We learn many new and interesting things about Sweden. For example, that you can drive a car in Sweden at the age of 15. Provided they are restricted to 30 km/h and have a warning triangle attached to the back of the vehicle. It is also interesting to see that not only small cars are driven by young people. We keep coming across small and very large cars, such as pickups. Or strikingly tuned cars. It’s kind of funny for us to see the youngsters sitting proudly in their cars and driving at 30 km/h.
In remote areas, however, this is certainly a sensible alternative.
Since we’ve been here in Sweden, our daily routine has changed somewhat. So far, we’ve always set an alarm clock so that we don’t arrive at our destination too late. We eat when we’re hungry (which is still the case ;-))
We end the evening in a cozy atmosphere. By 10 pm we are usually tired and ready for bed.
Here, on the other hand, we are timeless. Everyone knows that it’s light for a long time in the summer months. It’s a bit strange, unusual but also really great. But sometimes we do get a bit confused. We wake up between 7 and 10 in the morning. Yes, that’s a big range, but it is what it is. Sometimes we think we can go out for a quick walk, stretch our feet a bit or feel like eating something. But then it can be well after 10 p.m. but it’s still daylight. There are no weekdays for us either, because in Sweden the main stores are also open on Sundays. Here, we can finally let ourselves drift. Without time constraints, without stress and without a plan 😃
The only thing that’s really annoying is laundry.
If you go on vacation for a few weeks, you might not even notice it.
But at some point we have to do the big wash. That means everything including bed linen.
Washing bed linen by hand is very tedious. The large towels are also difficult but doable. But at some point you want to wash everything thoroughly in the machine.
Unfortunately, we find that there are few opportunities to wash with a washing machine. Not all campsites have them. Mostly on the ones near us, as it happens. For me, this is a negative point that I have to learn to deal with more calmly.
After a quiet night at our campsite near Grägensberg, we took a look around the area after breakfast.
Just like everywhere else, this place is wonderful. The forests, the lakes, the scattered houses and the friendly people.
Later we had rhubarb pie.
On Tuesday we are in the province of Hälsingland.
We’ll take you along for the ride.
We drive for kilometers on gravel roads, sometimes with more, sometimes with fewer potholes. If the sat nav calculates 3 hours for our day trip, we can assume it will take a few hours longer 😂
Kilometer after kilometer, there is nothing but nature and forest. Unfortunately, no animals either, apart from the occasional crane or, if you’re lucky, a deer. Then there’s a house in the middle of nowhere. Or a small village with four or five houses. And there’s usually a lake nearby. Beautiful!
In Älgered, Bergsjovagen in the province of Helsingland we found a nice place to spend the night.
Here, for the first time, we came across something that we had never seen anywhere else. See what I mean in the video.
We now know that where there are barbecue sites or shelters (and there are quite a few), there are toilet blocks like this. A little out of the way, usable from a cleanliness point of view, usually with garbage cans and paper. A great thing!
Our route continues to Fränsta, the province of Medelpad.
The Vikbron in Fränsta is Sweden’s longest wooden bridge of its kind. Its beautiful wooden construction spans 133 meters over the glistening waters of the Ljungan.
The bridge was reopened in 1986 by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. After a serious flood in 2000, in which the bridge was severely damaged, it was recently extensively renovated.
In the 19th century, a toll was charged to cross the bridge over Byforsen. In protest against the toll, the villagers of Finsta-Viken built a new bridge just half a kilometer downstream from Byforsen in 1888. This is how the Vikbron was created. At the end of the 1950s, the bridge was threatened with demolition, but it was preserved and restored in several rounds.
The bridge is for pedestrians only.
Source:Wikipedia
The next morning we made our way to the only store in the village. What a beautiful way to get there!
Once we were back and had stowed away all the food, we set off on a circular walk along the Ljungan river. The Ljungan is a 399 km long river in Sweden.
Next stop, a campsite on Lake Storsjön, one of the five largest lakes in Sweden. But at 456 square kilometers, it is the smallest.
