SWEDEN

First stop STOCKHOLM

We arrived on the ferry from Mariehamn, jumped on a shuttle bus into the city, then made our way after grabbing a 72 hour subway pass each, to the apartment we had rented. I must admit we will both be glad to get to Larvik in Norway for our two weeks of housesitting. We need the time to relax, recouperate, rationalise our luggage (we have realised now what we brought that we didn't need & some gear will be going home), & plan/book/organise some of the next parts of the trip. 

The central square where we picked up the city bus tour

We went into the city after lunch the next day, visited Tourist Info as always, did a City Panorama bus trip. The Royal Palace appealled so we bought a group ticket for it all and went exploring the royal apartments, the Treasury where they keep the royal jewels etc & the Tre Kronen (Three Crowns) Museum which was great. They had excavated under the current palace & found the vaults that had been below the original 13th Century castle, the original battlement walls etc. That castle burnt down in the 1600's and the current one has been growing since then. The original one had looked exactly like you see in a book of fairytales.

Entrance to the Royal Palace

View over the city from the Old City Centre

A section of the Esplanade, gardens, sporting areas, fountains
& Swedes sunning themselves

Following advice (thanks Michelle), the Vasa Museum was also on our list. Now that was absolutely amazing! Worth every minute of the queuing and every kroner of the price. The Vasa was built in the 1620's and sunk on her maiden voyage just 1500 metres from her berth. It is the only ship of its kind in the world in such magnificent condition & with 90% original timbers/carvings/etc. It was raised from the bottom in 1961 so this year it is celebrating '50 years ABOVE THE WATER'. Everything had just sat in the mud on the bottom of the harbour all those years.

1/75th scale model of the Vasa, coloured to match remnants
of paint found on original carvings etc

In case you are wondering why it sunk, it was a combination of too narrow a keel, two decks of cannons making it very tall & ballast that was large round stones that rolled to one side when it started to list & lastly they had the cannon ports open to fire a salute for the launch & the water rushed in once that side hit the water level. It was doomed from the start. The museum had historic stuff (as you'd expect), technology stuff (to do with preservation etc) & practical stuff (to do with the raising of such a huge ship in one piece out of the mud where it had sat for 350 years). There were short movies & as the tour guide said, we spent longer watching the movie than the Vasa actually spent sailing.

I came, I saw, I conquered that horrendous set of stairs
(shame we hadn't realised there was an escalator in the adjoining building)

The last thing we did was a nice long walk round part of the water's edge looking at all the lovely ships, launches, sailing boats, clinker vessels, motor launches etc & with views across to the city it was a very pleasant way to finish our time in Stockholm.

Just a small sample of the boats moored round the harbour,
gee there were some real beauties among them!

Second stop MORA

This is a small town in central Sweden famous for its long distance cross country ski race (90 kilomtres), The Vasaloppet, held annually but it's also the start of the Inlandsbanan, a tourist train trip up the centre of the countryside to above the Arctic Circle. We had a bit of trouble finding accommodation here that was a reasonable price so we tried our luck with the Fire Brigade, we had been told that, in Sweden, they often have beds available for travelling firefighters all you have to do is ask. So we did and voila, we slept in the basement of the Brandstation for two nights, comfortable beds, kitchen area even a sauna if we had wanted to use it.

Part of the gardens at Zorn's Museum unbelievably green!
 (Anders Zorn, the artist was born, lived, died & is buried in Mora) 

View of Lake Siljan, with red sandy beach

We loved our day wandering round, shopping, chatting and generally enjoying this absolutely beautiful country spot where two lakes meet. There seems to be a water view from anywhere & everywhere, the residents are very house proud & almost all the homes are classic Swedish architecture, painted a dark blood red colour with white trim. Flowers everywhere, fresh cut grass, shady trees, old churches, fountains & statues and the famous Dalarna Horse, this is more the spot for us than the hustle & bustle of Stockholm.

Grant & a Dalarna Horse outside a shop, this horse is the traditional

symbol of Sweden & originated in this area

INLANDSBANAN (banan just means train)

We departed Mora just after 2pm in our one carriage diesel train with a driver of course & hosts, young swedish people who give running commentaries about historical interest points, information about towns, that sort of thing. Since we are the only english speakers on the train, one of them came to sit with us & repeated the details in english, talk about spoilt!



