I usually don’t have a problem with jetlag, but I did on this trip. Our first morning in Stockholm, I woke up about 4:00. The sun was already well on the rise, and since the weather looked nice, I dragged myself out of bed around 4:30 and went a-wandering.

Half awake and fully disoriented (it’s weird when the sun declares daybreak while the clock insists there are a few hours still to sleep), I was determined to capture at least a few quality images during the “magic” morning light. I knew that later in the day, everyone else would have to deal with my inevitable sleep-deprived crankiness, and I wanted to be sure their pain was not in vain.

On my way back to the hotel, I stopped at Berzelii Park, where the good people of Stockholm had planted a lovely flower patch for my personal photographic enjoyment. At precisely 6:18 a.m., I shot this delightful image of what could be my favorite flower in the entire city.