Saint Niklas from Gothenburg and mystic Kiruna

I left Haparanda on Wednesday, June the 5th morning with the 7:30 train. I had just enough time to admire the grand Haparanda train station, which is museum-worthy. I took a seat on a bench on the platform, double-checking that the train ticket is still in my pocket. excited. Other people were slowly arriving too, all cheerfully and politely greeting each other. The Swedish “hej!” has quickly grown close to my heart.

1. Haparanda Train Station; 2. Lunch break in Luleå; 3.Luleå Train Station

Right on time, a rather shabby little train stopped at the station, the brakes screeching deafeningly. I stepped somewhat hesitantly into the worn and aged train, hoping it has gone through a mechanical check in the last decade. The two hour ride passed in a snap – partly because I still had some “paperwork” to handle for the Creative Incubator, and partly because the landscape was finally becoming interesting: rivers and lakes alternating with dense forests and hills. At 9:30am, I arrived in Luleå, where I had to change trains. I had a 90-minute break and hoped to grab a coffee, have a proper breakfast, and stock up on snacks for my next four-hour journey to Kiruna. Luleå turned out to be a relatively dull small town with one main street, and since I had arrived early, most cafés weren’t open yet. I wandered around until the clock struck 10 and then went on a daily obligatory iced coffee hunt. I managed to find a cute cafe that served an overly sweet (but at least cold) coffee for a decent price, popped into a grocery store, and soon it was time to return to the station. The next four hours also flew by quickly – compared to flying, taking the train is a much smoother mode of travel. I scanned through the other backpackers who were boarding the same train, which lifted my spirits – those people must be heading to Kiruna too. I still had no clue where I’d spend the night in that strange mining town. My first plan was to find a caravan park and hang my hammock somewhere there. Plan B was an official Camp Ripan campsite.

As time went on and we were steeply climbing in altitude, my ears started popping, and at some point while blogging, I started feeling quite nauseous. I turned my gaze away from the screen and out of the window. MOUNTAINS. With snowy peaks. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Right here, in the middle of Sweden, such mountains? I was enchanted, and the corners of my mouth lifted. Soon we arrived at a beautiful place called Gällivare, and to my shock, most of the backpackers got off here. I looked around in panic – had I made a mistake?? I had chosen Kiruna super randomly as just a quick stop before Norway – otherwise, the travel day would’ve been too long. If only I had known such a scenic spot was on the way… For a moment, I considered spontaniously jumping off the train and changing plans but I forced myself to stay seated. Calm down. Trust the process.

When I arrived in Kiruna, my face dropped. Why did I come here?! An ugly mining pit in the middle of beautiful mountains didn’t seem like a pleasant place to stay. Fine, one night and that’s it. I’d already been warned that it’s not exactly a cool place – due to the expansion of the mine, the ground and buildings have become instable, so parts of the town have been closed and relocated. I stepped off the train, disappointed, and decided I’m not going to mock around too much, so I better just find that campground, which was supposed to be about 2 km from the station. Since I didn’t really feel like walking, I hesitantly approached the buses lined up at a stop. One said “New city centre” – well, I assume this should get me closer to my destination. I hopped on and asked the driver about the fare – turns out the transport was free. Win. I saw another backpacker on the bus. Without thinking, I approached him enthusiastically:

– “Hey! Where are you headed?”
– “Hey… umm… to Camp Ripan hostel?”
– “Cool, me too – let’s go together! I just don’t know how to get there.”
– “The bus driver said he’ll let us know when to get off.” See? Just talk to people.
– “Where are you from?” I kept grilling the poor guy.
– “From Gothenburg. I’m Niklas,” he introduced himself politely.
– “Kärt. From Estonia,” I added with confidence. Silence. “Or, ESTLAND,” I added.

So then, Niklas from Gothenburg and I began our small trek to our accommodation, and it turned out he was also heading to Abisko – my next destination – the following day. No way! Since it seemed hard to reach the town on weekends, I asked how he was planning to travel there. Turns out, there are actually two daily buses departing to Abisko. Well, looks like I’ll go by bus then, too. We walked along a dug-up road with thick wires and cables sticking out everywhere. Turns out the weight of your backpack is barely noticeable when you have someone to chat with. Once we arrived, Niklas went to his hostel while I was trying to find out whether I could hang my hammock at the campsite. Luckily I found two sturdy birch trees near the fire pit, so I paid my €22 at the front desk, and began building “my bedroom”. It was harder than I had expected – setting up a 3 x 5 m tarp alone was quite a challenge. I felt the eyes of all those Swedish pensioners sitting peacefully outside their caravans. One tarp can make a hell of a lot of noise!Satisfied with my setup, I waited for Niklas to get ready. We were supposed to find dinner together and explore the town. We walked to the local Coop supermarket and decided to split a container of potato salad and some grilled chicken. Outside the store, we pondered where to go when I spotted a rabbit that gave us a look and hopped down the street. “Niklas! It’s like Alice in Wonderland, we must follow the rabbit!” I yelled, excited. Niklas agreed, though he decided to check the map before blindly trusting a wild animal. Turns out the rabbit’s direction was right. As we followed it, suddenly a thick rainbow appeared around the corner. What is this, a fairytale? As we stood there, mouths agape, we noticed at a big red-tile-roofed building with golden statues and towers. Is it a church? This monster looked more appropiate to the Kingdom of Thailand than a Swedish mining town. But for some reason it was locked away. Niklas translated the Swedish sign on the gate: “Closed due to relocation.” Relocation of the church?! Okay, this town just keeps getting weirder.

