Spending Christmas in Abisko
Some holidays are easy to plan (or not plan and just wing it), while others take quite a bit of research and what feels like advanced puzzle work. Which is why when someone tells me, “OMG THIS WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST TRIPS WE’VE EVER DONE.” I steal it from you. My husband and I will gladly and shamelessly benefit from all of your hard work. Transportation. Lodging. Snacks. Activities. Sleep patterns. I want it all in an email with bullet points. Sure, we find ways to make it our own. For example, you say you bought a bottle of whiskey to keep you warm, we purchase a box of booze. Such was our Christmas trip to Abisko, Sweden.
Our first friends we made after our move to Amsterdam were introduced through a mutual friend within our first week of arriving. After hours of laughing and over-sharing with coffee and chicken and waffles, it felt like we were just old friends catching up on life. It was during this brunch when a decision was made that we would be spending our first Christmas away from family, and among the northern lights instead. Unfortunately, these are also our first good friends to leave us and return to the states, but not before they blessed our travel plans with bullet-pointed emails. (Miss you guys).
Abisko is a small village, occupied by 85 residents, just north of the Arctic Circle. Sitting on the bank of an stunningly immense lake, lined by jagged mountains and the Abisko National Park, this wonderland is a highly sought-after haven for adventurous souls. In many places known for viewing the Northern Lights, mainly referred to in Abisko as Aurora Borealis, the phenomenon can be difficult to predict. This is why Abisko’s guarantee is surprising – if you stay for 4 nights, you almost assuredly will be able to check off this major bucket list item.
Getting to Abisko:
We had two viable options: Fly into Kiruna and take a short train to Abisko, or fly into Stockholm and take the 16ish hour night train. My husband claims I don’t consider his 6’6 frame enough when travelling so, to prove him wrong, I booked a small sleeper cabin on the night train. In my defense, there was only one flight from Stockholm to Kiruna and we were unable to get to Stockholm in time. Also, it ain’t cheap. Besides, look at how much fun we’re having!
Before he burned his feet on the heater in the middle of the night
Per our friends’ suggestion, we had a few hours in Stockholm to load up on food and beverages for what was clearly expected to be a month-long holiday.
Where to stay:
Our friends stayed at the Abisko Mountain Lodge and had a great experience, but that was fully booked so we stayed at the Abisko Guesthouse and we absolutely loved it. The owner, Klas, is a wonderful host and dresses as Santa on Christmas Eve. He throws a party at the lake, where they cook reindeer over a bonfire and he hands out presents. Precious. We learned he lived with his wife in a tent in Alaska for a year as he trained for the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. Completing that race is impressive, but my main takeaway from that story is his wife is actually a saint. Anyway, that was unrelated…but we love Klas. Considering writing his biography.
Abisko Activities:
We booked our activities through Visit Abisko and directly with Abisko Guesthouse. We wish we had booked more with the Abisko Guesthouse because…Klas. Obviously. Truly though, he always gave honest advice even when it would have been better for him financially if he didn’t. You can also check Lights Over Lapland, but they’re all pretty similar. The Aurora Sky Station has a live cam that we checked nightly so we could track if the sky was clear enough. On our first night, we didn’t think to do this until too late and we actually missed them. So we didn’t make that mistake again!
Saunas
Sweden’s sauna game is next level. It’s common to shower prior to entering, disrobe completely, enjoy a beer, then take a cold shower after or roll around in the snow. The higher you sit, the hotter it is, and if you’re like me, you’ll either last about 10 minutes before taking a break or nearly accept death as your body shuts down, rendering you immobile. It’s quite enjoyable. Would recommend.
Pickled Herring
On Christmas Eve, we walked through the Abisko National Park to the Turiststation to explore the gift shop and enjoy a traditional Christmas Eve lunch buffet. I can wholeheartedly say I am on board (Smörgåsbord) with Swedish food. Smoked salmon, roasted potatoes, beet slaws and brussels sprouts, freshly baked bread, and, here’s where I may lose you as I definitely lost my husband…pickled herring. You guys. Pickled herring. I. AM. INTO. IT. Luke found “surprise” herring in what looked like an ordinary chopped beet dish and (very dramatically) almost threw up on the table. I thought it was delicious. Our marriage is a balance of “Here, try this fish. You might like it!” and him wanting to die. Is that balance? I don’t know. Whatever. He might like it!
