Stranded in Narvik Because We Missed Our Bus

<< Previous Post: Northern Light Spotting in Abisko <<

Sometimes, things don't go as we planned. And this happened during our journey from Sweden to Norway. 

Initially, we're planning to travel to Tromso, Norway by taking train from Abisko to Narvik and from there, continue by taking the bus. Everything has been planned and booked prior to our trip. But what caused us to miss our bus? Not because we're late or overslept but because the train from Abisko to Narvik was delayed for hours. And the worst part, that's the one and only train runs per day. Therefore once we miss the train, directly we will miss the bus to Tromso too. 

 

Oh dear train! Where are you now? 

Somehow, my friend and I were expecting this incident to occur cause it's pretty common, especially for those trains in outskirt area. After few hours of waiting, finally the train had arrived but we felt pointless, cause by the time we arrived Narvik, even the last bus has left and departed to Tromso. And that's mean we have no choice but to book a night stay in Narvik at the very last minute. Luckily for both of us, we do always standby with our debit/credit cards - you know in case of any unforeseen circumstances happened. 

Narvik, a city in northern Norway with a small population of about 14,000 

Overall, Narvik is proportionally small in size. There's nothing much for us to roaming around, except a shopping mall, Amfi Narvik which located right in the middle of the town. We're quite lucky that there are few accommodations available for booking on the spot cause Narvik is not well-known for tourism purposes. In case you have extra budget, you can consider staying at Scandic Narvik but my friend and I opt for the affordable one. 

OUR LAST MINUTE BOOKING OF ACCOMMODATION IN NARVIK

Frankly speaking, this is not my first time of experiencing last minute booking an accommodation in certain city. That's why my friend was kinda surprised to see why I wasn't nervous at all and yet, I was pretty steady when we missed both the train and bus. For me, no point of feeling down and we need to immediately come out with a solution if anything happened. So once we missed our bus, instantly I browsed those booking apps like Agoda, Booking.com and Airbnb. Time waits for no one, you know. 

The one we booked in Narvik was fairly good, especially in terms of location where it's quite close to the bus station. The host was quite accommodate with our last minute booking but at the same time, she was shocked why we did so until we told her what happened to our unfortunate incidents. The property was spacious and consider big for just two of us. I think this place is perfectly fit up to 4 guests. The area I adore much is the kitchen as it's well-equipped with all sorts of appliances. Should grab this opportunity to do homecook but both of us were kinda exhausted. 

Queenstreet Apartment (Unfortunately they're permanently closed due to the pandemic)

Date Stayed: 14 September - 15 September 2016 (1 nights) 

The apartment was utterly cozy and homey while the weather at outside was gloomy and cold due to the rain poured down earlier making both of us lazy to go out. We spent most of our times staying inside the apartment - browsing Facebook and Instagram, transferring photos and planning what to do on the next day. 

Our lunch before departing to Tromso on the following day

2016 Sweden & Norway Travelogues

• Qatar Airways, My Favourite Gateway To Europe
• Stockholm Metro Station - Probably The World's Longest Art Installation 
• Stockholm For Less Than 36 Hours
• From Stockholm To Kiruna & Abisko 
• Abisko National Park
• Northern Light Spotting in Abisko

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Northern Light Spotting in Abisko

What should I say?

"One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life."

"Another bucket list finally ticked off."

According to the most research I found, the best time to get catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights (or known as Aurora Borealis) is between December to March in the Artic Circle where the night time is longer than the daytime. Hence sighting this spectacle and bright dancing light of the aurora in the month of September, the chances are pretty low. On our first night in Abisko, the luck wasn't on our side as we can't sight any of the Northern Light.  

Thankfully, we have decided to stay for another night and we met a Taiwanese who has been living in Abisko for few years. He works as a freelancer where he will bring a small group of tourists for Northern light sighting tour. The icing on the sugar, he only charge us €500 - that's like half of the price from what we expected to pay earlier. Too bad I didn't save his contact, or else I could share with you all here (sorry!).  

The tour began around 10pm and we are advised to wear more layers and layers. Besides us, there are few tourists who joined this mini tour; 3 ladies from Taiwan and a guy from Hong Kong. Our freelance tour guide drove us to somewhere out from the city, where it's pitch dark without any lights on the street. We're also given headlight each before reaching a point for us to set up the camera and wait for the northern light to appear. While waiting patiently, we're served with hot warm drinks and some light meals. 

