It is one of those brilliant Swedish summer mornings. It's one of those mornings that makes you feel "Oh, it's great to be alive". There is a soft, warm golden light and the sky is the clearest and deepest shade of azure blue. What a blessed relief this is after a month of drab, grey heavens. It would all be so perfect, except the sea around us looks like a mirror. Yes, it is very picturesque, but it means we have very little wind and our ambitious plans to sail a long stretch today up to Kalmar or Öland will have to be heavily revised. This map will give you an idea of where we are at the moment. The yellow area represents Småland and Öland, the next province on our journey northward.

Right at the moment, we are lying just below the yellow area, on the very edge of the coast east of Karlskrona. It is plainly too far to travel to Kalmar in one hit with zero wind unless we motor all of the way. We talked about that and decided that we had already motored far more this summer than we like or want to do. It is pure sailing that we miss and we have a glorious day ahead of us, so why not simply sail for as long as we have the energy and then nip into one of the small coastal communities for the night. Who really cares if we travel 100 or 10 nautical miles - we are here to enjoy ourselves, not to set records.




We set sail early and the boat glides out into Kalmarsund and we drift very slowly northwards in the gentle late summer breeze. Sittng and sunning ourselves in the cockpit, sipping on green tea and listening to the gentle swish of the water on the hull, life feels good again. While we sail, we look at the green, fertile coastline, watch gulls swoop down to feast on schools of tiny fish and wave to the few yachts we pass. We notice that all of the boats are Germans and are headed southwards; I guess they are going home after sailing in Sweden for the summer. As usual, we are the lone boat headed northwards - and the only Swedish boat.

In the early afternoon, we turn in at the town of Bergkvara, a small rural community which lies about 40 kilometres south of Kalmar. We had read a little about the town and it sounded like it would be worth visiting as it had a long tradition as a seafaring harbour. It certainly had a large commercial harbour, with sawmills and stacks of timber lining the wharfs. We moored at the nearby guest harbour, which was deserted and thought we would take a walk through the town and see what it was like.

The literature we had read about Bergkvara spoke of it being a modern tourist town which had still maintained its old world charm. It was touted as the handcraft centre of the area with several artisans active as well as there being several old but well preserved buildings and a little maritime museum to visit.

Unfortunately we found none of that. The tourist office at the camping grounds had closed for the season as had the museum, but we thought we could follow the road out of the harbour area and it would lead us to the town. Well, you would have thought so, anyway. We walked in the heat for what seemed like miles. The road was lined with ordinary houses, but there was no sign of a commercial centre or any life. There was a lot of heavy traffic to and from the harbour and as there were no footpaths we had to walk single file as well as stop and stand back from passing trucks several times. We walked and walked, through fields, along the edge of the road and down lanes in an effort to find the town. Of course, Lambi became hot and we had to make numerous rest and water stops for her sake. I'm really beginning to be concerned about her health - is this just old age or something else?

Eventually we came to a chapel with an interesting bell tower, but there was no sign of this charming little town we had pictured in our mind.




Finally, we made our way back to the main road and guessed that the town itself was at least a couple of kilometres further along, up near the E22. This harbour area must be quite separate. Had we known that, we could have used our bikes, but now we faced a long, hot walk back to the harbour and by then we didn't feel like hauling out and assembling the bikes, then riding all that way again. Some kind of map in the guest harbour would have been quite helpful!

Still, we enjoyed the rest of the day walking along the rocks at the shore and looking out towards the lighthouse located on the rocky shoals at Garpen. It looks such a fascinating place, but our draught is too big to risk taking Fiona out there, even in calm weather like this. We are content to simply enjoy the view, savour the evening warmth and to contemplate the next morning's sailing.




There is a little more wind today and we make another early start. We discussed possible places to visit and we think that we'd like to stay on the island of Öland tonight rather than the mainland. We have always loved Öland and have wonderful memories from previous trips. In the past we have stayed in the northern part of the island, so we are a little curious about the southern part, so we are setting our sights on little port of Färjestaden ("The Ferry Town", so called because until 1972 the only way to get to the island was by ferry from the mainland to this little town).

As we sail along the water, the sight of the enormous towers of the wind farm come into view. The first time we sailed along this coastline, we were very confused by these windmills. We had seen them from many miles away and had assumed that they stood on land and so we kept altering our course in order to miss what we thought was a peninsula jutting out into the sound. But after some time, the course did not make sense, we were headed too far east, so we double checked with the electronic GPS and the compass and came to the conclusion that these towers were actually in the water. Which they were. There is an interesting photographic description of their installation here.




