About three years ago I had realised one of my great desires to visit Lapland. I was enchanted by the thought of the midnight sun, the huge lakes and snow-capped peaks. I coincided my visit with midsummer day as I also wanted to sample the strange Swedish custom of dancing round the maypole and eating strawberry cake. I had opted to fly to Stockholm from London and thence take a flight to Kiruna. From here there was a one hour train journey to Abisko in the heart of Swedish Lapland. In my two week trip I explored seemingly endless footpaths, traversed wild rivers via rickety bridges and climbed several mountains. I also danced round said maypole, which was curiously bedecked with local flowers and was deliberately shaped like the male reproductive organs. Anyway, this isn't a Travelogue, but I had to mention it. My return journey, also satisfied more cravings, one voluntarily, the other by luck as it were.
Great train journeys hold a certain romantic charm for me. I took the train back from Abisko in the mid afternoon, embarking on no less than an 18 hour trip back to Stockholm. The train only stops three times and I appeared to have a car all to myself. It was a comfortable two-bedded sleeping car, with a little wash-hand basin and a nice window with red draw-to curtains. Several people got on at Kiruna and my heart sank a little as my door opened. For a second I had visions of sharing with some big hairy Swedish bloke. A second later my spirits were lifted infinitely as my co-traveller was a pretty mousy-haired girl in her late twenties.
'Hello.' She said.
'Hi!'
She looked at me somewhat curiously I thought. Maybe she had hoped for another woman or an empty car, I don't know.
'Ill take this one then.' She said unnecessarily. Putting her suitcase on the only available bed.
I nodded and smiled.
'Going far?' I asked.
'Uppsala. You?'
'Stockholm.'
'Oh, all the way!'
'Yes, I'm flying back to London from there.'
She took off her long jacket and revealed a decent pair of tits under a crimson T shirt. She also wore a pair of tight jeans and I had a perfect view of her ass as she turned round to fiddle with her suit case. When she turned round I also couldn't help notice the little, neat cleft which the crotch of her jeans had found its way into. I tried to make my glances momentary, as I didn't want to appear to be a pervy guy or something. Well, you can't help notice these things.
'Are you on holiday or working?' I asked.
'Yes I'm on my summer holiday, going to stay with my parents for three weeks.'
'That's nice. What do you do up here?'
'I work at the Institute for Astro Physics at Kiruna.'
She said this as if she said she worked for Tesco. I was impressed.
'Wow, that's cool. I didn't know there was such a place.'
'Yes, it's on the edge of town. I'm doing a PhD there.'
'Wicked! What's the PhD in?'
'Yes, it's on the effects of the moon's gravity on the brain.'
'Oh.'
'Yeah, it's a bit out there, isn't it? Most people say "oh".'
'I'm sure it's fascinating.'
'It is to me. I'm going to get my head down for a while if you don't mind, I had a bit of a late night last night.'
'OK, well, maybe I'll leave you in peace and go to the buffet car for a while. I don't want to stay in here for 18 hours anyway. My name's Alex by the way.'
'Yes, I'm Helen.'
'Oh OK Helen. Are you Swedish?'