Waiting at Mora Strand Staion to board our train

Naturally the train stops at lots of small towns, people get off & on but the bulk of the travellers stayed the distance to Ostersund where the train stops for the night. Now we were in for a real treat as on the train with us were about 20 members of the Mora Gospel Choir & their own band (3 squeeze boxes & 2 guitars), between stops & on the stations they sang & played traditional Swedish folk music, they were just fantastic & lots of the others on the train joined in for the fun of it. The train was by no means full but there were enough people to make it really fun.

One of the stops, with a short walk, was to an abandoned Swedish Brown Bear's den. It was great, we walked on planks across spagnum moss so thick it was like a wet sponge, then into the forest to the den which was made in the base of an ants' nest. Apparently the bears eat all the ants first, use the den one winter then abandon it, after a few years (once the bear's smell has left the area) a second or possibly third bear may use it. I asked what the small green ground cover throughout the entire area was, only to find that it is bilberries & if I came back in August I could just help myself. The bears eat mostly berries so I can see why they love it here.

The Swedish Brown Bear's den, surprisingly small really & a few
of our fellow travellers

Water, water everywhere, huge lakes which freeze over completely in the winter up to a metre thick we were told & rushing rivers where last century they were used to float logs to the timber mills. The forest is about 50% planted and about 50% natural. For every tree cut down another one must be planted.

The train stopped for an evening meal break at a ski resort (hiking & mountain biking in the summer of course) and we enjoyed the buffet dinner. The train hosts recommended the pankoken, it was an oven-baked pancake with bacon in it and you put lingonberry (that is a local berry) sauce on top, sort of a cross, main meal & dessert in one. Anyway it was lovely so was the meat loaf & the fried baby potatoes, yummy!

Next stop Ostersund (oostershund) town of 4000, administrative centre for Jamtland Kommun (Shire) on the edge of a huge lake which is the result of a meteorite hit about 455 million years ago. Just for your information the tsunami that resulted from the hit was a kilometre high, that is some wave! We stayed at the Firestation again, but this time it is almost new & we have very luxurious quarters. We tried to make good use of the full day we had here, we walked down to the town (when I say down I mean it, the whole place slopes towards the lake so it is easy to get down to everything but a killer to get back home) quick stop at Tourist info to check opening times & transport options for things we knew we wanted to do then we were off.

Have you ever seen a more elaborate Council Offices, they took up half a block

We started with a walk along the lake edge to the glassworks run by a couple of women, the pieces they produced were just lovely but glass is not really the souvenier you want to post home. Then along to the Sami Cultural Centre for a quick look-see, next back to the bus station to pick up a local bus Route 5 which takes you to the Frosto Zoo, no we didn't go to the zoo, but it is on the top of the hill on an island & the bus affords a really good view back over the whole place. We would have walked (ha, ha) but time wasn't on our side, nor were those rain clouds which were building up.

Sami Cultural Centre

Back to town for lunch, we followed some locals off the main shopping strip and into a backstreet restaurant, all the guide books tell you to eat where the locals do, so that's what we did! Gorgeous Buffet, started with mussell soup (to die for) with home made poppyseed bread, also delicious then there was baked chicken thighs & piles of sallad (no that's not a typo, that's Swedish) but the salad here is not really lettuce & tomato it is more cold vegetables like potatoes, chickpeas, broadbeans, carrot sticks that sort of thing with dressings, most of which we have no idea what they are but who cares they taste great! All for $11 each (that's 70 Swedish Crowns or SEK). I finished off with coffee & a 'Niggers Ball', or so the original Swedish translates to, the chef told me they have to be politically correct now & they are called Chocolate Balls.

Sorry, should have got a photo before I ate half of it

Then we jumped on a couple of connecting buses & went bush, well 25 kilometres out of town to the Locknekratern (Lockne Crater) Meteorite Centre. We have seen plenty of churches & cemetaries so opted for something a bit different this time. Small place but very well presented with a great documentary film, when exciting parts occurred in the film the floor vibrated with impacts etc. Now that we are a bit off the beaten track the english translations are getting few & far between but everyone tries & they had printed sheets with information for us but all the signs were in Swedish only. The rocks & crystal formations were absolutely amazing, the significance of the area wasn't realised until the 1970's.

