grown without schooling: Inlandsbanan

August 19th, 7:45

On the Inlandsbanan heading south! I got on here at 6:50 this morning, and as of right now, there are only about 10 other people on the train. And I am, by a LONG shot, the youngest. So far it seems pretty good. We are going very slow, and this is the only train that uses this tack, so the things we are see are pretty remote and unique. Our "train host" also tells us interesting little tidbits as we pass certain places. Kind of like roadside historic markers being read aloud. I like it.

View Inlandsbanan in a larger map

I can't say I'm not glad to be out of Gällivare. I wasn't the nicest place I've ever been. I did find a very nice little spot to set up my tent in a spruce grove near the lake (there were so many blueberries there that the bottom of my tent is now covered with smashed blueberries). But ALL night long people were racing their cars up and down the roads,

(loud car)

And when I left this morning there were still people wandering around, looking very much like they'd been up all night. At the restaurant I talked to a man who was a migrant from Tanzania. He was in the migrant worker program set up by the Swedish government, and had been in Stockholm for the the last 4 months. But they had to send a lot of people up north because they were running out of room for them, and he was selected to go. He said the Swedish program is really great. They make it easy to get into and give you housing and a stipend while you look for work. But he really doesn't like being in Gällivare. He said there is nothing to do (this restaurant/bar is the only place in town, and it's only open 3 nights a week). He said all the migrants live together (in a trailer park literally on the other side of the tracks. I saw it) and they experience a lot of discrimination. He's planning on dropping out of the program and going back to Stockholm to find work on his own. His ultimate plan (and he said this is what most people do) is stay in Sweden until he can become a citizen, and then try to go to American (since it's much easier as someone from Sweden than someone from Tanzania).

Train window vista

9:30

Well, the Inlandsbanan is turning out to be just lovely. The shoulder of the train track is very narrow, so the forest and everything you pass is very near. Everyone else on the train is Swedish, so it doesn't feel touristy at all. We stopped for breakfast (frukost) at a little restaurant in the middle of nowhere (there isn't a dining car on the train, so they just stop often in little "towns" (sometimes it's just a building on the side of the track that serves food once a day to the people on the Inlandsbanan). You get a menu for everywhere we will be stopping on the train, and then the train hostess (who is also just lovely) takes your order and calls it in to the restaurant so it's ready when you get there). I had a the "vegetarian sandwich" which turned out to be a grilled cheese with tomato, but it was good. The best part was that after you got your food and your coffee, you could go sit in this little round wooden building with an open fire in the middle (it was cold outside) and reindeer skin covered benches all around. We sat in there with the couple that owned the restaurant and talked for about 40 minutes. I think at one point they were talking about their pets. Also, someone said the word "purple." That was about all I could make out. I do know that they were not talking about anything that is covered on Swedish Level 1 of the Rosetta Stone.

Our breakfasting spot

We stopped to get out at the Arctic Circle (been there, done that like 3 times already people) and this was the more than slightly crazy looking arctic circle guy (I guess he is just there once a day to greet the passengers) and his little dog too. Our train host is being very polite.

At one point the train host was like, "It's good weather so if you would like to get out and walk across this scenic bridge, you are more than welcomed." We were all more than a little shocked when instead of just waiting for us, the train followed us slowly over the bridge. Somehow I'd always imagined being on a bridge with a moving train to be a little more life threatening.

It was such a strange image.

In case you were confused.

Hand-made children's clothes with awesome, hard-core reindeer leather overalls.

100 years

The Swedish Navvy (railroad workers) museum. I want to know what that thing on the floor does.

A very neat door

Reindeer hides drying in the sun

20:00

I choose the town of Storuman to stop in because - 1: it was far enough south (although still in Lapland) that is seemed like it might be warmer. 2: it was halfway into the first half of the Inlandsbanan (a good stopping point). 3: it sounded like the name of a villain from The Lord of the Rings. It seems like at least one of these reasons must have been a good one. This place is great.

Although I'm still technically in Lapland, it doesn't feel like it. There is more than on type of tree, and the mosquitoes (while still a persistent presence) are tolerable. The town is small, once again, without a heck of a lot going on in it, but this time it's cute. But it's the surrounding area that really does it for me. The town is right on the edge of a huge lake, and there is a whole series of islands connected by a bridge.

The "wild man" of Storuman

In case you were wondering, it's 6702 km to New York

My original plan was to camp on one of the islands, but I went down the wrong road and ended up on the shore of the mainland. It doesn't matter though. I'm still camped on my own beach!

Really nice birch forest

The very best thing about Storuman: Berries! Lots and lots of berries.

These are ALL blueberries.

Lingonberries

Raspberries

Berries

I climbed about 4 miles to get this view of the lake, so enjoy it.

Swedish forestry! I can't wait for the day when I can do that myself

I had my first encounter with a non-English speaker today! It didn't go as well as I had hoped. As I was walking out of find a place to camp, a little girl (maybe 7 or 8) in a backwards baseball cap, was in her front yard. She watched me as I walked down her gravel road. At this point I not only had my pack on and leaf press in one hand, I also had a bag of groceries. She walked along side me in her yard for a while before saying, "vad gör du?" (Which I know from my extensive Swedish language training means, "what are you doing?" (but I think anyone could have guessed what she was saying). I told her (in Swedish) "I only understand a little Swedish. I'm an American. Do you speak English?" To which she said something that I totally didn't understand and told her so (at least I tried to). I then threw out every vocabulary word that I knew that might help explain my situation: Forest, sleeping, swimming, eating, etc. She then said something that I though had the world "blue" in it, and thought she might be talking about blueberries (although I have no idea if the Swedish word for blueberries actually has anything to do with the word blue). So I showed her my berry stained hands and said (or tried to say) "tastes very good." She gave me a look like I was crazy. I then asked her (or tried to) if she understood. Since she didn't say anything, I took that as a "no." So I told her "Hej då" and started walking away. But she walked down the road by my side for maybe another 200 yards. Then she turned and ran back to her house. I wouldn't call it a successful communication.