Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Friday 27th of December
04.07 My mother and her dog are going to go to bed again after they arranged an early breakfast for me. My father, on the other hand, is about to drive me to the train station.
04.50 There are fewer people at the Örnsköldsvik travel center than there were on last year's trip. However, there are not a few here.
05.10 The last domestic trip of the travel year 2024 has begun for me. This time, Christer and I, just like previous trips this year, will revisit certain places and see certain places for the first time.
06.59 The train rolls and stops at Sundsvall Central. Christer, among others, lives here in the city. Right now, however, he is with his father in Oxelösund and departs by train from Nyköping later in the morning.
08.06 Soon a star will shine in the east. The horizon is blood orange from the rising sun.
10.26 My train journey to Arlanda airport has ended. Christer's journey has just begun. I am once again on the bench at the Skybridge.
11.26 I continue to wait in peace and quiet for Christer's arrival. There are few people here in Sky City. I repeat last year's effort and enjoy a beer at the Pocket restaurant.
12.16 Christer, who has arrived and has just sat down next to me on the Skybridge bench, is finishing a MER drink he brought with him.
13.10 The Italian restaurant/pizzeria Barino is becoming our regular stop here in Sky City. It's time for pizza and beer again. We drink an IPA from Brutal Brewing, Third Mate Missing. A fitting beer since Roberth is not with us this time.
NETHERLANDS
19.03 After landing and arriving at the airport, we rushed to the baggage carousel. We didn't want to because our luggage wouldn't be here for another 20 minutes.
19.37 Our backpacks eventually appeared on the conveyor belt. With these on our backs we bought two one-way tickets for the train to Almere. Now we are waiting for that train. It is a train towards the northern part of the country with the final destination Groningen. There is hope that we will have time to buy tomorrow's breakfast before checking in at the hotel. Christer is, just like he was here two years ago, half-deaf. This is partly due to a cold and partly to the flight he had just completed.
Saturday 28th of December
Very early in Örnsköldsvik.
Christer is waiting for the train in a snow-free Nyköping.
Peter at Arlanda airport.
Lunch at Barino's.
Reconstruction on Arlanda's runway.
Christer is drinking coffee at RC Bonbon Glacerie.
Waiting at the baggage carousel at Schiphol.
Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.
Our train will arrive soon.
Our hotel, amidst the darkness and fog.
Christmas decorations in Almere.
Peter has finished a dinner at KFC.
Questionable evening entertainment.
07.10 Sleeping in our studio has been going well. It was going so well that at first I didn't know where I was when I woke up. In the Junior Ice Hockey World Championships, Latvia won against Canada after penalties. It's a kind of tradition that we cover that tournament during our New Year's trips.
07.54 There was no classic bedside breakfast even though we bought the ingredients ourselves. Instead, there was a tableside breakfast. In this country's language, breakfast is called ontbijt. It doesn't actually feel like we're going to travel further today, but we are. 08.51 At check-out, we were wished a Happy New Year. We wished the same thing back to the staff. Now we're on the train, on our way back to Schiphol Airport. 09.11 For almost ten minutes we've been standing still at the station in the small town of Weesp. Why? Wait, the train is starting again. That's good. 10.00 We have arrived at Schiphol. Things have happened here at the airport. I have left and dropped luggage in my days, but today something completely new happened. The backpack was put in at a machine. The boarding pass was scanned and it clicked and printed on a screen. The door was then closed and the backpack disappeared. It looked more like some kind of recycling, a waste disposal facility. 10.24 The security check went smoothly for us and everything and everyone is included. 11.29 After sitting on a bench for a bit, we walked around a bit. I bought a souvenir to give away and we each bought a cup of coffee at Starbucks. A little boy was about to run into us.
A foggy morning in Almere.
We say goodbye to the hotel with its beautiful Christmas tree.
We travel from Almere Centrum.
Playing in an airplane engine.
We wait at Schiphol Airport.
KLM takes us to Catania.
12.05 Since our flight to Catania in Sicily is delayed, Christer takes the opportunity to charge his mobile phone at one of the charging stations offered here.
