Sweden is pretty. People are nice and helpful and completely understand when you do not understand a single word, at least when you are listening to them.
When I reached the platform from which my night train was supposed to leave, it was already very busy. Many backpacks with many people ready to be taken up north. On the platform a lady walked around with a check-in scanner and told people where their part of the train would stop. At least that is what I gathered from her body language. But I must have looked so perplexed, that she tried it again and after I was not a hundred percent sure I asked her whether she could repeat it in English. Which she kindly did.
After a while, shortly before the train was to arrive a flood of Swedish words hit the platform. Universally speaking that normally means a delay or cancellation. Fortunately, it was only a delay and also was repeated in English. But the lady came up to me and asked whether I got the information. And that makes a huge difference. In the end we started an hour late and I was already worried that I might not catch my train that will take me up further north from Boden where I have to change. Which would be quite a bummer, as it is the last train today but right now we might be on time.
Listening to Swedish is, as I said, a challenge. The funny thing is, that the written word is partially easier to make sense of but also gives me quite a few giggles.
The night train has a little bistro and I grabbed some food. Also something that was called overnight oats with whatever. But some of the things in it had the cutest names, ever. For example: tranbär. I mean honestly if you are a German native speaker the most hilarious pictures come to mind. The other one was even better: pumpafrö.
What are they? One of them is a red berry that is often served with meat and one of its English names is cowberry. Not sure which is funnier. Though it is also known as lingonberry and the other one is the good old pumpkin seed.
The most recent update is, that we will have yet another delay, which will be interesting. Seems I will have an overnight stop in Boden, which, fortunately, has a camping ground if I saw correctly.
But this is the beauty of it! Go with the flow, enjoy the moment and read another crime novel 😋.
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One Year - Five Continents 