The national parks in the north - west of Sweden are just beautiful. We really enjoyed the time and the hikes were a dream from the view. The midnight sun in Abisko National Park seeing it was a once in a lifetime experience and I thank my husband for that. The weather changed and it got really warm. Summer in the north does not necessarily mean pleasant temperatures, as we found out. When there is no shade and there is not a bit of wind, you have the same temperatures as at home.
Kiruna campsite - you could do it here endure
Since we have to go shopping, fresh water and laundry have to be done, we drive to Kiruna and then want to go to a campsite. When we woke up, we were already 20 degrees on the bus and it promised to be another hot day. The place should be on a lake and we hope that it will be better there. After shopping, we filled up water on the square and got a nice parking space. A wind came over the lake and the day was bearable. Unfortunately, I couldn't wash because the machine was manned all the time.
Since we want to go to Norway, our plan is to drive down the E45 to the E12 and take the border crossing there. Before that we have to go to a vet with Finja so that she can get the worming treatment for entry. At the lake we enjoyed the cool air from the wind and although the sun was shining, it was not as hot as at Naturum Abisko. Later we took a shower and the next day we went to the E12.
The night itself wasn't that good. Due to the wind yesterday we didn't see any mosquitoes and therefore didn't turn on the vaporizer. That turned out to be a mistake. I fell asleep with glasses on and Basti had taken them from me at some point. As a result, I woke up and couldn't really fall asleep. 2 hours later the first mosquitoes came and then we were up half the night hunting. So we started a little earlier.
The route to the border crossing at Kataviken
We made the route. The E45 is a great route that is also popular. Every now and then you have mountains, then forest or flat land and in between there are lakes. Basti drove and then I saw a moose. This crossed a side street, but we passed so quickly that it was not possible to take a picture. The Arctic Circle was not far away and we took our lunch break there. Some of the signs are covered with stickers and since we also have one, we have immortalized ourselves directly.
After the lunch break we started looking for a parking space. It turned out to be difficult because the first one was besieged with mosquitos and horseflies, the second had to be paid and we ran out of cash and so the third was finally good enough. We stood at a lake, where there were a lot of mayflies, but otherwise it was limited with other insects. Finja was bitten by deer lice again, but we had to make sure that she didn't throw herself on the grass and roll over. The brakes were snapped out of the air by small birds right in front of our car and the mayflies by a large dragonfly. It was a wonderful spectacle.
The night was good and the next day we went to the E12. When looking for a vet, we ended up with one who was closed that day. However, this was not visible on the website and was also very unfriendly towards Basti. He then kept looking and since we still had to buy little things, we drove straight to Tärnaby. This vet was super nice and had given Finja the worming cure during her 15 minute break from a conference. Short shopping and then we drove to just before the border.
The worming cure has to work for 24 hours before you can cross the border. So that meant for us that we weren't allowed to go over until around 4 p.m. the next day. So we chose a place that wasn't that far from the border and we could stay there until the next afternoon. It was a gravel place with fishing and smoking huts between two lakes. The route along the E12 was a dream. The mountains got higher and higher and one huge lake after another lined the road. Our anticipation for Norway increased because you see this picture much more often there.
We then slept in and drank coffee. Basti filled out the entry registrations for us that you need for the border crossing or the QR code that you then receive. I still worked a bit and when it started I got nervous. A C-test has to be taken at the border to enter the country and, as always, I panicked again if one of us was positive. But well, let's go to the border. We heard from others that they waited up to 3 hours to come over. When we got there, our IDs were checked, the QR code read and questions asked. Then we had to go to the test.
Since no one was in front of us, everything happened very quickly. Here, too, we were noted down and asked questions, then we went to the test. After half an hour we both had our negative results in hand, which we had to show the border guards and then we went to Norway. Neither of us could believe that our dream was coming true. Norway, our dream country, was now open to us. By the way, they didn't care about Finja. They didn't even want to see the pet passport. Once again getting the wormer for nothing.
Sweden: such a wonderful and varied country! We found this country and especially its inhabitants just magical! Since we haven't seen some things yet, even though we were there for 10 weeks, maybe there will be a reunion!
You can find more pictures in the Sweden photo gallery.
