Here is the news: my first guide published via Buggl titled ‘Beyond the Arctic Circle‘. I’m very excited about it! All my previous travels to Swedish Lapland are gathered and described here. All useful tips and ideas how to make this trekking pleasant and effortless are shared on pages of this short guidebook. Also my pictures collected throughout the years are used in this guide to show you where exactly they were taken. If you have ever considered a hike in wilderness but you still have some doubts this is a perfect guide for you. It brings you through the basics and makes your planing easy. Lapland guide The guide ‘Beyond the Arctic Circle‘ consists of two parts: “Itinerary” and “Local Secrets”. Local secrets get you through all sleeping locations, best views and also places where you can enjoy the local food. Itinerary brings you through the trail from Abisko in the north to Nikkaluokta to the east day by day. All sites are pinned on a map so you could get a general idea of this track. This part of the King’s Trail described in a guide is perfect for a week hike. I walked it many times from the north to the south and from the east to the north and enjoyed every time I was there. The weather in autumn is unpredictable so if you decided to go there read about the necessary precautions first. Local transportation is described to make your planning easier. You will find external sources of information under the section “Local Knowledge & Cool Perks”. I really hope you’ll find this guidebook useful and that the pictures published will make you plan your first trip to the Swedish Lapland. And who knows, perhaps one day we’ll simply meet there? And now you can listen to the story about Lpland here, on Amateur Traveller, episode #456:  

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Courtesy of Jeff from EuroTravelogue my guest post about Lapland has been published. Jeff is a huge fan of river cruises in Europe and Scandinavian countries. His blog is full with stunning photos and great stories. I especially enjoyed the one about train ride in Norway. You might think I wrote about Lapland so many times it’s all the same but surprisingly: I prepare a new post from the scratch and it is never the same. I really enjoy writing guest posts because it is a good opportunity to look back and feel grateful for all I have and experienced. So visit Jeff’s blog and enjoy his marvelous stories about travel around Europe.  

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New Year, new guest post. Courtesy of Jenny who I met in Dublin a post about Lapland has been published just this morning. This is sort of summary and good advices. If you have ever thought about going there you should read it first. Watching the pictures and reading it made me think that I miss Lapland quite badly. So, hopefully I’ll be able to organize a trip this year. Keep your fingers crossed please and visit Jenny’s blog Hikercise.  

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Few months ago my Italian friends visited me on their way home from Copenhagen and they told me this: "Look, this summer was the warmest one in last 80 years. Can you believe that the warmest was +20?".

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I miss Lapland a lot! Especially in autumn time this feeling becomes difficult to deal with. For years, I was heading towards north by plane, bus and train and bus again. I was already getting cool in Stockholm- the first stop along the road. And then, traveling with a night train to Kiruna, Abisko or Gallivare was a terrific adventure itself. The first breath after getting off the train was freezing my lungs and was a sure sign of being close to the last wild area in Europe. Far north, over the arctic circle, close to the North Pole (let’s be honest: relatively close is better said, as it is still about 2500km from Kiruna to the North Pole). This year, my missing Lapland is worse than ever because I didn’t go there. The reason is explained here in details but even if it sounds reasonable and still keeps hope for next year I miss Lapland. Badly. To deal with it I was browsing my pictures taken throughout the years spent there. I have like thousands of them so at some point I thought I’ll pick up the best ones to show you how beautiful it is. I wish all of my readers to visit this site in person. This is one of the most beautiful places I have even been to. This collection contains only 20 pictures taken in last few years, however, there are more on the Flickr website. The gallery shows Lapland in autumn mainly, because that was always the time I went there. I really hope that the next May I’ll bring some winter photos to share with you. But before I will enjoy the ones taken just at the very start of winter. And here is my recent (February 2015) interview about Lapland! Listen to my story here:  

