Our roadtrip to the Arctic Circle 

Writing this blog while stranded at a Carwash / garage somewhere in Sundsvall. Still 570 kilometers away from the airport where Fabian had a flight scheduled back to Holland an hour ago. Let's review how we got here...

I picked up Fabian at the airport last Friday where we started our journey to the Arctic. With Fabian's flight scheduled a few days later, and almost 3000 km worth driving we both knew we were up for quite the challenge. 

After two hours, we already drove into Winter wonderland. It was amazing. I never went on a winter holiday before unlike Fabian, so I was mesmerized by the view of the landscape. Because we both had to drive 6 hours every day, I booked overnight Airbnb's for us to rest. However, the universe immediately decided against us. On our first night we scheduled to arrive early in Sälen, because I was really looking forward to this Airbnb location. It was everything I've ever dreamed about. A cosy and very big Swedish Cabin where you could fit 2 whole families and it had a fire place. Although due to traffic in the snow storm we arrived way past our ETA(10PM instead of 7PM ). Still very excited about this place and also really proud that I was perfectly able to drive under these circumstances and these amount of hours, I danced around like a little kid while Fabian was passed out on the couch, tired from his day of traveling, and I couldn't blame him. 

The next day our journey continues towards Arvidsjaur. I found a great Airbnb location there for a true travel experience. A school turned into a hostel. With just one hour away from Jokkmokk (our goal) this was the best place to spend the night because of two reasons. First, you can only see the Nothern Lights in darkness and this was our Nothest location. Second, we wanted to be in Jokkmokk at sunrise. But the universe had other plans today as well.

We arrived at our overnight location at 9PM. When no one was there I got worried and called the contact in the Airbnb add. He apologized immediately. His add shouldn't be activated he said, due to a renovation. He was going to call some of his house guests who were staying at a house of his a few blocks down. 

When he called me back he said it was not a problem at all for them to have us, they just wanted half an hour to get everyting ready since they weren't expecting us. In good faith, we decided to stretch our legs and took a slippery walk down the cold streets of Moskosel. After waiting for half an hour, the foreign volunteers picked us up. Fresh coffee, pancakes, sheets and friendly faces were waiting for us. We felt really welcome and blessed. Credits towards this Airbnb owner. 

We decided to leave early from Moskosel, so we hit our goal around 9AM. The Pole Circle. Imagine minus 24 degrees. Just imagine. Jumping around the sign, taking pictures with frozen fingers, we quickly jump back in the car. It hits me then, this roadtrip isn't about hitting this sign. Sure, it's really cool to see this phenomenon and hitting this milestone. But it's about the journey. The all-time roadtrip with your best friend. Sharing stories, laughter and tears and most importantly, looking out for each other. 

Today our day has Härnösand as final destination. I really want to arrive at dinner time so we can finally relax a little bit. Fabian is really tired so I drove most of the day. Also past 4pm (We decided I would drive during the day because I have terrible night vision) Driving in the dark is one challenge because 'darkness' in Sweden is actually just driving into a black hole. There are no lights, except for the ones on your car that everyone likes to shine right in your fucking face. Secondly, our whiper fluid reservoir is broken. With these weather conditions that is the one thing you can't drive without. 

Arrived at our ETA in this cute old city we take our time to relax, cook, dance and watch a movie before going to bed. In the night I heard our car alarm going off. After a few seconds it turned off again, with my sleepy head I just thought, no worries. 

This morning we left the apartment quite energized, we didn't have to leave until 9AM which was actually sleeping in. We decided to stop at a gas station to fill  up the whiper fluid (at that time, completely ignorant to the fact that it's broken) and some snacks for our last day on the road, headed towards the airport. I freeze for a moment, realizing I had to say goodbye to my friend again tonight and felt sad. 

Right on schedule with time to spare, we wanted to head back on the road. However, now not only the universe is against us, the Volvo is too. The engine won't start. 

At this time Fabian was thinking it was just a dead battery due to the extreme cold, and the short drive we had before we took the first break. We asked another driver to help us jump-start our car. On first instance, we didn't manage to get it working. So Fabian called his car mechanic in Holland (which actually specialises in Volvo cars), he gave us some tips and when we tried again we managed to get the car running.

Very happy at that moment, and eager to hit the road, devastation hits us again. Imagine all warning-lights in your car turning on. At this time , we decided we had to call a Tow Truck to get us to a workshop and have our car fixed. Within an hour, the very friendly people of Falck (the tow truck company) brought us to the workshop..

At this moment, we are still at the workshop. As is our (still broken) car. They still haven't found a solution for the warning signs, but they say it will be safe to drive again in the morning with daylight. So we are spending the night here, thanks to the incredibly friendly owner of the workshop. A warm place to stay, coffee at disposal and a couch to sleep on. It will have to do. We're fortunate all this crazy things happened at the crowded coast line, instead in the middle of nowhere in the northern part of Sweden.

This trip has been unforgettable so far. I'm so lucky with such a good friend, who calmes me down when I'm panacking. I'm so grateful to have all these beautiful memories despite it all. 

So the Volvo will get another look tomorrow and Fabian is getting the next flight. So instead of saying goodbye today, we actually gained a day to spend together and that is pretty amazing. Now we'll get a good night sleep and we hope to continue our journey.