Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Västmanland, Uppland
Municipalities: Västerås, Sala, Heby, Uppsala, Norrtälje
Monday 2nd of August
07.22 We've woken up here at Comfort Hotel in Västerås. What ended our sleep was the fact that our TV started by itself. It offered high volume and a message us about the wake-up call. How did this happen? There is no major danger though. My mobile alarm was set at 07.25 so the difference was not that big. This is not the first time that a TV has awakened us. On the 28th of December, 2016, we were awakened by a TV in Malaga, Spain. That time the TV woke us up with a language course in English.
09.05 The time is five past nine. We have had another hotel breakfast on this summer trip. It is a luxury that is not always offered. It has mostly simpler breakfasts that we bought ourselves. Now this long day is to be planned and structured.
10.13 We are reasonably planned and ready to embark on new escapades. First we have to get out of Västerås.
10.24 Road 56 has, like so many other roads, plenty of roundabouts. We travel north along the same route we travelled in 2009. Then we went home after our mini trip to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. If the memory does not fail, we ate wild strawberries somewhere along this road.
10.57 The car will be parked for three hours with a p-disc at the sports centre in Sala. Sweden's handball ladies just lost 26-23 against Hungary in the Tokyo Olympics.
11.15 The weather is gray, cold and dreary. It feels more like autumn than summer today. Here in Sala we have seen the Kristina church. Now we are in Sala Stadspark. It's +13˚C and we're sitting on a dirty white bench. Sala is located in Västmanland, right on the border with Uppland. The town is best known for its old silver mine which was in operation from the 1400s until 1908. Sala town was founded for the sake of the mine by King Gustav II Adolf in 1624. Today there are 13,608 inhabitants here.
11.31 It is still a white, not quite so dirty bench that we sit on. Now we are at the square Sala torg (Stora torget). It was more beautiful in the park. It is a sale at the Dressmann clothes store and an older man with a walker crosses the square, dragging his feet. Where is he going? There is not much going on here in Sala on a gray cold Monday.
11.50 We're out of white benches now. Instead, it's time for a gray armchair/chair and a black sofa. We're at Wayne's Coffee.
15.04 Sweden's football ladies have made it to the Olympic final. They are up against Canada. Now back to our reality again here in Uppsala. We are thus in Sweden's fourth largest city with a population of 165,456 inhabitants. Today's Uppsala was formerly called East Aros, and the present Old Uppsala was then called Uppsala. East Aros came to take over the name Uppsala when the archdiocese was moved here in the 1280s.
18.47 Sometimes it happens on our travels that we go to watch team sports. It has been done on a few occasions. We have seen football four times and ice hockey twice. No home team has won any of the games yet. Now there will be a game in Allsvenskan between IK Sirius and Örebro SK at the stadium Studenternas IP. This is where the bandy final is usually played. A sprinkler system just started. The plan is irrigated and now we are too.
20.41 In the 85th minute, the ball is passed by newly substituted Taha Abdi Ali. The ball reaches Nahir Besara who scores 1-2. Örebro takes the lead again.
Tuesday 3rd of August
We say thank you and goodbye to Comfort Hotel in Västerås.
We have arrived to Sala.
Kristina church, Sala.
A visit in Sala Stadspark.
Stora torget, Sala.
Christer at Waynes Coffee in Sala.
There will be a buffet at the Asian restaurant Java.
Fyrisån, Uppsala.
Erik Gustaf Geijer stands in front of Uppsala University's main building.
One of the stones in Runstensparken.
Uppsala Cathedral is fixed.
Heliga Trefaldighets kyrka (Holy Trinity Church), Uppsala.
Pelle Svanslös is important in Uppsala.
The "peace king" Karl XIV Johan is remembered in Carolinaparken.
We had time to photograph but did not visit the Botanical Garden in Uppsala.
Uppsala castle.
Preparations before the game at Studenternas IP.
The teams are entering the pitch.
The sun is going down and it is 1-1 in the game.
Örebro's supporters celebrate a new goal.
Once again Pelle Svanslös (Pelle No-Tail) appeared.
Stadsträdgården, Uppsala.
Svandammen and Uppsala castle.
Flustret, Uppsala.
08.18 It's morning again. We take part of the latest news from the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Swedish table tennis and handball men are eliminated. The runner Karsten Warholm from Norway won Olympic gold at 400 meters hurdles. He beat his personal best. It is also an Olympic and World record and the new record is 45.94.
