FINALLY

I grew up in Piteå, and I have to admit I've been awfully bad about going back to visit — so finally spending three weeks there brought back a massive wave of childhood memories. It's probably just that walking past old streets and familiar spots triggers things you haven't thought about in years.

My visit also lined up with the Piteå Summer Games — which I actually won, and scored in, as a kid — so the town was absolutely packed with visiting Norwegians, southern Swedes, and random kids from around the world. A nice addition to the mood.

I spent a lot of the trip listening to Accidentally by Pro Teens. I really do adore that album, from a group that's sadly not that well known.

The preferred mode of transportation

The main goal was to get active and drop some weight, so I ditched all forms of transportation and just walked everywhere. The effort paid off — I lost around 4 kg on the trip, which made the daily mileage well worth it.

Some routes were a genuine grind. Walking from Skuthamn to Bergsviken was a massive challenge, but keeping the Norway vs. England match in my ears via Radiosporten kept me entertained the whole way.

Eh, whaddaya do

It wasn't a seamless three weeks, though. I lost an entire week to a cold after my dad brought it home and generously shared it with me, which temporarily wrecked my walking routine.

Then there were the mosquitoes... I'd completely forgotten how brutal they get up north during summer. Being out on foot all day made me an easy target, and the swarms were relentless.

Even with a week lost to a cold and getting eaten alive by bugs, dropping 4 kg and reconnecting with my old hometown made the trip a success. Next time, I'll just dodge the family germs and pack a lot more bug spray.