Day 64 – to Klimpfjäll

I managed to get the things done around town on foot with the dog before the rain set in, and included a return along the Umealven river, in full flow.

By chance I happened upon the Systembolaget being open. It is so rarely. That is, the state liquor store, necessary for the purchase of any alcohol above 4%. It opens for 3 hours on a Saturday, not on Sundays, and from 10 until 4 on weekdays. The staff were really friendly and knowledgable also about the beers. They seem at first to only have two beer sections, lager and ‘eepa’, or IPAs. But in actual fact, concealed between and within are more interesting opportunities. I asked about Dunkel or Bock, as I have seen them before in Scandinavia. Actually, the lady told me, Sweden brews it’s own. Not only that, but far cheaper also than the imported versions.

I enquired about Porter, as the Finnish have some pleasant ones. Imported they have several, from UK of course, but there was a Swedish one, so we will see, I will report back.

We chatted a while about how such a state run enterprise runs, with no offers ever, no competition, yet reasonable prices. A bottle of 10 year old Laphroaig for example, was 37 euros. Many Norwegians do their alcohol shopping here, prices there are double at least.

I drove on magnificent roads around to Klimpfjäll, which took about 3 hours. It was now raining heavily, and about 6C. I’m inland in the mountains again, so the weather is very different to the fjord coast, were today it was overcast and 16C.

This circular route I have embarked on an arc of is the Vildmarksvägen, or Wilderness Road, but unless the rain relents I may be hastening back to the coast..