Heading to Finland

Another bus back to Narvik where we will pick up a train to the Swedish-Finnish border. But first we will need to stop in the small town of Boden. Breathtaking mountains and lakes. Spectacular roasted haddock dinner at Narvik’s well known Fiskehallen Restaurant. Be sure to visit.

Train to Boden

First thing in the morning we hauled our bags to the Narvik train station about a half-mile away. A monstrous locomotive soon arrived rumbling like a hungry lion. It would soon take us through through Sweden's high, white mountains to the remote town of Boden. Miles of birch stripped of their leaves, each branch, no matter how small, encased in ice and frosted with snow. Elegant pine trees, perfect for Christmas mornings lit by the low, Scandinavian sun -- a postcard if ever there was one. Most of the time we passed hardly a town or a soul, but now and again we blast through small villages, the blare of the train's horn announcing our rapid arrival and departure. I felt like we were on our way to the North Pole, which, in a way, we were.

While boarding the train we met a fascinating Tunisian doctor -- tall, gregarious, handsome with excellent English. He wore a dark beard, gray wool tossel cap, and carried a big blue backpack. His name was Ayoub, or, as he explained, Job in English. I said I hoped his life was better than his biblical counterpart's, and he laughed, saying he had no complaints. He was traveling through Europe alone, somehow managing this feat on an average of three Euros a day!

We spent hours talking about the Arab Spring, the difference between a jihad and a hajj, the history of Tunisia. I asked him his views on the fighting in Israel and Gaza, which had erupted by now. Would Palestinians or Israelis ever agree to a two-state solution?

No, he said, flatly.

Do Palestinians want Israel gone?

"Yes," he said without anger. "750,000 Palestinians were displaced when Israel was created. That generates a lot of anger and it is not getting any better."

What if Iran stops supporting Hamas and Hezboolah? “The Palestinians would keep fighting. It will take 100 years to get past this.” He hesitates, Maybe.”

I also spent time with a security guard and motorcycle enthusiast named Helen who wore her hair short on the sides and topped with a knot like a Samurai. When we passed through the town of Kiruna, she mentioned she used to work there and the town was being moved lock, stock and barrel elsewhere because coal mining was causing it to collapse. A remarkable transformation was taking place; whole buildings and homes hauled elsewhere or demolished and replaced with brand new ones. Then it was back to the diamond studded battalions of ice bound pines until in late afternoon we walked off the train into 26° weather and crunching snow.

We had a 15 minute walk ahead of us. The snow was fresh and crisp, newly fallen, and we soon found ourselves singing "my favorite things" as we dragged our bags along in the twilight. Then at last, we made it to the small town of Boden, our hotel, and a warm bed.