A late summer overnight stay at Bjuröklubb Aug 22 2026

Thursday afternoon. It is just before the bus stop that I discover the first fly agarics of the year. I have walked about 3.3 km from our home in Obbola to the nearest bus stop. From here it’s half an hour’s bus journey to Norrlands universitetssjukhus, the hospital where I meet Annika.

We take her car, heading north to a well-known place: Bjuröklubb. The first time I went there was 25 April 2010, just three days after I moved to Sweden. The last time I was there was with Annika on 28 June 2024, when we rented the cabin Spanarstugan for an overnight stay.

Since we both have Friday off and the weather forecast looked promising, we have hired the cabin again at very short notice. Luckily it was free. After a 120-km drive, we arrive there, carry our things up the last 250 metres on foot and there we are again: at one of my favourite places, having the large cabin for ourselves and everything we need for a tasty outdoor dinner.

After dinner we go up the hill to the lighthouse Bjuröklubbs fyr which, despite its age, is still active. From here you have a unique view of the sea and, weather permitting, beautiful sunsets.

As the sun sinks lower and lower, the light gets warmer and warmer and it takes a while for the sun to set behind the distant, flat hills in the north.

An hour later it has become darker and the stars are out. The pine trees appear as black silhouettes and the lighthouse has started its work.

The next morning the weather is still clear. A small sailing boat is already out at 6 o’clock. Where does it come from, and where is it heading?

Today is Annika’s and my sixth wedding anniversary and I’m not only blessed to have Annika as my wife, but also glad that we are here together and the weather is nice and the hares are running and the birds are chirping and the butterflies are fluttering around and that we can even have breakfast outside in the sun. But before that: New day – new photos!

Stone field and pines – typical for Bjuröklubb

After lunch, Annika is picking berries while I am walking and climbing to the old lighthouse Bjuröklubb Nord Östra, an abandoned leading light situated by the sea.

I unscrew a hook that locks the metal door, open it and peek in. While the windows still retain their colours, the light source is long gone.

On my way back I meet Annika in the sun. She is still collecting blueberries. Although the warmth of the sun makes it feel like a summer day the bright red leaves on the blueberry bushes show that autumn is near.

Meanwhile, the café has opened. Time to buy some ice cream. After I have finished mine, I try to take photos of the many, many butterflies. Anyway, that’s not easy because I left my big Nikon camera at home and my small Sony camera is a bit picky when it comes to focussing on such subjects. These are the best shots: European peacock (Aglais io) – painted lady (Vanessa cardui) – small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) – red admiral (Vanessa atalanta).

Flying a drone Aug 1 2026

I’m sitting on a bench at gate E18 of the Tromsø Airport. E18 means it’s an international flight. I am flying to Munich and will be spending a week in Augsburg. In Tromsø the temperature exceeded 20 °C on only two days in July, Augsburg will be hot with temperatures up to 35 °C. I like summer but this heat is not my thing and I’m longing for cooler temperatures already now. Like 6 May 2023, when temperatures in Tromsø reached only around 6 °C.

On that day I tested a drone of the Norwegian Polar Institute for an expedition. Flying a drone always means having to leave Tromsøya because of the airport restrictions.

Last week I tested again, this time a newer drone belonging to the Norwegian Polar Institute and a better remote control for my own drone, which I bought second-hand a few days ago. I really like the institute’s DJI Mavic 3 Pro because it is larger, more stable, and has three cameras. But I’m pretty content with my own DJI Mini 3 Pro, especially now with the updated remote control. Under good light conditions they both make great photos. Here is one from Kattfjordeidet, Kvaløya, and the others are from Sommarøya. You can try to guess which drone took which photo. I couldn’t.

