Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
06.45 We are still in Tempoo Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco. So far everything is tough. It was tough to wake up, hard to shower and not motivating to write this. A new day awaits, a day when we shall travel towards the coast to experience another Moroccan city.
07.54 The breakfast buffet here at the hotel continues to be a chapter for itself. No juice was in sight this morning either. Not even milk to the cereals. Christer pointed this out to the staff behind the counter. Then they poured milk in his bowl, and then put the milk back in the fridge.
08.16 Now it is time to do the things that must be done. We'll check out, pay for the room and walk to the station for the buses. 08.40 Supr@tours vous souhaite BON VOYAGE, can be read on the headrest in front of me. I sense that the bus company wish us a pleasant journey. The journey we are congratulated to is to the seaside town of Essaouira where we will spend a night before we end the trip in Agadir in southern Morocco. We have boarded the bus a bit away from the railway station. Supr@tours (http://www.supratours.ma) is a bus company that will be a complement to the railway. They run on the routes where there are no rails. 09.06 Quiet, still, and slowly, we move out of Marrakech. It is time to commence the journey back to the sea. 10.11 The sky is blue, the sun is yellow, the buildings are red brown or beige, and the ground, well it is dry. Our route go up, under, through and past all of this.
Supr@tours wishes us a good trip.
Good bye bus terminal and good bye Marrakech!
About halfway of this trip we have stopped for a while in Chichaoua.
We have to buy new bus tickets for tomorrow in this office.
Christer is walking towards our hotel.
Interesting eqiupments outside Palazzo Desdemona.
10.46 We are most likely in Chichaoua. No sign of this has been seen but according to what we estimated on the map, it should be where we are. We make a stop to stretch our legs, drain the bladders, and for my part, fill up with cafe noir. Outside the Café Atlas, we see the flags from the UK, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain and Finland to name a few. Along the main road various vehicles pass by, ranging from trucks to small carts drawn by donkeys.
11.17 We carried on after a twenty minute stop. Christer tried to make a film about the fascinating town life outside the bus window but the town was so small that we had gone outside of it before he had time to start filming. When we stopped, it was 78 kilometres to go. Now it remains only 54 kilometres. The landscape is slowly becoming greener the closer to the sea we get. 12.02 Once again, we have the Atlantic ocean outside the bus window. Shortly, we are on our way to a new hotel and a new restaurant. This is the meaning of life. I have just finished my Ian Rankin book. It is highly recommended. 12.06 The bus drove around a bit in the city before it decided to stay outside Supr@tours small ticket office here in Essaouira. Now is the time to get hold of tickets for the only bus that leaves tomorrow. As soon as we have received the luggage we´ll go to the ticket counter.
The entrance to our accomodation, Palazzo Desdemona.
We were offered welcome tea.
Our lunch restaurant has an excellent location at the square.
We wanted to try local food but this had almost no taste at all.
Toy cars along Avenue de l´Istiqlal.
Our accomodation from the other side.
12.12 The last two bus tickets on this trip are now in our possession. Agadir here we come! Though not now, of course, but tomorrow. Now we will go to our accommodation and then experience this city which we had read much positive things about.
12.37 We walked towards the older parts of the city and entered through a gate. In the alley where the Palazzo Desdemona is located, we saw a man in older clothes. He dialled on a mobile. We found the entrance to our hotel, and outside stood snowboards, or was it sandboards? We have just checked in. They need three quarters of an hour to make the room ready. The last guests have just checked out. We enjoy welcome tea in the dining area. Then we intend to go and eat lunch somewhere in the surrounding area. 13.01 The scents and aromas of the sea surround us. We have just ordered couscous with seven sorts of vegetables and meat. Today's lunch will be at Café Restaurant La Mouette d'Essaouira which is located directly on the square, Place Moulay Hassan. On the square are various acrobats who entertain by forming human pyramids. We have also spotted some Swedish guests a bit away from us. 14.07 Not much meat in that dish. To speak the truth the dish did almost taste nothing. The advantage with it is that it didn't taste bad. The dish was dominated by boiled vegetables. We are now in room 17 at the Palazzo Desdemona (http://www.palazzodesdemona.com). We stay at the top of the building, more or less on the roof, have a private terrace and a beautiful view over the city. In the room there are paintings and a fireplace. 14.10 Christer just discovered that the room/suite is also named Rita Hayworth. Here we are going to thrive but there is a risk that it gets cold here at night. We are almost outdoors.
