Summer Love Tour Part II (How To Travel Cheap in Sweden)
/Stockholm-Uppsala-Rättvik-Mora
Rättvik, Dalarna, Sweden
After having dropped the car off in Stockholm, my friend Alex picked us up and let us crash at his place. Me and Alex met many years ago, in Cuszco, Peru, and haven't seen each other in 3 years or so. Traveling is synonymous with making life long friends worldwide, and the best part: they are always just a text message away should I be nearby and need a floor to sleep on since they themselves understand the nomadic life. They also know about the best and many times secret places in their area, which means extra flavor to the trip;) Alex took us to a beautiful lake, surrounded by a quiet forest, showing us a new side to the Swedish capital. Our journey continued in that same friend-visiting spirit; we caught a train to Uppsala to meet lovely David for some yoga play and bubbling laughter. Uppsala showed us magic summer heat, green parks, a powerful church and a bunch of happy and curious yogis that wanted to partake in a Heart Opening Flow class. We gathered under a huge old tree in the park and as I guided them thru the class, more people joined in. It was a perfectly sunny and magic afternoon, thank you all! And thanks to David and Alex for taking us in to your homes - Much Love and Peace to you, always.
Vegan Thai Food and tea after spreading love thru yoga in Uppsala!
For full moon, me and Ola headed north to Rättvik. Since we had short of time and it was surprisingly affordable, we decided to continue by train. In Sweden in General, however, one should never go by SJ train if it's avoidable. For obvious reasons:
Expensive: prices increase vastly the closer you are to departure date, last minute tickets do not exist, and they charge a lot more if you reserve a seat (please, never reserve a seat on trains!).
Baggage: there is absolutely no space for big rucksacks, suitcases and the like, which creates occasional chaos.
Rättvik is situated next to the mythical lake Siljan (Sweden's 7th largest lake), and as the train stops at the station, she offers a spectacular view. In Dalarna, everything is like it always has been and the history, traditions, culture and typical Dala-houses are still very much alive. For these reasons- and of course the troll promising nature, me and Ola chose to stay for a while. We spent four days with a Swedish shaman at Läkegården, located in the forest just outside Rättvik. Here, too, we did work exchange (both By Magie services and carpeting) and thus got the opportunity to learn about and practice indigenous Swedish shamanism. In addition, we had time to visit sacred places such as Styggforsen waterfall and Dalhalla (a big lime stone quarry with a human made stage) and a few antiquities shops, which are also typical for the area and a must on a visit to Sweden!
Styggforsen waterfall, Rättvik, Dalarna county, Sweden
Since we don't have a car we decided to get around by foot and to hitchhike, which turned out to be a perfect combo in the Rättvik surroundings (despite heavy raining). In order to avoid SJ for our continuos travels, we do as we normally do in other countries: find local buses. Cheaper and easier.
Random walking somewhere outside Rättvik, Sweden
Bonus tips transportation:
Find out what county you are traveling in and and google it + "buses" and have a map ready as you browse thru the timetable. This is how we got to from Rättvik to Mora, where we're at right now.
Cheap accommodation tips:
1. Same as staying with friends is Coach Surfing and works well in Sweden too, especially when you need a place to crash just for the night.
2. Work exchange exists in Sweden too. There are volunteer farms, WWOOFing and more around but you can also just go ahead and ask the place you want to visit, like we did at Läkegården.
We are now heading towards Östersund, continuing our search for sublime nature, old wisdom and Love Exchange.
How are you spending the holidays? comment below!
Love and Light
/OM
Dalahäst in Mora, Dalarna county, Sweden.