We entered a wild little garden between a park and a cemetery, and chose to have our meal on the steps of an abandoned building. We devoured our dinner and shared travel/life experiences. Turns out we were both 33 years old! Niklas had quit his job in Gothenburg to work for 6 months as a seasonal employee at the Abisko Tourist Station. He had only started his travels the day before and said it was nice to meet someone already on the road, in a traveler’s mindset. I knew exactly what he meant by it. It’s this curious state of mind where everything is a challenge, an adventure, a lesson, and a mission. Obstacles are to overcome. Life carries you, and things just happen. We talked about hitchhiking, and I noted that as a woman, you have to think carefully about how you look and trust your gut when choosing which car to get into. No makeup, no short shorts, no crop tops. Niklas thought for a moment and said wisely:
– “Yeah, but that doesn’t just apply to women. I wouldn’t be safe hitchhiking in makeup, short shorts, or a crop top either.” Touché, my friend, I laughed.

1. Weird church; 2. Weird monument; 3. Empty school.

The evening was getting windy and chilly. It was starting to rain a bit, so I was keen to return to the campsite. Niklas, on the other hand, had a plan to visit the “old town” people had recommended him. I thought – what could be so special about an OLD TOWN? Eventually, I decided to join him and we reached a fenced-off school. Abandoned. We walked between fences and houses and I began to realize – all these buildings are empty. An entire neighborhood with homes, parks, schools, and kindergartens had been evacuated. There’s something unsettling about the sight – usually, ghost towns are abandoned over time, slowly. Here, however, it had been emptied overnight. We wandered this deserted place until we reached a viewpoint overlooking the mine. Part of the sky was sunny, part of it dark, and it was raining further in the distance. I leaned on a railing and felt something familiar about the monstrous scene. Suddenly it hit me – it looks like Isengard from Lord of the Rings! The stronghold of evil. Not that Kiruna’s iron ore is exactly evil, but the comparison fits (nerd alert!). In the movie too, an underground mine destroyed the surrounding nature. Niklas agreed and added: “We’re like two hobbits, far from home on our journey.” I loved his way of narrating life.

1. Pile of removed windows; 2. The root of all evil.

The two hobbits continued their journey back to Camp Ripan, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that this place had a strange energy. Something mystical, something magical. A bit scary, but we had also witnessed an amazing series of coincidences. Niklas and I parted ways for the night and agreed to meet at the bus station the next morning at 8:15. I went to take full advantage of the €22 I had paid which gave me access to a service building with a kitchen, shower, and a sauna. A hot shower after a damp, windy evening was divine, and I even got to enjoy my own private sauna. I even put on a face mask! That’s the kind of fancy backpacker I am. I settled into my warm sleeping bag in the hammock, ready for my first night outdoors. I closed my eyes, expecting a peaceful night. Suddenly, Sia’s “Elastic Heart” blasted across the campsite. No way… In Sweden? The land of quiet people? Someone’s partying? I tried to ignore it, as I was starting to get really sleepy. But as I was lying there still, I felt the empty space under my backside, and the cold air creeping across all parts of my body that were in contact with the hammock. Please no. I shifted around, waiting for the sleeping bag to work its magic. The upper part of my body was warm, but my lower half felt like it was on an icy surface. I managed to doze for an hour before waking up freezing. Damn it! Why?! I gathered all my clothes and stomped to the restrooms. Ahhh, so warm… Could I sleep here? Probably not. I tried to warm up, put on two layers of leggings, long socks, two shirts, a hoodie, and a jacket. Still cold. My butt and kidneys were somehow exposed to cold air. My nose was blocked, lungs were wheezing. Great, maybe add a bladder or kidney infection too? I tried all kinds of sleeping techniques while two people started yelling at each other in the forest. Perfect. I wondered how likely it was they’d murder me instead of each other. I put on headphones and tried to nap in 20-minute intervals with the help of my favourite podcast. Lesson learned – below 10°C hammock is not an option.

Finally, at 6:30 the sun was up and I was relieved the night was over. No sleep, but at least I could move my body again. I freshened up and had breakfast. By 5 am, I had already booked a hostel in Abisko. By some miracle, there was a spot in a six-bunk room for just €30. In SWEDEN. That’s basically free. I packed my bag, grabbed a warm take away coffee, and headed to the bus station. I was surprised not to see Niklas on my way there, however, I did see Mr. Rabbit again. At the station, still no Niklas. It was 8:20am and the bus was supposed to leave in five minutes. Other backpackers were there, so I knew I was in the right spot. Well, I guess that’s travelling, plans change, people oversleep. I still decided to message Niklas: “Are you up?” Immediately he called me back and turned out, he was at the wrong stop! I asked the driver if he could wait a few minutes for my brand new friend. The driver said he would literally wait for only two minutes – how incredibly generous of him… Two minutes later, Niklas called again: he’s too far, he won’t make it, so we mustn’t wait. I sighed and we left without him. Was this already the end of our shared travel chapter?

See you in Abisko!
Kärt