About half a year ago I had my drone with my as well, this time on the frozen Baltic Sea where I flew it several times. Publishing aerial photos taken in Sweden always takes a while, as you need to apply for publication permission for each photo. I have obtained permission to publish the following photo of the lighthouse Dynan and the island Bredskär. So, here it is:

If everything goes according to plan I will go on a three-week work cruise with the icebreaking vessel Kronprins Haakon between Svalbard and Greenland in October. Hopefully, we will have good conditions for ice stations. Then I’ll take orthophotos of and on the ice again.

After work visit of Kvaløya Jul 2 2026

A bit of hiking – a bit of dining – a bit of bathing – a bit of geocaching – a lot of sun.

All after a regular work day, together with Annika.

Skoganvarre—Tromsø – the last stage of our car trip Jun 29 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-06: Obbola—Finland—Tromsø”.

Part four of the journey from Obbola to Tromsø

It is Saturday morning. My wife Annika and I are having breakfast in the kitchen of the campsite Skoganvarre Villmark. It is raining and people passing outside are wearing pyjamas and carrying umbrellas or wearing raincoats and crocs. Campsite fashion. Skuvvanvárri (Northern Sámi) or Skoganvarre (Norwegian) is located in Norway, but most of the guests here are Finnish, and it seems to me that more or less all of them are here for fishing.

The grey weather follows us to Lakselv where we meet the sea again in the form of the southern end of the huge Porsangerfjorden, the fourth longest fjord in Norway. We passed the road leading north before, but it was the first time that I saw the fortification high in the mountain walls left of the road. It is part of Banak fort, started by the Germans in WWII and continued by the Norwegians and used until 1987.

On the other side of the road the scenery is completely different. Stabbursnes nature reserve is a large protected area dominated by wetlands.

Annika started geocaching a while ago. Sometimes I join her in the search for I found a place to park the car, sometimes I focus more on looking for photo subjects, ideally I do both. At one of the geocache locations behind a gravelly area I first find this lonely birch and then surprisingly beautiful coastal cliffs, although it looked a bit dull in the grey weather.

I hardly take any photos of one of my favourite landscapes on this stage of the journey – the plateau of Sennalandet. I only stop for the Aisaroaivi kapell after the sky has cleared up a bit.

Some more photos from this day:

At 7 o’clock in the evening we arrive at our last overnight stay of this road trip near Sørstraumen. This time we used Airbnb and found a real gem, owned by Gunn, who is a fantastic host. Gunn rents out rooms in her private home and not only invites her guests to her kitchen for a chat but also provides huge amounts of waffles with jam. I can highly recommend her when you like meeting interesting people. We met two Germans who wanted to go north for fishing and a motorcyclist, who is driving all coastal roads of mainland Norway to collect money for ME-fondet, part of Norges Myalgisk Encefalopati forening. We are talking about 50,000 km – what a trip! This is his Facebook page: Around the Coast 2026.

A last photo of this day.

The next day at Gunn’s place began a bit like the evening before: a lively chat and waffles. One thing was different, though. Gunn already told us about whales she saw and showed some videos. While eating another waffle I looked at the fjord and saw movements on the surface. It was a school of white-beaked dolphins passing by the house. We observed them for a while, swimming, jumping, blowing and hunting. They were far away, so even with the big telephoto lens I only got images like this one:

Later than usual, we left this wonderful place to drive the last stage to Tromsø. We could have made it in four hours but it took us seven and a half. The reasons: geocaches, photo stops, detours and an outdoor lunch break. Here are some photos.

Around 18:00 we arrive in Tromsø, my “work home”. I’ll be here for about four weeks and Annika will join me the first two weeks.

Obbola—Tromsø via Finland – part one Jun 23 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-06: Obbola—Finland—Tromsø”.

Obbola—Oulu

I face the shark, we look into each other’s eyes. I am standing and so is the shark. It waves at me. On its stomach is the word “Wasaline”. That’s the name of the ferry to Finland that we are on.

My wife Annika and I are travelling from our house in Obbola, Sweden, to my workplace in Tromsø, Norway. We have a whole week, so it’s a vacation, not just travelling. We decided to take the ferry from Holmsund, Sweden to Vaasa, Finland. Holmsund is just on the other side of the river Umeälven and we can see the arriving and departing ferries from our house. It is 7:50, the ferry Aurora Botnia departs ten minutes ahead schedule.

