In the track of the fathers to the victories of the future

Further it went with Inlandsbanan to South, e.g., over the "Mankell Bridge", on which cars and also trains take to Mora.

I arrived just when a race ended. I asked what had happend, so people invited me for blue berry soup. I also got a wooly hat, but I have to take part in the next Vasaloppet. Well, I have to exercise cross-country skiing.

The race, more than 90 km straight through the hilly countryside attracts yearly more than 45,000 skier. A historical motto stands about the target line.

Moreover in Mora, I got to know artworks of ANDERS ZORN which was valid as one of the most important artists at the beginning of the 20th century.

Great country – the journey is the aim

Today

another dream became true: I started from North to the South with the famous Inlandsbanan. This train runs for more than 100 years through the interior of Sweden, approx. 1300 km.

A guide informed us about places of interest and took our order before we stopped for lunch. However, the train also stopped for nice places to take a photo.

Through Lapland

Narvik owns an ice-free harbour. Therefore, German soldiers destroyed the town almost completely during WW II.

On the mine railway along the fjord my Grand Canyon feelings woke up.

Quite early I found a B&B in Gällivare, Sweden. So I had time to explore old buildings: the 1Öre church which served for the christianisation of the Sami, Samish camp, windmill, farmhouses from the past centuries.

Culture from Stone Age

I had to get up early to see the World Heritage rock garvings of Alta.

I was deeply touched by the expressiveness of these scenes which outlasted more than 6000 years on the edge of Altafjords.

Within 10 hours I went to Narvic, along fjords and with a ferry through it, over mountains and through it – there was even a single-track tunnel.

Our drivers mastered the winding roads very confident; even with a jumping reindeer bull, he reacted masterfully.

Hooray, I am on North Cape

Actually, I wanted to move by InterRail passport through Scandinavia.

While reading names like Tromso, Hammerfest, North Cape in guide books memories of childhood woke up. With the help of friendly stuff I got the chance being on my birthday on North Cape.

Before arriving we stopped for Sami handicrafts which was made by people who are still breeding reindeers.

From North Cape I went by the coach southwards.

Polar circle baptism, Tromso

In the morning, there was a call by "Neptune" and Captain for polar circle baptism outside on deck. We were baptised with ice cubes and ice water.

Tromso has many superlatives and epithets: it´s according to surface the biggest town of Norway; has the most northern university/ cathedral of the world; Capital of the Antarctic Ocean; Paris of the North.

Moreover, the sun is shining in Tromso as often as on Majorca.

I was impressed by modern cathedral and polar centre.

Magic Ice and Troll fjord

We landed in Svolvaer, the "capital" of Lofoten (group of islands) and had opportunity to visit a war museum or ice sculptures.

Just before midnight, the captain maneuvered our ship in the Troll fjord which is only 100 m wide, but more then 1000 m high.

There were trolls with every souvenir store, but unfortunately, none of them dancing in the fjord. So the crew illuminated a small waterfall.