12.18 It's a nice touch to be able to charge your mobile phone in a charging station. The only problem is that you'll probably have to sit here and wait until 2025 before the phone is fully charged. Not much happened in the way of charging. 12.40 As soon as everyone is seated, KLM's Boeing 737-800 will get ready to take off from Schiphol towards Catania. So we are going to Italy and once again visit Sicily, an island we traveled through during a train trip in 2004. 13.37 We are flying over some part of Germany and see a small town with a large and modern football stadium just outside. Which team has the stadium as their home ground? It is not entirely easy to determine. From the air, even large cities can look quite small. 14.15 We have been informed that we have passed the Alps in Austria and now we can actually locate ourselves. Directly below us we have the river Po which flows through northern Italy. 14.34 Now we have the Apennine peninsula below us. We just saw a city at the foot of the mountains, a city with a large athletics stadium. 15.00 Out in the Mediterranean Sea lies an island with smaller islands around it. At the top of the island, is there smoke or are there clouds? Is it possibly the volcanic island of Stromboli? We seem to be heading down. Sicily is approaching. 15.09 We get a fantastic view of the volcano Etna, which is completely covered in snow at this time of year. Our plane has also passed over various towns that seem hilly to say the least. Slowly but surely, our pilot tries to take us towards the airport that is waiting to receive us.ITALY
15.37 We have landed in Sicily and Catania's airport, Aeroporto di Catania, also known as Fontanarossa. It's time to pick up what we sent off at Schiphol, in other words our backpacks.
16.03 It took a while and there was a bit of a luggage jam but the backpacks finally showed up. Now we're taking it easy here at the airport before boarding the bus to our first Sicilian home. We've only landed in Catania. We're not going to stay here for now. We'll be back just in time for New Year's Eve. 16.55 We're sitting on a bench waiting for a table to become available at one of the restaurants here at the airport. It doesn't look too promising. 17.17 We gave up waiting and went outside instead. Now we'll have coffee and a hot Italian ham sandwich at La Terrazza, a small restaurant a short walk from the terminal. 18.00 Everything is ready here at the airport. All that is needed now is for the Etna Trasporti (https://www.etnatrasporti.it) bus to show up. We have pre-purchased tickets and just need to get on when it arrives from central Catania.
We look down at the sunny Alps below us.
Lots of snow on the Etna volcano.
There will be a short visit to La Terrazza outside the airport.
Christer is having a light meal at La Terrazza.
Peter is having dinner at Trattoria nto' Cumannanti.
We forgot the vegetables tonight.
18.17 No bus has yet shown up at the stop outside the airport, at least not one that makes sense for us to take. According to the timetable, the one we booked should arrive on 18.10.
18.37 Our bus showed up a little late. Now that we have squeezed our backpacks into the trunk and ourselves inside the bus, we are ready to travel. Now we drive. 19.26 Our bus travels through the Sicilian countryside and we are happy to be there. It was not easy to get a seat and we sit in different parts of the bus with our African companions next to us. 20.30 We have arrived and the bus has been abandoned. It is boring to travel by bus in the dark, nothing to look at. We are in Ragusa. It is time to find the hotel we have booked. 20.58 In room 101 at Hotel Kroma (https://hotelkroma.it) we will spend our first Sicilian hotel night in many years. In fact, it has been over 20 years since we last slept on the island. It was an Indian man who checked us in at the locked hotel. I hope to have dinner tonight. It's quiet in this part of town, to say the least. Hopefully something is open. 21.35 The first restaurant near the hotel, La Ciotola, was full of gray panthers, a large group of retired people. Instead we went a few blocks north to Trattoria nto' Cumannanti. Here we got beer and the menus. Ragusa is a new city for us. We weren't here in 2004. The city dates back to the second millennium BC and was also known as a stronghold for opponents of fascism under Mussolini's rule. Today, 73,684 inhabitants live here. 22.31 What was ordered was served and enjoyed. One mistake, however, was that we ordered meat but nothing more than that. The meat was good but it would have been good with potatoes, rice or something similar with the meal. Now it will be nice to have some rest here in our room.
A quiet Saturday night in Ragusa.
The beds look inviting after a long day.
Sunday 29th of December
08.11 It's nice to sleep well after a long day of various trips. It's also nice to wake up to a day without such trips. Today we're not going anywhere. We're staying here in Ragusa, mostly because there's a shortage of transport from here on Sundays. Plus, we want to see the city properly.
09.01 One advantage of some hotels we've stayed at is that you can get breakfast. This is one of those hotels, so we're going there now. 09.32 The first hotel breakfast of the trip was decent. If there had been more coffee and not so concentrated juice, the breakfast would have been great. We also tried the Sicilian pastry cannoli, but the version they had here didn't impress. In Italian, breakfast is called colazione. What are we going to do with breakfast tomorrow? We're going to leave quite early from here. Will we have time? 10.23 Yesterday morning we jumped away like spiders on a hot stove. Today we are not very energetic, but what does that matter? It is not necessary to leave all at once. 10.47 Now we have tried walking to the city's railway station. We know the way and that it takes about fifteen minutes to walk there. It would be good to know the distance and time for tomorrow when the weather will be very hot. Maybe we will still have time to eat breakfast? The sun is shining and it is quite warm.
