Goteborg : Last stop in Sweden

After the hike, we got back on the train in Kiruna and went back the way we came. Once again, we managed to sleep a little and we made it back to our campground in Stockholm, bleary-eyed for one more day which we put aside for relaxation time before getting back on the road. It was our day of indulgence so we went for a swim at our beach, lazed around all day and for dinner, we had a special Swedish feast of Kortbullar (little meatballs), Gravlax and Aussie Rose wine. It was nice after a week of dining in the wild. The next morning, we packed up in amazement at how much we had been lugging around this whole time since we only took the bare minimum for the hike and had forgotten about all the other things we had. We made it back to the station with a little while to spare before hopping onto the train, in first class, to Goteborg, Sweden's second city.

Goteborg, pronounced something like Yoteborye, was packed to the rafters when we got there. As the host of the "Gothia World Cup", the whole city was swarming with teenagers from all over the world competing for their own trophy. On the tram, I chatted for a while with a few French players. They were about 12 years old and therefore, treated us with respect, called me Madame and thought that we must be amazing adventurers zigzagging across the world unhindered by our impossibly large backpacks. We had to cross the city a couple times before we could find a spare spot to pitch our tiny little tent but eventually set up in the backyard of a hostel close to the city centre.

We then spent a couple days walking around the city which is very pleasant, pretty compact and full of picturesque old streets, delicious looking bakeries, canals, lots of nice shady parks and as always in these parts, bikes everywhere.

On the second day, we caught a ferry and went to an island called Vrango, pronounced nothing like it looks, which was really beautiful. Most of the island is a Nature reserve and the whole foreshore is covered in big rocks which lead to secluded swimming spots. The water is perfectly still and the sky was blue. The tiny little town at the centre of the island, consisted of small white weatherboard houses with bright red roofs and white picket fences. The small harbour was full of sparkling white and blue sailing boats. It was pretty idyllic.

So after a couple weeks in Sweden, a good chunk of it spent in the Arctic circle, it was time to move on. We would have both liked to see a bit more and spend a little bit longer here but we knew all along that we wouldn't really be able to get too carried away in Scandinavia. Nevertheless, it was a really fantastic place to get a taste of and hopefully, we will be back and add Norway and Iceland to the mix. Potatoes and rice for the next couple years should make it feasible....