Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Gotland, Södermanland, Uppland, Västmanland
Municipalities: Gotland, Nynäshamn, Haninge, Huddinge, Botkyrka, Salem, Södertälje, Stockholm, Solna, Sundbyberg, Sollentuna, Upplands Väsby, Sigtuna, Knivsta, Upplands-Bro, Håbo, Enköping, Västerås
Friday 30th of July
08.22 It is the last morning on Gotland for this time and we have spent a night at STF's hostel in Lärbro on the northern part of the island. The weather has deteriorated during the night. Apparently mainland Sweden has had rain and thunder. Here it is cooler and windy. We've had to skip our plan to have breakfast outdoors. Today we are going to leave Lärbro to see the last of Gotland before we leave the island by ferry in the afternoon.
08.54 There was an indoor breakfast in the common area here at the hostel. It was nice in its own way but the appetite was disturbed by the big man at the neighbouring table who was walking around with his pants down half his butt.
09.27 Now we are soon ready to depart. The journey back to the mainland will begin by first taking us to Visby to return the rented vehicle.
10.07 Just before we reached Slite we passed Cementa's huge, gigantic limestone quarry. There, the material that is later used for cement is mined. At the bottom of the limestone quarry there is beautiful blue water.
10.37 Now we have looked around in Slite. At first we were down to the beach but everything was completely deserted. The weather is not so nice today. We have also seen Bertil Nyström's statue, "Seglare går ombord" and even had time to shop for some snack. At COOP supermarket we saw a family who also sat at our neighbouring table at the pizzeria Marco Polo in Visby. It's a small world.
10.57 We are about to finish our car version of a Gotland tour. Soon we and the car will be back where it all began.
11.25 We left the country road and drove into Visby. Pretty soon I got into the wrong lane and had to drive an extra turn. When we arrived at the rental point, we met a man with a t-shirt. On it, it was written, "Away Good, the garage best". The man said he was from Mickes car rental company. He received the car key and information that there was weak light on the car. In addition, he wondered what we thought about travelling by boat in today's windy weather. I wonder if he was really from Mickes. Let's hope so.
11.44 The weather is not fun right now. We are in the park area on the slope above the ferry terminal. Soon we will eat the snacks we bought in Slite. We didn't intend to do this in the rain, but now it's the way it is. A bit away, another odd birdhouse hangs on a tree. This is made from a fire extinguisher.
14.38 Now it is finally time, 1396 passengers and Captain Mattias Eriksson on the bridge will now depart from Visby Harbour.
20.20 Stations such as Segersäng and Krigslida are familiar from our previous travels. Where we are now, Vega, on the other hand, is not familiar to me. A whole new neighbourhood appears to be emerging here. Everything is fresh and newly built. We are just north of Handen and Haninge Centrum.
Saturday 31st of July
Slite beach has no visitors today.
Torget, Slite.
Cementa AB's cement factory in Slite.
Time for a light meal in the rain.
Someone creative has made this birdhouse.
Inside Visby ferry terminal.
We hide from the pouring rain.
Nynäshamn church.
Dinner at Asian House in Nynäshamn.
We were tempted to take the train from Nynäshamn.
Peter is on his way back to Södertälje. Right now he is in Ösmo.
In Älvsjö we have to change trains.
08.37 So we finally reached the last day of July. We were in Västerbotten a month ago. We are now outside Arlanda airport. There is a difference in between time and space. What we have now is one of those rooms that we enjoy really well.
09.10 Ten years ago we were in the city of Antigua in Guatemala. Then we were dependent on having access to a desktop computer. We will not have that hunt now. We get what we want and need through our phones. Times are changing. Speaking of time, it's high time to move towards a long-awaited hotel breakfast. 09.35 It was a small outdoor walk to the main building and the breakfast dining room but it was worth it. The rough plan that was laid up before we fell asleep has been renovated, changed. We moved some of what we planned to tomorrow. 10.35 New plans have been made. We'll get started with them soon. Then we'll see if they can be implemented. 11.13 In front of me there is an unnatural path with pieces of bark. Below me is a stone. Around me is Sköndal forest and some floodlit trail lamp posts. This is where Arlanda-Märsta Ski Club train and exercise. The main successes and athletes in the club is something I do not have a clue about. One thing I got a clue about and know is that I have bugs on my legs and in my hair. The forest we are in is located between Arlanda Hotellby and Märsta. We decided to take a forest walk to Märsta and left the car outside our room. 11.31 No more forest experiences and insects. We are now in the centre of Märsta. We are back in, if not the concrete jungle then at least the concrete grove. A fire truck just passed ever so slowly. You rarely see this. Most often they are on a call out, at full speed and honking.