The weather on that night it's freezing cold and all of us were shivering non-stop, until someone shouted that he/she spotted the Northern light. At that moment, all I can say is I was absolutely speechless, my jaw was dropping and I totally forgot how cold was I that night. Spectacular, amazing, mesmerising, beautiful, impressive, astonishing - gosh, countless of these words keep running in my head. I just can't believe that finally I got to witness them myself with my naked eye.   

Thanks Abisko for the unforgettable night, before packing our bags for the next destination on the following day.

Besides Abisko. there are few best places in the world are well-know for great northern light spotting such as Tromso (Norway), Reykjavik (Iceland), Rovaniemi (Finland), Ilulissat (Iceland) and more.  

2016 Sweden & Norway Travelogues

• Qatar Airways, My Favourite Gateway To Europe
• Stockholm Metro Station - Probably The World's Longest Art Installation 
• Stockholm For Less Than 36 Hours
• From Stockholm To Kiruna & Abisko 
• Abisko National Park

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Abisko National Park, Sweden

 << Previous Post: From Stockholm to Kiruna & Abisko <<

Not sure is it because of the walls of the hostels are quite thick or because my friend and I were pretty exhausted, both of us were barely heard any sound of cars passing by. We woke up spontaneously, without setting any alarm as we don't have much activities to do in Abisko, except for exploring Abisko National Park. 

#1: Abisko National Park

Right after we had our breakfast which we bought from the nearby grocery store, we suited ourselves with layers and layers - thick clothes as well as thick jackets too. Although it's fall which supposed to be in mild temperatures, but due to its location situated in the north of the Artic Circle, Abisko tend to be significantly colder than other parts of the cities. But still September is consider to be the ideal time for hiking where the air is fresh and cool. 

#2: Cottages painted in red colour

The tourist station of Abisko National Park is about 3km away from where we stayed. So my friend and I decided to have our own sweet time by meandering in leisurely pace as we're not in rush. In the beginning of our hike, we came across numbers of cottages and most of them are painted in red. 

#3: The mountain birch forest is filled with bright and fierce yellow, orange and red leaves. 

#4: A quick photo of Abiskojåkka canyon and river. This is so stunning and breathtaking! 

Oh well! We didn't eventually hike the entire trails as we chosen the easiest and fastest way which is by taking chairlift up onto Mount Nuolja. We're lucky that the weather on that day wasn't windy or else, they will stop operating the chairlift and we need to hike on our own which might takes 3 to 4 hours of hiking. 

#5: A 25 minutes of chairlift ride up onto Mount Nuolja 

#6: This place is famous for Northern Light spotting. 

#7: Standing on top of the world while admiring the beauty of the nature

Almost at the top of Mount Noulja, there is Aurora Sky Station where you can find a cafe and museum. My friend and I spent some time there by sipping a cup of hot coffee at the cafe, and writing postcards at the same time - one of favourite pastimes whereby both of us travel together.  

#8: Sending postcards from Aurora Sky Station 

#9: This is how exactly the chairlift looks like 

#10: After spending almost 4 hours on the top, it's time to head back to our hostel for our next adventure.

Till then, stay tuned for my upcomig post. 

2016 Sweden & Norway Travelogues

• Qatar Airways, My Favourite Gateway To Europe
• Stockholm Metro Station - Probably The World's Longest Art Installation 
• Stockholm For Less Than 36 Hours
• From Stockholm To Kiruna & Abisko 

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From Stockholm to Kiruna & Abisko

 << Previous Post: Stockholm, Sweden For Less Than 36 Hours >>

From the capital city of Sweden, my friend and I moved on to another town for another adventures. We decided to travel up to Abisko, a small little town in the Lapland region of the northern Sweden. There are several ways to reach Abisko from Stockholm; either by bus, train or plane. But due to time constraint, we opted to travel in the faster way which is by taking plane to Kiruna first, and from there we take train to Abisko. 

