The previous diary left all of you standing at the train station in Boden, Sweden, a tad south of the Arctic Circle. Today we will continue our northward trek across snowy fields and forests, past mountains and frozen lakes, stopping occasionally at ski resorts, before descending the rugged west side of the mountain range into the town of Narvik, Norway.
I took lots of pictures on this segment, and will share some of the best views with all of you.
In case you missed either of the previous diaries, here are the links:
Scandinavian Travel Diary, Part 1 - High Speed Train from Copenhagen to Stockholm
Scandinavia Travel, Part 2 - North from Stockholm on the Night Train
With this being a continuation of the ticket for the night train, I still had a first-class seat. The sleeper car was gone, waiting at Boden for a return to Stockholm. Beyond the tracks, the scenery was much like before: Mostly flat, with a mosaic of open lands and forest. The forests were clearly being managed, with patches of different species and ages, often thinned. Occasionally there were stacks of logs awaiting transport to mills.
Shortly before noon, we stopped at the small town of Nattavaara. I made a point of taking photos of rail stations. Some were modest, some were grand old buildings. These pictures were taken at known times and places, which helped me remember where the pictures in between were taken (for example, the lead photo was taken a few minutes away from the Vassijaure station).
My car was at the rear of the train. I could go to the back of the car and watch the scenery go by.
It was time for lunch. The diner car had food and drink selections behind the counter that you had to ask for. My first question was whether the attendant spoke English. He did, but couldn’t quite describe what was in the soft drink. I tried it anyway; I mean, why buy cola when you can try something new? It was a mix of apple and citrus, a rather interesting combination. The wraps were good enough that I finished one before snapping a picture.
I kept the Eurail app open on my phone, so that I could know the time and location of the stops along the way. The train was on time all day, sometimes arriving a few minutes early, and lingering at the station until the scheduled departure time.
All of the rail cars had power sources for charging electronic equipment. Sometimes the plug was hidden underneath the seat, requiring a bit of searching. I carried a universal power converter that I’d purchased at a computer store back home for $17. It worked just fine. I had left my laptop in Copenhagen because I didn’t want to carry the extra bulk and weight. The phone was my lifeline, and I made sure that it was properly charged at all times.
Approaching the city of Kiruna, we passed a huge mine. Talking with two passengers who were about to disembark, it’s an iron mine. The rail station and part of the town had been moved to accommodate mining activity.
From Wikipedia:
The Kiruna mine is the largest and most modern underground iron ore mine in the world.[1][unreliable source?] The mine is located in Kiruna in Norrbotten County, Lapland, Sweden.[1] The mine is owned by Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB), a large Swedish mining company. In 2018 the mine produced 26.9 million tonnes of iron ore.[2] The Kiruna mine has an ore body which is 4 km (2.5 mi) long, 80 metres (260 ft) to 120 metres (390 ft) thick and reaching a depth of up to 2 km (1.2 mi). Since mining began at the site in 1898, the mine has produced over 950 million tonnes of ore.[1]
In 2004, it was decided that the present centre of the city would need to be relocated to accommodate mining-related subsidence. The relocation would be made gradually over decades.
As the train left the Kiruna station, it was going backwards! Did I miss something, and fail to change trains? Were we going back to Boden? Nope, I should have watched the promotional video again, which points out that the change is the result of the old station being moved to a temporary location. Before long, mountains came into view and I knew that the train had not reversed course. However, the engine had switched ends, meaning that I could no longer have a view of the tracks from the back of my car.
The train was not crowded to begin with. After Kiruna, only a few passengers remained on my car. I could move around, stretch my legs, and take pictures without tripping over anyone. By now I had discovered that the doors at the front of the car had less glare and fewer reflections, making for better quality pictures.
I truly enjoyed this portion of the journey. I had the car almost to myself, with all this spectacular scenery drifting past me. Unlike air travel where you’re crammed in a tiny seat for hours, or car travel where the driving wears you down, train travel allows the passenger to relax and watch the world go by. At this point I had been on trains for 22 of the previous 24 hours, and was none the worse for wear.
It seemed a bit late in the season for the ice fishermen to have those heavy trailers on the lake. The ice must have been quite thick.
The train was now passing through prime ski country. At the next several stations, most of the passengers exiting or entering the train were skiers.
The temperature was well above freezing. These cross country skiers were walking carefully after taking off their skis, occasionally sinking to their knees in the soft snow.
A week ago, I had been at home in Georgia, admiring the new spring growth and basking in warm weather. Here, at the border of Sweden and Norway, winter still reigned, even though this particular day was sunny and pleasant. One of the videos I’d seen before the trip said that there would be a customs check at the border, but there was none.
Beyond this house, the rail line curved and entered a long tunnel, beginning the descent towards the coast.
Beyond the tunnel, the terrain was decidedly more rugged than the Swedish highlands we had just traversed. Canyons, cliffs, waterfalls, and finally a majestic fjord. This was the only segment of the entire trip where other passengers were standing up to gaze out the windows. We were looking into the late afternoon sun, and most of the pictures came out badly. Here are three of the better images.
A few minutes later, the train reached the station at Narvik. Twenty-eight hours after leaving Copenhagen, I was in a whole different world. This is the end of the line, literally. The only way to leave Narvik by train is to return the same way you came. Other forms of transportation are available, and I would eventually travel by bus to connect with the rail lines farther south. Meanwhile, I had rented a place for two nights, giving me a full day to explore my surroundings.
The Narvik station is at 68.44 degrees north, the same latitude as the northern edge of Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska.