Sweden out of a picture book: moose, reindeer. Wonderful lakes, marshlands and nasty biting flies. And finally, one last adventure on the ferry.
Travelogue Scandinavia 2021 Way back through Sweden
The next days we spent mostly in the car and drove lengthwise through Sweden back towards Germany. This had several advantages: We could also see a bit of Sweden, the route is shorter, the maximum speed allowed and even more the average speed are higher and by the way Sweden is much cheaper than Norway.
On our first day we cross the border between Norway and Sweden at Junkerdal and drive to Storuman.
Shortly after the border we meet a moose twice. On the further course of the journey, unfortunately, no more.You can see it even better through binoculars.In Sweden there are countless lakes with wonderful water. Super nice and of course I went for a swim. Unfortunately, there is also a major drawback. The landscape between the lakes, i.e. almost the whole of Sweden, is very marshy and ideal breeding ground for biting flies. We hadn’t set foot out of the car when they came upon us. Therefore, this was the only lake where we took a swimming break.
Shortly before Storuman Google directs us over a side road through the forest and we meet our first and only two reindeer. They run in front of our car for some time, although they could disappear to the right and left in the forest at any time. Are they practicing for pulling a sleigh, maybe? But who straps such cute little animals in front of a sleigh? If I ever run into this Santa, it’s time for a serious talk!Our first accommodation brought a big surprise: We had thought about how far we would get that day and then looked for an accommodation via Airbnb. Well, our landlady was Julia, an acquaintance of ours from Munich, who had emigrated to Sweden only a few months ago. What a funny coincidence!Short stop for swimming and eating in Östersund. Here it was not so idyllic to swim, but on the other hand there were no biting flies.The E45 runs through Sweden from the far north almost all the way south to Gothenburg. The landscape is not very varied. It always goes flat and straight, past many trees, interrupted again and again by lakes.Even if it is repetitive, the lakes of Sweden remain fascinating.Lunch menu sushi in Malung, Sweden: a feast for the eyes, very tasty and surprisingly cheap.We spend our last night in Sweden in a lonely Airbnb northwest of Trollhättan. The landscape is beautiful and gently rolling. Of course with biting flies, but fortunately there are various sprays that help well.
Our personal conclusion about Sweden: Yes, it is beautiful. But we liked the mountains and fjords of Norway much better and it was a great luck for us that Norway lifted the Corona-related entry restrictions right before we entered the country.
On our last day it is raining cats and dogs all over southern Sweden and we drive without any further break to Ystad, from where we take a ferry directly to Sassnitz (Rügen).
Our ferry is a floating parking garage with four or five partly very narrow parking decks.In the end, our car is parked on a sloping ramp with minimal distance to the other cars. The wheels are secured with a couple of wedges. We’re not worried about that yet.
No sooner have we left the vicinity of the coast than an incredible swell sets in. The ferry is flung from right to left and back. All around us, passengers are puking their guts out. And in the middle of it all, two silly billies from Munich who are holding a competition to see which of them can stand in the aisle longer without holding onto something. Malina, as a former figure skater, has incredible balance, but I have a little more experience with swell. Great fun for us, ending in a draw. And miraculously, at the end of the trip, our car is still exactly where we left it.
On the way back through Germany we visited the pretty town of Greifswald and spent a few days with my mother in Rudolstadt, which is also beautiful.
What a trip! We would have loved to have had a little more time, to have stayed a day longer at one or the other place in Norway, to have ventured even further north. But we are super grateful for the time we had. We hope you enjoyed our pictures and reports and that they inspire you for future trips.