In case of fire on the breakfast table.
Peter is tasting the contents in Hotel Kroma's breakfast menu.
Fresh fruit on the breakfast table.
Hotel Kroma, Ragusa.
Via Giosuè Carducci, Ragusa.
Piazza Libertà, Ragusa.
11.05 There is a lot to see in this city besides the train station. For that and other reasons, we are now heading away from the train station. It is not easy to get around Ragusa. The city consists of different parts with steep ravines between the districts. There will probably be quite a few hills to pass, both downhill and uphill.
11.20 Once again we are standing on a bridge. Once again we see padlocks in a railing. We are standing on the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) and look out over a small valley/ravine. The bridge was built between 1837 and 1843. It is starting to get warmer and our jackets feel unnecessarily thick. 11.30 We have entered Ragusa's modern center to a square with a small temporary ice rink and a large permanent church. The square is called Piazza San Giovanni and the church is Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista. There are a lot of people on the move and ice skating is popular. 11.47 We have walked along the street Corso Italia on our way to the oldest part of Ragusa, Ibla. It is an adorable view of the valley and the buildings in it. Further away, lush slopes are visible. 12.02 We have sat down on a bench to enjoy the fantastic view. A quick and stressful bell ringing rings out from all the churches in the city. We are on our way to Ibla towards more sights and of course lunch. 12.50 Down a serpentine road and stairs we have made it to Piazza della Repubblica. It is a small square or should I say an open space. Now we will go uphill again. It is time for new views and hunting for lunch. We will explore and experience Ragusa Ibla, the oldest part of the city.
The railway station in Ragusa.
Christer in the Sicilian sun.
Views from Ponte Vecchio.
Welcome to Piazza San Giovanni.
The cathedral of San Giovanni Battista, Ragusa.
Winter sport at Piazza San Giovanni.
12.58 To save time, we have chosen to walk along Via del Mercato on the edge of the old town. We will look at some possible lunch restaurants.
13.05 We found two possible lunch restaurants next to each other. Trattoria La Bettola was full of guests and the neighbor That's a Moro does not seem to have opened yet. We continue our search. 13.21 We have made our way to Piazza Duomo in the heart of Ragusa Ibla. A small sightseeing train with tourists passes us. I am sitting on a bench by the Duomo di San Giorgio church. It is not without a certain hunger. A troubadour is currently playing "I will survive" on the guitar. 13.46 We will have lunch at Officina 31 Spirits & Food (https://officina31ibla.it) in Piazza Duomo. We have ordered a smash burger and a craft beer each. 14.36 The burgers were good but didn't feel freshly made. The beer, Turan, was good. Everything was finished off with a cappuccino. Which Italian coffee should we try next? 15.00 After paying, we continue our sightseeing. We are on our way to something else to see via stairs. 15.10 We are back at the bench where we sat three hours ago. The view is still just as captivating. Now we are on our way back home. 16.04 Christer and I returned to the hotel and asked to pay for the room. Then we were asked by the man at the reception if we were staying here? Does it happen that people who don't stay here want to pay for a room?
Beautiful view of Ragusa Ibla.
He can't complain about the view.
Ragusa Ibla, the oldest part of the city.
Christer in Ragusa.
Chiesa di San Giuseppe, Ragusa Ibla.
Piazza Duomo, Ragusa Ibla.
16.45 After paying for the room, we have mostly rested here in room 101. It is nice to relax after a day of experiences. There was a lot of climbing up and down as we had expected.
17.31 Right now we are watching the ice hockey match between Östersund (ÖIK) and Djurgården. Christer is watching it on his mobile phone. 18.48 After three periods of the match, the score was 2-2 and now it is extra time. 19.01 Djurgården won after penalties. We hope that there will be a better result when we book the train tickets for the trip tomorrow. 19.13 It was certainly possible to book two tickets from Ragusa to Siracusa (Syracuse). I wonder if it is just as possible to find a restaurant that offers us food and drinks tonight? 20.14 At Pizzeria La Perla (https://www.pizzerialaperlaragusa.it) there was a table available even though we didn't book. Is there also food and drinks for us? 20.32 The delicious pizzas along with Sicilian beer have arrived at our table. Christer, who still has a cold, has unfortunately lost all his taste during the afternoon. It is clearly boring when you are supposed to eat good Italian food and it tastes nothing.