08.31 Swedish TV5 offers humour in their Olympic broadcast. They show table tennis but you hear comments from the diving. A serve is called a special dive position. Bad play is explained by the fact that he does not stretch his legs and thus does not get as many points. 10.16 Now we will not see more Olympics this morning. It's time to check out from Scandic Hotel Uppsala Nord. We are not leaving Uppsala yet though. 10.44 When we, after loading the luggage, left the hotel parking lot, we saw a car with two notes. One note was a white one from the hotel issued parking permit for the period 19th-22nd of July on the inside and the other was a yellow parking ticket under one of the windshield wipers. Who is this guest who forgot his car here? Now we are close to Djäknegatan where one of my younger brothers, Mattias, lived and Portalgatan where my other younger brother, Andreas, lived. I have never lived in Uppsala myself. 11.20 A quiet walk has taken us through central Uppsala. We have passed the main square where in August 2018 we had a late burger dinner at MAX. Further we have passed over Fyrisån and are now at Uppsala Cathedral. 11.48 It is quiet here in the cathedral. Relaxing, almost soothing, music is heard. Here and there are some larger bowls of water. Here in the church we have seen a number of graves where famous Swedes rest. Among others, we have seen the graves of Erik the Holy, king Gustav Vasa with wives, king Johan III with wives and Emanuel Swedenborg. 12.23 Before we wrap up the Uppsala stay, we are having coffee and sandwiches at Café Årummet (https://cafearummet.se). In front us in the queue there was a man and two children. The man, of German descent, was asked in broken English by the cashier girl if he was Irish. That's what she thought. However, the son spoke good English. The girl then asked in Swedish if she could get a box to bring with her what she couldn't eat. She did not belong to the company of the man and the boy. 12.35 We decided to sit outside. While we were having coffee, we sought more information about Emanuel Swedenborg whose tomb we saw in the church. He was a fascinating person. Swedenborg was a scientist in the natural sciences, philosopher, Bible interpreter, theosophist, Christian mystic, Freemason and theologian. In 1744, through dreams and visions of a spiritual world, he began to speak with angels, spirits and deceased persons. He considered himself appointed by God to write a heavenly doctrine, based on a reformed Christianity. He claimed that God opened his eyes so that from this moment he could freely visit heaven and hell and talk to angels, demons and other spirits.
Scandic Hotel Uppsala Nord.
Stora Torget, Uppsala.
Rådhuset (City Hall), Uppsala.
We have returned to the cathedral to see more of it.
Inside Uppsala Cathedral.
King Johan III is buried in Uppsala Cathedral.
13.21 After another walk through Uppsala city we are now back in the Golf that was waiting for us outside the hotel. No parking ticket for us but as mentioned before there is one for the car next to us.
13.29 Now we have refuelled 98 octanes at the Circle K petrol station next to the hotel. Here a litre of diesel costs US$1,89, that's a lot. Now the price can't rise more, can it? Now is the time to travel towards Old Uppsala. 13.57 The only thing that feels now is the wind. The only thing that is heard is a grass trimmer. We are out at Gamla Uppsala with its burial mounds. Here are the court mound, other burial mounds and an old church. It was here that it was held midwinter blót during the time of the Iron Age known as the Viking age. Gamla Uppsala was a religious centre for asa believers before the introduction of Christianity. When the country was christianized, the final rulings were to a large extent set out in Uppsala, where under current law the king of the country was appointed. It is said that the King was obliged to perform annual blot, and at least one Christian King – Inge the elder – should have been deposed after he refused to fulfil that duty. The country's final christianization took place through the conversion of the power in Gamla Uppsala to Christianity, whereby Gamla Uppsala first became a bishopric, which was moved there from Sigtuna (Source:Wikipedia). 14.14 Christer and I wander around near the three big mounds. They are also known as the Kings mounds. We have also taken a look at Old Uppsala church that dates back to the 1100s. 14.28 We relax with ice cream and Fanta. We plan for today's continued activities and also what we will do tomorrow. 14.45 It's time to be old-fashioned. We will with the help of the map find a suitable route to our dinner and then on to the next accommodation. 15.09 Swedish-American Armand Duplantis secures the Olympic gold in pole vault and tries on the world record. We are followed by a quad bike and Duplantis jumps under the bar. On local radio P4 Radio Uppsala, youths from the athletics club are interviewed about what they think about the club mate's gold medal. At club level in Sweden, he competes for Upsala IF. 15.28 Duplantis got the gold but not the World Record. We are heading 273 towards Almunge village.
King Gustav Vasa's grave in Uppsala Cathedral.