Our nice Rita Hayworth room.
The room from the outside.
We have an excellent view of central Essaouira.
The Atlantic and its waves.
Christer outside our "room on the roof".
The pedestrian street Avenue de l´Istiqlal, Essaouira.
15.14 The time has come to familiarize ourselves with more than what we have seen so far. It is just to start the walk down. There are a number of steps to pass each time we're going to make it to or from our room.
16.24 After having walked past all the market stalls along the pedestrian street Avenue de lIstiqlal, and a number of side streets, there will be an afternoon coffee at Café de France. Here there will be coffee and crêpes. Our tasteless lunch was not only tasteless, it was not so filling either. 16.54 A cat appeared just when we finished our coffee and crepes. First it sat on my small backpack. Then it crawled up in my lap and enjoyed life. I tried to put it down but it got crossed, nibbled me and jumped down. I have heard of people who chew khat but here it was a cat that chewed people. 17.36 On the way home we bought juice and fresh strawberries. Now we are up on our roof terrace and enjoy the sunset and the newly bought strawberries. Screaming gulls stands for the entertainment at this beautiful moment. 18.34 It was some tasty strawberries. Darkness fell and it immediately became much cooler. Morocco winter time means hot sun but cold air. Now we have gone inside.
Who can resist strawberries?
A man in a box.
Crêpes at Café de France.
A cat visit at the table.
One of our singing neighbours.
Christer and Essaouira.
19.43 On the outer roof of our room, something is slightly sticking out. On it sits a seagull, and thinks. In the sky behind the seagull we have seen the constellation of Orion. However, Orion is laying down, has he fallen asleep? When the sky looks different, you realize that we are far from home. Especially the feeling in the southern hemisphere when nothing feels familiar.
20.06 The time has come for the evening's dinner. Will it be national or international cuisine? Will it be gourmet or McDonald's? Whatever it becomes, we need to eat. 20.49 It was decided that we would try the restaurant Essalam which is located diagonally opposite the Café de France where we sat in the afternoon with crepes, and a cat. Here we'll try their menu of the day options. First, there will be a soup and then a piece of meat. 22.15 It was a hearty soup, a piece of meat with strips and rice and finally we got yogurt with a pear flavour. The restaurant felt simple but the service was good and we were satisfied. We are now home again and will adapt for the night in a room that gets cooler every hour.
Strawberries at sunset.
The sun is going down in Essaouira.
It becomes darker inside Rita Hayworth.
Dinner at Café Restaurant Essalam.
08.23 It is chilly, on the verge of cold inside the room. During the night, Sweden lost the semi final against Canada in the Ice Hockey World Junior Championships. Today it will be another bus trip. We'll travel the last leg of this Morocco trip. When we reach Agadir all that remains is the flight home on Saturday evening.
