Thinking Out Loud: Roses, the Pope, Italy and city strolling

Dear reader,

Go out and smell the roses is exactly what M and I did last week. Trädgårdsföreningen here in Gothenburg has a huge rose garden and they're all in bloom now. If you’re in Gothenburg: run, don’t walk. It’s a fleeting kind of magic.

As a small tribute to Florence and Milan, M and I have started sending each other Duomo pictures—whenever one of us feels a little low. A midday lift in the form of memories. It was part of our daily routine to walk via the Duomo, so maybe it’s also our way of holding onto the feeling, just a little longer.

Italy’s been lingering in other ways too. I recently listened to a thoughtful episode of Samtal med Stil about Pope Francis and the quiet power of clothing, and how fabric can become a statement.

And then there was Julia Hitchen’s latest Arts and Tea newsletter, where she writes about city walks and the strange, stretched-out days just before summer truly begins. That in-between feeling where everything holds its breath.