Mysterious horses are trying to pull this cart.
Duomo di San Giorgio, Ragusa Ibla.
Today's lunch can be seen here.
We say goodbye to Ragusa Ibla.
Many steps before we are home again.
Quality pizza at Pizzeria La Perla.
21.11 There was food and drinks to our liking. The pizzeria filled up quickly and we were lucky to get a table. Now we're going home, both Christer and I.
21.45 Before heading home, we stopped at a vending machine. After some trouble, we managed to buy a drink from it. At the reception we were told that we'd probably have time for breakfast before we go to the train station tomorrow morning. We simply have to be ready when it starts at 07.00 and not eat slowly. 22.14 We're reached by the news that former US President Jimmy Carter has passed away at the respectable age of 100. It might be good for him not to experience Donald Trump's second presidential term. 23.06 An intense day here in Ragusa is coming to an end. Starting tomorrow, we'll return to places we've seen before. I wonder how much we'll remember and recognize? It's been twenty years anyway.
Monday 30th of December
06.12 Waking up early in Italy works too. Now that the last week of the year has started, it will be a step-by-step process before we take the train on our continued journey here in Sicily.
06.35 Our well-timed plan depends on there actually being a breakfast prepared at the right time. We don't want to have to wait for it. 07.15 The plan works. There was a breakfast buffet waiting for us. Now after a quick and efficient meal, we will tie our bags together or at least pack them and then hang them on our backs. 07.20 An important message has arrived on Christer's phone. There will be no train journey from Ragusa today. Instead, we will take a replacement bus to the neighbouring town of Modica and get on the train there. All this is according to a message in Italian that Christer, in his capacity as the ticket booker, has received. Apparently there is some kind of track work that is not finished. Time to go to the train station. The bus is supposed to leave at the same time as the train. 07.36 The sun is rising and we are in place outside the city's train station. It's just us here. No bus, no train and no other passengers in sight. 07.48 A minibus appeared and we got on board. Now a few others have also got on. Is it a bit chilly in the bus or am I too lightly dressed? 08.01 The driver takes his twelve passengers down the winding hills away from Ragusa. There are beautiful views visible outside the misty windows.
Monday morning at Ragusa's train station.
A small bus takes us from Ragusa to Modica.
We change bus to train in Modica.
Soon we arrive in Siracusa.
We get off the train in Siracusa.
We stayed at the Hotel Aretusa in 2004.
08.22 After a journey on incredibly winding roads, we have arrived. The bus stopped at the train station in Modica and the passengers changed to a train that was kindly waiting. It is time to travel by train in Sicily again.
08.54 The train stops at the station in the port city of Pozzallo. We have been here before. Then, at the end of June 2004, it was the starting station for the last trip to Sicily when we arrived by ferry from Malta. It was warm then. 09.54 At the Fontane Bianche station, a white dog has unsuccessfully tried to board the train. On board there are some passengers who speak Polish. They are sitting on the seats behind us. 10.20 The final station Siracusa (Syracuse) was reached and we quickly left the train station. On our way we passed both the hotel where we stayed last and also the one where we will be staying today. Hotel Aretusa, which we stayed at in 2004, still has its sign but otherwise it seems abandoned. The neighbouring hotel where we will check in later is more active and lively, however. Now we take a classic bench break in the green, lovely Parco del Foro. Next to us is a strangely shaped church, Chiesa di San Tommaso al Pantheon. 11.05 In Google Maps on his phone, Christer is currently looking for a possible restaurant for lunch. It should both be nearby and also have had time to open for the day. Another fact is that the opening hours in Google Maps should also correspond to reality. 11.31 Happy in our hearts, we walked along Corso Umberto I and found the restaurant Officina 77. We sat down at a table outside but then nothing more happened. They were open but only after 12.00 is it okay to eat. This also applies to other places nearby. Now we are on another bench in the same park as last time. Here we wait for half an hour when we will make new attempts.
We're waiting in Parco del Foro.
Saint Lucia is having a party.
Plenty of space at Sikania Pizzeria.
A new hotel, a new room.
On the way to the island of Ortigia.
We visited Archimedes.
12.05 During our second lunch hunt we discovered that Officina 77 had already started to fill up with guests but we found a free table at Sikania Pizzeria. In fact, we almost have the entire restaurant to ourselves. Here we are now about to order.
