Back and forth, hick and hock.

You're wondering how we got to Orbaden? Let me tell you, it was a long and rocky road. Back and forth, hick and hock. That's how it goes when you don't have a precise plan and decision-making skills are at a lala-level that day.

Fortunately, the child slept most of the time.

In the end, we were helped by a rest area information panel with hotspots of the surrounding area. We saw the beautiful view of the valleys from Orbaden.

When we arrived in Orbaden, it was windy and cold, the campsite didn't look inviting, and the reception was already closed. Of course, our water tank was empty, and we had both forgotten to refill our bottles and buy new ones at the supermarket.

That naturally improved the mood. The fact that it's the child's birthday and we wanted to have a good mood day didn't make things any better.

So we parked somewhere and got out. Fresh air always helps. We quickly went down a steep staircase and found ourselves on a long and beautiful beach. That calmed our spirits considerably.

Then we did something smart: we split up. Ole walked to the hotel and got water, while Henry and I stacked stones, dug in the sand, and fought with sticks.

Ole came back with a great tip for a sleeping spot with a fantastic view.

So we got in the car and headed up the mountain.

And it was wet and cold up there, but really beautiful. And everyone was almost happy again. :)

It could even be the view from the rest area information panel. We'll probably never know.

We stayed here for one night and then continued our journey the next morning. This time we were prepared. Clear goal in mind: Lofsdalen Camping, here we come.

Forest, forest, more forest, and even more forest. It drives you almost insane. You drive for kilometers, see nothing and no one, and then suddenly, a mailbox appears. If you look through the trees, you might catch a glimpse of a beautiful Swedish cottage, and then again, kilometers of nothing.

No wonder the Swedes seem so introverted. There are quite a few of them living alone in the wilderness.

In all that forest, we finally saw some wild animals.

Reindeer in Sandbåcken. To our shame, we thought we saw a moose for a few minutes. Well, the penny dropped quickly.

In Lofsdalen, we arrived at a beautiful campsite right by the lake, with its own bathing jetty and a small beach. We stayed for 3 nights, and for the 2 days we were there, the sun shone from morning until night - seriously, it's bright as day at half past 11 at night, which takes some getting used to - and it was a solid 25 degrees.

Day 1 is a big cleaning day. We wash, shower, dry, vacuum, and air out everything that's not nailed down. After 2 weeks of travel with several rainy days, you can smell and see that we sleep, cook, eat, and live in the Nugget.

With clean people in a clean car, we drive to the Sönfjället National Park the next day - one of the oldest national parks in Europe. I specifically chose the short hike, but let me tell you, the child absolutely hates hiking. There was whining and squeaking for 4.5 kilometers. In principle, you might come across a bear in the national park, but luckily, our child saved us from that. :-)

Annika