Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Ångermanland, Västerbotten, Norrbotten
Municipalities: Örnsköldsvik, Nordmaling, Umeå, Robertsfors, Skellefteå, Piteå
Sunday 21st of June
11.10 It will be a different summer this year. We have since long ago left the plans regarding travelling abroad. The first idea of travelling to China, Taiwan and South Korea was replaced by a trip to South America (Brazil). When even that trip became impossible, we hoped to travel around the Nordic countries and, among other things, be able to do the cancelled Easter trip to the Faroe Islands but also this plan had to be abandoned. Now we are ready to see Sweden really well. I think it's going to be okay, too. Christer has started in Sundsvall and is currently heading north.
12.16 The two travellers are now back together. Christer has in his own car come up to me here in the Bjästa. Some things are the same. Other things are brand new. Some news is that we start a trip here in Bjästa, we will travel the whole trip in our own vehicle, we will start with travelling north and we will always stay within a single country, Sweden.
13.22 We will, as an exercise for what to come, go with my car to Örnsköldsvik and make some necessary purchases for the trip that will begin for sure tomorrow Monday. Örnsköldsvik, which became a city in 1894, is named after the Governor Per Abraham Örnsköld and is one of the few cities in Sweden that has been named after a private person. The city is home of 33,436 inhabitants.
13.57 After leaving the car in the parking lot in the harbour, we will now buy a few things at the Clas Ohlson store in the central parts of the city.
14.50 We did not get hold of everything we wanted but a lot of necessary stuff. Christer has bought a plastic drinking cup with a handle to drink coffee in and has replaced his broken sunglasses. Some other things purchased are disposable plates and a SIM card for Christer's tablet. Now we sit down in the harbour area at Strandparken near Fjällräven Center. There is sun, a little wind and +23°C.
18.26 It is difficult for us to install the SIM-card in the tablet. We don't really know what we're doing wrong. The irritation and frustration grow around the kitchen table.
Monday 22nd of June
Peter has taken his car into Örnsköldsvik. Tomorrow there will be another car and another driver.
Stora Torget with the sculpture Sörköraren.
Örnparken, Örnsköldsvik.
By the water in Strandparken.
Fjällräven Center. The arena for Modo ice hockey.
A view of Örnsköldsvik from Varvsberget.
Peter is having pizza at Restaurang Chaplin in Bjästa.
08.06 It's Monday morning and this year's first real holiday week. The date is 22nd of June. On this very date in 2001, Christer and I embarked on a summer trip, a trip when also our friend Roger was involved. That summer we travelled from Estonia to Croatia. This year, 2020, it's only Christer and I who are going away. We are in my apartment on Fageråsvägen in Bjästa and are slowly getting ready to travel north.
10.01 Soon it's time to leave my apartment to steer towards more northern latitudes. 10.39 Everything is probably packed and included. What we possibly forgot, we'll buy later. At the start of this trip, the meter in Christer's car stands at 121170 kilometres. Well stands, rather, stood. It was the location at the start in Sundsvall. Now it is instead 121310. The sky is clear blue, and the sun shines cheerfully. Here we go! 10.41 Some elderly ladies stood in the way of us on our departure but now we have rolled away. We are already in Nässjö. No, we haven't reached Nässjö in southern Sweden already. Nässjö is a village near Bjästa. We will, if everything goes according to plan and as it should, get to the more famous Nässjö later during the trip. 10.57 The journey along the Bergom road has been paused. We are somewhere between the villages Utby and Paddal. Here sea and land meet. The mountains rise nearby. We sit for a while by the water and enjoy the summer weather and prepare for the continuation. 11.16 AFO 884 it says on the car we have in front of us. We are at the E4 road in Örnsköldsvik, right by the Paradise Garage. Now it was finally green light. 11.48 Just now it read Saluböle on a sign. The clear blue sky has unexpectedly changed into haze and fog is rolling in from the sea. Soon we are at the county border with Västerbotten and the municipality called Nordmaling.
A first stop at a beautiful place near Paddal.
Hörnefors
Christer together with the statue of Gunnar Nordahl.
Peter is having a rest in Hörnefors.