We are staying two nights in room 171.
Best Western Arlanda Hotellby.
Peter makes some notes in the forest.
Sköndal forest outside Märsta.
Christer is heading to Märsta centrum.
Kulturtorget (Culture Square), Märsta.
12.03 Now we are at the heart of Märsta, the centre of Märsta. Here there are tall buildings, restaurants, pharmacy, library and hairdresser. Here you can live and work. Assuming you like that. Märsta belongs to Sigtuna municipality and now has 29,781 inhabitants. The city grew dramatically after Arlanda Airport became operational in 1959. During this period, the population has increased from about 3,000 people to almost 30,000.
12.17 Lebanon Kolgrill & Pizzeria will provide us with this Saturday´s lunch. We will have one lunch each today, again. Some days we hardly had lunch. 12.57 Satisfied we sit out in the sunshine. Above there are dark clouds. Today's continuation is planned. Will there be a visit to EH? Now a knocking sound is heard. 13.13 We visited an EH visit, Espresso House received us again. We are still in Märsta and on Nymärsta Torg. I am looking forward to my triple espresso. 13.25 A lovely dialogue just took place between what I suppose was a mother and her daughter who just passed us as we sit outside Espresso House. The daughter asked: - Do you know what this is? It's Starbucks! The mother replied: - But its Espresso House. The daughter continued, - But its spelled Starbucks. 14.02 Almost home at Arlanda Hotellby we see an aeroplane from the airline Norwegian on the way up into the air. When are we go with an aeroplane again? We take a break on a log. A short distance away there is a wagon from which Thai food is sold sometimes, but not right now. 14.13 Home Sweet Home! More planes take off out there and in here our TV refuses to start. We will gather strength before the next action. 14.31 It was Swedish double victory in the Olympics discus throw in Tokyo. The gold medal went to Daniel Ståhl and the silver medal to Simon Pettersson. The TV is running again but it goes out quickly. 15.55 Our day has come to a halt. Plans fail and not much happen. Everything feels like already done or it's too expensive. We want to see Sigtuna and eat. But where and what should we eat? We want something new, something good and something not too expensive.
Lebanon Kolgrill & Pizzeria, Märsta.
Christer and a delicious lunch.
Peter visits Espresso House at Nymärsta torg.
Maria Church in Sigtuna.
Saint Olof church ruin from the 12th century.
Tant Brun (Aunt Brown) outside her coffee cottage.
16.32 Now we are on the move again. We are on our way to the nearby small town of Sigtuna which is the main town in the municipality where we are located.
16.54 We begin our stay in one of Sweden's oldest cities, Sigtuna, with a bench break between Maria Church and Saint Olof´s church ruins. The latter is from the middle of the 1100s and built on the remains of an even older church. In the city music is heard,"Tush" with ZZ Top. It's unclear where the music comes from. 17.03 We have photographed and admired the old church ruin. Sigtuna is located at Lake Mälaren and was founded by King Erik Segersäll around the year 980. It was one of the first three cities in Sweden. The other two were Lödöse (north of today's Gothenburg) and Skara. Sigtuna then became the seat of the first Christian King, Olof Skötkonung, who here made the first Swedish coins. Today there are 9,377 inhabitants in Sigtuna. 17.27 After searching the kiosk Pressbyrån, we found it and also a live performance in a park, Borgmästarängen. At the moment, unfortunately, it is the final number. Imagine if we came here earlier. Now I'm going to enjoy the band's version of "Johnny B Goode". A man and a woman spontaneously dance on the grass in front of the band. 17.53 Now we have walked along Stora Gatan through the cozy older parts of Sigtuna. Here are plenty of charming old wooden houses. Right now we are sitting in what is called Humlegården. It is a very fragrant park. 18.07 We are down by the lake. Here there is the town's beautiful lakeside walk. Next to it is Sigtuna Stadshotell, a beautiful hotel built in 1909. There you sleep for more than US$214 per night. It's a hotel you look at and photograph but you don't stay there. 18.21 When we were going to continue along the boardwalk, the rain came. We are currently hiding under a tree. It was the only shelter we managed to find. Once again, we have...no umbrellas with us. 18.28 Now we are at the locked doors of Systembolaget. We don't need alcohol, but there's a roof to stand under. It seems to keep up with the rain now. 18.51 After shopping at small ICA Supermarket Sigtuna we are now back in a rain wet Golf. It was a nice visit here in Sigtuna although the ending got a little wet. Christer's cousin Helena lives here in Sigtuna. However, it was a little inappropriate to book a visit with her because she is going to give birth to twins any day now. Maybe another time is better?
