#throwback – June 7, 2024

As so often, I want to set off early—but once again, that turns out to be a lost cause. Eventually, though, this diesel engine starts rolling. The route is more difficult than ever and at the same time absolutely stunning. All kinds of vegetation line the steeply ascending and descending rocky path.

For the first time, I have to carry my hiking trailer on my back. Not a problem, since it has shoulder straps too—you can wear the Wheelie like a backpack. It’s heavy, because you’re lifting the weight of the cart itself as well, but it goes surprisingly well. Slowly, step by step. Luckily, I’m almost due for a supermarket run, so the cart isn’t top-heavy.

I feel like a hero when I reach the top and reward myself with coffee and a sandwich. The view is, once again, breathtaking—and there’s even a comfortable picnic table. Going downhill is easier, but far from fast. No worries, I don’t have to be back home for another ten months and three weeks. So: no rush. It goes how it goes.

Knowing the terrain will stay challenging, I hold back at the supermarket in Krokek. Today’s dinner: kebab skewers with a mix of vegetables and potatoes—labeled “Andalusian style.” I lived in Andalusia for years and never had anything like it, but hey, it tastes good. Vegetables are fairly expensive in Sweden, so I often buy frozen ones—much more affordable, and you usually get a nice mix for variety. A solid solution.

Today’s kitchen is set among marble. I’m in Marmorbruket, a region famous for its marble since 1673. The steps of the Royal Palace in Stockholm are made from it, as well as parts of the Paris Opera House and Harrods in London. I feel honoured to be part of that list.

And it doesn’t stop there. A bit off the trail, I find a breathtaking campsite by a lake. When the birds go to sleep, it becomes so quiet I briefly wonder if I’ve gone deaf. The water is perfectly still, not a breeze in the air, and the silence is deafening. Gulp. It truly doesn’t get more beautiful than this.