12.05 The fog eased and we have stopped at Rödviken rest area. In addition to the table and toilet, there is also a mile stone from the time of King Gustav III, more specifically 1773. We have a coffee break here. This place is just near the exit into Nordmaling. Nothing wrong with that place, but we're not giving it priority today.
12.57 The car was parked at COOP supermarket in Hörnefors. We are now in Umeå municipality. As a thank you for the place COOP offers us so we bought one ice cream each in the store. Now we take a nice bench break near a roundabout. 13.06 On the other side of the roundabout we found the statue of the great son of Hörnefors, the football player Gunnar Nordahl. He and his brothers Knut and Bertil made success in football Europe in the 1950´s. Gunnar Nordahl is famous in Italian football. The brother Knut was in charge of a small cottage in Jämtland in the old days. There waffles were sold. I've been there, I've eaten waffles, and I've been wished a pleasant trip by him. 14.05 With the help of the guiding voice in the phone's app Google Maps, we took us all the way to the COOP supermarket Tegsborg at Teg in Umeå. We went in there to shop for a snack for the afternoon. There we saw a confused elderly lady who had got lost between the shelves and was looking for the cash register. She was helped by the staff. We ourselves are looking for a new parking place where we can leave the car a number of hours ahead. 14.37 There was a parking place near the nearby Teg church. Now I sit on the old pedestrian and bicycle bridge across the Umeälven river. People walk and bike past me. It's really hot today so we stroll at a calm pace from Teg into Umeå city centre. 14.52 A short stop has been made in the park on the other side of Umeälven. There are plenty of tanning people everywhere this hot day. Umeå was our accommodation and student place from 1993 onwards. Christer moved from here in 1998 and I in 2000. Much has changed since then but it is interesting to return. Umeå continues to grow and now has 89,607 inhabitants. 15.12 After we have re-grouped, it has become time to consume the baguettes and beverages we bought in the COOP supermarket. This small meal will be in the park between the town hall and the river, Rådhusparken (the Town Hall Park). 15.49 We are still in central Umeå. Now we have come to Espresso House on Kungsgatan at the Renmarkstorget. Here it will be a stop for coffee. We recognize some things since the student years but much has changed, actually become less charming. Some large buildings have grown up in recent years, such as the Culture Center Väven.
Umeå
Umeälven
Gamla bron (Old bridge) a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across Umeälven.
Lots of bikes on Kungsgatan in Umeå.
Rådhustorget (Town hall square), Umeå.
The old teacher education building is now an independent school, Minervaskolan.
Scharinska villan where students used to party.
16.51 Christer has bought cheap shorts for about US$4 and a T-shirt at the sport store Stadium. Now we are at Vasaplan. Local buses depart from here. A person who just walked by just said 3,4. It feels fresher here now compared to before. The entire Vasaplan seems to have recently been rebuilt.
17.05 Now it's real nostalgia, all in nostalgia. We sit outside the old teacher education building. Here we met for the first time and here we started our education in August 1993. Now the building is called the Minerva school and is an independent school. The teacher education has moved out and the Minerva school makes use of the premises. We remember back and recall everything we've been through right here. 17.36 After having reseen the Scharinska Villa where we students had fun many evenings and nights in the 1990´s we are now in Döbelns Park. The architect of the Scharinska Villa architect was Ragnar Östberg, the man behind Stockholm City Hall. Georg Carl von Döbeln who named the park we are in was one of the leading figures in the Russian-Swedish war 1808-1809. He was then active here in Umeå. 17.58 It got windy in the park and also some nearby alcoholics began to argue among themselves. We are now near Kyrkbron (Church bridge) and Christer has sighted a woman with green hair. 18.20 We returned to Teg side, walked a bit, saw a strange work of art before we found the car by the Teg church. Now we navigate further towards Holmsund. 18.59 The speaker voice in the phone led us up to the road E12 and Obbola (strange name!) From there we have via bridges come over the Umeälven river to the neighbouring urban area Holmsund. What about the town name Obbola? Well, the name was written in the 1500s Wböle, Wbola, Vpbola or Åbola and in the 1800s Åbordsön. "Obbol" or "åböl" is a dialectal word that denotes what drives ashore on a beach or a thrown-up ice embankment. The word is known from either side of the quark (source: Wikipedia). We are now at Västerbacken Hotell och Konferens (https://www.vasterbacken.se). We stay here in room 135. Västerbacken is an area that in addition to a hotel also has a Sawmill Museum. Here James Dickson started a village for his workers in the mid-19th century. It was the beginning of what then became the urban area Holmsund. Today 5,982 inhabitants live here. 19.57 After familiarizing ourselves with the room and the TV channels, we will now go to arrange with our dinners tonight.