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If you are familiar with the origins of this blog and my plans for next couple of months discussed under ‘Travel Tips‘ section, or explicitly in one of the first posts ‘Getting Ready‘ you know about my idea to learn another language. As I already know English and Italian, had been studying Chinese and Japanese, I thought it shouldn’t be THAT difficult. The language I picked up might surprised you and I bet that the first thought after reading the heading was: “Why on earth anybody would like to learn Swedish if it’s spoken only in Sweden?” There is a short story behind. As always. Couple of years ago I went to Sweden for the first time in my life.This was not a trivial city walk around Stockholm. I started from Swedish Lapland. And fell in love with this beautiful country the moment I got off the train in Kiruna. I spend unforgettable time walking along the King’s Trail mountain huts. All huts are run by the Swedish Tourist Organization and in order to pay less for each night spent in the huts I become member of this association. Being member of STF entitled me to receive their official journal titled: Turist. And so every year I was receiving all journals published and guess what: even if it was sent to my Italian address it was all written in Swedish! It simply drove me crazy! I mean, the photos were great but I wanted to understand what it says. After couple of years I thought I simply need to learn Swedish. One way or another, I visit this country regularly so there is no waste. While thinking about the way how to learn Swedish I also met one person who was fascinated with this language and it pushed forward my thinking about it from ‘perhaps-I-could-study-the-language’ towards ‘yes-I-can’. BUT I didn’t want to get engaged in any serious or formal language course. Mostly because of my travels and high absence rate. So I thought I will do it totally STRESS FREE. So… Here is what I did First, I borrowed a self-study book to make sure that Swedish is not difficult. I browsed it, listened to the tape, read some dialogues and although Swedish might sound complicated I liked the sound of it. Simply the melody of this language is lovely. Second, I browsed Internet searching for BASIC 100 WORDS in Swedish. It’s simple to find. Third, I completed a basic online course on babbel.com and… …and that’s the best part: I got an e-book of my favorite Swedish tales Emil i Lönneberga and started to listen to it all day long: when jogging, cooking, ironing and when traveling, of course. Now this is experiment and I will keep you posted on the progress I made. My target for this September is to be able to run a short conversation about the weather and general stuff. Before I go to Lapland this year I’ll be able to say hello, ask for somebody’s name, where does he/she come from, and which part of the King’s Trail she/he walked. Keep your fingers crossed!  

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I visit Stockholm every year. Usually, at the beginning of September or in late August. It’s not that this is my favorite holiday destination but this city is friendly enough to make a short stop. When I go to Stockholm the weather is usually surprisingly nice: sunny and warm. Only once I was almost washed off by the heavy rain. So if you think about visiting this city check the weather forecast and be prepare for every possibility. Although I visit Stockholm regularly I haven’t visited the city in details. As this has always been a transfer place I’m hanging around with a considerable heavy backpack. My mind is often busy with the next stage of my trip or is still in a place I have just visited. Therefore, I have never treated Stockholm in a fair way. My memories are biased in a twisted way: I always needed to spend in Stockholm a certain time before the plane take off and it allowed me to waste it without a plan. What I normally do when I’m loaded with a full backpack is that I often visit small cafes spending hours on drinking coffee, watching people coming and going, witnessing the rush morning hour or lazy afternoon. This sort of activity seams to be an obvious waste but after couple of years I have started to appreciate time spent this way. But let me tell you about my visits in Stockholm first. Most striking thing is that Stockholm is located on couple of large and dozens of small islands. This city is immersed in water of lovely deep blue color but the way the islands are constructed makes a bizarre feeling. This is not a floating city at any measure. It looks almost as if the islands were constructed first and the sea came after people decided to do so. I’m not really sure what is the reason of this impression, but the water in Stockholm looks like a well planed and fully controlled element of the city landscape. So, if you’re fond of water, canals, bridges and boats Stockholm is the right place to visit. As a large city located over water Stockholm has amazingly well developed and kept public transportation. Using trams, buses and water buses you’re able to visit the most important touristic spots. One of the very few museums I visited was the Nobel Museum located in the heart of the old town: Gamla Stan. This museum is very small, it has a modest exterior and very limited exhibition. To be honest: you’re able to know more about the Nobel Prize through the Internet rather than in this museum. Few objects used by Alfred Nobel are exhibited there, including his last will which established his famous prize. Information about the winners are placed on small boards just below the celling which makes it really difficult to read or at least see the photo of the laureates. There are some short movies on the most important discoveries in our modern history, some interactive screens to explore the winners’ bio or the academy verdicts but this is very scarce. ‘Behind the scenes’ part is very humble and if you expected to know how the award process looks like for real you’ll leave this museum disappointed. I took a guided tour and the lady was equally restrained. OK I will tell you the truth: I went to this museum only because it was raining. And I see no other reason why you should do it at all. Luckily, it was half priced so I didn’t have to regret too long. One of the huge surprises in Stockholm is the quantity of bicycles. Now, if you think about a city in the north located on the island with high probability of rain and strong wind you see no reason why people would use this mean of transportation. But the do. I swear that the majority of the residents use bikes everyday irrespectively the weather conditions! If you sit on a bench in early morning on let’s say Skeppsbron you will see hundreds of people on their bikes. This is an amazing view as the huge bunch of riders heading towards north passes your bench you will see all sorts of people: men in suits, students, kids, well dressed women, youngsters dressed in a very strange way and vivid colors, policemen, and I wouldn’t be surprised in the king himself would ride on his bike as well. While some exotic destinations would surely beat Stockholm in number of bicycles and chaos of traffic rules this view of morning rush hour is still impressive. Bicycles in Stockholm is a pro-ecologic choice. The City of Stockholm declares: The number of cyclists in Stockholm has increased by 75% in the past decade, and there are as much as 760 km of cycle lanes in the city. Everybody, including the tourists, are strongly encouraged to use bicycles as their mean of transport while in the city center. This is an important element of the governmental plan of sustainable development and pro eco policy. Judging out of the number of bikes seen on the streets it looks like the government was very persuasive. Why wasting your time while hanging around is positive to your travelling? Because it creates space and time to process your impressions and emotions. When you’re travelling the quantity of the impulses and attractions is often overwhelming so you can’t really deal with them in a real-time. Sure, you’ll have time after you get back home for that but if you find time to waste it during your trip the process of dealing with everything what you see and what you sense proceeds differently. This is a great opportunity to allow your mind get totally immersed and drift away. By the time you find it, it will be altered. And then suddenly you know the journey you made was absolutely necessary. And you can get back home remembering it forever.  