#1: From Stockhom Arlanda, we flew with Norwegian to Kiruna Airport

#2: We booked the morning flight in order for us to catch train to Abisko

Norwegian is a low-cost airline and it's the largest airline of Norway. We got this one-way flight for €115 (approx. to RM523) for 2 pax and we even included 20kg check-in luggage. Similar like AirAsia, it's no frills airline where you need to pay additional fee for non-essential services such as in-flight meals, entertainment and check-in luggage. Apart from Norwegian, you can search for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) too for direct flight to Kiruna from Stockholm. 

#3: A tiny of Kiruna Airport 

FROM KIRUNA AIRPORT TO ABISKO

There are two ways to reach Abisko from Kiruna; you can travel by bus or train and my friend opted for the latter. Regardless which option you choose, both departs from Kiruna Central Station. So once we stepped out from the tiny Kiruna Airport, we took airport bus transfer operated by "Hörvalls Bus" heading to "Hjalmar Lundbohmsvägen/Bus station". No prebooking is necessary and you can purchase ticket onboard the bus with cash or credit cards. Bear in mind that there's no ATM available at Kiruna Airport for cash withdrawal, so always bring along your debit/credit cards with you. A single trip cost 110 SEK for adult and 55 SEK for children up to 16 years.  

  

The reason why my friend chosen to travel by train instead of bus is because there are at least 4 direct trains compare to bus where it only operates 1 daily. And by the time we arrived Kiruna Airport, we unable to catch us with the bus schedule. The train rides took approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach Abisko Ostra and we paid 99 SEK for a single trip. It seems like the airport bus shuttle fares tend to be more pricey than the train fare when the bus ride took less than half an hour ride.   

#4: Abisko Ostra Station

ABISKO GUEST HOUSE

Because Abisko is a small and tiny town, hence there are not many choices when comes to accommodation. It's best to plan your trip ahead. We managed to book this Abisko Guest House at least 4 months in advance before our trip. 

#5: Abisko Guest House, 5 minutes walk from Abisko Ostra Station.

#6: Small but cozy common area

#7: Our favourite area - most of the time we spent our time here

#8: Shared kitchen when guests can cook their meal 

#9: This is how our room looks like 

Date Stayed: 12 September - 14 September 2016 (2 nights) 

Room Rate: 1,180 SEK for an economy twin room with shared bathroom for two nights (Booked via Booking.com)

Not far away from the guest house, there's a small grocery store and to be frank, that's the one and only thing we can visit in the immediate vicinity. With a population less than 100 people, don't expect any upscale restaurants, 5 star hotels and countless of boutique shops here. But to think of it, due to the less population, Abisko tends to be more peaceful, serene and calm than any other places I've been. It's absolutely a perfect place to relax your mind and soul from the hustle and bustle of city life. And also an ideal spot to heal the broken heart too. 

#10: One and only grocery store within the town

#11: Majority of the racks are pretty empty but luckily we managed to buy few things we want

And that's some brief introduction of Abisko town. Wondering why both of us chosen to come here? Stay tune for the next post for more.

#12: Autumn always my favourite season. How about you? 

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Stockholm, Sweden For Less Than 36 Hours

Previous Post: Qatar Airlines, Our Official Airlines To Sweden 

Stockholm, not just the capital city of Sweden but it's also the land of Ikea, H&M, Candy Crush and not forgetting the world notable Swedish meatballs. After approximately of 13 hours and 30 minutes of flight with Qatar Airlines with almost 3 hours of short transit in Doha Hamad International Airport, my friend and I had finally safely landed in one of the Scandinavian's big city. Feeling so surreal, but at the same time feeling pretty anxious too. 

#1: Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden 

HOW TO GET TO CITY CENTER FROM STOCKHOLM-ARLANDA AIRPORT

As usual, the immigration clearance was slightly tedious with few questions being asked but with all the complete documentations we had prepared earlier (such as flight tickets, hotel reservation), there's nothing to worry about. Just stay calm and be prepared always. 

From Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, there are several way to reach the city center but we opted for The Arlanda Express Train where we can access it at the lower level floor.  It departs every 15 minutes and the journey takes around 20 minutes to arrive at Stockholm Central Station. This option might be pricey compare to other means of transportation, but it's way more faster and convenient since we arrived pretty late at night. Budget vs safety, for sure I will choose the latter. 

