Inlandsbanan : Part 2 - Day 2: Mora to Östersund C

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 2.

20/7 Day 2: Begin Inlandsbanan train journey. Depart from Mora train station at 1340 hours and arrive at Östersund C train station at 2030 hours. Lunch received at Fågelsjö station at 1530 hours. Dinner at a restaurant at Åsarna Skicenter station at 1752 hours.

Costs

(1) Breakfast set at Kaffestuga - SEK98 that came with brewed coffee, bottle of orange juice, smoothie and a breakfast sandwich

(2) Coffee at Wayne Coffee - Latte Macchiato Chocolate SEK50

(3) Ice-cream at Glassbåten - SEK79

(4) Lunch (from Fågelsjö stop) on Inlandsbanan train - Chicken salad SEK70, Cinnamon bun SEK25, Coffee SEK20

(5) Dinner (from Åsarna Skicenter) on Inlandsbanan train - Fish and chips SEK175

(6) Accommodation at STF Ledkrysset - SEK556 per person for 2 nights (our own room that can accommodate 4 persons. The room costs SEK1667), SEK90 per person for borrowed bedsheets from the hostel.

The Story

20072022 - Time to look for breakfast. We walked into Mora town and found a few cafes that are opened and we asked if they any breakfast set. 

As I observed more breakfast sets along the street, I realised that the one in Wayne Coffee has value for money. For SEK99, one can have a large breakfast set which includes a croissant. The one that we had costed SEK98.

We stopped at Wayne Coffee for a break, hence, my knowledge of their breakfast set. I am always keen to compare prices. Impossible to change the habit. Maybe not possible at all as I love numbers.

A must-have photo with the Dalarna horse in Mora where it orginated from. Must-have for me as a tourist. In the olden times, men carved these wooden horses during the cold winter nights to give to their children. 

Before we left for the train station, I got myself an ice-cream from Glassbåten. Two scoops for SEK79.  It is more expensive than the ones in Stockholm. I had an ice-cream at StikkiNikki with 2 scoops for SEK55 but this was in 2019. Also, I have a travel companion who takes unglamorous photos of me. He said that it is candid. 

Now, we are at Mora train station and we could saw Inlandsbanan on the screen. We were very happy to see that! 

When the train arrived, I was very excited! The train is not very long and during our train ride, we were given occasional briefing by the train attendant on the background of Inlandsbanan. An interesting bit was the train runs on diesel and not electricity. So, this train can be used during a power cut. Although diesel, this is from environmentally-friendly diesel where it is produced from plants.

Inlandsbanan and SJ trains side by side.

On the trains, there is a small cabinet where one can buy snacks and coffee. The money is transferred via the Swish app. It was not easy to pour coffee or tea when the train is on the move. 

The menu on the train. So, one has an idea of which food to order.

The partnered restaurants with Inlandsbanan.

We departed on time. The views were scenic during the initial part of the ride as we passed by housing areas, forest, waterfalls. Before the train passes a junction or a crossing, the train driver will honk to alert any passer-bys or animals. So, there was a lot of honking going on.

Our first meal order on the train. A traveller commented that the cinnamon bun was really good, the best ever he has ever tasted. So, we bought one and it was very tasteless. Then, we saw the traveller alighting from the train and hugging the cinnamon bun seller. Hmph. Good marketing though.

Dinner order was also placed together with lunch.

This is Fågelsjö station where the train attendant collected the lunch orders and one can buy the cinnamon bun directly from the seller.

After lunch, I walked on the train. As there are driver seats on both ends of the train, I sat on the other end which is not the direction of the train. Hence, the train driver is not sitting there. It looks like it is easy to drive the train. The buttons are clearly labelled.

We stopped at Sveg station for a break.

Everyone on the train got excited when the train attendant mentioned that one can see deers and moose along this part of the ride.

Dinner stop! We ate in the restaurant and I took this opportunity to take photos with the train. There is only one toilet on the train. 

Finally, we arrived at Östersund C. and the sun is still shining at 2030 hours! The upside of travelling further up north is the daylight hours are even longer than in Stockholm. It was about a 15-minutes walk to our hostel. We stayed 2 nights here, as we arrived late today and will explore the day after. Also, Östersund C. is the last station for Inlandsbanan so everyone has to get off the train.

As it was still bright, we decided to go out, look for the nearest place to take a dip and have a beer. There is a large square in the town center. 

We took a dip here - Badhusparken! It was really cold for me as the sun has set and the air is chilly. But I did it anyway!