The altar in Uppsala Cathedral.
Christer is having coffee at Café Årummet.
Old Uppsala is located just north of the modern city Uppsala.
Gamla Uppsala church.
Walking among the mounds in Old Uppsala.
15.53 "Release me" is sung right now on the car radio. We're on road 282.
15.56 On the radio, Chris Rea and" Road to hell" are now playing. It feels eerily appropriate considering where we are going. 16.02 Now we are in the village that more than once been on the news, Knutby. We think of the events surrounding a murder and an assassination attempt on January 10, 2004. All involved were members of the Pentecostal church in Knutby. Pastor Helge Fossmo's wife was murdered and another church member was severely wounded. Helge Fossmo was charged and convicted of inducing the so-called "nanny" Sara Svensson, to murder his second wife Alexandra, and attempted murder of the wounded member. 16.17 In Edsbro we turned south and have changed to road 280. 16.30 From SL's stop Lugnet, you can take bus 639 via Rimbo-Söderhall junction to Stockholm. We have stayed here to prepare for the future. 16.37 We arrived in the small town of Rimbo. Here we will arrange food for today and tomorrow. We are now in Norrtälje municipality. Here in Rimbo, 5,223 people have their homes. 16.46 It is time to see another metropolis. After Västerås and Uppsala we are, as mentioned, in Rimbo. Rimbo offers COOP supermarket, Chocolate Café as well as Rozalin hairdresser to name a few on the shopping street. However, we are looking for something else. 16.56 We are now at Galata Restaurant & Kolgrill (http://galata.se) here in Rimbo. There will be an early dinner today. 18.07 Things are running smoothly. Good food is eaten and good food is bought. Now the next stage starts.
Rimbo, a small community in Uppland.
We are having a Turkish dinner at Galata Restaurang & Kolgrill.
Delicious Turkish food at Galata.
We have arrived to Kapellskärs Camping.
The car is parked on the campsite's dry lawn.
We rent this cottage for two nights.
18.13 The first thing we saw along road 77 was a speed camera. It didn't think we were worth being photographed.
18.20 Now we pass the village Finsta with Saint Birgitta´s (Saint Bridget's) prayer cave. 19.25 We passed Norrtälje. We will go there tomorrow instead. We drove on towards Kapellskär and were joined by a police car behind us. When we turned off, it did not follow. 19.51 We have once again arrived at a new home. We are in cottage 11 at Kapellskär Camping (https://kapellskarscamping.se). It went smoothly to check in. We got a blip card each. It takes us into the bathroom and kitchen. It can also be used in the shower. 20.35 Malmö FF leads 2-0 against Glasgow Rangers in the Champions League qualification. We follow the game via Swedish Radio´s sports transmission on channel P4 and settle for coffee and biscuits here in our cottage. 20.56 Glasgow Rangers score in the final seconds and make the score 2-1. There will be a new game in Scotland a week from now. Then everything should be decided. 22.09 We have eaten a baguette each and right now we are drinking good juice. We also discuss which has been the best dinner on the trip so far.
Wednesday 4th of August
08.42 While we slept, the American Sydney McLaughlin has done what Karsten Warholm did yesterday. She has won Olympic gold and broke the World Record at 400 meters hurdles. She ran at the time 51.46. In sailing, the 470 class, it became a Swedish silver medal. I've only had time to shower so far today. It's not something I get a medal for.
10.07 During the bedside breakfast in the cottage we have thought about how we plan the day. This was a bonus day for us. The original plan was to visit the Finnish island Åland on a day trip with ferry this day but that opportunity is limited due to the corona pandemic. We have, among other things, found out that Espresso House in Norrtälje is open until 20.00. In addition, Christer has found a restaurant that seems suitable for a dinner. The next big task will be to buy sandwiches at the reception. We will take them out on our upcoming excursion. 10.55 We start the day with a short walk towards the water. 11.11 The sun shines on us during our dirt road walk. We are now at Kapellskär ferry terminal. From here there are boats to Åland, Naantali in Finland and Paldiski in Estonia. In order to travel, you must be fully vaccinated or have other certificates. 11.31 On the way home to the campsite it started to rain. Now we are in the cottage waiting for a break before continuing the activities of the day. 12.31 The weather is now on the path of improvement. Soon we leave on foot towards a nature reserve, Riddersholms nature reserve. It is adjacent to the campsite.
Peter outside the cottage at Kapellskärs camping.
Kapellskär - a ferry port to the east.
