From Narvik we returned to our favourite means of transport; the train. Unfortunately we had a terrible night's sleep as we were in regular seats, but I did manage to prepare a hot meal at the station beforehand.
We liked the compact city of Ostersund, which was easy to navigate and had a nice hill and lake for a walk.
Our major discovery however was the large number of Loppis - second hand stores that overflowed with handmade objects Dani and I love. For me it was wood, and I had to restrain myself from buying many bowls, spoons and other lovingly created pieces, many engraved with the maker or person it was made for.
Dani indulged her love of wool, and though we hadn't bought a single souvenir beforehand, the impending postage of camping equipment from Helsinki allowed us to treat ourselves to a few incredibly cheap handicrafts. We could have filled a container to the brim with the amazing chairs, chests, pots, and a fantastic spinning wheel we found.
My favourite acquisition was this coffee grinder, made in communist East Germany and bought for just £4 / $6.50.
Unfortunately our time in Uppsala was very short, and it coincided with particularly rainy weather, so we relaxed and chatted with our hosts, their small baby and it's grandmother. It was a nice excuse to take a pause, eat some delicious Polish soup (recipe below) and generally recharge. We saw very little of Uppsala, but it seemed like a nice little place.
Recipe - Mushroom Soup, by Krystyna from Poland
- Fry 2 onions, and add 300gm mushrooms
- Peel and dice 5 potatoes
- Grate 250gm of carrot
- Grate 250gm of parsnip
- Roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic
- Add all vegetables to 2L of water with vegetable stock
- Boil until tender, then add fresh chopped parsely at the end
- Serve with cream for people to add if they wish
We liked the compact city of Ostersund, which was easy to navigate and had a nice hill and lake for a walk.
Our major discovery however was the large number of Loppis - second hand stores that overflowed with handmade objects Dani and I love. For me it was wood, and I had to restrain myself from buying many bowls, spoons and other lovingly created pieces, many engraved with the maker or person it was made for.
Dani indulged her love of wool, and though we hadn't bought a single souvenir beforehand, the impending postage of camping equipment from Helsinki allowed us to treat ourselves to a few incredibly cheap handicrafts. We could have filled a container to the brim with the amazing chairs, chests, pots, and a fantastic spinning wheel we found.
My favourite acquisition was this coffee grinder, made in communist East Germany and bought for just £4 / $6.50.
Unfortunately our time in Uppsala was very short, and it coincided with particularly rainy weather, so we relaxed and chatted with our hosts, their small baby and it's grandmother. It was a nice excuse to take a pause, eat some delicious Polish soup (recipe below) and generally recharge. We saw very little of Uppsala, but it seemed like a nice little place.
Recipe - Mushroom Soup, by Krystyna from Poland
- Fry 2 onions, and add 300gm mushrooms
- Peel and dice 5 potatoes
- Grate 250gm of carrot
- Grate 250gm of parsnip
- Roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic
- Add all vegetables to 2L of water with vegetable stock
- Boil until tender, then add fresh chopped parsely at the end
- Serve with cream for people to add if they wish