I am standing outside taking photos and looking for the lighthouses. About four months ago I walked to four of them over the frozen Baltic Sea. Now, when I see the small skerries and the isolated lighthouses surrounded by the sea it feels unbelievable. Two different worlds! After we passed Storbränningen, the lighthouse furthest away, I go inside to join Annika at the rich breakfast buffet.

Storbränningen – the furthest lighthouse I visited in February

Some hours later we cruise through the Finnish archipelago near our destination, Vaasa where we arrive at 12:30 Finnish time, which is one hour ahead. We leave the ferry and drive north, partially on the main road E8 (it would lead us to Tromsø), partially on smaller detours, which are nicer to drive. The weather is mostly sunny and we start looking for beaches to go for a swim.

We turn left to the beach Kalajoen Hiekkasärkät which is surprisingly large. Boardwalks lead along the dunes and to the sea. The sea is pretty shallow. That kills my motivation a bit and we stay on land.

We enjoy the windy but fair weather for a while before we continue our travel north. We start to get hungry and I am looking for a restaurant in Raahe, about an hour away. Many restaurants close already at 18 o’clock, but I find an Asian restaurant that is open longer. When we arrive there and enter the building we are confused. There is nothing but an elevator. We enter it and find only three levels to choose from: (1), (12), and (13). And there – in level 13 is the restaurant with a wide view over land and sea and a huge buffet of sushi and Chinese and Thai food. The reviews on the web were a bit mixed but I liked it very much.

After two more hours of driving we arrive in Oulu, a major city in Finland which is European Capital of Culture this year. We take a short walk and get wet in the only rain shower of the evening. I like the many bridges, the areas of water, the fact that Oulu is a very bicycle-friendly city and the meeting of historical and contemporary architecture.

In the apartment house right in the center where we’ll stay two nights we have another elevator encounter. This vintage “hissi” looks like from the fifties and has no inner door, which gives it a bit of a steampunk appearance.

Tomorrow we’ll spend the day in Oulu. The weather forecast looks great, perhaps I’ll go for a swim tomorrow.

Swedish summer paddling 2026 Jun 17 2026

It has become a tradition that, when I’m home in Sweden in summer, I’ll take my kayak and paddle the 3.5 km to Bredviks havsbad to check if Nouri is there. In summer he runs the kiosk by the beach and that means (a) good food and (b) good music. Today I was lucky: he was there and I got my ćevapčići. It is also great to paddle on the Baltic Sea in Sweden again which is very different from paddling in Tromsø.

Passing a weather vane – I have headwind

Two days in Malangen Jun 11 2026

Yesterday and today our department “Miljø og kart” MIKA at the Norwegian Polar Institute had a two-day seminar on the Malangen peninsula.

We travelled there by bus while in glorious real summer weather. Two photos I took from the bus:

Between the last presentation in the afternoon and dinner we had a few hours off. A group of us headed to a spot by Lake Nikkavatnet and I went round the lake with a colleague. It was a beautiful walk of about 2 km, revealing another facet of Northern Norway: Forest and lake – with snowy mountain ranges on the horizon.

During the night the weather changed completely. This morning it was about ten degrees colder and it was cloudy with occasional rain showers. Therefore the view from the bus on the way back was quite different:

The sea and the mountains Jun 6 2026

Back in Tromsø after some travelling I joined the “Thursday paddling” organised by the Tromsø Sea Kayakers Club. We were eleven kayakers and it was proposed and we decided to paddle to Grindøya, one of the common tours.

On Sálljnjárnuorri / Sandnessundet, the sound between Tromsøya and Kvaløya, it was windy and short waves came from the right. Here I preferred to hold my paddle and didn’t take any photos. In the lee of Grindøya, I started taking photos again.

