ÖREBRO PART I
- Hannah McDonald
- Jul 15, 2022
- 7 min read
Arlanda Express • Avis Stockholm • Örebro • Göljestigen • Clarion Collection Hotel Borge
When sharing our trip plans with various people, they naturally ask where in Sweden and/or Norway we plan to go. Listing the towns (after conferring with Joelle since I had no idea), the next remark was often, “those are weird places…why are you going there?” Mildly concerning. Arriving in Örebro, however, we now understand those comments; we are no longer in touristy areas (yay!).
Arlanda Express
--- Near Map Point 1 to Map Point 2 ---
The Arlanda Express—literally right next to our Stockholm hotel—takes us to the airport in 18 minutes, where we will pick-up our rental car. As a bonus, we are still considered youth (up to 25), so the tickets are almost half price. Got to love public transportation in Europe.
Avis Stockholm
--- Map Point 2 ---
Rental Agent: “You must take a ticket from the queue.” There are only three groups of people here, four including us.
Hannah: “This is interesting.”
Joelle: “This place has a lot of one star reviews that I read on the train.”
One of those reviews is from a couple who was getting married in Stockholm and rented a car from Avis. After getting a flat tire, Avis sent someone to fix the car, informing them it could be done quickly, right there. When the repairman arrived, he needed to bring the car to his shop, and since he was going to be right back, they did not need to remove their belongings. The repairman never returned, and they never saw their belongings again. Countless other stories were shared in the reviews, all concerning us. Looking at the Hertz desk across the room, Joelle asks, “should we see if Hertz has any cars available?”
After waiting a few minutes, a young and professional-looking rental agent (many reviews indicate a lack of professionalism) lets us know he can help us. I was sure to get his name; it is Leo.
Leo: “Unfortunately, none of these computers work at all. It should not affect you; you just won’t get a copy of your contract right now.”
Oh goodness…this is not a great start, especially given the reviews. I do not particularly want to leave without a rental agreement, given the horror stories recounted in reviews of unexplained charges from Avis. Leo promises to email Joelle the contract as soon as he is able and asks us what insurance coverage we want. Of course, he cannot lookup the coverage we already purchased (or current damages on the car) since his computer system is down, but fortunately, Joelle has record of our previously purchased insurance and carefully documents the car’s current condition once we have it.
Joelle: “Should we get this additional insurance for $115 that covers anything that happens to the car?”
Hannah: “Given the reviews…I think so…”
Flash forward, we receive a contract via email from Leo. Phew.
Drive to Örebro and Grocery Store Hopping: Lidl and Matkungen
--- Map Points 3 and 4 ---
The two hour drive from Stockholm to Örebro gives us a peak at the beautiful green of Sweden. Apparently, nearly 70% of Sweden’s landmass is forest, and it is beautiful.
On another road trip, we need snacks, and we need lunch. Searching for grocery stores in Google Maps, numerous come up, none of which we are familiar with, so we randomly choose Lidl (map point 3). We scour the shelves, using the Google Translate camera feature to read the labels. There is a small prepared foods section with a few vegan options, including a bean salad, quinoa salad, and hummus. We find most of what we need and enjoy our $10 lunch ($5 each and too much food) in the parking lot. That is a travel hack if you need a meal and are looking to save some money (and time).
Having found another grocery store (map point 4) for our last few items (almond butter–not found at this store either–and 100% fruit jam), it is Joelle’s turn to drive, and it is certainly entertaining. Neither of us particularly like this car, and we are now driving in populated towns, rather than empty Icelandic roads. Thus, the road signs we did not understand in Iceland, without consequence, are a bit more pressing.
Driving through what appears to be downtown, there are lots of signs, and the streets are somewhat unclear given their width and some cobblestone areas. Attentively driving through town, Joelle approaches a sign that she does not understand, and she thinks the street may be one-way due to the width and lack of other cars driving in the direction we are going.
Joelle: “Is this a one-way street??”
Hannah: “I don’t know.”
Joelle: “Google it!!”
Hannah: “Google what…?”
Apparently, she wants me to Google the street signs, which makes sense although is not how I interpreted it. Probably should have Googled those awhile ago…
Now arriving at the grocery store (it was not a one-way street), there is no designated parking lot, although there are cars parked along the street. Wait–not the street. “Are those cars on the sidewalk? Can I park on the sidewalk?” Replicating actions of the other cars, Joelle pops-up on the curb and parks. She asks again, “do you think this is okay?” It seems like it, but I honestly have no idea; “let’s just be quick.”
We return to a perfectly fine car, although a few more questions arise with the drive off the sidewalk.
