A leisurely morning with breakfast around 9:15 in the hotel. The breakfast bar was very extensive with so many different options – breads, fruit, juice, yogurt with various toppings, herring with the fixings, cheese and meats, eggs, bacon, sausage, potato patties, vegetables, pastries…. After breakfast we headed out and walked to the museum island. The weather wasn’t too cold (around minus 2) but it must have been colder while we were up north as the river had frozen in some sections. As we arrived at the island it started to snow as well. We went to the ABBA Museum first, which was entertaining with a lot of interactive exhibits, including recording booths, and a stage show! You scan your ticket at the various activities and it records your “performances” for future download. After the ABBA Museum we went to the Spirit Museum and had lunch first. I had a beer and pork sausage with potatoes and sauerkraut. As we were eating a couple from our group, who was staying in Stockholm for a few days to visit their son, walked into the museum and the sat down with us – quite a coincidence. We then toured around the museum devoted to alcohol, which was fairly entertaining with some interesting exhibits. Afterwards, we went for the tasting, which we had added on (regretfully). The four alcohols for the tasting included aquavit, a Swedish bitter orange snapps, a “punch” and another concoction called bäsk, which was a very disgusting spirit with an unpleasant taste. The “punch” was probably the most drinkable as it was weaker and quite sweet. After the museum we headed back towards the hotel. On the way we walked by the Royal Palace and down a few of the streets in Gamla Stan, the historic island we are staying on. Stopped in the hotel for a quick rest and then headed out for dinner to Aifur, which was a viking themed restaurant. It looked like it was going to be a very cheesy experience but it actually wasn’t too bad and the food was quite good – I had some Swedish mead, venison with root vegetable potato cake and then some ice cream for dessert.

Managed to survive the night in the ice hotel and got my “diploma” from the front desk, along with some warm lingonberry juice. Had a sauna and shower and got ready. We then headed across the road to the restaurant and had breakfast – another good selection of food. After breakfast we checked out the gift shop and then got our packing organized. We then headed for a quick walk down towards the frozen river to take few more photos. We then checked out and headed up to the warm lounge for a final drink before our bus came to get us to take us to the airport. Definitely felt a bit cooler today. Managed to get some photos of the Ice Hotel uploaded before we left. On the way to the Kiruna airport we saw a few reindeer jump across the road and into the trees. The 1.5 hour flight back to Stockholm was full – lots of tourists heading back from up north. Said a few goodbyes to the majority of the group, who were all carrying on back to the UK, apart from two who were heading back to Lithuania. Bags were super quick and I saw mine as I was walking up to the belt. Definitely a much better baggage experience than on the way in to Sweden! Caught a taxi to the city; although ended up stuck in rush hour for quite some time and figured it may have been better to take the train and then a taxi from there to the hotel. Checked in and freshened up before heading out for some dinner. Walked by a place that served better than “damn good” margharitas and had to take a photo of the signboard. Then walked on and found a place a block or so from the hotel and had a nice herring appetizer with herring done three different ways. For the main I had some cod with shrimp with grated horseradish, a poached egg and potatoes. Was a lot of food as the herring had also come with boiled potatoes and a chunk of cheese. Was pretty tired after dinner so headed back to the hotel and relaxed before going to bed around 11 or so.

