Minnen

The word of today is "minnen" what can be translated to memories and there couldn`t be a better post for this expression than this one about our Abisko-Trip. In only four days we got to experience so many unique moments, checked off several huge points from our bucket lists, and made memories for life!

Since we got to see quite a lot in only a few days and were pretty lucky with the weather, the activities we chose, and the place we stayed in, I will also upload an extra report with some tips, inspiration, and guidelines for visiting Abisko if you ever want to experience this place yourself.

But today it is all about my personal experiences and memories I made with my friends! As usual when we travel longer distances here in Sweden we took public transportation. The night train brought us in 15 hours directly from Gävle to Abisko turiststation. I never thought it would be so chill but we got to sleep, eat, talk and play cards during the ride and also saw so much of Sweden`s wonderful nature so that the train ride was an experience by itself.

But still, after such a long journey we were glad when we finally arrived at our destination. We were welcomed by an amazing view over the mountains and lakes of the Abisko National Park and since we were there at 11am, we used the remaining time before our check in to go on a little walk around the Turiststation. It all was quite stunning and we gained an overview of the place as well as some ideas what to do the next days. After check in– we were so lucky to have found this beautiful cabin! – some of us walked to the little supermarket in Abisko centrum to buy some groceries for the days ahead. Since the cabin is located in the national park, we ended up doing another 1h walk during which we always had amazing nature to look at. We finished our first day with cooking and relaxing at our cabin and went to bed early to recharge.

Our second day of the trip was so packed with unique memories, I never would have imagined to be this lucky and experience so much in only one day! After sleeping in and having a nice breakfast we went on a four hour snow hike through the Abisko National Park. It was so quiet, calming, and just beautiful, even though it was hard to walk with all the snow on the trails. We got to see moose and mice and experienced the full northern nature program. After a lunch break at home some of us took another walk to the Abisko Husky Station. Even though our budget could not afford a tour, we still wanted to see the huskies and this was definitely a nice afternoon activity. While walking back home it already got dark and it looked quite magical to see the little town of Abisko (almost all of the houses typically red) lighted up with warm lights, full of snow, located between the mountains and the lake. By the time we came home it was time for sauna and for the perfect Scandinavian experience we ran outside in between the sessions and jumped into the snow – so much fun! And to make the day even more perfect, after a nice shower, delicious self-cooked dinner at our cabin, and a game of Wizard and snacks, the sky cleared up and we saw northern lights out of the window of our cabin. We quickly went outside and enjoyed one hour of magically dancing lights on the northern Swedish sky!

After such a crazy amazing day we all slept deeply and happily, and luckily the weather was less windy when we woke up the next day because we had another activity on our wish list: going up the Nuolja-mountain with the lift. Already the ride was quite an experience and since it was pretty cold and windy up there we first rested a little in the Aurora sky station café and had some Fika. But my friend and I wanted to have the full experience and hiked up a little trail to have an even better view of the landscape below us. Standing there on top of this huge mountain, almost blown away by the wind, in the middle of nowhere, only surrounded by snow, was for me the most special moment of the trip. And I once more realized how little we are in this crazy world and how much strength and power nature has! After all those impressions, we made our way back home to have a little rest. There we got welcomed by two wild living moose that were right in front of our house and we got to watch them so closely without disturbing or scaring them! Since I also wanted to learn a little more about nature, animals, and hiking in northern Sweden I decided to use the opportunity of the small museum at the Turiststation. It was quite impressive to see, read, and also talk to people about their experiences and knowledge. We ended the evening comfortably with sauna, food, and card games on our couch.

Then the next day came around what meant we already had to leave this magical place. Since it was one of my friends birthdays we woke her up with singing and balloons and after checking out we enjoyed a super delicious breakfast in the restaurant at the Turiststation. Also we took a train earlier to Kiruna to have a four hour stay there to explore the city. But besides the church for me this place was not really worth a visit. So, all of us were glad when we were back on the night train and we wrapped up the day with lots of snacks, talking and games before we tried to get some sleep on our way back home.

Writing all this I realize once more how much luck we had with the timing and how grateful I am to make all those memories. It`s crazy to see how much you can experience in only four days! I hope with this post I may have inspired you to do a trip to Abisko yourself. I can highly recommend it! Now, I hope you all have an amazing day and stay safe!