There is an ICE road in winter. Our new friend Hans told us that it is frozen so solid for about 2 months that vehicles up to 4 tons can drive across the lake. At first we didn’t understand the sign. But now it makes sense.
This beautiful pitch is located on the grounds of the boating club. When we arrived and had just positioned ourselves correctly, a club member drove up with his car and boat on the trailer to put his boat in the water. Alex immediately seized the opportunity to ask him if we were allowed to fish at this spot.
That’s how we got to know Hans. Little did we know what a wonderful person he was, or his talent as an opera singer. He told us about his life and his family. He took us out on his boat to show us the area from the water and told us a bit about Sweden in general and the area here in particular. As a thank you, we invited him for coffee and beer. In the meantime, he showed Alex everything he needed to know about fishing here on the lake and saved all the interesting and beautiful places to visit on Alex’s cell phone for the rest of our trip through Sweden. Before he said goodbye, we exchanged phone numbers.
In the evening, Hans sent me a text message. An invitation to come to his house the next morning. And an encouragement that Alex should definitely try fishing in the evening.
So before Alex tried his hand at fishing, we went to see the area. It was beautiful! Hans also told us that the forests here, including at the campsite, have one of the largest bear populations in Sweden. This idea is actually a bit scary.
Unfortunately, Alex’s fishing attempt was unsuccessful. It was a little reassuring to see that others also left the spot without success. Alex has fished a few times now. But always without success. It will work out one day.
Storsjöodjuret is the sea monster of Storsjön. Hans also told us about it.
The animal was first mentioned in a folkloristic tale by a Swedish vicar in 1635, but it was only after 1890 that the monster attracted public attention. From then on, there were several sightings and a group of residents of the lake wanted to catch the animal. They also had the support of the Swedish King Oskar II. The attempt failed, and since then there have been hundreds of sightings; however, to this day there is no evidence of the real existence of the lake monster.
The animal is said to be a sea serpent with a dog-like skull. It is said to be around six meters long and in some reports it had distinct humps.
A bit reminiscent of the story of Loch Ness.
Source:Wikipedia
The next morning we drove to Hans’ house.
First we had a snack. Then he showed us his entire property. He owns a small house and 18000 square meters of land including a forest with deer and stags. He makes his own meat and sausage and showed us the premises. Everything possible is used from the animal. The hide is used to make leather and the fur is used to make clothes and the like. He has chickens and grows his own fruit and vegetables. He uses wood from his own forest for the winter.
In Sweden, houses have no cellars, so there are huts built into the ground or stones for food, huts that serve as workshops or barns for all vehicles and equipment.
He has converted an old caravan into a sauna. What a great idea.
And then he talks about his great talent and passion, which involves his whole family. Parents, grandparents, uncle and brother. They all share a passion for open-air singing. Hans Löfgren. Tenor. He showed us clips on YouTube and Facebook of some of his works. He makes this music out of passion but only as a hobby, while his brother is a singer by profession. Hans’ wife plays the piano and also loves singing. Too bad we didn’t get to meet her.
He gave us a deer antler as a souvenir. Eggs from his chickens and a 450g venison entrecote. We are grateful for this nice acquaintance and will never forget this special person. Thank you Hans for your hospitality.
The ferry takes you to the island of Norderö. The ferry route is not very long and the crossing only takes a few minutes. The ferry ride is free of charge.
The island of Norderön is the second largest island in central Lake Storsjön in Jämtland. It belongs to the municipality of Östersund. The connection to the mainland is via the Swedish Transport Administration’s ferries to Håkansta in Marby on the west side and to Isön in Sunne on the east side, as well as via ice roads in winter.
The next ferry took us back to the mainland on the west side and then into the mountains of the province of Jämtland.
There is still snow on the mountains in the background.
Our overnight accommodation was lonely and deserted at a barbecue site by the river Dammån.
In the evening we made ourselves comfortable and grilled the venison entrecote. It was really delicious.
The further north we get, the brighter it is at night.
Thank you all for traveling so diligently with us through Sweden. We always look forward to getting in touch with you personally and to every comment.
See you next week and for the next post, if you feel like it.
Best regards Iris & Alex