Christer at Kyrkbron (Church bridge) in Umeå.
This is where we will stay.
Peter inside room 135 at Västerbacken Hotell & Konferens.
The church in Holmsund.
Ljugarbänken (Liar´s bench) at Himmelska Fridens Torg.
20.18 When we left the hotel, we discovered that the temperature had dropped drastically. An icy haze has swept in from the sea and has made a nice summer day feel like late autumn. It remains only to bite the bullet. The jackets are still in the room. We can't turn around.
20.50 A walk took us past the church of Holmsund and central Holmsund. Here we have found a COOP supermarket. Holmsund's eateries were closed so now we'll find something to put in the microwave oven. Along the walk here we saw a fox. 21.45 Micro waved food is also food. We're back at the hotel, sitting in the dining room downstairs. Unfortunately, there seems to be only one microwave oven. We'll have to cook one dinner at a time. Just recently we saw IFK Göteborg score in the 93rd minute against Mjällby when the TV sport summed up tonight's matches in the top football league. 23.21 Now that we have read about tomorrow's trip and sights, we will mostly unwind. It's still bright out there.
Tuesday 23rd of June
08.20 We have woken up here in Holmsund. The big question this morning is, why does it smell like sausage in our bathroom? The night here at Västerbacken has been to our liking.
09.50 Our satisfaction continues for a while. We are satisfied with the breakfast. We hadn't dared hope for a buffet but it was. It also included some delicious northern berry beverages. Now we will continue our Swedish summer journey. Last night I missed that there was a second microwave oven here in the dining room. It was waiting for nothing. 10.16 Before we depart from here we of course want to leave the key to the room but also ensure about the payment. Is it done now or is it automatically drawn from Christer's card? It was said that they would have withdrawn the money even before arrival but it hasn't been done. 10.30 There was payment on site. Christer found one in the staff downstairs in the kitchen and then everything went smoothly. It is now time to get us and Google Maps ready to travel further. 10.44 We managed to drive the wrong way and had to turn at the cholera cemetery half way to Obbola. We had carefully looked at how we would drive after we left Holmsund but it would have been great to have looked at the map of Holmsund also so that you choose the right street. 11.28 A shorter journey through Yttertavle, Innertavle and Täfteå eventually took us to Sävar that was just passed. After staying and spending time with insects and looking at the map, we now travel towards Ratan, today's first excursion destination. 11.50 After a while we reached Djäkneboda. There we turned right. Pretty soon we met some persons who were about to swim. A child carried a large inflatable crocodile. It was not exactly what we expected to see after many kilometres without people or vehicles.
Peter is ready to check out at Västerbacken Hotell & Konferens.
We have stopped outside of Sävar.
Memories and graves of killed soldiers in the last (latest?) war in Sweden.
In Ratan you can tell where the seashore used to be.
The sea started here in 1749.
The lighthouse in Ratan.
12.07 We have reached the village of Ratan. The village is famous for measurements of the land elevation and that the last (latest?) battle on Swedish soil took place here on the 20th of August, 1809. It was part of the Finnish war that ended with Finland becoming Russian after 1809. On foot we are heading for some memorial marks. Now we rest at the memorial stone for one of those who were wounded in Sävar the day before the aforementioned battle, Johan Axel Nisbeth. He died on August 29, 1809 as a result of the injuries he got in the battle. The body was never found but relatives have erected a stone here.
