I have not gone for a long holiday since I moved to Sweden. Now, I finally get my chance for a long trip this year and it is with Prof Sweet Tooth. This is my fourth road trip with Prof Sweet Tooth. This time, we go to the north of Sweden. He, although being a Swede has not explored the north and we thought it was a good idea to do so. I have not explored most of Malaysia either and I tried to cover almost all the states but Perlis and Kelantan are pending.
Back to the trip. Our plan was to spend 10 days for this trip but we ended up with 9 days because we have longer daylight and Prof Sweet Tooth can drive forever and ever... Many has asked me what is there to see in the north because it is mostly nature reserves and waterfalls. Well, I did not know what to expect. Nature sounds fine to me too.
Back to the trip. Our plan was to spend 10 days for this trip but we ended up with 9 days because we have longer daylight and Prof Sweet Tooth can drive forever and ever... Many has asked me what is there to see in the north because it is mostly nature reserves and waterfalls. Well, I did not know what to expect. Nature sounds fine to me too.
It was not a long drive from Stockholm to the north as we reached there the following day itself. North of Sweden is also known as Norrland.
Norrland ("Northland", originally Norrlanden or "the Northlands") is the northernmost, largest, least populated and least densely populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. The term Norrland is not used for any administrative purpose, but as a historical region, it is common in everyday language, e.g., in weather forecasts. Except for the coastal areas, Norrland is sparsely populated. Approximately 12 percent of Sweden's population lives in Norrland. Unlike the much more densely populated Svealand and Götaland, which are better known for big cities (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö) with landmarks and tourist attractions, Norrland is known for its nature: wide forests, large rivers and untouched wilderness. Source from Wikipedia.
Norrland ("Northland", originally Norrlanden or "the Northlands") is the northernmost, largest, least populated and least densely populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. The term Norrland is not used for any administrative purpose, but as a historical region, it is common in everyday language, e.g., in weather forecasts. Except for the coastal areas, Norrland is sparsely populated. Approximately 12 percent of Sweden's population lives in Norrland. Unlike the much more densely populated Svealand and Götaland, which are better known for big cities (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö) with landmarks and tourist attractions, Norrland is known for its nature: wide forests, large rivers and untouched wilderness. Source from Wikipedia.
Day 1 (Morning) of Norrland Drive
Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1 Morning.
14/6 Day 0: Stockholm -- Högbacka (pronounced as 'herg-bac-kah') - The drive started at 11pm.
15/6 Day 1: Högbacka -- Bruksmuseum and Slaggsten in Iggesund -- Bodagrottorna in Hudiksvall -- Sverige Mittpunkt (Sweden's Midpoint) in Munkbysjön
In all the nights, we slept in the car. He drives a Citroen C4. Except for one night where we slept in a tent. We could not afford to sleep in hostels as you know, everything in Sweden is so expensive and we are not super-rich people. Haha!
Must-Incur Costs
(1) Petrol in Tierp - SEK701.57 / 45.38 liter / SEK15.46 per liter (I noticed the price of the petrol for our last year trip to Holland was SEK13.45 and today, one year later, it is SEK15.46!)
(2) Petrol in Strömsund - SEK452.35 / 29.45 liter / SEK15.36 per liter
Optional Costs
(1) 14/6 Late Dinner (Whooper Beef burger) at Burger King in Rosersberg - SEK55
(2) 15/6 Lunch: Sandwich and Canned Drink (Trocadero) purchased from ICA Stöde - SEK43
(3) 15/6 Dinner: Chicken Wrap, Pulled Pork Wrap and Hallon Bottle from ICA Östersund - SEK35
(4) Mosquito Hat from Jula (North of Sweden is full of mosquitoes during the summer because it is dry.) - SEK79.90
(4) Mosquito Hat from Jula (North of Sweden is full of mosquitoes during the summer because it is dry.) - SEK79.90
The Story
During our drive, we stopped at a few places for Prof Sweet Tooth to stretch his legs and rest his eyes, and also for food.
150618 Morning: Prof Sweet Tooth could not sleep much that night and he started driving at 5am. We arrived that morning at 2.30am to sleep (of course, I was sleeping already) and he was not feeling tired. We reached our first point-of-interest, Bruksmuseum at 6am which obviously was still closed. It opens only at 9am. We walked around it, and also crossed the road to go up a flight of stairs to see a higher view and Slaggsten.
Next stop - Bodagrottorna, Sweden's third longest cave system. It was a bit tiring after a while taking long strides going over the huge rocks. We were at the entrance but did not venture further in. One can in go with a guide. The person to contact is Karin Trolin (070-262 52 73), www.explore61n.se or email info@explore61n.se.
The next stop - Sweden's Geographical Midpoint located at Flataklocken in Munkbysjön at a height of 465meter. How this is determined - A 2D map of Sweden was placed on a needle and the spot where it balances becomes the midpoint. I did not know it was easy as that. This method can be used in all countries. We saw the signboard to the point of attraction and it was about a 10km drive to the spot. The wind was blowing so hard but it was sunny too. I tried walking without a sweater but I found myself freezing after 10 seconds.
Next up - Brunflo Church and Skansen (not the Skansen in Stockholm) during the second half of the day.
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