08.54 Once again, we ask ourselves what's offered for breakfast. As soon as we have walked down the many stairs and steps we will get the knowledge, the answer. 09.14 Plates, cutlery and cups were presented at our table. Then came the question, "What would you like to drink?". We said, "Black coffee!" 09.43 Pancakes, bread, jam, honey, butter, jam, yogurt and coffee was brought on a tray. We spoke about time as students during the breakfast. Now we have gone the 66 steps up to our room again. Now, there will be strawberries on the terrace. We had left some yesterday. 10.35 It has become time to leave Rita Hayworth, our green and pleasant room here at Palazzo Desdemona. Now we are going to leave money and luggage in the reception. The money we get never back but the baggage will be retrieved in the afternoon when we are going to take the bus from here. 11.11 I have just let Christer know what time it is. After leaving the reception we have walked along the beach promenade here in Essaouira. It is under construction or is it undergoing a face lifting, a renovation. God bless you, Christer said to one who has just sneezed. It is really bright today. At the payment my amount of coins decreased drastically. 11.40 We are back inside the city walls again. We hoped to find a suitable café. Certainly there are some any options but we are looking further. The elderly in the local population is striding forward along the wall. No panic here and why would they have it?
Breakfast at Palazzo Desdemona.
We are taking a walk along the beach this morning.
Christer is waiting for his tea.
People at Place Moulay Hassan.
Peter is having lunch at the restaurant L´Horloge.
Christer looks scared of the food.
12.03 After returning to the beach promenade, we found the café/restaurant Sogebi. I think in all cases that it is so named.
12.31 The mint tea which Christer ordered has an intense aroma. We seem to remember that we drank mint tea in the past. We don't mean in the last few days, but on a previous trip long ago. 12.57 L'horloge restaurant will serve us lunch today. We have ordered tajine. This is the second time in the last year we have a meal at a place with this name. Last time we were in Victoria in the Seychelles. 13.47 When I lifted the pen, I might have, drawn, written myself on the nose. We now take a last bench break after a simple but good meal. A Dutch lady at the table behind me had a memorable experience of how strong harissa is. Harissa is a north African spice mix. 13.57 We are now reunited with our backpacks. Wonder what they have been doing during our little walk? 14.02 We take a break before we take last stumbling steps. We sit down just outside the city wall and wait for time to move on. 14.09 The final steps were taken before we reached the bus station, or what we now call a parking in front of a ticket office. Here there are two buses to choose from. The destinations are in Arabic. Oh well, one is called a Luxury and we should not go with such. Then we assume that it is the other bus that comes. 14.31 The other passengers, and we wait. Now, a reversing, third bus appeared. Is it our bus? A begging man has walked around here, picked up, and thrown cigarette butts.
Peter is writing down the last notes in Essaouira.
Which bus is ours and when does it leave?
A brief stop along the road to Agadir.
We are going among hills, heading for the sea.
14.38 After having paid 5 dirham each for the backpacks we got on board the newly arrived bus from Supr@tours. Now, the bus is on its way.
15.31 The ground is light brown and dry. The leaves of the trees are filled by abundant greenery. Our journey to the next destination continues without problems. 15.51 Now we have stopped temporarily. I don't know where we are, why we stopped or for how long we will remain here. 16.02 A small rest was made but I am not much wiser. The restaurant we stopped at is called Agana and a German registered van is parked here. 16.25 Tamanar is the name of the place. We have just got up to speed again. 16.57 To the left are tree covered slopes. To the right is the Atlantic ocean. The road meanders. About one hour remains of the journey 17.39 The last kilometres has brought back memories. The nature is reminiscent of the one we saw as we for the first time traveled towards Lima in Peru in the summer of 2015. On the one hand, steep, sandy cliffs, to the right an ocean. 18.20 After we arrived at the bus station in Agadir, we got our luggage. Pretty soon we were caught by a taxi driver. He will now take us to our last hotel. 18.57 Without problems, and with some conversation, Brahim drove us to Anezi Tower Hotel (http://www.anezitowerhotel.com). He also wanted that we would call him on Saturday when we travel to the airport. With a little hassle, we were checked in. A man in a fez definitely wanted to carry the backpacks, something we did not let him do. In addition, he wanted to show us how a lift works and where we will stay. We are staying in room 216. Wi-Fi connection is weak, weak, non-existent, but we have a balcony and a complimentary fruit platter. Before us in the check-in was a Russian with a wine bottle in one hand. It shows that we are on a charter trip area now. The hotels are plenty and considerably large. 20.09 We are hungry. We need something steady to eat. The fruit in the room starts to run out.
