Sweden
Coming from Finland
Thursday, July 13th, 2006
From Finland I enter Sweden at Karesuando. No passport check so I just drive
on. Again I try to find a bank to get some Kronen but again, no luck.
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Right after the border is a very nice church building.
I park my bike on the parking in front of it to take a picture.
Nice church on the border.
Then I get on road 45 to Vittangi. There are roadworks over a long
part of this road. Loose gravel, machines that have to be avoided, bad
bumps in the road. A bad start of Sweden.
Beautiful nature in Sweden.
It is still raining when I enter Vittangi. At the last shop in Finland,
they told me there would be a bank here. Well, there was a bank but it was closed :-(
Then I asked at a few shops in the main street, if I could get some money with my VISA
card but they refused. There is no ATM either so I can't get Swedish Kronen. It is harder
to get money in Sweden then to do it in South Africa with ATM's in every village.
One lady in a shop tells me to try at the gasstation, just outside Vittangi.
I try and yes, I can get some money. I also buy some bread.
With money in my pocket, I continue on the 45/E10 to Lulea.
Finaly, at half past three, the rain stopped.
It is still raining but even in the rain, it is nice riding here. After the bad
road and roadworks just past the border with Finland, the road is good now and there
is not much traffic.
Fortunately, at almost half past three, the rain stopped and the sun began to shine.
This was very nice. My non-waterproof BMW outfit can dry now and nature looks even more
beautiful now.
Look at the sky mirroring in the lake.
After a while I wanted to fill my tank again. I didn't see much gasstations on the E10
so I left the E10 into a small village. There was a gasstation with an cardsystem that
I could use with my creditcard.
Getting fuel in a small village in Sweden.
The E10 is a main road but it is mostly 2 lane and very scenic. Sweden is so much
bigger then the Netherlands and there is so much room and open space. Great!
The kind of road I like :-)
The only think I did not like to much here are the mosquitos. From the Norwegian
border until now there are thousands of it. As soon as you stop, they try to get
your blood.....
Then I crossed the Polar Circle again. I stopped to take a picture. After I
walked around to get a good picture, I talked to the owner of a beautiful Pontiac
from 1956. It was bought then by it's first owner and in 2003, the current owner
bought it. It was in new condition. It looked great.
Crossing the polar circle again
Look at that beautiful American car in the back, it's from 1956.
Lots of beautiful lakes in Sweden.
When I entered Lulea on the freeway, I saw a MacDonalds sign and I was hungry so I left the
freeway. Then, right behind the MacDonalds I saw a Scandic hotel. I stayed a
night in a Scandic hotel in Norway and that was OK so I asked if they had a room.
They had, so I checked in and unloaded my bike. After I had all my luggage on my
room, I went to the MacDonalds for a quarterpounder cheese, french fries and a milkshake.
After my Mac-Dinner, I walked back to the hotel and used the Internet PC to
check my e-mail and update my website.
The Scandic hotel in Lulea in Sweden
At half past twelve at night, I looked outside and saw a beautiful sky. I am
getting used to it know but that midnight sun is something special.
This picture was taken past midnight !
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