12.20 Not only Mr. Nisbeth is honoured here. Behind him lies the Ensign Johan Erik Hägerflycht. The ensign was wounded in the battle and died on a hospital ship here in Ratan. 12.32 It splashes from the sea a bit down. 170 years ago, it splashed closer. In 1749, Samuel Chedenius, a disciple of Carl Linnaeus, carved a mark in the rocky outcrop. Then the water reached there. However, it is not the waters of the Biblical Flood that have receded but the land that has been pushed down by the ice sheet during the last Ice Age that has risen. During the war against Russia, the Swedish fleet was out on the sea here. A squirrel just sat on a branch near us. 12.50 It is time to awake our happy guide with the female voice in Google Maps that we have named Ruth (from route). She's taking us to Bjuröklubb. I've activated my phone. 13.10 We ignored Ruth's proposal and chose our own path. Now we are soon out on the E4 and will invite her again. 14.05 It is always good with a little nutrition in the stomachs. In Lövånger we have stopped at an OKQ8 petrol station for the purchase of ice cream, fruit and drinks. 15.00 We arrived at the Nature Reserve Bjuröklubb in the far east of Västerbotten province. Bjuröklubb consists of a peninsula located at the farthest towards the sea in the coastal area. There is a lighthouse and weather observations are made here. Christer parked his car and I unplugged our guide. On foot we have walked out towards the lighthouse of Bjuröklubb. Along the way we met another animal. This time it was a white reindeer galloping towards us.
A white reindeer was running around in Bjuröklubb.
Christer is looking at Bjuröfjärden.
The lighthouse in Bjuröklubb.
Christer with the Bay of Bothnia behind him.
In this building you can find Bed and Breakfast Gränden.
Peter is writing in his journal inside the Squash room.
15.21 The landscape is barren but beautiful here in Bjuröklubb. It is desolate, not much to vegetation but nevertheless fair. There have probably been strong winds here. Many trees are twisted or has fallen over. Next we plan to eat the purchased fruit and read a few pages of the books we have with us.
15.48 We cancelled plans to drink a single cup of coffee at Café Fyren. Not that because we don't want coffee but the fact that so many more had got or wanted to get coffee. Now we take a little break before returning to the usual procedures, going by car guided by the voice of Ruth in the phone. 16.27 We are well on our way along the E4 on our way to the next place to stay at, Skellefteå. 16.51 Google Maps has led us right again. Christer has left the car on a parking lot here at Magasinsgränd to possibly find the hotel´s own parking spot. I'm still writing this in the meantime. 17.19 Christer found no sensible free parking and we solved it with a regular ticket instead and left the car. The ticket is valid until 09.54 tomorrow morning. It was a bit odd at our check in here at Hotel Bed and Breakfast Gränden (https://www.bbgranden.se). The check in was made at the reception of a squash hall. After we said hello and started speaking in perfect Swedish, the woman at the reception suddenly began to speak to us in English. Everything worked out and now we and our belongings are in the Squash room. Toilet and shower are shared with other guests. It's OK for us. Worse than if we were to share a bed with others. On the wall of our room are newspaper clippings about squash championships in Skellefteå and also two squash rackets or whatever it is called. 17.36 Christer's phone just rang. It was our friend Magnus in Ljusdal who wanted to check how far we had come. He's lending us his cabin in Suijavaara village outside of Karesuando. Hopefully we'll get there on Sunday. He himself is heading south, to Småland. 18.27 Another city, another Espresso House. We were aching for coffee and have walked down to the pedestrian Nygatan where this coffee oasis is located. Something new is that I was offered and accepted a triple espresso. It was not bad at all, this will henceforth become my music and choice when we order coffee. 19.03 It was not entirely wrong with coffee and not entirely wrong to enjoy a nice summer evening in the city park either. There the people of Skellefteå are playing boule/pétanque and a beautiful green fountain can be seen. I really like fountains. The Skellefteälven river flows leisurely past us a bit further away. In a week, we'll be in Kiruna.
Nygatan, Skellefteå.
Stadsparken in Skellefteå.
A warm pleasant summer evening in Skellefteå.
Skellefteälven.
A water fountain suddenly started.
A building in the open air museum Nordanå.