Our large room has the number 216.
Here it says Anezi with berber alphabet.
Tonight´s dinner restaurant turned out to be the backside of a hotel.
20.17 It was great to go out of our room. It became more difficult to get the lift to stop on our floor. We finally made the lift take us with us and made the trip downwards with a drunk Russian couple. Now we are searching for a restaurant in the surrounding area.
20.42 After a bit of walking in almost nothing we came down towards the area closer to the sea. Here we have found the pizzeria Al Madina. 21.18 Chicken pizza and breaded chicken was a perfect dinner Now it will be deux cafe noir as a closure. During the meal we were disturbed by a gentleman who tried to tempt us with a nightclub visit later tonight. We declined. 22.41 After the meal we came home to our room (first, I tried to open neighbouring door), we have watched the James Bond movie Moonraker, dubbed in German. It is not good, what is worse, out in the corridor, are drunk Russians. What we previously thought was the pizzeria Al Madina was probably just a part of the hotel complex Mogador Al Madina, one of our neighbouring hotels. Well, never mind, we were after all satisfied. 23.41 The Russians have disappeared. The junior Russians have won over the junior Swedes in the bronze medal match in the Ice Hockey World Junior Championships. Moonraker is really bad. To hear the villain talk about the perfect race in German feels, awful. Add to this the false facts like the Mayan pyramids in Brazil, no no!
08.36 A good night's sleep was followed by a meeting with a moody shower. It was variable in temperature and pressure. It does not, however, matter. We have, by the way, a lovely view from the balcony, something to enjoy. We see the sea, city and surrounding mountain slopes. We have also found out that the United States won the Ice Hockey World Junior Championships during the night.
08.53 Now everything is clear. It is time to make it to floor E. 09.30 We got to the floor E. On that floor is the breakfast room. The range was wide and varied but we continue to miss the substantial bread. Even here dominates the pastry at breakfast. Should it be so hard to arrange for something to get something to toast? 10.26 We just heard a honk from a car. Is it our starting signal? No matter what, now we´ll head out! Today we are going to look around here in Agadir, a modern city. Large parts of it was destroyed in a terrible earthquake in 1960, and most of it is newly built since then. In the past cities such as Fès and Marrakech they have been major tourist destination in themselves, but here in Agadir, it is primarily the fabulous beach that attracts.
A beautiful balcony view.
Another view towards central Agadir.
Christer is testing the internet connection outside reception. It does not work in the room.
Moroccan propaganda.
Anezi Tower Hotel, Agadir.
11.01 Our territory is now expanded. New regions have been covered. We have walked down to the wide, long promenade and begun to walk north along it. Now we have entered through the entrance number 6 and reached the beach. We now have sand beneath our feet.
11.27 Via entrance 9, we came back on to the beach promenade. The beach offered sand that was difficult to walk on and waves. We have once again on our travels passed an outdoor gym. Now we turn again. 11.44 We are now by a rocking table at Café La Jetée. Once again, black coffee and tea with mint flavour is on their way to us. We are here both for the drinks and to avoid all scams. It has been unexpectedly quiet with vendors previously on the trip but here they are in large numbers, typically for a charter city, in other words. 12.11 After I tipped a bit on the high side during payment we continued. Now we wander in the neighbourhoods above the beach and our hotel. You can also call the area Agadir city centre. 12.54 We walked around, found a mosque, shops and various other establishments. There were also restaurants but we need to decide where we want to eat. We searched around a bit and found a restaurant. There will be lunch at Le Dôme. I had hoped for a glass of wine, but the smallest that was offered was a half-bottle, a little too much for a lunch, perhaps? 13.27 The lunches have been served. To me came a delicious pastilla, a kind of pie in simple terms. To Christer there was a chicken salad. But Christer had actually ordered a pizza. The waiter tricked with his eyes and took off with the salad. The mistake occurred because the salad and the pizza had a similar name. Mistakes like this can be avoided if the one who takes up the order, look at what you are pointing at in the menu and listen to what the man actually ordering and not semi listen and think they know.