Clarion Collection Hotel Borge
--- Map Point 5 ---
Tonight we are staying in what appears to be a castle that is also across the street—river—from what is definitely a castle. How fancy. Less fancy: The parking situation. Unable to read any of the signs, we decide to just parallel park nearby since other cars have done the same (hopefully we do not need to pay). Approaching the castle doors, they both open for us, and we immediately search for the fancy bellmen who opened them. Nobody is there…those doors opened themselves. Wow, this really is a (modern) castle.
The man checking us in speaks English well, but we can tell he is thinking hard, translating as he goes. A sign on the desk explains the parking situation, all in Swedish, and the man at the desk attempts to explain it to us. There are two signs, indicating which sections of the street you can park going into odd days versus into even days. It is quite confusing, although I think I understand: We are looking for signs that say no parking “jämna” (even) rather than no parking “udda” (odd) because tomorrow is an odd date. Hopefully we can find that when we park for the night…
Göljestigen Hike
--- Map Point 6 ---
Seeing as nearly 70% of Sweden’s landmass is forested, hiking is a common activity, and we are excited to explore. Joelle found a hike on AllTrails—Göljestigen—and begins the navigation to a dropped pin from the hike’s page. We make our way up a dirt road with houses dotting the edges until we reach an opening just before it turns to forest. This could easily be a small parking lot, although we are the only car and there is a no parking sign with some Swedish written below it. Joelle translates the sign, and it reads “no parking, turn around zone.” This results in much deliberation—“is this whole thing the turn around zone?”—and close investigation of the AllTrails posting. Eventually, Joelle finds another parking lot across the forest that looks more promising, so we drive the 11 minutes to try that instead.
On this route, Google Maps tells us to turn onto a road with signs indicating points of interest, which we passed going to the other trailhead. This is probably more correct, and sure enough, we reach an actual parking lot with other cars, signs posting the trail maps, and an outhouse. I tell Joelle she should write a comment on AllTrails explaining the dropped pin versus parking lot, and she responds, “maybe that was one of the comments in Swedish…”
Shortly into the hike, we realize we are following the blue markings, and thank goodness for that because otherwise we would get lost. The tall trees and surroundings remind us of home. We approach a waterfall—if you can call it that compared to what we saw in Iceland—and pause to enjoy the view and take some pictures. My back turned to the trail, I jump when hearing someone behind us. They approach while speaking to us in Swedish. Joelle and I’s eyes grow big, and we freeze. My brain cannot process or compute what to do next. After what feels like a long pause, Joelle says, “do you speak English?” He quickly responds, “Oh, yes. Can you place my sleeping bag on top of my backpack? I cannot reach it, and it is swinging around.” We laugh and help him out.
The remainder of the hike, we go back and forth with our new Swedish friend—Simon. Stopping at the beautiful (and surprisingly not super cold) lake, we get to know Simon. He grew up in Örebro and is now entering his third year of University in Uppsala, studying political science with a hint of economics. Home for the summer, he is camping tonight by the lake to test his new tent. Along the trail, he points out some blueberry bushes, encouraging us to pick them and try some. He informs us that—“no offense”—these are much better blueberries than we have in the States because they are blue inside and more flavorful. Joelle cautiously asks “we won’t die if we eat these, will we?” He assures us we will not, so we try a few (after watching him safely eat them). They are very blue and very yummy.
Parking in Örebro and Dinner at Clarion Collection Hotel Borge
--- Map Point 5 ---
Returning to Örebro for the night, it is time to find parking–oof. Knowing we are looking for signs that read “jämna,” we naturally only find signs that read “udda.” We drive around and around, even stopping at a parking garage but noticing it closes overnight. Feeling defeated, I run to the hotel’s front desk to seek help. The woman working informs me we should park in the parking garage down the street (the one we already drove to); it closes 10:00pm-6:00am, meaning you cannot access your car at those times but can park overnight with proper payment at the meter. That would have been helpful information when we checked-in; there is another sign (in Swedish) that would have helped at the other end of the desk, which we missed the first time.
Finally parked and not worried about getting a ticket, it is time to find dinner. Constantly figuring out food is exhausting. The hotel provides a dinner buffet (included), which is wonderful so long as we can eat it. Tonight is chicken and rice, so we look for other restaurant options on Google Maps with no luck. Really not wanting to leave the hotel, we look at the full dinner buffet downstairs, and to our luck, there are bean salads and veggies to accompany our rice. This is the first hotel I have stayed in that includes dinner; I love the castle life.
Blue blueberries. 🤔