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I spend several days in Stockholm wandering around in this unfamiliar city. Strangely, some store fronts still had Halloween decoration while some stores were already decorating for Christmas.

Despite the cold weather, Gamla Stan, the old town, was lovely and lively. With narrow stone streets and old buildings, Gamla Stan was a very charming area to walk about. We walked to the scenic Stortorget, the big square, to see the vivid orange, yellow, green buildings. These buildings were a huge contrast against the depressing winter sky! We visited several shops and immediately I fell in love with these little stuffed mythical creature, Tomte. Tomete, in Scandinavia folktale, watched over farmer's house and children to protect them from misfortune. In modern days, I think Tomete is more like Scandinavian Santa Claus. I bought one, perhaps, this Tomete will protect me.

There were many restaurants and cafes on Gamla Stan. It was so cold that we spent most of the time just sitting in a cafe sipping tea or coffee and catching up with each other's lives. In this foreign land, I found the most comfort from my friend.

Early season's greeting from Stockholm, the first destination of my new journey.

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