Back in 2019 I started planning a trip to Scandinavia, taking in Midgardsblot Festival on the way. I bought a ticket for the 2020 festival and a month long Interrail ticket (with senior discount) to take me around. Then we had Covid. My plans changed slightly and I decide that I would get a two month Interrail ticket (having cashed in the first) and the festival ticket was rolled over one year then another. As well as Scandinavia, I decided to include some places in Europe that I hadn’t visited before.
Planning further, I included a visit to my friend in France, another friend in Stockholm and catching up with another friend in Norway who would be at Midgardsblot and at the end a trip to Germany for Prophecy festival.
The itinerary was planned before leaving to be:
2nd August Eurostar to Rotterdam
3rd Train to Prague
5th Train to Warsaw
7th Coach to Vilnius
9th Coach to Riga
11th Train or coach to Tallinn
13th Ferry to Stockholm
17th Train to Borre and Midgardsblot
21st Train to Trondheim with a side visit to Hell
It went a bit vague after that until I recrossed the Channel on 30th by Eurostar from Rotterdam.
That would take up August and then in September I had a couple of festivals booked, also rolled over from 2020 , one in Yorkshire, Warhorns, and the other in London, Cosmic Void.
After Warhorns I would spend a few days in Newhaven before heading across to Annecy in France, via Paris (Eurostar), come back for the one in London before heading straight off to Germany via Amsterdam for few days before going to Prophecy. After Prophecy I had one more festival – Northern Darkness Autumn Edition – before I was available for work again.
My French friend in the Netherlands contacted me so we started to make plans for me to stop off there at the end of August and it was then I discovered that I was complete for my travelling days with the Interrail ticket if I stopped off at Copenhagen on the way.
Accommodation was arranged through my Swedish friend for Stockholm, with the nights before then being in hotels and on the ferry. Midgardsblot and Prophecy are camping and Cosmic Void and the rest of the August trip and some of the September ones being in hotels again. My friend in Annecy put me up whilst I was there.
Food doesn’t seem to be a problem, with the major cities that I visit all having quite a few vegan or vegan friendly restaurants. Some meals will have to be taken whilst travelling so getting food from shops is also planned.
The reaction to that was quite positive, with some people thinking about doing something similar themselves and my students from that year wishing me a good trip. For those who are looking at the trip and wondering why they don’t do something similar themselves, the only thing that is stopping them is themselves.