19.17 The Skellefteälven River flows below us and under the more than 100 years old Parkbron bridge. It is peaceful, quiet and beautiful here. Skellefteå is the capital of North Västerbotten and there are 36,142 inhabitants in the city.
19.35 Miscellaneous gulls speak out here in the cultural area/open-air museum Nordanå. Now a splash was heard. However, no one has fallen in the water. It's just a fountain that just started with full spray. 20.18 After having been on a quick visit to the hotel, we now know that there are two microwave ovens. One oven each again in other words and this time we even know it before our dinner. Now we are out again and take a bench break along the pedestrian street Nygatan. As so often in small towns of Sweden in the summer, the restaurants have closed when you want to eat. A short distance away is St. Olov Church. 20.44 After we have seen the hamburger restaurant MAX, we have realized that dinner with lots of teenagers around us is not our thing when we have vacation. We have instead walked to the supermarket ICA Torget to buy dinner that we will eat in the common kitchen at the hotel. The problem now is that we do not find any entrance to the supermarket, only the entrance to where they deliver the groceries. 21.11 We finally found the entrance that was reached via a mall. At first we were up in the parking lot on the roof without finding an entrance. In addition, we found something to eat. There will be various dishes to be heated in the microwave ovens. Now we're back in our room. We'll see when we eat. 22.12 Now we know when we are going to eat. The answer is just now. Besides us, a bunch of Norwegian workers stay here. A whole armada of company cars are standing outside. Because of the summer heat, all the windows are wide open. Now we plan tomorrow's start, travel and doings. 22.44 We have some certainty about tomorrow. The car should be refuelled with petrol and we need to purchase some motor oil. 5W-30 or 5W 40 is recommended for the VW Golf. It's good to have oil with you when driving hundreds of kilometres. On the way to tomorrow's final destination there will be swimming in the sea. Once we arrive, we will bring bed linen and kettle into the room.
The pink Equmenia church is easy to spot.
Sankt Olov church, Skellefteå.
Wednesday 24th of June
08.13 We have slept with an open window during the night and it is cool in the room. We have slept well and are ready for a new day. So what really makes it so hard to get started? Sometimes it is good to have bus times and train times that force us to have a certain tempo in the morning.
09.26 This day has a nice start. There's not much stress and panic yet. The car is still standing and we know where we're going. We also have paid parking for another half hour. The heat wave continues and Skellefteå is singled out as one of the cities where it will be as warmest tomorrow. Then we're not here. 10.00 We are, with full tank and oil purchased at OKQ8 on Kanalgatan now heading out towards the E4. We don't need guidance from the phone. We're just going north along the E4. We just passed the residential area with the wonderful name Sjungande Dalen (The Singing Valley). 10.16 We have left Skellefteå behind us and roll north along E4. 10.38 A new county/province border is approaching. We are about to switch from Västerbotten to Norrbotten. Vamos a la playa is played on the radio. Actually, that's right. We're going to the beach soon. 10.52 It is time for fresh air and a leg stretcher. It's nice to leave the car for a while on this hot day. It is +28°C today. We're in Jävre in Norrbotten. It's beautiful here by the sea. We see cars, boats and a small lighthouse. 11.21 We sit in the shade behind the car and rest on our camping chairs. Minor day plans are added up. Two cyclists and a red Volvo with a trailer pass by.
Jävre lighthouse.
We have arrived at Pite havsbad.
Pite havsbad, varm sun but cold water.
12.06 We crossed the openable Pitsund bridge and parked at Pite havsbad. The heat takes on us regarding the attention. We thought at first there was a road barrier in the way into the parking lot but as we got closer we saw that it was just a visual illusion. The barrier was for another road. After a small tour with visual inspection of the beach and the nearby area we are now to have lunch at Beyond Burgers housed on the ground floor of Hotel Pite Havsbad.
