Narvik

I arrived in Narvik on 14 May and walked to the Scandic Narvik hotel – some 15mins away from the train station. At the hotel I learned that it was a bank holiday in Norway – Ascension Day. This day celebrates the ascension of Jesus to Heaven. On the Sunday there will be a parade to mark it.

The views around the hotel were incredible – at least to me they were. Turns out that May is their quiet period but still a bit you can do around the place. If you have a few days to spare. I booked a trip on the Arctic Train for the next day. The local shops are worth a walk around.

The Arctic Train is well worth the three-hour journey. From the comfort of a train carriage, you get to see fjords, snow covered mountains, and learn about the history of the place – especially WW2. There were a couple of stops that allowed us to get out and stretch our legs.

On 17 May I decided to head back to Stockholm and leave Narvik a day early to ease this. End of the day I only have a 90 day stay in Europe and I need to watch how long I spend in towns and cities along the way. I spent the night at Scandic Kiruna and left at mid-day, on 18 May, for the train station. Next stop Boden.