Sweden

The largest Scandinavian country I have visited many times, most recently in 2022.

On that occasion I travelled with Mrs Wilbur and my nephew & his husband to Stockholm to see Snarky Puppy perform. We also did a day trip to the lovely city of Uppsala by train.

My first introduction to Sweden was however in 1989 on my 2nd inter-rail trip with my mate Poll.

We visited Stockholm for a World Cup qualifier between the hosts & England. 0-0 draw for what most remember for Terry Butcher’s bloodied shirt.

33 years later Poll & I decided to re-enact the spirit of inter-rail with a train tour that started in Helsinki and ended in Bergen.

In Sweden we stayed in Lulea and Gällivare before heading north by train via Kiruna to Narvik in Norway.

The train line is an engineering marvel as it cuts through mountain and over lakes & fjords. It was built to transport iron ore in winter from the ice bound Baltic to the ice-free North Sea.