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Lapland is a truly unique place. For many reasons. For me my first visit in Lapland was totally overwhelming and since then I visit Lapland at least once a year. There is a short funny story about the whole idea. A story that is known by all my friends too well (sorry guys, it looks like there are more than 200 people following this blog so let’s made it public. Besides, even if it was told hundred times, I still LIKE IT!). So, on a plane to the US I read an article that was advertising an ‘interesting alternative to spend your holiday’. This article had amazing photos of wildlife in autumn colors and a story about an owner of a reindeer herd. The idea was simple: you could get your own reindeer on a leash to make a 5-day walk. Everything was brilliantly organized. A group of 10 people and 10 reindeer were suppose to depart every week from a defined location. The idea seamed to me just PERFECT! I even snatched the page with this article (yes, I really did it!). After months of not thinking about this the day to decide about annual holiday finally had arrived. And I miraculously found this snatched page in my notebook. Gosh! I really, really wanted to take part in this crazy trip. Until I got known the other participants. No offence, but the group departing in a suitable date was made of 8 German 50+ man. The moment I thought about snoring was a turning point. I just knew I would regret it forever. BUT quitting this particular activity didn’t mean I had to resign from my first visit to Lapland. I had a quick look in Internet and found amazing websites on something called The King’s Trail (in Swedish: Kungsleden). THIS WAS IT! From the first moment I saw the pictures made on this trail I knew I have to go there. And I did. The track has about 440 km, it starts in the north in Abisko and ends in Hemavan in the south (or vice versa, depending where you start). It is managed by the Swedish Tourist Organization and every couple of kilometers there is a mountain hut (lodge might be a proper word). Along my way through Sweden I was using an excellent travel guide written by James Proctor and published by Bradt. You won’t find a better guidebook on Lapland. Why I loved Lapland so much? Because this is a rare combination of safety and wilderness.  The track in swampy places is equipped in wooden footbridge to keep you away from water. At the same time you meet wild living animals and listen to the real silence. I totally admire Swedish organization and perseverance: I have never expected so far to the north such a well kept track! The huts’ interior is excellent to keep you warm when it’s cold outside. It is also very cozy and user friendly even if simple and mainly wooden made. This is a model balance between human and nature. Just as it should be. After my first trip to Lapland words ‘silence’, ‘infinity’, ‘wilderness’ and ‘peace’ got totally new meaning. It crushed many of my previous beliefs. I would even say this was one of this journeys which ‘unmade me’, just as Nicolas Bouvier said. Lapland was included to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996. And now you can listen to the story on Amateur Traveller, episode #456 here:  