Sigtuna Town Hall.
Stora Gatan, Sigtuna.
Book kiosk in Sigtuna.
Beautiful spot at Lake Mälaren.
Pizzeria Il Forno, Alsike.
Dinner in Alsike.
19.12 Rickebasta is the name of the village we pass. The road with an unknown name is small and slow. We are heading north from Sigtuna.
19.28 A cheerful ringing signal is heard. One of the staff at Pizzeria Il Forno (https://www.pizzeriailfornoialsike.se) answers. It will be dinner in Alsike today. We are on a short visit to Knivsta municipality and Uppsala County. Uppland where we are now will be the last province to visit during these two summer trips. Now we have been in all Swedish provinces. Everything else from now on will be a comeback when it comes to scenery. 19.46 The food here in Alsike was not bad at all. Christer had a pizza and I ordered a burger with bread, without fries. Pure hamburger flavour, fresh vegetables, cucumber, red onion and lettuce. All in all, good. 20.00 Gredelbyleden became Gredelbyvägen, a bumpy road through Knivsta. We travel south back towards Märsta and then Arlanda Hotellby. 20.12 In Odensala we have turned off towards Märsta. Now we are about to tie together our evening trip. 20.45 It's nice to be home in the room after another eventful day. 21.17 The room TV continues to shut down, turning itself off after a while. On some channels, this happens almost instantly. It feels too late to get it fixed. 22.48 It is actually possible to have a good time without a TV. We listened to the radio via Christer's phone. A program about the 1960s with Ulf Elfving has entertained us.
Sunday 1st of August
08.17 Now the month of August has begun. It is a sign that the end of the summer's journey is approaching. We have more than a week left before we are back home. It's cloudy weather today. Our hours here in Arlanda Hotellby are soon over. Soon we'll be heading west.
09.21 The time for departure and new visits is getting closer. We are pleased with the time here in the hotel village. Who knows? We may return sometime in the future when we need to live near Arlanda. 09.53 Now we have checked out. We informed the reception about the malfunctioning TV. I may have been a bit dramatic when I told them, but the message got through. 10.16 The countryside embraces us. Now we drive over a bridge and into Upplandsbro municipality. We are on route 263 and in the vicinity of Håtuna. Here in the area was the so-called Håtunaleken whose consequences we told about last year. It was in 1306 that the Dukes Erik and Valdemar Magnusson captured their brother Birger who had been chosen as king. In 1317 and in Nyköping Birger took revenge on his brothers. 10.34 Now we stand still in the parking lot at Skokloster Castle. On our way here we have passed the villages Värsta and Idealbyn. Idealbyn (Ideal village) was built in 1991 by followers of TM (Transcendental meditation). Here in Skokloster there will be a new castle look. This time it is a baroque castle we are going to get acquainted with. Skokloster Castle is regarded as one of Europe's foremost baroque castles. It was erected in 1654-1676 by order of the count and Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Wrangel. He got inspiration for the architecture from castles he had seen during campaigns in Poland. 10.46 We started the visit here by sitting down by the beautiful shore. In the meantime, the parking lot has been replenished by car after car. I'm glad we got here so early today. 11.04 The bells of Skokloster church have been calling to high mass. I do not participate in it, but sit and look towards Skokloster Castle. It is perhaps Sweden's most powerful and beautiful private castle. There is no royal connection to it but since 2017 the state has taken over ownership.
We have parked the car at Skokloster castle.
We are at another part of Lake Mälaren.
Skokloster church.
The baroque castle at Skokloster.
Peter is writing about Skokloster castle.
Christer by the lake close to Skokloster castle.