We paddled alongside the island and took a break at the southern tip.

Taking a break on the southern tip of Grindøya

After half an hour, we continued our tour. The wind had calmed down and so did the waves. We paddled around the island and then headed to Monsterbygget (the monster building), a landmark on Tromsøya often used for kayaking navigation. After three hours, we were back at the boathouses.

Next day, another tour. I stopped working early to meet my friend Christine. We took my car to a parking area on Kvaløya and went up the Sørtinden. This is a short tour, about 4 km long with 250 metres of elevation gain., but you are immediately in the mountains.

Some parts were still covered with snow while others were covered with carpets of flowers. Even the cottongrass was blooming.

Gaining altitude, we had views of the lake Finnvikvatnet and the mountains behind, such as Kjølen.

The top of Sørtinden is a bit like a cliff. Here, you also have a view of the sea and the island Vengsøya. After a rest on the windy summit, we went back the same way.

A day and half a night in Bergen May 30 2026

28 May – I am sitting on a plane to Bergen, Tromsø lies behind. Finally the layer of clouds has opened and Vestlandet – Western Norways reveals itself with vast glaciers, mountain ranges, fjords, forests, archipelagos and the open sea.

The reason I am in Bergen is sea ice in the Arctic. On board the ice-breaking research vessel Kronprins Haakon there is a special radar used for navigation through sea ice. Researcher Polona Itkin wants to store this data for scientific purposes. The companies Sea-Hawk Navigation AS and dspnor AS are responsible for the hardware, I handle the software to read and store the data. And since these companies are in Bergen and have a working setup including a radar on the roof, I am working there for two days. The only work-related detail I will mention is this: the data volume to be stored is immense and can exceed 2 TB a day. Quite a challenge.

At 16:00 I finish work. Since the weather is warm and sunny, I decide to walk to the hotel in the centre of Bergen on the other side of Puddefjorden. Let’s go down the concrete ramp and start our tour. First, I walk through an industrial area …

… but then the surroundings change revealing marinas, parks and older wooden houses.

I cross the Damsgårdssundet and head towards the centre. A myriad of small alleys, footpaths and stairs make me ignore the polite navigation of Google Maps and stroll around, enjoying the town in the sun.

I don’t want to own this car, but I envy the driver’s parking skills.

But of course Bergen is an evolving city, not a museum and a lot of contemporary architecture is found there too. But sometimes the glassy facades reflect the older world.

From there it is not long to Vågen, the central harbour bay with a view of the historic quarter Bryggen.

I check in at the hotel and leave again straight away, first to get some food (Pasha – Peruvian food – not cheap but delicious) and then to take Fløibanen, a 848-metre-long funicular railway that leads up to the mountain of Fløyen (320 m).

Of course I could have walked up the 302-metre ascent, but I have a plan: I want to walk to the mountain of Ulriken (643 m), the highest of De syv fjell that surround the city centre of Bergen. The route is between 13 and 15 km long and leads through hilly terrain. From there I want to take the cable car down and the last one leaves at 23:00. So I don’t have the whole day, just a long evening.

At 18:45 I start my tour. First, I cross a small, but surprisingly dense forest then I follow the wide hiking trail.

When I approach the mountain Rundemanen with its tall radio mast, the trail branches into many paths leading in different directions. I ask for directions twice and get it – together with the warning that it is a long hike. The younger women told me it would take four hours from here, another woman said it would take her six hours. I decide to walk a bit faster and see where I am after two hours. I could still turn back then.

Now the trail looks more like a mountain trail. Smaller, steeper, rougher and sometimes very wet. Normally I walk with rubber boots but on this journey I only have an old pair of low shoes, so I try to avoid all the wet patches walking around them or stepping onto the stones.

I pass the lake Øvre Jordalsvatnet, use the stone causeway to cross the small stream that transports water to the lower lake Tarlebøvatnet. My planned destination, the TV tower near Ulriken, can already be seen.