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The theme of souvenirs and artifacts bought in remote places, their originality or falsity is often discussed. It sometimes stirs emotions of a traveler who went to the end of the world and brought it home where a receiver of this precious goody discovers ‘made in China’ written on a hidden part of the object. Although I rarely buy so called souvenirs I remember that before my first trip to Norway I wanted to buy a red wooden horse. Desperately. It might be odd for you why looking for a wooden horse in Norway while this is a popular artifact in Sweden so let me tell you a short story. When I was studying in Milan I often visited a foreign students’ office. A very nice young lady worked there and her office was full of lovely stuff brought by students from all over the world. Once, I saw a cute red wooden horse with traditional floral patterns. I asked the lady where did she get it from and she told me that this was a gift from one of the Norwegian students. We talked a while about Norway and how bloody cold and dark it must be at this time of the year but I knew that one day when I’m in Norway I will buy a red wooden horse. I even saw in my imagination how beautiful it looks in my future office. No surprise, my first day spent in Norway was dedicated to the research of this wooden horse. I was astonished because nobody asked for this kind of a souvenir knew where I could buy it! People in Norway are not very direct so I was not told that I was a total ignorant. Instead, I was told in a shop to visit a workshop around the corner. In a workshop I was informed that I should visit a local museum. And so on, and so forth. I got totally confused and thought that perhaps people in Norway are not familiar with their own traditional artifacts. Eventually, after hours of fruitless search I gave up. I felt sorry that I was getting back from Norway without this bloody horse! Fortunately, on my way home I stayed one day in Stockholm in Sweden. Needless to say that the whole city center and every little store is FULL of red wooden horses! You may even find horses made of plastic and wool, they are red and white, you can have it on your T-shirt or on your textile bag. All in all, it was obviously a Swedish souvenir rather than Norwegian one. After this trip I was pretty sure that I should have never trusted the young Italian ladies and their ‘expertise’ in foreign countries. Once for all I remember not to trust any Italians giving advice on red wooden Swedish horses!  

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I have never thought that one day I will cross a polar circle. It’s not that I have always loved sun and beach and I have never spent my holiday in a cold place. It was just SO far away! If you think about the Earth and they way the continents are placed you will see that European Nordic countries are really far to the North. While spending one of my summer holiday in Scandinavia I thought it might be a good idea to visit Narvik. I have considered it a mythical place full of happy people, beautiful landscape and good looking houses. Now, the truth is that Narvik and paradise are quite distant in terms of my expectations but let’s start with the train trip. You can go to Narvik by car but I thought this would be trivial (unless I would meet a moose or a reindeer crossing the road). Instead, I decided to take the train. If you are fascinated with trains you probably know that the railway route between Kiruna in Sweden and Narvik in Norway is one of the highest train route in Europe. It takes about three hours to arrive to the final station. The route is truly spectacular, especially with nice weather. Looking out of the window brings you a real delight: you see mountains, lakes, forest, Swedish and Norwegian typical wooden houses and sometimes even wild animals. What is really special about this trip is that you experience a unique mix: you may touch the wilderness without loosing sense of security. While you are sitting in the coach- clean and cozy- and listen to the regular noise made by the train last wild land in Europe is passing before your eyes. The further you go the more beautiful it becomes. When you cross the Norwegian border you will see a real fjord. The train tracks seams to be suspended over the water and this view allows you to get wonderfully lost in pure beauty. But getting to the point, Narvik was disappointing. It’s just an ordinary town with ordinary wooden houses and quite average people walking by. During my short stay in this town there was a beautiful weather so I can’t imagine how ugly it is with the mist or rain. One of the few nice things in this place is view from the highest parts of the city. If you are determined enough you could climb to the small parking in front of the local power station. From there you can see how big the fjord and how small the town are. One of the most disappointing things was a failed promise found in a touristic folder. It said that if you visit the water power station at certain time (I don’t remember whether it was noon or 13:00) you could see an artificial geyser. It should be a side effect of high pressure of water which normally generates electricity. Unfortunately when we climbed the hill running like fools to be there on time no geyser was seen. And my the final “cherry on a cake” was a lousy coffee in the local cafe. Now, I really love good cafe but let’s make it clear: the only real cafe is drank in Italy, is prepared of 60 coffee beans and is delicious. The rest of the world instead of drinking cafe try to sell you a coffee: brown watery liquid with this terrible flavor  So let me say this straight: I drank the worst coffee ever in Narvik. And worse for me: it was also the most expensive coffee EVER!    

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