These rocks look more like a cake, good enough to eat. 
This is just one of cases full of fascinating crystals & rocks

Stopping for a spot of morning tea at one of the stations,
no facilities there really but locals provide homemade cakes and
hot drinks, so cute! That is one of the hostesses in her red & black uniform

Our next step was to Gallivare (pronounced Yallivahray) last station on the trip & 125 km above the Arctic Circle. The train trip was again great fun, stopping for picnic lunches at out of the way places (I had Moose Balls, sorry I mean Moose Meat Balls in Creamy Juniper Sauce, DEEEElicious), walking across bridges over raging rivers, slowing down as we passed a herd of reindeer not to mention stopping at the Arctic Circle (marked with a sign & white painted rocks) for a great photo opportunity.

Moose, very nice! Creamy Juniper flavoured sauce & lignon jam.
Sounds like a weird combination but it was really lovely

We got off the train & were able to walk across this raging river.
The bridge is used for both vehicles & rail so it was quite safe.
This is one of only 4 natural rivers left in Sweden,
 the rest have hydro electricity systems on them

Grant playing the fool...at almost every stop there was something
interesting to do or see to fill in the 5 or 10 minutes

Having a BBQ without being outdoors.  This is a BBQ hut, timber construction,
seats & tables round the walls covered in reindeer hides, fireplace in the centre
with an opening in the roof for the smoke.  We drank our coffee out here,
it was really cosy & I am sure it's a hit when there is a metre of snow

We arrived at Gallivare at almost 10 pm but a local firefighter was there to pick us up & take us to the station where we had organised a room for three night's, how lovely was that!

Not a lot of vegetation as we are above the tree line
& it's under snow for 8-9 months of the year,
but great granite paving, decorated chairs & planter boxes with lovely
spring flowers

We were quite surprised by the size of this town & the shire's population. There are two very large & very profitable iron ore mines in the area, great skiing, snowboarding & cross-country skiing in the winter so the place just bubbles along very nicely. Unfortunately for us the weather has turned a bit cold & wet & we will not have the opportunity to go to the top of Mount Dundret to eat waffles, drink coffee & watch the Midnight Sun not set! We were however able to go down one of the mines on a tour, that was great & to go for a drive to the top of the mountain in the daytime (thank you Peter) to see the remaining snow & the view. The firemen here were just fantastic, what a great group of guys, they were really helpful & as they are sending a team to the firefighter games in Sydney in October 2012 they were full of questions about Australia & in particular Sydney.

All kitted up in our mining safety gear, including our beacon locators in case
we get lost, they blast every night & if you haven't returned top side
they send out a search party!

Tried making 'snow angles' but the snow was too icy,
but it was perfect for snow balls!

The view over Gallivare from Mt Drundet, you will have to imagine the
sun above the horizon at midnight

Early start to catch the southbound train at 06.50, & again a fireman dropped us to the station, lovely at that obscene hour of the morning. The weather showed no sign of clearing so we decided to head straight back to Mora, stopping at Ostersund overnight of course on the way as the train only travels in the daytime.

Children & parents dancing round the Maypole at Zorns Gammelgard,
shame it rained but the children looked gorgeous in their traditional
dress with flower garlands round their heads.

We had been told twice by people we had met on our travels, that Mora is the place to be for Traditional Midsummer Maypoles etc so we planned to spend a couple more days here on our way south.

During our first stop here we had been interviewed for the local paper about what brought us to Mora & as a result of the article in the local paper a delightful Swedish family invited us to join them for lunch. They lived a few kilometres out of town and had organised a lift for us too, Madelene's mother picked us up and drove us via her place where we picked up the Strawberry Gateau, to Madelene & Peo's home on the lake at Bonas.

We all enjoyed a yummy slice of this!

Well, what a fantastic day we had, talked & talked, ate traditional food, drank snapps & sang traditional songs, went to the Midsummer celebrations at 5pm at the historic village walking distance away. Grant got in on the action by helping to carry the maypole out into the centre of the field. There were plenty of people in traditional costumes, there were many different types as they indicate where you were born, rather than where you currently live. It rained quite a bit which reduced the usually large numbers of participants & they had to cut the festivities short but nevertheless we really enjoyed it, toe-tapping music, lovely choir in traditional costumes, good-sized crowd who cheered & clapped as the maypole was raised & then participated in ring dancing round the maypole.

