Heading north: Sweden

The trip is made by 4 people in a camper van. The duration was 27 days, in which we covered 9,520 kilometres. At the end the complete itinerary of the journey to the Lofoten has been included, of which this is a small part.

Friday 21.07.95 from Milan to the Gotthard

Departure from home at 20.00, with the new camper, in search of a bit of cool in the direction of the Gotthard. On the MI-Laghi we find quite a lot of weekend traffic. At the Swiss border, and it is already 22.00, we pay the classic motorway sticker (40 FS). In Switzerland, fortunately, the traffic is much lighter. We travel until 23.45 to stop, having passed the Gotthard tunnel, at the first service area to sleep. 221 Km

Saturday 22.07.95 from the Gotthard to Hamburg

A day crossing Germany. At 6.00 breakfast and departure. At 8.00 we are already in Basel and enter Germany. At 12.30, after passing Frankfurt, a stop for lunch. We have kept a fairly high speed for a camper, around 110 Km/h, because we found no traffic. At 19.45, after passing Hamburg, 50 Km from Kiel, we stop on the motorway, at Schleswig. 1037 Km.

Sunday 23.07.95 from Hamburg via Denmark to Sweden Ferry to Sweden planned. Departure from the area at 7.15. At 8.45 we enter Denmark at Flensburg. At 13.45 we are by now very close to Frederikshavn; having reached the port at the ship that was leaving but we could not find a place, so we waited for the next boarding at 19.30. We paid the ticket in Swedish kronor. We disembark at Göteborg at 23. We left the city heading towards Stockholm in the direction of Skara. With difficulty we fill up with diesel; the stations indicated are off the main road. At half past midnight we find an area to stop, with other campers and caravans, next to a lake; we are at Vårgårda. We have dinner and then straight to bed. 521 Km with 3.5 h of ferry.

Monday 24.07.95

After having breakfast outside the camper, the ducks arrived, to which we gave our breakfast, with bread. Departure at 8.30 to visit Läckö castle, mount Kinne Kulle and the Cistercian monastery of Varnhem. At the castle we find a large car park and an entrance fee of 320 SK with a visit to the castle. It has an original hall with portraits of characters described in their character with Latin mottos, little angels hanging from the ceiling and very well-kept gardens with very fragrant roses. Reaching the Kinne Kulle where we stop to have lunch in a lay-by near the houses and an old church. Taking a tour among the houses we see, in a garden, the classic tree house for children to play in. We then reach the belvedere. We climb the tower in the middle of the Park, made up of forest interspersed with lava flows still very visible.

(5 SK) Arriving at the top a downpour breaks out: seeing all that rain from the top of the forest, in absolute silence, is wonderful. Also because within 10 minutes the rain gave way to the sun. The lava formations near lake Vänern form genuine paths you can walk along. Along the path we see carvings on the stones that commemorate the visits of the various kings and queens of Sweden to this place. We then return towards Skara to visit the church of Varnhem. In the central nave is the tomb of king Birger Jarl (1266), founder of Stockholm. The excavations of the ancient convent are interesting. We take the road north again; at 19.30 we manage to get diesel just outside a stretch of motorway and shortly after, following the parking signs for caravans, we stop in a square in the village near a lake. 444 Km

Tuesday 25.07.95

At 8 departure for Falun, which we reach at 10. Guided visit to the copper mine: visit to the museum and to the mine itself, with cloak and helmet. You descend into the bowels of the earth and visit the mines used until recently. The red colour of the houses comes precisely from the iron: the paint, because of the abundance of the mineral, was subsidised by the state and cost much less than the other colours. Near Rättvik, in a tourist promotion area, we stop to have lunch. At Rättvik we visit the church in a beautiful position known as the kneeling bride. In the gardens, on a promontory, is the monument to Gustav Vasa who in 1520 freed Sweden from the Danes. At 14 we reach Mora; we find a campsite near the town, which is a small tourist centre with many shops. In the afternoon we have a tour. The red horse carved in wood, which is worked in these areas, is the symbol of Sweden. 237 Km.

Wednesday 26.07.95

Today is a transfer day to the north of Sweden. We leave the campsite at 8.30 and head for the coast at Söderhamn, a beautiful road among the pine woods with wide views over the forests, with nice scenic ups and downs. The coastal road is smoother; we touch Sundsvall, Umeå and Luleå. A stop for dinner in an area near the sea with a beach. From Luleå we abandon the Baltic Sea and head towards the North Sea and Norway. At Boden, in the town, in the square of a supermarket, we stop to sleep. 903 Km

Thursday 27.09.95

The night has no sunset; it starts to be difficult to sleep. At the opening of the supermarket we do our shopping. Departure from Boden at 10. At Jokkmokk we visit the church and at the Lapp market we buy the "furry" shoes, with fur. Setting off again we take the road for Kiruna, with its iron mines. Here a short stop at the tourist office: tourist offices have an incredible amount of free material of incredible quality; I plundered almost all the "i" points of Northern Europe for albums. We drive alongside a lake for several kilometres; a nice campsite but only for tents. We then find the campsite at Björkliden, a renowned ski resort, a very scenic place on the mountains. We have run out of Swedish kronor and we managed to pay in Norwegian currency. 507 Km.

Friday 28.07.95

Today the arrival at the Lofoten is planned. Departure at 9. The short journey from the campsite to the North Sea takes us all morning, because of the photographic stops along the route: the alps and lakes of the Abisko national park are stupendous. We have reached Norway. At midday, in a lay-by near the sea that looks tropical, we make a short stop for lunch. At Å we leave the road that goes north to head towards the Lofoten. The Travel Diary continues with the country Norway