began working on a manuscript entitled “Biofuel bottlenecks and synthetic fuels: Leveraging aviation for global climate action”, which I managed to submit in early October. Six weeks later, encouraging reviewer feedback landed in my inbox and, after a few revisions, I was thrilled to receive a formal acceptance e-mail this morning.

Normally, it would then take at least a couple of weeks if not months before the proofs appear. But in the exact opposite of the drawn-out publishing drama that I endured with my previous article back in August, I was genuinely stunned to find a PDF with the proofs waiting for me as soon as I returned the rental car. And so, to top up the fish tacos from August, I am ending this Monday with a High North classic: moose meatballs with that glass of Ceniciento from coastal Chile.