RV Roadtrip – Sweden Part 2

After leaving our friends and Norway, our first order of business was some maintenance on the camping car. We were overdue for new tires and had been for quite a while. We had tried in Poland (it would have been cheaper) but every tire shop we contacted from Poland to Lithuania needed to order them as they are a specialty item designed specifically for RVs.

Back on the road after leaving the cabin in Norway.

The trip through Sweden was going to be 2000+ kilometers up and then some driving around in Norway again and then back down another 2000 kms so we contacted a Swedish tire shop not far over the border and made arrangements to get them fitted on the van.

One last troll.

We arrived at our appointed time but the tires did not. They had been ordered but were MIA. That was a Thursday. 

Fortunately there was a marina in Kristinehamn that we wanted to stay at.  It was just an hour or so away and we went down there for the night while the tire guy tried to find our tires. Friday came and went and still no tires. The Saturday afternoon shipment arrived at his shop and finally had tires for us but it was too late in the day to have them fitted.

Nicked this from their site as we didn’t get a good one ourselves.

Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern. The marina was very nice and we had a great view. We also adopted a hedgehog as our new pet one night!

Hello little friend!

One of the claims to fame in Kristinehamn is a giant sculpture on the  shores of lake Vänern. It stands 15 meters high and was erected in 1965. The statue was designed by Picasso, but built and inaugurated without him visiting the construction site. Picasso never visited Kristinehamn.

On Monday morning the rig finally got some new shoes.

A random ski jump next to the Circle K.

Our trip through Sweden was a lot of driving from one marina to the next, trying to put the miles behind us and get up to the top of Norway and Nordkapp and then the Lofoten islands area of Norway.  

Our next destination was Axmar Bryggah, a very small marina with parking for about 40 RVs. There is a lovely restaurant in a centuries old building but we didn’t try it. They had surprisingly nice bathrooms and showers.

Moving north the next day we arrived at another small marina and restaurant called Kvarkenfisk. This is located around 30 minutes from Umeå and was extremely peaceful. I would have liked to spend another night but we were trying to maximize the time we could spend in Norway by rushing up through Sweden. (Schengen rules are a pain in the ass.)

After another day of driving we arrived at my favorite marina. Located in Lulea, it is a 5 star marina for sure! Excellent professional kitchen facilities, a beautiful sauna and bathrooms. I often dream of going back! There are only about 10 spots for RVs but they are all on the water with amazing views.

Also nicked from the marina website.

Sad to leave Lulea, we were headed inland. Sebastian needed another vet visit and worming pill before he was allowed back into Norway and we had found a vet near Gallivare. There was also a nice spot for camping.

Mork, are you in there?

On our way to Gallivare we crossed into the Arctic Circle. We were enjoying the novelty of being inside the Arctic Circle and having our lunch when 4 Volvo big rigs pulled in to join us. All 4 trucks were in pristine condition and the crew seemed pretty excited to be taking them on a roadtrip!

Also on our way to Gallivare I nearly wrecked the rig when we saw our first reindeer in the wild. It was a sight that would become pretty common place as we moved north but they always captured our attention and never got old. It seemed kind of magical.

Our last stop before crossing into Norway again was in Finland. It was just a short stretch in the country but we decided to spend the night at a campground there called Hetan Lomakylä. Our little sojourn in Finland was pretty uneventful. However we did get a bit of a shock when we went to buy some reindeer sausages only to discover they were all mixed with horse meat! We opted to go without.

Stay tuned as we head to Nordkapp, adventure around the top of Norway and then head back down through Sweden and make an appearance at the IKEA museum.