11.30 Today's and perhaps the whole trip's and even the year's comment has been made by a small guy outside the castle, "this castle is old, really old, maybe even from the 1960s" I avoided telling him that I was born in the 1960s.
11.37 We have been on the side of the castle that gives us the best pictures. The lake side is more difficult to photograph from with trees in the way. Here in front of the castle there is also a statue where Magnus Brahe is mentioned. He was a Swedish count, military and courtier and Marshal. Magnus Brahe lived between 1790 and 1844. 11.46 The stay at the castle is rounded off with a coffee for both of us and also a sandwich for Christer. We are at a café in an old petrol station. It's called Skokloster's Motorcafé (https://www.skoklostermacken.se) or simply Macken. It's expensive here but we felt we needed coffee and sandwich. 11.58 During our coffee break we have observed a heavy set young guy who, due to some manic compulsive behaviour, wandered around in a certain pattern back and forth in front of the tables where we sit. He wears diapers and mutters something that only he himself can hear. 12.08 The diaper-adorned young man was joined by his assistant and we left the diner behind us. There are a lot of cars in the parking lot. It is time to reduce the number. Google Maps is enabled and the Golf as well. Now we are moving towards new goals. 12.38 Three semi finals of the men's 100 meter run in the Olympics are completed. In the third semi-final, both an Asian record (China's Su Bingtian, 9.83) and a European record (Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs, 9.84) were broken. 12.59 Enköping, here we are. The two possible lunch restaurants we knew about in town are not open. The Orientaliska Palatset is closed and has papers on the windows. Restaurant Sarajevo a bit away, it also seems to be dark and closed. 13.11 On our walk towards Stora Torget we have passed the statue of the city's great son. I am talking about the inventor J.P Johansson. He is best known for inventing the plumber wrench, adjustable wrench and a few other things. The city we are in is known as Sweden's nearest city. No other city has so many other cities nearby. Which is Sweden's most remote city? Whatever it is, we were probably there last summer. There are 25,021 inhabitants here.
Alley by Skokloster castle.
The castle's more easily photographed side.
Christer is visiting Skoklosters Motorcafé.
Johan Petter Johansson, inventor of the wrench.
Stora Torget, Enköping.
Enköping, Sweden's nearest city.
13.28 I do not keep the plan, the previous promise from Gotland to stop eating pizza. There will be lunch in the form of pizza at Astas Vedugn (https://www.astasvedugn.se) here in Enköping. Christer has ordered a pasta dish.
13.39 The food is ordered and we sit comfortably in the restaurant's outdoor serving. As usual, wasps come to visit. What a sense of smell they must have. 14.11 Lunch is finished and we will now see a little more of the city. It is now time for a bench race at the entrance to Vårfrukyrkan. It is a church looking out over the city. Vårfrukyrkan is one of the oldest churches in the country. It was built in the early 1100s. 14.22 We have sat down on a bench in the cemetery around the church. It is a beautiful cemetery and a beautiful church. 14.49 We are back in the car and ready for take-off. It is even ready for the start for the men in the Olympic 100 meters final. There are seven nations on the starting line and none are from Jamaica. 14.55 It became Italian gold and new European record, 9.80, for Lamont Marcell Jacobs. Apparently, it also became Italian gold in the men's high jump and world record in triple jump. There is a lot going on in the Olympics that is so hard to follow in our often TV free journey. 15.24 The high jump gold was shared between Italy and Qatar. The world record in triple jump, 15.67, was broken by Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas. Now I'm sitting on a stone inside a stone ship at the so-called Anundshög (Anund´s mound) (https://www.anundshog.se). it is Sweden's largest burial mound and is located just east of Västerås. The burial mound is 9 meters high and 64-68 meters in diameter. Who has actually been buried in the Anundshög or any of the other larger mounds in the area, nobody knows. 16.07 The last stretch is near. A lot of cars are on the way. While waiting for clear track I can write that the legendary Bröt-Aund is believed to rest in the mound. He will be the grandfather of the King Olof Trätälja, whose mound we saw last year in Säffle. However, it is unclear whether these gentlemen really existed. Now is the time to continue. The ice cream kiosk close so there was no coffee or ice cream for us. If you come here on horseback, there is actually a parking lot for the horse.
Peter is having lunch at Astas Vedugn.