Here is the end of the public road. Some travel on to Finland or Estonia.
Boats close to Riddersholm nature reserve.
This table was occupied.
We disturbed a cow.
12.38 Now after the rain we have packed our backpacks and started today's excursion.
12.45 I found a detour in to Kvarnudden and Eknäset nature trail. It wasn't a good choice. We soon met two cows. Turn around. 12.56 In the vicinity of a boat harbour Christer has found a more cow-free option. The animals are just visible from here. 13.25 We walked past the cattle and now we are seriously inside the Riddersholm nature reserve. Our trail has a varied quality. It is quiet and not much to wildlife. The weather has also gotten better. The rain has moved on and now the sun is shining on us. 13.36 The forest ended and the beach took over. Soon we also reached the sea. We're at Mimmi´s Bay. It's time for coffee and sandwiches. 14.10 It was good sandwiches. It is reportedly the Furusundsfjärden out there. Mimmi´s Bay is more the name of the beach. However, we are sceptical that a beach consisting of mud and cow dung should be called a place to swim. 14.35 It is time to turn back. What can we see on the way home? 14.46 A ferry from Silja Line passes out on the water. Wondering when we will sit on such a ferry next time?
Nature photography in Riddersholm nature reserve.
Peter on a forest walk.
Coffee and sandwiches at Mimmi´s Bay.
A ferry from Silja Line passes.
Christer in Riddersholm nature reserve.
We found a dead snake. What killed it?
15.20 It is easier to walk now. We have no problem. More trouble had the snake by the roadside. It's dead. It's unclear what killed it. It looks completely undamaged.
16.03 We are now back home in cottage 11. It's time to get ready for a trip to the concrete forest. 16.43 We have stopped getting ready it should be. We are by car heading for today's dinner and a city visit. E18 takes us where we're going. 17.03 At the roundabout to road 76 we drove into a commuter parking lot and placed the vehicle. We are in Norrtälje, a city with 21,917 inhabitants. 17.50 It was a good walk into the central parts of the city. Kwang Chow will serve us our dinners. It is not the name of the waiter but of the restaurant, Restaurant Kwang Chow (https://kinarestaurang.se). We have decided to sit on the outdoor tables overlooking Tullportsgatan. 18.56 After we consumed the food we have walked around in the cozy little Norrtälje. We have seen a statue with Rurik. He was a varjag, of the Rusi tribe who is said to be the founder of Kievan Rus and the progenitor of the principality that ruled Russia until 1598.
A long walk into Norrtälje.
Restaurang Kwang Chow, Norrtälje.
Peter is waiting for his dinner. Christer has already got his Nasi Goreng dish.
Stora Torget, Norrtälje.
Posthusgatan, Norrtälje.
It´s beautiful along Norrtäljeån.
19.06 We have seen more of the city and seen people enjoy the summer evening. At the bridge where Norrtäljeån becomes Norrtäljeviken we turned and walked towards the centre again.
19.17 Since last we have seen the poet Nils Ferlin again. Last year there was a statue of him in Filipstad and just recently a bust here. Nils has got its own alley here and had a cottage in Norrboda outside Norrtälje. Now we round off with coffee at Espresso House. How many more Espresso House visits will there be this year? We hope for a visit even if it is thinner with such further north. 20.26 It is now time to leave Norrtälje. We try again to find our way on our own without the support of Google Maps. At the supermarket ICA Kvantum Flygfyren we heard three young girls discuss. One said she wanted to go to hospital so she could travel in an ambulance. At the same supermarket we also bought breakfast for tomorrow. 20.57 E18 was as long from Norrtälje to Kapellskär as from Kapellskär to Norrtälje. The entrance has opened and we are back at the campsite. 21.06 It's time to round off another summer day on a trip in Sweden. Most likely there will be no evening coffee but we have some evening beers on cooling. 23.16 Having planned the main features of tomorrow's trip, we will now fetch the evening beer out of the refrigerator. 23.52 It was tasty beer but Christer's beer foamed a lot. Now we are aiming for the last night in Svealand for this time.
Wooden buildings along Norrtäljeån.
Ruriks Plats, Norrtälje.
S/S Norrtelje and the bridge across Norrtäljeån.
A summer evening in Norrtälje.
Peter is visiting Espresso House in Norrtälje.
Christer is entering the ICA Kvantum Flygfyren supermarket.
You can see 121 photos from August 2 in this photoalbum.
You can see 63 photos from August 3 in this photoalbum.
You can see 93 photos from August 4 in this photoalbum.