Another relaxing start with 8 am breakfast. Ate breakfast and then packed our bags before heading out for a final dog sled in the morning. Our one wild, young dog was swapped out for another as he had some “tummy” issues and could be quite messy. We got the dogs hooked up and headed out for our ride. We got a minute or two away from the lodge and there was a dog running towards us – it was the wild one with the tummy issues! I guess he did not want to stay behind in the kennel and had jumped the fence and ran after us. A cooler morning today – around -27 I think. The wild dog got attached to one of the other sleds that only had 5 dogs but before they could get anywhere, it started fighting with the other dog. The guide had to remove the dog and let it run for a bit beside us. Then she attached it to ours and removed the older mother dog, who was allowed to run the rest of the way. Very blue sky today and some nice scenery with the snow and blue sky. Headed back to the lodge to check out and get in the van to take us to the Sami reindeer farm, near the Ice Hotel, where we had lunch, which was a reindeer wrap. Lunch was in a smoke filled teepee type thing where they cooked the reindeer over a big fire in the middle. After our wrap we briefly (due to the cold) toured around the outdoor Sami museum and feed the reindeer some reindeer lichen. Thought there was only one in there but once I opened the bag of food a bunch came running from various areas and I was surrounded by 4 or 5 hungry reindeer, all trying to get the food! These were definitely a lot bigger than the deer in Nara and had horns so they were considerably more dangerous! Finished feeding the deer and headed back to the bus as my hands were freezing from the short stint outside. Drove a minute back down the road to the Ice Hotel and checked in. Had some time to tour the 28th Ice Hotel, where our rooms were and then went over to the Ice Hotel 365, which houses the Icebar and ice rooms opens all year. Had some champagne in the Icebar out of an ice champagne flute! Then toured the rooms in the 365 building, some which looked very dangerous, particularly the one with the bed up a large flight of ice stairs! Wondered how many people crack their heads open going up and down the stairs. There were a few of the rooms closed and I suspected they had probably had accidents in the night and the staff still had to hose away the blood! 🙂 Then had another champagne in the icebar before heading to dinner. Had an early dinner reservation, which was kind of irritating as we only recently had lunch due to the snowshoeing in the morning. Walked the 950 m to the Old Homestead Restaurant, which was near the Sami museum. Had some parsnip soup and a reindeer burger, which was good but a lot of food too early. Also tried a local beer made with water from the Torne River, which flows (in summer) behind the Ice Hotel. Headed back to the hotel and had a few different drinks in the Icebar. Was surprised at how empty it was. I would have thought it would have been packed after dinner but I guess some of the other guests either were wimps and didn’t want to spend any extra time in the cold or they wanted to maximize the time in their ice room and went to bed at 6 am! As we were finishing up a drink, a staff member came over to tell us the Northern Lights were out!!! We ran down to the river and I tried snapping a photo with my point and shoot but it was no good so I ran back to the lockers and grabbed my DSLR, tripod and slipped into my snowsuit. Headed back out and managed to get a few shots. Not overly dramatic lights but they turned out more green in the photos. Then spent a bit of time taking some photos with the tripod around the hotel before heading in for the night. Got changed for bed and grabbed our sleeping bags. The bed was a block of ice with a cushion mattress and some reindeer hides. The temperature was only minus 5 so it was pretty comfortable with the sleeping bag.

A relaxing this morning today with breakfast at 8. Lounged around after breakfast and then prepared for a walk around the lodge area. Walked onto the river and took some photos and then back and onto the little pedestrian bridge near the lodge. The weather was warmer today- only about minus 17 or so. There was a bit of sun when we left and the hint of a rainbow after a tiny bit of snow. As we walked on the river it clouded over and it began to slow a bit, but not too heavy. After the walk we had lunch in the lodge, which was cabbage and meat soup with bread. The soup was good and fairly filling. After lunch had a relaxing afternoon and managed to get some blogs updated. Headed to the sauna before dinner – definitely getting used to a pre dinner sauna and will have difficulty adjusting at home! For dinner we had a spicy and sweet salad with smoked reindeer followed by a moose bourguignon with potatoes. For dessert, there was a Bailey’s mousse. After dinner it was off to bed for our last night at the lodge. Tomorrow we’re off to the Ice Hotel!

Slept fairly well in the cabin and only had to make one trip to the bathroom during the night! The bathroom was a fancy outhouse with a heater in the main room and individual stalls. Took a few photos around camp and then went for breakfast in the main building, which had a very warm fire going. Had to take off a number of layers to eat breakfast! We then packed up and prepared for some dogsledding. We had to harness up our dogs and attach them to the sled. We got our 6 harnessed pretty easily but as we were listening to the demo on attaching them to the sled one of our young dogs ate his harness! Fortunately, they had spare harnesses so we changed the harness and got them secured to the sled. We took off for a 25 km or so tour around the area over frozen rivers and lakes and through the forests. There were two to a sled so we switched between driving and sitting halfway. The sitting was fun but a bit uncomfortable. Managed to take some photos while sitting though. The driving was surprisingly easy and was actually quite relaxing. After we got back we had some chili for lunch and then went for a sauna before dinner. For dinner we had a salad with feta and then pork with croquettes and vegetables. For dessert there was an orange parfait with fruit and blueberry sauce. Was exhausted after dinner but managed to get a few blogs updated before falling asleep.

An early start this morning with breakfast at 7:30 before being driven to the horse riding area for our “moose safari”. The drive was about an hour or so from the lodge. We arrived and got assigned our horses. We then had to head out to the pen to get our Icelandic horses and bring them back to the barn. In the pen next to the horses were 4 or 5 moose that had wandered in to eat the hay – didn’t need to bother with the horse ride! 🙂 R ounded up our horses and led them back to the barn, where we got them brushed and dressed in their saddles and bridles. By the time we finished I was starting to sneeze and have difficulty breathing due to a horse allergy. Fortunately, I was okay once we left the barn and got moving! R ode for about an hour and a half and spotted 4 moose; although didn’t get any better pictures than those in the pen! After the ride we had lunch of broccoli soup, reindeer, roasted potatoes and vegetables. For dessert there was a berry cake. W e then headed back in the van to the lodge, where the skidoo drove us to the wilderness camp. Got our cabin and hit the sauna. The sauna was a wood burning sauna and was not very warm initially. The water room in the building had ice on the floor and I regretted not bringing my water shoes 🙁 A fter the sauna we had dinner of tomato soup, salmon with herb cream sauce, rice and cream spinach. Relaxed for a bit and took some photos in the cold around the camp before heading to bed.