Snowmobiling
After the surprise herring incident, we went snowmobiling near the Norway border. This was booked through the Abisko Guesthouse, and we had such a blast with our guides! There unfortunately wasn’t as much snow as there normally is over Christmas, but the location they found was incredible. The trip started at 2pm and was pitch black within an hour. The entire time we were in Sweden, I had no idea what time it was. It consistently felt like midnight, and the sun rose and set at the same time. But, there were some positives to this: a) the sky had a gorgeous pink glow in the morning and b) we napped a lot.
Like I said…3pm. Also, you’re welcome for this picture.
But, this.
And this.
Later that evening, we had dinner at the Abisko Mountain Lodge with a couple of friends from Shanghai we met on the train. More pickled herring. I was in heaven. Luke was a good sport.
Northern Lights Tour
Christmas morning, we opened stockings and gifts from family then played board games to distract us from feeling homesick. Our friends from Shanghai kindly distracted us further by making us a curry dinner and indulging us by joining in said “American” board games. This was followed by the main attraction of the trip – Aurora chasing! We rode in a little wagon on the back of a snowmobile up to a teepee on a hill to set up our cameras.
That marshmallow suit life.
We waited a couple of hours, staying warm in the teepee by a fire, drinking lingonberry juice and eating cinnamon rolls, while the snow began to pick up outside. Ready to admit defeat and head back, we took one last picture and miraculously saw green streaking across the sky through the lens.
The family we were with had to catch a shuttle back to the Turiststation, so we stayed behind on our own. We didn’t mind because the guides of the Northern Lights Tour weren’t as helpful as we hoped. Luckily, I watched some YouTube videos (this was the best) and played with the settings prior to going out or we would not have had a clue what we were doing. The moon was bright, which takes away from the strength of the auroras, but as the clouds shifted to cover the moon, we were finally able to see them without the camera.
We watched the northern lights spread across the sky for a little over an hour, then trudged back through the snow at midnight, FaceTiming with our families. A Christmas for the books, that’s for sure.
Lake Torneträsk
The next day, we took pictures at Lake Torneträsk. We were luckily the only people there, so we were able to sit and marvel at the stillness pretend to stare into the distance while one of us takes a picture then attempt to push each other in the freezing lake.
Ice Climbing
After our little photo shoot, we went ice climbing with our favorite guide of the trip, Aril Petersson, with Abisko Adventure. Seriously, if you make it to Abisko, go ice climbing with Aril! You won’t regret it. Even if you only go up once, as I did. Convinced I would fall to my death, I trusted nothing and ended up hanging on the ice for what felt like hours, continually asking if I was high enough to come back down. In case you’re wondering, with the help of Aril (practically pulling me up by sheer force), I did make it to the top.
This is how I felt:
This was actually me:
Luke on the other hand, scaled that thing like a winter spiderman. Multiple times. Alaskans.
Ice Fishing
On our last day, we went ice fishing before we caught the train back to Stockholm. The train was the only thing we caught that morning, but the experience was highly enjoyable! Digging the hole in the ice alone was worth it. Not to mention our neon green, child-sized fishing rods. We’re simple people.
Stockholm, Sweden:
We endured the night train one last time and made it back to Stockholm. Stockholm is one of our favorite cities, so we decided to spend an extra day here before going home to Amsterdam. I will be writing a post shortly, detailing what to do on a short trip in this city, but here are the highlights: We stuffed our faces at Greasy Spoon (both mornings)- our absolute favorite brunch restaurant. EVER.
I mean…
We then attempted to walk off our food babies around Old Town. This was unsuccessful, so we went back to the sauna to sweat it away. Several hours later (when we could eat again), we ended the night at a Viking-themed restaurant, Aifur Krog & Bar, recommended by Klas. As you walk into the restaurant, the ambiance is exactly what one would expect from a viking bar – the hallway is dark and grungy feeling, lined with worn wood furnishings. As you continue through the hall, the bar appears to the right and is loudly packed with people drinking beer out of large, clay mugs. We start heading down the stone steps to the restaurant where we’re stopped by the host – a fittingly large and boisterous, bearded man. He asks us our names and where we’re from before he announces our arrival to the room, encouraging the crowd to cheer and bang their fists on the tables (a bucket list item I didn’t know I had).
As touristy as this restaurant was, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was amazing, there was live music, and I got to drink mead (kind of like wine? Still not sure tbh) out of a fancy glass. Another win for our adorable host, Klas. Do you think he misses us?
