Train 24: Karlstad to Kongsvinger

Delayed enough to warrant a platform change; no hardship as we had plums, doughnuts and sunshine. Forests, rivers, lakes and planning for Kongsvinger. Martha’s reading The Crucible. I got the last free individual chocolate piece from the bowl; Ruth shared it with me. Brown wood slatted homes and barns of a slightly different style start appearing in the mix - longer, wider, taller, open sided gables on the barns. Sudden super skinny sideless bridge through a lake. Landscape hillier. Sweden’s 5G telecoms team deserve raises for coverage achieved (total and in spite of trees). Volvo factory next to a truly gorgeous lake. Our fellow passengers all seem to be American. 20 minutes further delay at Arvika to wait for 2 oncoming trains (the delayed train always gets delayed). Why is train main line from Stockholm to Oslo single track? Summer houses on lakes with slides straight into the water. A moose sculpture on a hotel roof. A “BoxIt” self storage shipping container on a street - self storage comes to you here! We approach and leave the Norwegian border seeing bulk-buy stores on both sides, locals able to optimise whatever is cheaper. Are the houses, trees or roads any different? Yes, they are Norwegian. (Otherwise, can’t tell). I stand with our bags too early, nervous to miss the brief stop (most folks are Osloing). Kongsvinger arrives 45 minutes late but still in sunshine and still with time to visit the fort (since it’s open 24h!). We walk across the tracks - nothing fancy like a bridge or underpass here.