Destination "Sweden - Stockholm & the Northern Lights" with Susan Riley & Michael Cornelis
Mohawk Street
Mohawk Street
e always wanted to experience the Northern Lights, and with a milestone birthday coming up for Mike in 2022, we decided to go for it!
Photo credit Timeout.com/Stockholm
Initial destination, Stockholm.
Abbathemuseum.com
In Stockholm, first on our list was a visit to the ABBA museum. It was so well done with lots of interactive activities. We had an incredibly fun musical experience.
Traveller.com
Another must do in Stockholm was a trip to Vasa Museum. It features a 1628
warship that sank on its maiden voyage in the Stockholm Harbor and in 1961 was salvaged by the Swedes. According to the museum, it is the only preserved ship from the 17th century anywhere in the world.
warship that sank on its maiden voyage in the Stockholm Harbor and in 1961 was salvaged by the Swedes. According to the museum, it is the only preserved ship from the 17th century anywhere in the world.
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Both dinners in Stockholm were spectacular. Our first night was at Ling Long, featuring amazing Asian Fusion cuisine. The next night was at Portal, offering a delicious multi-course modern improvisation on traditional Swedish fare.
Cuisine in Sweden centers around fish and game meat, including reindeer &
moose. They are very skilled at letting little of the animal go to waste. We also enjoyed some fabulous local breads and rolls. Another favorite was the vegetables and fruits, many of which we had never heard of before. Last, they serve wonderful fruit juices made with local berries, often drunk warm.
moose. They are very skilled at letting little of the animal go to waste. We also enjoyed some fabulous local breads and rolls. Another favorite was the vegetables and fruits, many of which we had never heard of before. Last, they serve wonderful fruit juices made with local berries, often drunk warm.
Our journey north started on a SAS flight from Stockholm to Lulea, followed by a 90 minute drive to Harads. We stayed at the Arctic Bath, a spa and resort, that was simply incredible. Before we booked it, we found photos on Instagram that piqued our interest, but it was even better in person.
It is called the Arctic Bath for a reason, in the center of the spa is a plunge pool for guests to take a therapeutic dip into frigid water. Cryotherapy in its original state! After the frigid dip, guests head to the saunas.
It is called the Arctic Bath for a reason, in the center of the spa is a plunge pool for guests to take a therapeutic dip into frigid water. Cryotherapy in its original state! After the frigid dip, guests head to the saunas.
Instagram - Arctic Bath
We booked a suite which faced North and overlooked the frozen riverscape.
We spent a day with Anna, a Sami, a member of the indigenous people who live near Jokkmokk, just north of the Arctic Circle. Fans of Frozen 2 may
recognize our host, part of the movie storyline was based on her life.
She with her family are carrying on the Sami traditions of over 400 years as reindeer herders. They tend a reindeer herd of over 4,000 deer. Her husband and the herd had just come back down to their winter feeding and resting grounds around mid-January. About a week before we visited.
In April, they make an annual migration over 350 km north to their traditional breeding and birthing grounds. Several Sami clans band together to protect and care for the animals during the trek north and make camp to tend to the birthing care.
recognize our host, part of the movie storyline was based on her life.
She with her family are carrying on the Sami traditions of over 400 years as reindeer herders. They tend a reindeer herd of over 4,000 deer. Her husband and the herd had just come back down to their winter feeding and resting grounds around mid-January. About a week before we visited.
In April, they make an annual migration over 350 km north to their traditional breeding and birthing grounds. Several Sami clans band together to protect and care for the animals during the trek north and make camp to tend to the birthing care.
We got to visit with and feed a few of her favorite reindeer. Some of the deer are semidomesticated. She prepared a multi-course lunch of traditional Sami cuisine while we relaxed on comfy reindeer hides in a cozy teepee like tent house called a lavvu. She also sang traditional songs (joik). It
was incredibly educational, spiritual, and so much fun.
was incredibly educational, spiritual, and so much fun.
An example of a lavuu.
We learned so much about the Sami people and their struggles with the
Swedish government and the logging and mining industries. All of these
groups and now the wind farm industries are in a centuries long
struggle to stake claims to the Sami ancestral lands. The Sami people
have also faced many ethnic persecutions by the government trying to
remove them from their lands and integrate into Swedish culture. And
we also learned that most Sami’s consider being called a Lapp or
Laplander a racial slur for reasons we won’t go into here. The entire experience was incredibly spiritual in that the Sami people are very tied to protecting the land and being one with nature.
Swedish government and the logging and mining industries. All of these
groups and now the wind farm industries are in a centuries long
struggle to stake claims to the Sami ancestral lands. The Sami people
have also faced many ethnic persecutions by the government trying to
remove them from their lands and integrate into Swedish culture. And
we also learned that most Sami’s consider being called a Lapp or
Laplander a racial slur for reasons we won’t go into here. The entire experience was incredibly spiritual in that the Sami people are very tied to protecting the land and being one with nature.
Another activity was ice fishing with a Sami guide. We each caught an Arctic Char and the hotel chef prepared them for our dinner that night. The hotel offered a daily five course dinner with wine pairings every evening. The same Sami guide, Mikel, was our guide for the Northern Lights tour. We went deep into northern wilderness to his small camp overlooking a frozen lake. We then waited for the fabulous natural light show while drinking traditional warm blueberry juice around his camp fire pit.
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On the drive back home we encountered a massive bull moose. The guide rolled down all the windows and started making moose calls. We were a bit worried and told him, “that’s ok, we don’t need the moose to come any closer!” We remained safe and he went on to tell us that his moose calls were once featured on an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres show.
We had such a fabulous time!
If you decide to go, plan ahead for any Covid protocols. While there are plenty of testing options in the larger cities. You really have to have a plan when in the wilderness and also need a PCR test within 24 hours of the flight back home.
Go "Sweden - Stockholm & the Northern Lights"
Issue XIV
Issue XIV
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