Sweden - July 2024

After leaving the UK, we flew to Sweden to spend 10 days with Kersten, Mia, Byron and their kids Sally and Kaj.  We arrived into Stockholm where Kersten met us at the airport.  We then took the tram over to the central station where we met up with Mia and the kids.  Byron arrived later that evening via car.  

Stockholm

We stayed for two nights at a friend of Kersten's house which is about 5 minutes away from her apartment.  It was a nice two story home with four bedrooms so that we could spread out and also spend some time together.  After getting settled in, Kersten took us to her apartment where we had a snack.  It was then that Kerstin and Mia finally told us the itinerary of our trip - they had kept it a secret until we arrived!  We then on a brief walking tour of the area.  For dinner, we met up with the kids at Krubb Telefonplan where we had some yummy chicken and feta bowls and a couple of beers.  

Skansen

The next day, we did a mini-tour of Stockholm.  We first took the ferry over to an island where we walked around Skansen, an open air museum that showcases various homes/buildings of Sweden dating back to the 14th century.  We also saw a few animals (e.g. bears and owls).  We had lunch at Restaurangen Bla Porten, which is a cafe with nice outdoor seating - we shared a fantastic feta/lentil/tomato salad and a traditional meatball dish with mashed potatoes.  Kersten then took us on a mini-tour of the city via buses.  

Touring around Stockholm

That evening, we all went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert.  We got to the Strawberry Arena which is attached to the Mall of Scandinavia and each got a quick bite to eat at the mall.  Kersten got us floor tickets which were great to be up closer to the band. The concert was amazing - they played non-stop for a little over three hours and the band sounded really great!

Bruce Springsteen Concert

The next morning, we headed out for a week in Northern Sweden after having breakfast at the house.  Shawna, Kersten and Keith drove in one car (a rental) while Mia and the family drove in their car.

Sundsvall

We spent one night here on our way up north to break up the trip.  On the way, we stopped at a roadside rest stop for a quick lunch and then stopped in Hudiksvall for a pastry and to meet up with a colleague of Mia's who lives there - we did a brief walking tour of the town.

Hudiksvall

In Sunsdsvall, we stayed at the Clarion Hotel which had nice rooms for a standard hotel - what was even more amazing was that dinner (buffet) and breakfast (also buffet) were included in the rate.  After checking in, we had our dinner and then did a walk around town - hearing all the reasons from Mia why Sunsdvall was not the best town.  She works here on occasion and it happens to be a 'rival' town to Ostersund where she lives.  It was quite funny.  We walked to the top of the hill just north of town in the Bergfotsvagen park and climbed to the top of the Norra Berget Friluftsmuseum tower which had nice views of the town below.  

Top of Norra Berget

The next morning, Keith and Shawna did the hike up the hill again and then we left to continue our journey north after having breakfast.

Ulvon

We took the ferry over to one of the islands off the Northern Coast to Ulvon where we stayed for two nights. The island is very cute with a small fishing village on the south side where the hotel and a few restaurants are located.  We stayed at the very cute Ulvo Hotel where we had a wonderful room with a balcony overlooking the water.  Breakfast was included with the room which was a buffet - we enjoyed this both mornings, sitting outside with views of the water.

Ulvon

Ulvo Hotel

After we checked into our hotel, we walked about 3km to the northern side of the island where a friend of Kersten's (Anna and Bjorn) has a campsite with their family.  Her friends have a nice plot of land overlooking the water with a small house build in the '40s that is not livable - they plan to rebuild but for now, they set up a large tent and stay there for a week at a time.  They cooked sausages for us which we enjoyed after the kids (and Keith) did various 'competitive' dives (judged by Shawna) into the lake from the pier.  Back at the hotel, we had a couple of drinks before retreating to bed.

Hanging out at Anna and Bjorn's campsite

The next day was chock full of activity.  After having a leisurely breakfast, we did a three hour hike along the rocky coast and then took a path through the forest back. The distance was not far but it was slow going on the rocks.  The coastline was beautiful! We then had a quick snack of pastries from the local bakery and toured the museum (which showcased the history of fishing in the area) and local church (which had beautiful colorful paintings on the walls inside and is touted to be the oldest wooden church in Northern Sweden).  Mia, Shawna and Keith took turns on the paddle boards which was really fun to be out on the water and to see the village from the water.  The last activity of the day was playing paddle where everyone took their turn hitting the balls. Shawna stayed behind at the hotel to catch up on reading.

Hike around the island

That evening, we had dinner at the hotel - Kersten's friends joined us. We first had a few drinks in the bar and then sat down for dinner.  We shared a baked goat cheese appetizer and a fish for our entree - both very tasty.  

The next morning, we went for an hour walk up a hill near the hotel to the Lotsberget platform and then packed up and took the longer ferry back.  We went grocery shopping to stock up for the next few days and then drove to Docksta - the next leg of our journey.

FriluftsByn / Docksta

We stayed for three nights at FriluftsByn, a very cute campsite located on a lake outside of Docksta and close to the Skuleskogen National Park.  The campsite has cabins as well as tent sites, along with a restaurant, toilet/shower facilities, a lounge area and activities for kids.  We got one cabin where Keith and Shawna stayed - it had a double bed along with a sofa, table with two chairs and a few other stools for sitting.  It also had a kitchenette - small refrigerator, hot plate for stove, microwave, coffee pot and kettle.  The rest of the crew stayed in tents but used the cabin for meals and for changing clothes and relaxing.

The cabin at FriluftsByn

After checking in and getting settled, Kersten and Mia cooked dinner - pasta with meatballs and arrabbiata sauce along with a salad,  We all ate it on the picnic table outside of our cabin.  We then did an hour and 45 min hike up the mountain in the Skuleberget nature preserve that was next to our campsite.  It was only 3 miles but about 1K in elevation gain.  The sun was quite nice so we got some beautiful views of the valley.

On top of Skuleberget

The next day, we went into the Skuleskogen National Park and did the Tarnattstugan Loop from the south entrance which is a 10 mile, 1.5K elevation gain hike that took us up the narrow, rocky canyon called Skattdalskrevan and then along a sandy beach.  It was cloudy and a bit misty so we didn't see much of the views from the top but got to experience the hike in the misty clouds which was cool.  Mia and Kersten had several 'fika' stops which were rest stops to have coffee/tea and biscuits so it took us over six hours to complete the hike! That evening, Byron and Keith (OK, mostly Byron) cooked a veggie chili with salad - much to Shawna's pleasant surprise, the chili was very tasty! We then played a couple of rounds of Monopoly deal.

Skattdalskrevan

During our last full day here, Bryon and the kids did the Via Ferrata while the rest of us went back to the park to do a one way hike from the north entrance to the south entrance, taking us up a small mountain and then back over to the canyon - this time we climbed up on the ridge and had amazing views of the surrounding area since it was sunny.  We went for 7.5 miles, 1K elevation gain and it took us over five hours - there were a few stops for tea, lunch, calling Jan from the mountain top and picking berries! While we repeated some of the hike from the day before, it was really nice to be on the ridge and see the views in the sunshine.

View from our hike

That evening, we booked the 'burgers and beer' night at the campsite where we enjoyed some yummy burgers and beer (aptly named)! We stayed to listen to the local musicians who were quite good and enjoyed the people watching.

Dinner at our cabin

The next morning, we packed up after breakfast and said our goodbyes to Mia, Bryon and the kids. We then drove back to Stockholm, breaking up the journey to have lunch at En Liten Sjokrog, an excellent restaurant on the water that was recommended by Mia. We shared a fantastic salad with smoked trout and a fish with sautéed vegetables. We also shared a smoked shrimp appetizer amongst the three of us and a couple of desserts.  We were quite full!  We stopped again in Uppsala to stretch our legs - first walking around the grounds of the Gamla Uppsala Museum where they have old burial mounds and then around the old part of town to see the church, castle and the university where Kerstin took some of her classes.  We had a quick bite of savory pie with an apple cake for dinner at Kafferummet Storken, a cafe frequented by students.  We made it back to Kersten's close to 9pm.

Lunch at En Liten Sjokrog

Stockholm

Our final day in Sweden was spent doing some laundry and admin catch up in the morning after a nice leisurely breakfast at Kersten's apartment.  We then did a wonderful two hour kayak around Langholmen and Reimersholme (two of the islands in Stockholm) and across the water to the city hall.  It was sunny and beautiful to see the city from the water.  We had a light lunch at Bullbon, a small cafe, where we had lentil soup with bread and then had a scoop of ice cream at Sno - our usual salted caramel - the ice cream was very creamy.

Kayaking in Stockholm

That evening, the three of us met up with Helena, Hakan, Victoria and Lasse for drinks at Urban Deli, a rooftop bar.  Helena and Victoria also worked at Kandersteg with Keith.  Helena was not feeling great so they left after the bar and the rest of us had dinner at Rolfs Kok - a great restaurant that Kersten selected.  We shared a pork chop with Kersten (it was enough for two people) and then Keith and Shawna also shared a lamb rib dish.  We then ended the evening with our final 'pastry of the day' - enjoying some madelines with a caramel cream.  Everything was delicious.  

Drinks at Urban Deli with Kersten, Helena, Hakan, Victoria and Lasse

The next morning, Kersten spoiled us once more with breakfast and then we left for the airport to fly to Munich.