12.50 After great burgers I will now swim a little in the sea. We have put our purchased sun chairs on a part of the beach. Here, in addition to bathing, we will also enjoy the sun and read in our books. 13.01 A short swim it was. It was a little too cold in the water for my taste. It is quite early in the season so it is not completely unexpected. However, I do not think I have swimmed further north in my life. In the air, however, it is warm enough, more than enough. 13.44 Christer has also let the sea engulf him. He was fascinated that some teenage girls brought their phones with them even out in the water a hundred meters from the beach. It's a powerful addiction that. Now we sit in the chairs, dry up and read further in our books. 14.27 We are done with the sea and everything is clear and packed in the trunk of the warm car. It's again time to re-wake our guide in the mobile, Ruth. She's going to take us to the next home. 15.15 Christer took us to the parking lot at Storstrand Kursgård (https://www.storstrand.nu). Storstrand is run jointly by 20 different Christian associations in Piteå. Previously, it was owned by EFS, The Swedish Evangelical Mission. We stay in Öjebyn west of Piteå in a separate building called Lillstugan and the room is called L9. Nearby runs the Piteälven river. Upon check-in we found it best to also buy for a breakfast bag for US$7. It will be delivered to us tomorrow morning. 15.44 We have made ourselves a cup of mulatto coffee each here in the room. In addition, plans for the evening are being made. Mulatto coffee is what we call instant coffee with milk powder.
Storstrand Kursgård, Öjebyn.
Lillstugan, the name of the house we stay in.
A barbecue place near Piteälven river.
Piteälven.
Christer by the raft in Piteälven.
16.42 Now is the time to come up with something more than to rest in the room and consider it warm. What can we do? We think it'll work out.
17.02 Lillstugan was left and now we are almost down by Piteälven. It is a fantastic area here at Storstrand. You can rent rooms or set a camper/caravan here. Down by the river you can camp, have a barbecue or use a sauna. 17.33 The duo is relocated to a raft that floats out in the river. It is tied up but still. I just dipped my right foot in the cold waters of the river. 18.08 We have returned to the reception/restaurant in the main building. We will, as soon as we have consumed our purchased ice creams, go to Piteå town. 18.30 Now that we have found a free parking spot at Västra Kajen, we will explore Piteå. This is such a town that requires a parking disc for most car parking spots, very annoying if you come as a tourist without knowledge of this. 18.40 It's nice with a shady bench. We are sitting right now along the pedestrian street Storgatan and will look at the map where we should go later. It is quiet here and most of it is closed. 19.05 After looking around a little more, we have now settled across from the town church. We're at the Asian restaurant, Mr. Wok. It feels good with a real restaurant. No micro dinner tonight, in other words. 19.46 Just as we enjoyed the food most an offer came to get also free ice cream and coffee, a tasteful final on this dinner. The food was both beautiful and tasty. The guests were few. Besides us, there were only two other guests in the restaurant. 19.59 There is no clear social distance among the guests here at the nightlife on Rådhustorget (Town hall square). The town hall itself is under repainting and thus wrapped up. On the way here we passed the artificial slope Stadsberget. It is a grassy staircase with seating. Piteå is a nice small town with 23,417 inhabitants.
Hamngatan with the new hotel KUST.
Storgatan, Piteå.
Piteå town church.
Delicious dinner at Mr Wok.
Rådhustorget (Town hall square) in Piteå.
20.36 After the purchase of much needed beverages at ICA Kvantum supermarket for now and later tonight we have walked down to the water at the beach promenade and Södra Hamnparken.
20.56 The evening town walk here in Piteå is over. It is a nice town but should perhaps have received a visit during daytime to be experienced not so sleepy and calm. The inside temperature of the car is actually acceptable. It's been in the shade. When some moped girls get out of here, we'll do the same. 21.17 We have a great time here at home in our room in Lillstugan. Now we don't have much more to do today. The beds are made with our own bed linen and we feel ready to see more of Norrbotten tomorrow. Christer has visited 121 countries in the world but makes his first visit to Norrbotten province this summer. 23.03 There is no cold or coolness in the room or are we the ones who are hot? The window is open and the door is currently wide open. I just pushed a wedge under it. Now we take it easy and restore the fluid balance in the bodies.
You can see 23 photos from June 21 in this photoalbum.
You can see 87 photos from June 22 in this photoalbum.
You can see 85 photos from June 23 in this photoalbum.
You can see 52 photos from June 24 in this photoalbum.