Agadir beach promenade with tourists and vendors.
We used entrance 6 and started walking on sand.
The beach in Agadir.
Coffee and mint tea once again.
The normal everyday Agadir, away from the tourists.
The Loubnan (Lebanon) mosque in Agadir.
13.47 It didn't take much time for the pizza to appear. This time it was right. During the meal Christer has covered the women's biathlon via cell phone. They compete in Oberhof, Germany. It is at present, a Czech leadership by Gabriela Koukalová.
14.08 Christer asked for l'addition and the bill came. On it, it said pastilla, our drinks and Chef's salad. It had become Chef's salad instead of Chef's Pizza. We paid for the salad. If it was by mistake or if they allowed Christer to eat the pizza cheap because of the hassle we will never know. 14.40 On the way home we looked for and dismissed a possible dinner place. In addition, we bought juice in the shop Igloo. At home in the hotel I actually found my way to the right door. It didn't help. The card had stopped working. We went down and got it re-charged. Once in the room we have discovered that it has not been cleaned. Gabriela Koukalová kept her lead and won the biathlon. Now it will be a rest on the balcony before something else happens. 15.18 Right as I went to retrieve my cell phone there was a knock on the door. In stepped a woman who said Bonjour. Pretty soon another one entered. Both ladies wanted to clean the room and make the beds. 17.15 There is still much to do in Agadir. Therefore, we should head out. 17.43 Where the land meets the sea we see the sun meet the horizon. It is, as so often on our trips, a beautiful sunset. We shall now photograph at the best of our ability. 17.51 When the sun almost went down completely and pulled its fluffy cloud cover over itself, we left the beach. Just as we started to walk along the beach promenade came a man with minerals/stones that he wanted to sell for 10 dirham each. They were, he claimed, from the Atlas mountains. I said no thanks. The seller asked where we were from. When he heard this he said in Swedish, "Only ten crowns", a bit above a dollar. I said no again.
Christer has received the wrong dish.
Now both of us can eat the food we ordered.
A beautiful car outside the hotel.
18.07 We have walked further north along the beach and now have an evening coffee at Coffeeshop Company, a new coffee chain for us. It was founded in Austria at the end of the last century. It was unexpected to find such an oasis here at the far end of the beach promenade. We had almost thought about giving up and turning back before we came here.
18.43 It's been a pleasant moment. Among other things we have been thinking about where we will dine this last evening. The options are a buffet at the hotel or to head out for restaurant search later tonight. 19.34 So slowly we went home through our part of the city. We stopped in a small shop, where we bought among other things a beer each. Here at home, we have found out about the buffet. We're wondering about the price, content, times, and other things worth knowing. 20.27 We are back on the floor E and the dinner buffet. We chose this because we had nothing else thought out in the immediate area. 21.03 We were offered a lot of variety of dishes but too little meat in the buffet. Now we go to the desserts. 21.56 Room 212 had a light that blinked red and it sounded like an alarm clock when we went past it. It has silenced since. The desserts were good, but unfortunately they didn't include coffee. CNN reports about shootings at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The shooter should have been in contact with the FBI and had mental problems. Five are dead and eight are injured. 23.17 This last night we have drunk our first balcony beer. It became Flag Spéciale. No taste sensation but still a balcony beer after all. It is a tradition in itself.
Peter is making some notes at Agadir beach.
The sun is finishing its working hours.
The wonderful sunset in Agadir.
Tonight we´ll try the hotel buffet.
Peter is drinking a balcony beer, a dear tradition.