Had a good sleep finally without waking up! Had a leisurely start as breakfast was between 8 and 9 and snowshoeing didn’t start until 10. A large breakfast spread with eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, cold cuts, smoked salmon, breads, yogurt, cereal… Had some breakfast and then went back to the room to get dressed up to brave the cold – minus 32 this morning! Then got our snowshoes and headed out for our 8 km snowshoe. The scenery was very picturesque with the trees covered in snow and the sun shining (for the brief time it’s up). We stopped at the wilderness camp for lunch and had a chance to warm up by the fire. Had some moose soup with bread and a muffin. Tasty and warm! We then headed back out along the river. We stopped not too far from the lodge to try some ice fishing; although they said the fish weren’t moving much due to the cold. Tried drilling a hole in the ice by hand but was pretty difficult due to the thickness of the ice. Was surprised at how tiny the fishing rods were – they looked like toys! Then snowshoed back to the lodge to have a sauna before dinner- definitely a good choice as it wad nice and warm and relaxing. Then went for dinner, which was a herring and beet starter with chicken with rice and gravy and then a crepe with lingonberry sauce. After dinner it was early to bed as we had a relatively early start tomorrow.

Managed to have an even worse sleep last night than the previous night – got about 4 hours sleep total. However, I managed to get up properly on time today and not fall asleep! Had breakfast in the hotel and took a taxi to the airport to catch our flight up north to Kiruna. The downtown area seemed very quiet this morning – probably because it is a Saturday and the traffic to the airport was very light so we made it to the airport pretty quickly. Checked in and headed to the gate. The flight was packed and there were a lot of people with carry on luggage. A short hour and a half flight to north of the Arctic Circle. The ground in Kiruna was covered in snow and there is not a lot around. A small terminal where you walk off the plane and to the terminal. Quite a lot of people from our flight though, all crammed around a tiny luggage belt. Met our driver and picked up our luggage and then rode for 45 minutes to our lodge. We got our rooms and had a briefing about our activities, including the recently announced change to the itinerary, which would result in less time dog-sledding. Had some coffee and pastries for “fika”, which is an afternoon tradition of tea or coffee and pastries. We then were assigned our winter gear, which consisted of an overall winter suit, boots, gloves and a fur hat. Then we headed back to our rooms to relax and take some photos of the sunset and lodge. Tried on our snow gear and got ready for dinner back in the lodge building. Every night is apparently a three course dinner. Tonight we had a creamed tuna thing wrapped in a crepe type thing for an appetizer and then meatballs (Swedish, of course :)) with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy and then a chocolate mousse, creme anglais type thing for dessert. Was stuffed, especially after having a pretty inactive day! Hung around after dinner for a bit chatting with some of the group – 12 of us in total – as it was still early and we don’t start snowshoeing tomorrow until 10 am. Updating my blog now before getting to bed – hopefully, I’ll sleep better tonight!

Woke up at 1:30 am and had a difficult time getting back to sleep. Ended up checking some email and watching some downloaded Netflix until about 4 am when I was sleepy again. Fell back asleep and when my alarm went off at 7 I felt awake so I turned it off and didn’t hit snooze as I normally would. Apparently I was not quite as “awake” as I thought as the next time I looked at the clock it was 9:50 and I had said I’d meet Kim for breakfast around 9! Got up and had a shower and got ready for a day of sightseeing. We stopped first for a coffee and pastry at Wayne’s Coffee, which had great coffee. We then walked along the water to the island with a large park and a bunch of museums. Took some photos along the bridge. The weather was cloudy and cool but nice for walking. The city has a relaxed feel to it with people walking during their lunch breaks, looking casual and happy. W e stopped first in the Nordic Museum, which is housed in a large building with a massive open hall in the middle and the exhibits around the outer rectangle. We had a quick lunch at the museum restaurant of a cream cheese quiche with salad, which was very good. We then toured around the museum, which had jewellery, clothing, furniture, folk art, fabrics, some history of the Sami people and some other exhibits and was interesting. There was a mock up of a 1940s apartment and the kitchen was very Ikea-like with the storage items! After the Nordic Museum we went to the Viking Experience, which was a small museum on the history of Vikings in Sweden and included a “ride” which was a bit cheesy. After that, it had snowed outside and the ground had a light dusting for our walk back to the hotel, which was about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace. Had time to change quickly before meeting one of our travelling companions from Madagascar for dinner. He was on the Ice Hotel trip the week before us and just finished his tour. We had dinner at Tak, a Nordic, Japanese fusion place, which was interesting. I had some sparkling sake with sakura, salsify (a root) tempura with roe and mayonnaise and pork (or prok, according to the menu) ramen. We shared two different desserts, which were a bit odd – a chocolate cake with yuzu fudge and toasted rice ice cream and an almond ice cream with dulce de leche and some flowery ice shavings. After dinner we had a few beer in the hotel bar to hear about the trip and catch up before heading to bed.