 

#2: Arlanda Express Train to Stockholm Central Station

OUR STAY IN STOCKHOLM

We booked Old Town Lodge Stockholm for two good nights stay. It's a small cozy hostel situated in the heart of Stockholm, Gamla Stan with 4 different type of rooms; single room, double room, 4-bed room and cubicle-dormitory. We opted for the double room with shared bathroom. 

#3: Old Town Lodge Stockholm 

#4: Double bedroom with shared bathroom and shared kitchen 

Although the room might be small and compact, thankfully it's spotless clean and the bed is pretty comfortable. Just that there's no window within the room but we don't have any issue with that cause my friend and I spent most of our times wandering around the city. There is a small shared kitchen where you can find an oven, microwave, fridge, coffee machine and kettle - perfect for those who like to cook while travelling. The only thing we dislike about this is that they don't provide any bedsheet and we need to pack the bedsheet ourselves. 

Date Stayed: 10 September - 12 September 2016 (2 nights) 

Room Rate: SEK733 for a double bed room with shared bathroom (Booked via Booking.com)

How To Get To Old Town Lodge From Stockholm Central Station:

As the hostel located in Gamla Stan, one need to take metro from Stockholm Central Station to Gamla Stan Metro Station. And from there, it's about 7 minutes walk to the hostel. 

THINGS WE DO & SEE IN STOCKHOLM

1) Gamla Stan 

We kicked off the next morning by meandering through the colourful and picturesque medieval buildings and narrow cobblestone street of the Old Town of Stockholm. That's explain why I insisted to stay here, instead of choosing to stay nearby Central Station. Here, you will find countless of souvenir shops, authentic restaurants, craftwork boutiques and even the city's oldest cafe, Sundbergs Konditori. 

2) The Royal Palace (Sveriges Kungahus)

On the northern part of the Old Town, it's dominated by the classical and dynamic Royal Palace. This is the official residence of His Majesty The King and also the setting for most of the monarchy's official receptions. This combination of royal residence, workplace and culture-historical monument open to the public all year round. 

3) Riksdagshuset

It's the Parliament House of Sweden, sits on Helgeandsholmen Island. Just like The Royal Palace, Riksdagshuset is open for anyone wishing to attend a debate or public hearing. But because it's not within our interest, we're there just to take photos surrounding the building, especially the stunning bridge - it's perfect for the Gram.  

4) Avicii Arena 

Initially known as Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen, is one of the Stockholm's modern landmarks. It's the world's largest spherical building and officially a national arena for the Swedish national hockey team. Up the iconic Avicii Arena, one can gain unparalleled and uninterrupted 360-degree views over the beautiful city from the glass cabin that scales the side of this impressive building.  

5) Stockholm Metro Station

Yes, the metro station of the city is a must-to-visit in your list when you're visiting Stockholm. Majority of the Stockholm's metro stations are spruced up with awe-inspiring statues, mesmerising murals and art installations on its platform, walls and even waiting hall. So spending a day in Stockholm by hopping from one station to another is basically like visiting the world’s longest art exhibition. You can read more here where I shared more photos. 

6) Swedish Meatball 

A trip to Sweden is incomplete without savouring the country's most famous culinary item - none other than Swedish Meatball. Unfortunately due to religious reason and because they unable to change to other, I have no choice but to opted for other. 

Swedish meatball paired with mashed potato and cranberries sauce (My friend's dinner)

My dinner - Pasta with chicken

This is the restaurant where we had our dinner

Ended our final night in Stockholm by stopping by Stortorget, a public square in Gamla Stan 

Basic Information About Sweden:

• For Malaysia, visa is NOT required for short visits to Sweden, not longer than 90 days. 
• Sweden has its own official currency and it's known as krona (SEK). From our past experiences, this currency is commonly found in any money changers, especially in Kuala Lumpur. [RM1 = 2.05 SEK] 
• However, do bring along your debit/credit card as the country is going cashless. I still vividly remember when we arrived Stockholm Central Station from the airport, we intended to buy metro ticket in order to reach the station near our hostel. Unfortunately, they only accept payment by card, not cash. Thankfully my friend brought along her cards that time. And don't forget to activate your cards for international usage at the nearest ATM machine in Malaysia before flying. 
• Although official language for Sweden is Swedish, don't worry cause almost everyone in Sweden excels at speaking English. My friend and I don't have any issue communicate with the local when we're there.  

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