First leg of my interrail is not technically interrail, but a bus from Oulu to Haparanda, Sweden, paid without any concession. Feels weird to start the trip south by traveling northwards.
The Finnish ticket shop Matkahuolto insists on using Finnish time everywhere, so according to timetable I’ll be arriving 13:05, instead of the actual 12:05. Also SJ sometimes shows timetables in user’s local time, making that, too an hour off. Annoying and unpractical.
I’m in Lapland!
… met with a huge cue of cars, in the opposite direction, to my luck. If you’re planning to drive E8 south through Simo area, don’t. There has been an accident, not too serious it seems, but traffic is stuck.
And now in Sweden!
The bus route from Oulu ended to the Haparanda-Tornio Travel centre, but I asked the driver just for laughs if he was continuing to the railway station. He said he indeed has a habit to take a stretch there, in case someone is going.
I don't know if it's every driver's habit or official or if I just got lucky, but it was very nice, since the station was further than I thought.
And what a station Haparanda is! Magnificent! The only thing missing is a cafeteria, but luckily I have some provisions. It does feel a tad unrespectful to nibble knäckebröd in this fancy environment, though.
Finally in the night train from Luleå to Stockholm!
The route from Oulu was surprisingly fluent. There were long-ish waits between the legs, but taken SJ's unreliability, possible transfers between stations and provision shopping, it's actually a good thing.
My next concern is if this train is on time and if I'll have time for the hotel breakfast before my next breakfast in the train to Malmö.
Seuraavaksi Jörniin!
In English: We are somewhat late to Jörn, so let's see about my breakfast in Stockholm.
Train was early (!) in Stockholm, and I ended up shaking the system by grabbing another breakfast from the cafeteria at the station. I was happy with just a cup of coffee, so not too much anarchy here. It was also an act of research to find out that Ritazza offers breakfast on weekends, contrary to the information on SJ website.
So, I was already hungry when the third breakfast arrived during the uneventful ride to Malmö.
After three breakfasts I really shouldn't complain, but still I do: Saturday is the worst day of train travel in Sweden and Denmark freestuff-wise: almost all the first class lounges are closed. Luckily, Aarhus lounge is open on Sundays as well, so I get to experience that tomorrow.
Edit: no, I won't, I'll be commuting in a local bus and not using an interrail day. Bummer.
A glorious, quiet, first class leg from Copenhagen was followed by a full, hot, oxygen-less replacement bus from Fredericia. A road blockade gave us a chance to enjoy the atmosphere a little longer.
Now I'm finally in Aarhus, in a very nice hotel. I can comfortably observe the trash shelter from my window, but a shitty view is a rule for single rooms in the Hotel Illuminati Handbook, as we all know.
@mkivinen In 2021 I unintentionally managed to take this photo of Vindeln church from the night train.
(I had "Live" photo mode on by accident on my iPhone, and this is how the photo (short video) then looks when rendered as "long exposure".)
@mkivinen Isn't it possible to enjoy the breakfast in the train, don't the night trains between Northern Sweden and Stockholm have restaurant cars? At least last year when I travelled in a 1st class sleeping car Boden–Stockholm there was breakfast available in the restaurant car.
(But yeah, it was the same box as in the SJ Snabbtåg... the hotel one surely is better if you have time.)
I was coming from the Narvik direction and changed into the sleeping car from Luleå in Boden. The bistro car was missing from the Narvik–Luleå train, so I was very hungry in the evening before I finally got something to eat in the restaurant car.
@tml I'll have to check that! I was under the impression that all the SJ first class breakfasts are hotel based now. It would be great to be wrong, though, since I just noticed that the Stockholm hotel breakfast starts half an hour later than previously, which is too late for me.
No dining car on the night train Stockholm-Malmö = breakfast on hotel.
https://www.sj.se/allt-om-resan/sj-nattag/sovvagnskupe-1-klass
But info in English is contradictory
https://www.sj.se/en/about-the-journey/sj-night-train/sleeping-compartment-1-class
@interrailinfosvenska @tml Oh yes, there is a bistro on the train, and breakfast will be served there. All hail to Kullamust!
@tomminieminen This is a really small station, but I checked like ten times, just in case. There is no cafeteria. 😩
But I do have some instant coffee, milk and sugar with me, and a freeze box that can be used as a mug. If there's warm enough water in the washroom, I could have a lukewarm cuppa. 🤔
@tomminieminen @mkivinen In case you're interested, I've just written about it (in German)
@mkivinen Missing: A cafeteria – and people :)
But it's indeed a magnificent station! Let's hope the Finnish trains bring some more travellers once VR gets their act together.
And then you get to Tornio, and it's a wooden shack with some guy unconcious next to a bottle of Koskenkorva.
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