13.20 It was the best pizza and beer of the trip. Who knows, maybe it was also the best coffee? Now we are also checked in and newly arrived in room 57 at Hotel Archimede Ortigia (https://archimedehotels.it). Now there will be some peace and quiet in the room for a while before the sightseeing begins. 14.14 With our bodies and mobile phones adequately charged, we are ready to revisit Siracusa (Syracuse), a city that the Greeks founded early in Antiquity. The most famous people from the city are the mathematician Archimedes and Saint Lucia. Today, the city has a population of 116,051. 14.47 We have now walked over the Santa Lucia bridge and are on the island of Ortigia. After seeing the statue of the city's great man, Archimedes, we are now at the remains of the old city gate Porta Urbica. It has been excavated. 15.05 Near Porta Urbica there was the Tempio di Apollo, the remains of the Temple of Apollo. This was photographed and we continued towards the city centre. Now we are at Piazza Archimede (Archimedes Square) with the Fontana di Diana (Diana Fountain). We have been here before. 15.12 We got thirsty and looked into a minimarket where there were drinks from Bangladesh, among other things. Now the city walk continues. 15.23 We have been to the large cathedral and the Piazza Duomo square. We have also been there before but now we did not recognize ourselves at all. The square felt much smaller than we remembered. In 2004 we had dinner at a restaurant right on this square.
Tempio di Apollo, Temple of Apollo.
Fountain of Diana, Siracusa.
Typical Italian environment in Siracusa.
Piazza Duomo, Siracusa.
Duomo di Siracusa (Cattedrale Metropolitana della Natività di Maria Santissima).
She appears everywhere.
15.43 We have moved on to the historical attraction Fonte Aretusa. It is an old fountain next to the sea with many papyrus plants and water birds. We thought we had been here the last time we visited the city but we did not recognize ourselves at all. Have we forgotten what we did and saw or were we not here then?
15.55 Now we have sat down on a bench in a park near the sea. Here we have looked at pictures from the past, pictures we took during the visit in 2004. Sure enough, we were at Fonte Aretusa then too. We even take a break on the bench near where we sat then. It is the proximity to the sea that I do not remember at all. It feels a bit scary to see photos you don't remember taking. It was twenty years ago and incredibly hot then, but still.
16.28 Now we speculate about what we will do here next. How will we get home and what will we do before night falls on us? Have we seen what we want to see here in the city or do we need to see more? It will soon be dark too. 16.36 The sun is starting to set and a beautiful sunset has been photographed at Giardino Aretusa. 16.50 We have made it further out on Ortigia, near the fort/castle Castello Maniace. Here we see the bronze statue Ikaria Grande. It is a winged, headless man and is supposed to represent Icarus, the hero from Greek mythology. It was apparently made by a Polish sculptor, Igor Mitoraj. 17.18 We were back at the Fontana di Diana. It was now dark. From here we could see a street illuminated by tens of thousands of colorful lights, a magnificent sight. 18.01 After a stop to buy drinks at an InCoop store, we were back in our hotel room. We had drinks to drink soon, drinks for later tonight and drinks for tomorrow's New Year's celebration and the stroke of midnight.
Largo Aretusa, Siracusa.
Fonte Aretusa.
Sunny afternoon in Siracusa.
Sunset comes early in December.
Ikaria Grande, Siracusa.
Beautiful colours light up the darkness.
18.41 It's time to go out and start looking for a restaurant for dinner.
19.46 We are not much wiser now. There are quite a few different restaurants to choose from sometimes. One thing is for sure, though. We are going out. We will see what we find. 20.04 Trattoria Rittufilu near the lunch restaurant Sikania had seats and menus for us. It will soon be time to order. 20.27 The ordered two pasta dishes have been delivered. It is time for dinner. We can't eat pizza every meal, hence the choice of pasta. It is Italian, after all. 21.29 We had good meals in good company. The meal ended with a coffee that took a while to get. We are now back in our room again. I think our bathroom is haunted. It is howling and making noises from there. 22.24 An online search for the sculptor Igor Mitoraj shows that we have seen his art before. On the first New Year's trip, more precisely on December 28, 2008, we saw a head he made in the square in Krakow. 23.41 We sip on the first evening beer of the trip, Ichnusa from Sardinia. We are also wondering where we will go for lunch and dinner tomorrow?
Evening in Siracusa.
Peter is having dinner at Trattoria Rittufilu.
You can see 31 photos from December 27 in this photoalbum.
You can see 29 photos from December 28 in this photoalbum.
You can see 77 photos from December 29 in this photoalbum.
You can see 103 photos from December 30 in this photoalbum.