Remember my vacation to "sunny" Italy that for better or worse turned into a city trip? Same happened this past weekend when me and a few friends decided we would drive all the way down to Skåne (Scania) and find a beautiful exotic beach somewhere in Österlen. The South welcomed us with 17 degrees, wind and rain, so we thought we'd just stay in the car for the most part and turn this into a real road trip. The route was re-drawn as follows: Öland - Åhus - Kivik - Kåseberga - Simrishamn - Ystad - Falsterbo - Malmö - Torekov - Båstad - Gränna - Stockholm. Altogether 2000 km - almost like a trip to Bulgaria. Actually, the landscape was quite similar to what you would find in my home country - same types of grass, trees, thorns and fields.
Öland was our first stop. The island is very long - It takes around two and a half hours to drive from the lighthouse Långe Erik (the Tall Erik) down to Långe Jan, which is one of the highest lighthouses in Sweden. It is a picturesque island with golden fields, windmills and cows walking free. Borgholm castle built in the 12th century is the most important sight here. Solliden castle where they celebrate crown princess Victoria's birthday is located nearby. We were there exactly on her birthday and could hear the celebrations.
I wouldn't mind spending a whole week on the white beaches of Öland if it is sunny, but when it's cloudy there really isn't so much to do, so we got us some pizza and drove further after only one night.
Next stop was Simrishamn where we stayed at a very cosy cottage with an unexpectedly polite and funny host. At Bengtssons Loge you can even take toiletries from a cupboard and put the money in a box inside - very sweet! We had an amazing shrimp buffét at the harbour with live music from... Vällingby! :D The exact same singer-song writer that I had listened to in exact same company at a Kanaans Trädgårdscafé, was now there - following us all the way! Caroline Langenheim is her name.
Kivik and Åhus were our next two destinations. Both would be heaven on earth if the weather was a little bit better. The sand is like made of halva. If you go to Kivik, you have to try BUHRES - a restaurant with a spectacular view over the see. I had Moules frites with a glass of wine in the sunset. :)
Kåseberga is a little harbour village where you can try local beer and see the famous Ales Stenar (Ale's Stones) - a megalithic monument erected 1400 b.c. which served as an ancient astronomical clock. I even tried smörgåstårta for a first time in my life but I have to admit that I didn't like it at all. I would rather eat surströmming than another piece of this. The grilled prawns however were great!
By the time we got to Falsterbo, which was supposed to be our sunbathing spot, it had gotten so cold that I had to put on a serious jacket and wrap myself in a blanket - that pink spot in the sand is me. We did however visit Smygehuk - Sweden's southernmost point.
Unfortunately we didn't have much time in Malmö, but it was enough to see the breathtaking sunset over the Öresund bridge with Copenhagen's ghostly silhouette in the pastel pink sky. We paid a quick visit to Malmö castle where I really enjoyed the aquarium, and especially the frogs! On the photo below you see the so-called waxy monkey frog - so cute!
Torekov and Båstad were our last destinations. There is a legend that the former got its name from a girl named Thora (later St. Thora) who was drowned by her stepmother and later buried by a blind man who was then able to see again. In fiskhuset in Torekov you can try a delicious fish soup and the restaurant's own beer. I do my best to try the local drinks or food wherever I go in Sweden. My travel buddy kept insisting on drinking Corona, because he thought if he didn't like the other beer, that would be a waste of money. I think a waste of money is eating and drinking the same things that you would find home in Stockholm.
Afer a looong ride through Småland with a stop in Gränna, we got home around midnight on Sunday, which means that I was half-asleep the whole day at work on Monday (worth it!).
To sum it up: I have never been up north, but the south of Sweden is magnificent. The probability of bad weather even in July is obviuosly around 90% no matter the forecast. By the way, as my friend noted, it seems to be only us in Sweden that try to sunbathe at all costs - I haven't seen or heard of the same obstinate behavior anywhere else: Island, Norway, the UK - they all kind of seem to have accepted the fact that if you want sun, you go abroad. So, try and accept the fact that Skåne is probably not going to be your tanning spot, get some good clothes, and enjoy the ride!