Now the trail is excellently marked by large square cairns with a sign “←Fløyen, /Ulriken→“. It is easy to follow them. I try to walk at least 4 km/h, ideally 4.5 to catch the cable car. At 20:30 I reach one of the few signposts with distances. I’m happy, because I made more than half the distance in one hour, forty-five minutes. Decision made: I carry on.

And on I go across the Vidden. Sometimes the point of interest is nearby, such as the tube with the first aid equipment including a stretcher. Sometimes it is far away, such as the snowy mountains in the east. Will I see snow here as well?

Tube with first aid equipment and stretcher

And there it is: one of the two patches of snow on the Vidden plateau.

Slowly the sun is setting and the light gets warmer. I walk against the sun and have to protect my eyes with one hand when the path descends steeply into one of the valley cuts. But I’m sure I’ll arrive in time.

I spot some cabins, first a small red one then a larger one. When I researched this while writing, I found out that this is Turnerhytten, a DNT cabin with thirty beds. I think that when I plan a trip to Bergen again, I should stay there rather in some hotel in the centre.

I decide not to climb to the top of Ulriken but to go straight to the cable car station. I’m tired and exhausted because my only rests were to take photos and once to put on a jacket. I follow the signs to the station, take another photo, one of the TV tower, buy a ticket at the ticket machine and two minutes later I am in the cable car that leads me down. It is 22:30, so the hike – 14½ km long – took me 3¾ hours.

From the descending cable car I watch the sunset …

… then I’m in town again. It is five more kilometres to my hotel, so I take a bus (the wrong one), a tram, and another bus. At 23:15 I am in my hotel room.

Today I walked around 25 kilometres in total and now I only want to take a shower and fall into bed and sleep until breakfast at 7:00 the next morning.

Hill hike III – Ruksesvárri May 16 2026

Today I did my thrid hill hike within 8 days. After Trehørningen (283 m) and Nattmålsfjellet (296 m) I chose Ruksesvárri (470 m) today. Most people refer to the mountain by its Norwegian name (Rødtind), which more or less means the same as the Sámi name: red mountain peak. Like the other hills Ruksesvárri is located on Kvaløya.

I park the car in Storelva, put on my rubber boots and shoulder my camera backpack. From there it’s about one kilometre along the river Stuorajohka/Storelva until I leave the wide gravel hiking path and branch off. From now on the track may be wet and – looking at Ruksesvárri – snowy.

I hike up, following the track. Soon it vanishes under the first larger snow field.

The track is less muddy than I remember but wet, because the snowmelt turns everything into a brook, even the boardwalks. Further up I see that under sand and water there is blank ice. However, it is the only patch I see.

I look back. To the south I can see the island of Håkøya and mountain chains in more or less all directions.

The further up I go, the more the terrain is covered in snow. The barren sections show, how popular this hike is: the track is several metres wide.

Now I am above the timber line and snow dominates the scene. Mostly it is good to walk on and I do not sink in too much, but there are some nasty holes, especially above the mountain brooks, where you can easily break through up to your thighs. I’m on a gentle slope, angled at 10–15°.

I reach the saddle below the peak. In summer the path gets steeper and rockier, now all I can see is the peak and snow. The snowy slope is pretty steep.

I wasn’t the first one today. I met an elderly man who was already on the way down. Perhaps it’s his footsteps that I follow now on the way up. At the steeper part I use my hands as well. Then I reach the top plateau, cross another snow field and stand on the surprisingly unimpressive peak.

The impressive part are the views, especially to the west and the north.

At the tall cairn from where I can see Kaldfjorden meet the open sea is my turning point today. If I had skis or at least snowshoes I would continue. Without then, it’s time to return.

This hill walk was 7.2 km long. Elevation gain and loss: about 500 metres.

The weather is still sunny while I am editing the photos. In one of the photos I can see a small figure – the man who passed me on my way up. On his left side he has something blueish. I magnify the photo to 400%. It’s a pair of blue snowshoes strapped to his small backpack.

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