That is Grant (in his blue jacket) in the centre, helping to carry the maypole

Raising the maypole, every time the men pushed the pole upwards the crowd cheered

They invited us for dinner too, less traditional this time - a BBQ - & we accepted a lift home with Annalee (Madelene's sister) & her partner Hans, the PE teacher/cross-country skiier, who has participated in the Vasaloppet race 10 times. We hit the sack at 1am, boy what a great family-orientated day we had with this lovely extended family!

What a spot, the view from Madelene & Peo's back verandah

L to R - Grant, Madelene & Annalee, standing on the 'beach' 

they made using white quartz gravel near their boat ramp.  

We enjoyed a few rays of belated sunshine, at about 8pm

Madelene & Peo offered us a lift on Sunday from Mora to the Orsa Gronklitt Bjornpark, this is Northern Europe's largest bear park & the world's largest polar bear holding, naturally we accepted. Madelene gave us a quick guided tour on the way pointing out interesting views, buildings etc. The Bear Park was wonderful, large, very natural enclosures, huge animals, plenty of viewing points & information boards in English as well. Quick list of what we saw: Persian Leopard, Snow Leopard, Arctic Wolf, Arctic Fox, Kodiak Bears, Swedish Brown Bears & Polar Bears, we couldn't find the wolverines or the owls so guess they were hiding from us.

Those polar bears are just plain huge and their paws are massive

This was only a statue, but it is life size, and the Swedish bear

which is mostly vegetarian is small by comparison to the carnivorous varieties

Madelene had suggested that we might enjoy a pleasant 2 km walk through the forest to a Cafe after the Bear Park so we checked we were going in the right direction (by flagging down a jogger, how else do you find out in the middle of the forest) then off we wandered, such beautiful forest here with dozens of tracks leading all over the place so we were grateful for the few signposts to keep us pointing in the right direction.

Now that was a 'rustic bridge' on the walking trail, 

Grant had the camera ready in case I fell, 

he wanted photographic proof

The Smidsgarden Cafe at Fryksas had the most magnificent view over Lake Orsa and Lake Siljan which are joined by a short river that flows through Mora, blue sky, scattered islands, boats whizzing across the lake what a wonderful way to finish our time in Dalarna.

View from the Cafe overlooking Mora and the two lakes, Orsa & Siljan

Thank you Madelene & Peo for your kindness, generosity & for welcoming us so warmly into your world, even if only for such a short time....we will see you in Oz when you get there with the kids!! 

Left Mora on the bus this time heading to Kristinehamn, this was part of the Inlandsbanan ticket too so no need for extra expense. A few short hours later we had arrived after stopping for a coffee at one of the best, interactive museums we have ever seen & it was in the middle of nowhere! There used to be a very profitable iron works there & when it folded in the 1980s the buildings were converted & lots of local heritage items are kept there. It was divided into rooms & when you walked into each focus area they had sound effects like radio recordings from the time playing through old radio sets, birds & traffic noises through open windows that sort of thing & everything there can be touched, tested, poked, prodded, sat on or even test driven!

It was really hard work to move this even an inch! 

Kristinehamn was founded in 1642 as a port for exporting iron & timber & is on the banks of Lake Vanern at the mouth of the river.

 

Riverside Park & walk

Kristinehamn's regional symbol, the boeier, moored at the guest harbour

We went on a really long walk round the city which included the guest harbour where the boat 'Christine af Bro' is moored, this is a replica boeier (that is a danish boat style with a flat bottom which used to be used for transporting cargo on shallow waters), the cathedral, which contained carvings from the end of the 12th Century & beautifully maintained cemetery, the heritage village where we were lucky enough to spend time with a lady who weaves traditional mats, table runners & the like, the shopping precinct, cobblestone streets with homes that were hundreds of years old & Olme Diversehandel och Kafe (a museum, handicrafts shop & cafe).

 

A very traditional Swedish timber home or apartments

Weavers Cottage, it was a very hot day & inside it was only 17 degrees,

the turf roof helps to keep the building at the same temperature all year round

Resting vigorously! It had been a very long, hot day of hiking after all!

We didn't make the effort to get out to the Picasso Sculpture, which is 15 metres high and made of concrete. The decorations have been sand blasted into the surface & they expect it to last 2000 years, so we can always see it later, eh?

Tomorrow morning's bus trip to Oslo sees us leave lovely Sweden. We have really enjoyed our time here it is a great place & we would love to come back to the countryside in the winter, to see the white beauty instead of the green.