Managed to get all my stuff into my large suitcase, pack and purse – seems to be the most stuff I’ve packed yet for any trips, yet it is shorter than most others! Lots of bulk though for the winter trip – snow boots, heavy coat, sweaters, gloves, a balaclava and my tripod (for trying to get photos of the Northern Lights). Left the house around 5:45 in a taxi to the airport. Check-in at the airport was quick; however, I was apparently randomly selected by Air Canada for additional security screening so instead of getting to keep my shoes on with my Nexus card, I was subjected to a more thorough than regular search and had to turn on all my electronic devices and have everything swabbed. The security people seemed horribly disorganized and unaware of what was going on so it was an additionally frustrating experience, particularly given the early hour and my lack of sleep. The US Customs area was a breeze; although, it didn’t look that busy so not sure if the Nexus did much there. Went to the lounge for a bit before the flight since I had extra time before boarding my flight to LA. On board, there was a bit of a delay taking off as we had to go for some de-icing before taking off. Not an overly great business class section – pretty cramped getting in and out of the seats and the bathroom is a closet. However, the seats are comfortable enough. Had an omelette an sausage for breakfast as I was starving by then since I didn’t eat too much for dinner last night. Once I left the lounge and arrived at the gate, the SAS flight to Stockholm was ready to board so I walked right on. Night cabin – pods in the business class, which feel very private. The bathroom (in the business class section anyway) was one of the nicest airplane bathrooms I’ve seen so far – a window, spacious, and with a plant! Quite the difference from the flight to LA. Had some champagne while “the others” were boarding. An interesting offering of items on the drink and dining menu. I had a Swedish beer with beets for my post-take off drink, which was not bad – kind of tart. The meal was pretty good too – halibut ceviche for an appetizer and slow cooker lamb with blue cheese polenta and brussel sprouts and leeks. Had a cheese plate and skipped the dessert. Managed to get only a couple of hours of sleep on the flight as it was still pretty early in the day and there was a baby screaming half the flight 🙁 Tried to rest the rest of the flight and actually started feeling sleepy about an hour before we were landing. Felt a bit nauseous and skipped the breakfast. Landed at the Stockholm airport which is about 40 or 45 km north of the city. There was a bit of snow around the airport area as well. Disembarked and went right through security; although they did actually ask me quite a few questions about my trip – guess I looked suspicious. The airport seemed pretty sleepy with not much going on. Got to the luggage belt and waited for a long time before they finally opened the door and turned on the belt. Then they put out one bag, which sparked a, “I’m the winner,” from the owner. Everyone waited and waited and then they closed the gate after the one bag! Not quite sure what was going on but I would think they would have more than one bag to put on the belt. After about another 10 minutes they opened the gate again and some more bags came out. The business class section was pretty big and was full but it didn’t seem like there were many people waiting for their bags so not sure how full the rest of the flight was. Watched all the bags come out and then the damn gate closed again, leaving me and a couple of others from the business class section wondering where our bags were. We headed over to the lost baggage counter and took numbers for the queue. Once a couple of us got up there to say what the problem was, they got on their walkie talkies. I asked one of the guys what they were saying as they were speaking in Swedish, which is totally foreign to me and the guy indicated they were checking the bags as they had some for the special baggage belt yet. Apparently, as we were connecting in LA they decided to group our bags and put them in the special baggage area without telling us. Was irritated with the wait but at least I got my bag so I was happy. Headed out of the airport and jumped in a taxi (lots of taxis sitting there waiting for what seems like no one in the airport). The snow started disappearing as we got closer to the city. The taxi driver was friendly and could speak a lot of languages as he was originally from Eritrea in Africa before he moved to Holland and then to Sweden, when he met his wife. Got to my hotel around noon and was overjoyed at being able to check in! Had some coffee and cleaned up while I waited for Kim to arrive. After Kim arrived we went for a walk around the hotel area and stopped for a snack at a bar near the opera. Had some French fries with a fishy tasting mayonnaise and some croquettes, which appeared to be made with some kind of ground meat or fish but were very tasty. We then did a bit more walking to the old town area, Gamla Stan. Was pretty chilly, particularly with the wind. S topped at the hotel for a bit before dinner and fought myself to stay awake – it seemed to be okay as long as I kept moving. Went for dinner at a pub type place near the hotel and had a burger and a beer. Was good and then started feeling tired again after sitting. Went for another bit of a walk and stopped in the hotel bar for a drink to type and stay awake a bit more. Managed to kill time until 8 pm and them headed to our rooms, where I ended up falling asleep earlier than planned.