08.17 I am now, after having showered, and briefly tried a bath robe, sitting on the side of the bed. All ends today. We have a half day left here in Agadir before it is time to take us to the airport for the flight home.
09.08 We cover the the giant slalom for ladies on Eurosport. We can/should not watch it any longer. We will have breakfast here at Anezi Tower Hotel. 09.51 Just as the supply varies in the breakfast room so does the range of those who are here. Simple dressed mixed with those who have chosen more "nice" clothes. A little girl came in together with their parents. In her arms, she had something that she embraced. It was a teddy bear or a doll? No, a Pringles tube. In the premises, there were also birds. Christer has also walked out on the terrace and examined the part of the hotel which is dedicated to sun and bath. It is however, a bit cool for this time of year. 10.33 It is time for some athletic stuff, not from ourselves, however. We shall cover the pursuit in the men's biathlon from Oberhof. 11.17 French biathlete Martin Fourcade was the superior winner with a minute and ten seconds. We will now leave our room to get the last impressions of Agadir. 11.29 The key card is submitted in the reception. We also handed over the backpacks. They have been placed in the bagagerie. Next we'll arrange with a transport to the airport later today. It feels safer to book through the hotel than to try to get a hold of our friend Brahim and hope that he shows up in time.
A wonderful part of the hotel we never could use.
Vallee des Oiseaux (Birds Valley), a park and mini-zoo.
A peaceful beautiful oasis in Agadir.
Close to the city but feels far away.
A nice peacock in Vallee des Oiseaux.
11.50 We are looking for candidates who can offer cheese sandwiches and something to drink when we land at Arlanda airport in the night. There are those who are said to be open upon our arrival. How it is with it we'll see. I might add that we are looking for this on the internet.
11.57 It can cost us 300 dirham for a taxi to the airport. This we find strange, online it says that the statutory price is 200 dirham. There is surely someone who should earn a little extra on this. 12.15 We stopped in the store we were in yesterday evening. We bought a can of Hawai Tropical (soft drink) each. A young man approached us when we came out of the store. He called me his friend and wondered where we were from. Should he not know it as we are friends? Then he wanted to sell hashish. There was no deal. This close to the beach promenade, we take a break. Here is another fellow. He has sat down next to Christer. Now, he said looki, looki. We are not going to look, we are leaving for a calmer place. 12.47 We went to the little mini zoo, the urban park, the Vallee des Oiseaux, Birds Valley. Here in the greenery, we take a bench break. 13.05 This little park/zoo is the mostly a green shady oasis in the middle of the city. It is free to wander here. There are various bird cages, a small pond, and finally we saw mouflon and llamas. Now it will be lunch at the restaurant Le Diamant Vert Tagine. We have seen on the menu that they have "mixed grill", mixed grilled meat, and thought it was a worthy exit meal before the airport trip.
Peter is waiting for our last Moroccan lunch.
A cat family lived in the restaurant.
We were very satisfied with the food at Le Diamant Vert.
13.28 We are waiting on the food. Just behind Christer is two kittens in the sunshine. One is black spotted and the other is cream in colour. Now we have even seen the mother.
13.41 Vendors passed outside the fence during the meal. I have asked myself in the past and do it again. Is it really worthwhile to carry around and try to sell all manner of meaningless stuff. Who buys it and why? 14.14 It was a delicious final meal. Mixed Grill is rarely something you will be disappointed from. Our waiter offered as final free mint tea. Now we are back in the hotel lobby at the Anezi Tower Hotel. All that remains is the luggage pick-up and a taxi from here. 14.32 The luggage is retrieved and packed in the taxi, a taxi which will take us to Agadir airport. It is located twenty kilometres to the south of the city so it will probably take a while to go there. 15.34 We began to prepare our luggage as we got to the airport. When this was done, we checked in. Here we sit now with 120 dirham each in our pockets. What do we make of these? We cannot exchange them at home. The airport is called Al-Massira and is right now a very quiet place.
