Go see!!

 

Konstmuseet, Göteborg in January 

A wild idea turned into a project with a significant budget and a strictly limited time plan. SEK 65000 for a rail pass and twelve months to go see Sweden. My hypothesis was that it would all be doable with public transportation. Others might have rented a car now and then but I didn’t have that option. Boats, buses and trains it had to be. 

All in all, I made 44 journeys. I spent 95 nights on trains and in hotels. I used nine days of saved vacation time. It was an incredible year - here’s a recap. 

Jan 6 Sundsvall 

Jan 9-10 Malmö 

Jan 24 Göteborg 

Feb 6-7 Östersund 

Feb 21 Karlstad 

March 6 Växjö 

March 19-21 Storlien 

April 1-3 Malmö, Trelleborg, Smygehuk, Lund 

April 11 Västerås 

April 17-23 Visby, Fårösund, Burgsvik 

April 29-May 3 Storvallen, Storlien 

May 17 Oslo 

May 27-29 Falsterbo, Lund, Malmö 

June 4-7 Köpenhamn, Malmö, Sofiero 

June 11-13 Härnösand 

June 20-22 Mölle, Kullaberg, Malmö 

June 23-28 Storulvån 

June 30 Linköping 

July 8 Gävle 

July 11 Hudiksvall 

July 14 Katrineholm 

July 15-19 Vålådalen 

July 21 Norrköping 

July 27 Linköping 

July 29-Aug 2 Storulvån 

Aug 4 Norrköping, Abborrberg 

Aug 11 Linköping 

Aug 12-16 Humlebaek, Malmö, Hässleholm, Kristianstad, Lomma 

Aug 18 Norrköping 

Aug 19-23 Östersund 

Aug 25 Örebro 

Sep 2-6 Malmö, Köpenhamn, Halmstad, Tylösand, Lund 

Sep 11-18 Duved, Åre, Storlien, Storulvån, Östersund 

Sep 23-27 Växjö, Kivik, Simrishamn, Båstad 

Oct 9-16 Falsterbo, Skanör, Höllviken, Smygehuk, Humlebaek 

Oct 21-24 Uddevalla, Strömstad, Kosteröarna, Smögen 

Oct 28-Nov 1 Storlien, Strömsund, Östersund 

Nov 5-7 Göteborg, Skara 

Nov 11-14 Helsingborg, Malmö 

Nov 18-21 Kalmar, Mörbylånga, Emmaboda, Karlskrona 

Nov 25-28 Funäsdalen, Östersund 

Dec 3-5 Härnösand, Ullånger, Veda 

Dec 17-19 Karlstad 

Dec 25-31 Vålådalen 

My biggest mistake was trying to travel cheap in the first months. It wasn’t until April that I finally had a hotel night. I certainly saved a dime or two but those winter trips were hectic and not very pleasant. 

The best idea I had was to throw in a series of brief summer night excursions. Using X2000 I was able to reach places like Linköping, Norrköping and Gävle, spend a few hours and then return to Stockholm with the last train watching the sun reluctantly set after another long summer day. 

Weather-wise I was remarkably lucky all year long. Very little rain, lots of sunny days but few of them really hot. You know me, I can’t stand the heat. And when it did rain cats and dogs, like in Bohuslän on October 22, I was already on my way back from Strömstad after a great day at Kosteröarna and didn’t really mind. Lucky guy. 

The worst day was the very first one, in Sundsvall. It was Epiphany and the entire town was closed. I spent half the day walking on slippery, icy sidewalks and the other half in a café that had somehow forgotten to close. On that day I learnt to do my research and be prepared. Bring a map, a list of phone numbers; always check opening-hours and connections. Have a plan A for good weather and an alternative one just in case. What a valuable lesson that was! 

Biggest disappointment? Got to be the fact that I missed Dalarna entirely. Unforgivable, really. I was planning to go there several times but something else always turned up. 

My rail pass was the golden version, enabling unlimited first class train traveling. Was that really necessary? Definitely. For example, there are several options for traveling from Stockholm to Malmö but this card includes a single compartment with my own toilet and shower on the night train. I can rely on a good night’s sleep; I won’t be tired upon arrival. On top of this, a hotel breakfast is included. I’ll be just as alert as if I had slept in my own bed and ready to make the most of the day. I could certainly have traveled less expensively but there’s no way I would have managed these 44 journeys in twelve months. 

My only companion was my digicam. I took thousands of pictures, a few of them can be seen in my galleries for northern and southern Sweden. 

It’s been a while now. I keep thinking about where I was and what I was doing at the same time last year. Great memories. There’s just one regret. I didn’t get to see all of Sweden. SJ doesn’t cover the entire country. There’s a lot to be seen north of Åre and Härnösand. So my project will have to be augmented. Somehow. Sometime.