Vårfrukyrkan, Enköping.
Anundshögen outside Västerås.
Peter is sitting in the middle of a stone ship.
Comfort Hotel Västerås.
We have arrived to room 412.
16.46 Comfort Hotel in Västerås will be our new home. Today, the beds are in room 412. Next, the travel dust should be washed away before we return to Västerås. The last time we were here was in 2009. That time we got here in my car, a car that I sold earlier this year. That year we flew from Västerås to Weeze in Germany as a start to a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium. Västerås was once called Västra/West Aros. There was even an Östra/Eastern Aros. We will go there later on this journey. Västerås is called Arosia in Latin and is mentioned already in the 1100s. Today, the city has 128,534 inhabitants and is Sweden's sixth largest city and the largest in Västmanland.
17.26 No, no and no. The scheduled dinner at the Bishop's Arms, Sweden's first, will not take place. They are reportedly closed today. We are not going to the Espresso House either. They are open, but only until 18.00. How are we going to survive this? 17.37 The wounds are licked. When it comes to dinner, we seem to be saved by a German restaurant that we found using Google Maps. Let's see Västerås again. Does the city recognize us and vice versa? I have just applied for dose 2 of the Corona vaccine. I had to cancel the time I was given because I would not be at home at that time. 17.53 After we have bought a MER beverage each in the news agency kiosk, we went into Vasaparken. Here on a patch of grass we saw photos of a young man and fresh flowers. There is also a bust of King Gustav Vasa who gave the name to the park. 18.08 The flowers and photos may have a connection to a stabbing in Vasaparken in 2019. Beautiful chimes music has been heard at 18.00 and we have continued our walk. The beautiful music comes from the bell tower at nearby Västerås Town Hall. 18.23 We follow Svartån river and enjoy a nice summer evening in Central Västerås. We remember and recognize a lot from the visit 2009. 18.59 Things have happened. The Bishop's Arms pub in the ground floor of Stadshotellet is open, hooray! Right now we are doing the same that we did in 2009. Then we were here at 18.04. We are on a bench at the Rudbeckska school and looking at Västerås Cathedral. We have been to six cathedrals this year. There are not many left to see now, at least not in Sweden.
King Gustav Vasa in Vasaparken.
Västerås City Hall.
Svartån flows through central Västerås.
Wooden buildings along Svartån.
The original Bishops Arms opened here in 1993.
Västerås Cathedral.
19.17 We have walked among old houses in the so-called Kyrkbacken. It is the oldest part of Vasteras with cobbled streets and red wooden houses, a really cozy neighbourhood. Now Christer is waiting for the result in the football match between Östersunds FK and Hammarby. Right now, in the 90th minute, it is 1-1.
19.34 Finally we are at the Bishop's Arms, our special chain. The first restaurant in the chain was located right here at the Stadshotellet. The name was chosen because of the proximity to the cathedral and Biskopsgatan street. Now we got our beers and Östersund managed to hold on to 1-1. They got one point that is not very common this season. 20.05 I was just called regarding my Covid vaccine, dose 2. She who called should arrange an appointment and come back. Now my mobile beeped. I got a time for the next dose. 20.18 It was good food and good beer, Budvar and Fullers Est. Now we have ordered the same type of beers just the other way around. In the speakers, David Bowie sings "Space Oddity". 21.32 We slowly walked home through the city. We took the road past Västerås Castle and harbour area Västerås Quay. Now we leave the backpacks in the room and go down for a cup of coffee outside the reception. Comfort Hotel is one of the hotel types in the Nordic Choice Hotels chain owned by Norwegian Petter Stordalen. Comfort Hotels are the budget option to offer cheap comfortable rooms in central location in various cities. 22.35 Christer has managed to connect his mobile to the room's TV. Now we look at some of our films from previous trips. 23.55 It's been fun watching Youtube. We watched our own films, but also enjoyed others. The funny thing is that we can't get the TV channels back.
Kyrkbacken, the oldest part of Västerås.
We are waiting for dinner at The Bishops Arms.
Tonight's dinner, very good as always at Bishops Arms.
Someone forgot to turn off the lights at Västerås Castle.
You can see 36 photos from July 30 in this photoalbum.
You can see 73 photos from July 31 in this photoalbum.
You can see 181 photos from August 1 in this photoalbum.