Nordic – Sweden, land of forests and lakes.
Northern Europe Sweden, known as the “Land of Forests and Lakes”, is a constitutional monarchy located on the Scandinavian Peninsula and is actually called the Kingdom of Sweden.
Stockholm is the capital. Two-thirds of the land is covered with coniferous forests, and 80% of the land is in the cold zone, making it a very cold country.
Along with Norway, it is famous for its Viking image, but it is also the birthplace of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and started the Nobel Prize in his will in 1901, Are well-known.
*Only the “Nobel Peace Prize” is held at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway.
A view from the train window of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
The plains of southern Sweden are dotted with countless lakes and ponds, so I feel like I’m moving through frozen swamps all the time…
In southern Europe, such as Italy, there were many compartment-type trains, and many of them were a little old.
But Swedish train cars are clean.
The scenery outside the window is a world of forest and white snow all the way.
Passengers were also quiet, with no one making a fuss unlike the southern country.
I sat quietly in a seat for a while, but started wandering around the trains because I was bored.
I met a Japanese university student who came all the way here via the Trans-Siberian Railway.
So tipical Japanese boy.
At first glance, I thought, “You’re Japanese, aren’t you?” He is very quiet and reading or thinking. I tried to listen to the story of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, but the conversation has not be lively.
I also met an Italian man who said he has walked across the Arctic Circle to the Barents Sea, sleeping in a small tent for one person just by himself.
Unlike the previous Japanese, this man talks loudly and moves around without paying attention to the troubles around him.
At first, I thought he was exaggerating, but judging from his dynamic character, it may be true that he went to the Barents Sea by walk.
Stopovers in Northern Europe.
In Sweden and Norway, I got off the train, wandered around the station, and boarded repeatedly.
To be honest, I have no idea what station I got off at, or what town I stopped by. Because I can’t read the station name even if I see it, and even if I hear it, it doesn’t come into my head.
Anyway, when I got off the train, I walked around the not-so-wide town, then I walked back to the station, and get on the next train, and slept in the train, repeatedly.
Because it was cold outside, the waiting room was very crowded at a small stations.
There were hardly any people walking outside, probably because it was so cold.
Camping in sub-zero outdoor in Norway.
…At last I made a big mistake…
I got off the train in the evening, left the station, and walked around the small town, the air dyed purple was so fantastic, so I couldn’t help to walk ahead to the outskirts of town.
No cars, no people walking at all.
I saw a small girl on a swing in the garden of the house which is as if made with sweets like chocolate and candy etc.
She was a really pretty girl, so I couldn’t take my eyes off from her, and she was also looking at me.
I walked past the house and kept walking for a while, but there seemed to be nothing beyond it, so I decided to turn back.
And when I was about to pass in front of that house, someone who seemed like her mother was out in the garden and talked to me.
But I didn’t understand what she was saying, so I asked her in English, but she couldn’t respond in English at all.
Based on my impression of British creperies, I thought that most of Swedes and Norwegians were proficient in English, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for everyone.
… Well, given the circumstances, it would have seemed strange to see an Asian man with a black coat, black boots, and long black hair walking around this area.
I was not knowing what to do, I decided to just walk away.
When I returned to the station…
The entrance locked.
Of course, there are no station staff.
It’s a very small town with almost no shops or restaurants in front of the station.
I can’t see anything looks like an inn around there.
“… Oh… What should I do…”.
I had no idea so, I was sitting in front of the locked door of the small train station, but even if I spend a time like taht, the situation wouldn’t improve, still not a single car or person would pass…
One coat, two T-shirts, one pair of shorts, and one pair of trousers.
…That’s the all clothes I had.
Winter in Norway, sleeping outdoors in sub-zero temperatures…
Is there any angels of death coming closer to me?
I walked around the empty town, then found a parking lot in the basement of an apartment that seemed to be somewhat cold, and spent a sleepless night writhing in the cold wearing all the clothes I could on the windswept stairs.
…The joy when the sun came up the next morning was exceptional.
I was so thankful for the sun…