Seeking an adventure, I traveled to with Jonathan and Emilia to the very north via train. The trip was 20+ hours and over 1500 kilometers! We met some great and interesting people on the various trains we were on. First was Charlie, a British guy on his travels through Scandinavia towards Russia. He reminded me exactly of my friend Isaac back in the states! Charlie was hilarious and helped me make fun of Jonathan when he misspoke and said that Omaha was a state in the US. On the next train we met Joel and Sofia who were both Swedish. Joel was headed to work at a ski resort in the north and when we asked Sofia what she did, she said "I'm just living". A great moment was when Sofia was talking to us in Swedish and we all looked at her as though she was crazy, it was only then that she realized that she was speaking Swedish. Do Swedes have a switch on the back of their heads that has two modes, English and Swedish? Overall we had some interesting people to chat with while traveling.
Upon arrival in Kiruna, we noticed that they actually had snow, unlike Jönköping. It finally felt like winter again and the north is truly a winter wonderland. Snow covered evergreen trees and snowmobile trails cutting through the woods. The north of Sweden felt a lot like home for me. We took a few hours to explore Kiruna before we headed to our cabin at Camp Alta, where we would spend two nights. The top attraction in Kiruna was the wooden church, and it did not disappoint! Pictures tell a thousand words! While in the city we picked up some moose sausage and smoked reindeer meat. Can you say delicious?
Next, we jumped in a Camp Alta van and headed to our cabin. Our little cabin had everything we needed, a kitchen, beds, shower, sauna, and a view over the frozen lake. One odd thing was the toilet which was in a separate building and was called an "ecological toilet". I would just call it a toilet seat with a garbage bag under it, but what do I know.
Our first evening was filled with dogsledding in search for the Northern Lights. There was one issue, when there are clouds it is not possible to see them, and it was cloudy! All in all, dogsledding was great. It is crazy that this 11 little dogs could carry us three and our guide, Luke. Luke was from France and brings his dogs all the way up north every winter to let people experience dogsledding. It was interesting that he gave commands in French and the Swedish guide gave commands in Swedish. I guess we can say that dogs can learn any language just like humans. The dogs got a break and we ate a small sandwich and some delicious mushroom soup inside a traditional Sami lavvu. The Sami people are the native people to the region similar to the Native Americans in the USA. Afterwards, we headed back through the woods to the camp. Dogsledding was a cool experience that everyone should do at least once. I had hoped that the dogs would run faster, but Luke told us that the dogs prefer a much colder temperature that it was on that evening.
Since the could hindered our view of the clear sky, we spent most of the night inside relaxing. We tried out the wood fired sauna and I was the only one that used it for more that five minutes. It was crazy how much you sweat in those things and how much just adding water to the rocks increases the heat in the room. I think it would be more fun with a group of people versus by yourself.
The agenda for the next day was snowmobiling to the Ice Hotel! I got lucky and ended up getting my own snowmobile instead of having to share one with another person. So I was able to drive to the Ice Hotel and back. It was great to get back on a snowmobile again. We spent a lot of the time driving over the frozen lakes that are over one meter deep with ice. After 18 km of driving, we arrived to the Ice Hotel.
The Ice Hotel was breathtaking! After paying the 200 SEK ($30) entrance fee we had full access to explore all the rooms and even the Ice Church. Again, it is easier to explain the Ice Hotel with this awesome photos. It is absolutely incredible that all of this melts in the summer and is rebuilt every winter by sculptures from across the world.
After returning from the Ice Hotel, I enjoyed a reindeer kebab in a pita and it was so good. Reindeer meat is fairly chewy but delicious nonetheless. The only adventure we had left was to experience the Northern Lights. We prayed for clear skies, but came up unsuccessful. It is a reminder that things do not always go the way you plan. You just need to take a step back, take a breath, and think "maybe next time!" I will return to the north again some day to search for the Northern Lights, it may not be in Sweden but I must see them at some point.
We took a plane out of the tiniest airport I have ever been in. There were just two gates in the Kiruna airport so you quite literally could not get lost. We arrived in Stockholm a short hour and a half later and spent the rest of the evening exploring beautiful Stockholm before we caught our bus home to Jönköping. Viktor promised to take me on a tour of Stockholm when it gets warmer but just my short visit there proves why so many people have told me how amazing it is and how much they love it.
All in all, my trip to Kiruna was incredible. I was able to experience many new things and have a lot of fun along the way. I learned that I prefer adventurous outdoor traveling. Everything doesn't always go as planned but that is part of the adventure, you just have to make the most out of the hand you have been dealt. The only thing to say now is, Northern Lights you may have escaped me this time, but I will find you next time!