We are waiting inside the almost empty Al-Massira airport.
You can always use your last money to buy some coffee.
15.48 We do treat ourselves some coffee in a café before we go to the passport police.
16.21 Checked out of Morocco, and in a rest mode. What do we do before the plane takes off in about two hours? 16.51 In order to reduce on the amount of dirham as well as to postpone the arrival of hunger, we have coffee, a small juice and a turkey and cheese baguette each. 17.26 I used my last dirham on candy to myself and something to take home as a gift. What the coins did not cover, I paid with my card. When Christer would make a purchase of candy in another store, they did not accepted his dirham. Have we left Morocco? Why is it OK with euro but not the local currency? 18.06 In the gate queue, there was one of all of these "know it all-people", a Swedish man who is a globetrotter and indeed knows everything. He had the full knowledge about the bureaucracy mess it was in other countries, in Sweden, they respect time and does not let people wait as it is here, he explained. He said that it takes at least fifteen hours to fly to Thailand, etc. We wonder which route he took to Thailand and how it can be Moroccan culture's fault that Norwegian's plane landed a little delayed. Now we are on board and the watches should be set to Swedish time. 22.05 Far beneath where the air meets the land are visible lights from a city. All goes well and with our flight with Norwegian, it remains three hours.CHANGING TIME ZONE
SWEDEN
01.13 The landing and the visit to the passport police went well. Now all that remains is to wait for the luggage, get something to eat and finally a well deserved sleep.
01.57 The backpacks finally appeared on the luggage conveyor belt. We bought a little to eat and drink at the night open 7Eleven and have just checked in at Rest and Fly (http://www.restandfly.com) and we stay in room 26.
The wait, the uncertainty, will the luggage arrive or not?
10.06 The last beds on the trip have been abandoned. Today there will be no buffet breakfast. We have bought a simple breakfast at 7Eleven. A happy English-speaking boy next to us wants ice cream.
10.25 The power of tradition is strong. We have come to a full circle. We are back on the bench by the Christmas tree. This journey began here. Here the two latest New Years travels have ended. 10.36 We have made it down into the underworld to travel up north. Our train is unfortunately delayed. Next, estimated, departure will be 10.50. 10.58 Now the time of departure is at 11.20, I don't believe it either. 11.06 New bids may soon be here. Will I have reached Sundsvall before the next train departs? It is good with Sweden respecting the times and not let people wait. Or what was it now, what did he say, the Swedish man in Agadir?
A simple breakfast at 7Eleven, Arlanda.
Where is the train?
12.05 We are finally on our way, significant delayed. Through a snow covered Uppland, we roll forward. The news of further transport hangs in the blue.
12.24 Through the speakers, it has been announced that as compensation for the delay, SJ offers coffee and rawbite. What on earth is a rawbite? 13.01 Rawbite was 50 grams of healthy candy, a mixture of apples and nuts, compressed into an elongated bar. 13.48 I am still waiting to hear about how my trip home will be. 14.05 Now the news came regarding the process. I get to travel with a SJ train that leaves Sundsvall 16.07. Those who are going west to Östersund and Trondheim, may ride a taxi. Between Sundsvall and Östersund it´s 188 kilometres. To Trondheim the total distance is 448 kilometres. Not a bad taxi ride! Wonder how many who need it? 14.30 We have applied for financial compensation for the delay on SJ´s website. 15.31 Christer has started to walk home. I make a short stop for a hamburger dinner at MAX. Everything is fine. I am at home in about three hours. New destinations with extended travel companionship is planned for Easter. We will return then in a new travel journal!
You can see 100 photos from January 4 in this photoalbum.
You can see 52 photos from January 5 in this photoalbum.
You can see 67 photos from January 6 in this photoalbum.
You can see 26 photos from January 7 in this photoalbum.
You can see 8 photos from January 8 in this photoalbum.