There was nothing marked on the paper or electronic charts (and we had the most up to date charts available), so that is why we had been confused. This is the world's largest sea based wind farm and they are a majestic sight, rising out of the sea, towering over everything with these enormous sweeping blades and their presence here indicates just how much wind this place is subjected to. "Except for today" quips Lars-Göran and he is right - the wind is barely enough to fill the sails.

We see in the distance that a fast moving rain front is passing over Öland, completely obliterating the coast at times. We still think it is the very best place to visit and we are hopeful from the forecast that these are only passing showers and that the weather will be mostly fine. So on to Färjestaden we go. Across the water, six kilometres away on the mainland, is the town of Kalmar beckoning to us.




It's tempting, but we have made up our minds already. And anyway, it is raining hard on the mainland and we've had enough rain to last for a while. Once we are moored, we hit on the idea of hiring a car from the local OK-Q8 station and spend some time taking a really good look around the interior of the island. Lars-Göran has fond memories of camping holidays he spent on the island and is keen to show me some of its history and nature. I think it's a splendid idea, so off we went and hired a cute little VW Polo for a day. Our first stop was the tourist bureau to pick up a free map, then we set off to drive all around the beautiful countryside of southern Öland.




This is Sweden's second largest island at 137 km long and 16 km wide. We are based at about the mid pint on the west coast, so we aim to drive down the west coast to the southern most point, then head back through the interior. A great deal of this area is world heritage listed because of its long cultural history and the way the people have adapted to both the challenges presented by the island's geography and topography. It was judged to be an outstanding example of human settlement and of making the optimum use of diverse landscape types on a single island. Not far down the road, we came across the first of the distinctive farming communities.




These farms are known as linear villages, where all of the properties are arranged in a line along the village street. The land on Öland was divided during the Middle Ages (1100-1400 A.C.) into either village ground, arable land or grazing land. These linear were villages established according to a system called laga läge and were common sights throughout most of Eastern Sweden at the time. In a linear village, each farm plot faces the main street and the plot's width is used as a measure of how many "shares" the household had in the village.




While Öland is now connected to the mainland by bridge, it still has a rugged, rural flavour which is quite unique and I am so happy that they have managed to preserve this atmosphere. It has a rich blend of natural, cultural and historical attractions: its Great Alvar Plain, divided by a network dry stone walls; the ancient coastal hay meadows and pasturelands; the unusual linear villages, the wealth of Iron Age, Stone Age and medieval remains, an exceptional flora and a rich birdlife. It really has something for everyone and today we got to see some of it close up. Just across the road from this village, we saw the hayfields.




There is a real feel of approaching autumn in the air when you see that the hay has been gathered into rolls, ready for storage as winter food for the farm animals. And the sun's warm, golden light made me burst into song:



This caused Lars-Göran to nearly run the car off the road in shock. Obviously he's never seen the musical Oklahoma! *grin*




We didn't follow a direct route, but instead turned off and wound our way in the sunshine down any little country road that took our fancy, through townships, isolated farmland, along the coast, then back again. As we rounded each bend in the road there was always something to catch our fancy, a sight to talk about or a view to admire. It is interesting to see that while this area is one that is steeped in cultural heritage, it is still a living agricultural region today.




Leaving the beautiful, fertile coastal farmlands we drove to Mysinge to look at one of the most striking landscapes of Öland - the Great Alvar Plain. An alvar occurs on hard limestone bedrock and is a flat area where bare rock breaks through thin soil. The Great Alvar Plain is the largest grazed alvar in the world, an extensive limestone plateau, strewn with windswept junipers and granite rocks which were deposited here during the last ice age eleven thousand years ago. The plateau has been grazed continuously until relatively recently and the plants living here are particularly well adapted to this peculiar and harsh environment.




It looks like a barren sort of place, but it is interesting to look at it from close range. I was also fascinated by the carefully constructed walls that dotted the landscape and divided this area into plots some time between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. What a huge undertaking this must have been.




Another noteworthy and very typical sight on the island is the windmill. It is undoubtedly Öland's most prominent symbol. From an estimated 2,000 windmills built here, about 400 remain and have now been classified as cultural monuments and are maintained by the many local associations active on the island. They add a romantic and charming touch to the view.




And let us not forget the sea - you are reminded of the water wherever you are on the island. You smell the salty air and hear the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore. Unlike the very rocky parts of the north of the island, this southern coastline is dominated by shallow, sandy beaches and in July, this is the holiday and beach paradise of Sweden.




Just before we got back to Färjestaden, we spotted an outlet of ÖoB (a cross between an army disposal store, K-mart and Cheap as Chips) and went in to see if we could find some decent rain gear and some new rubber boots for Lars-Göran. Had I mentioned that his boots were also leaking profusely and that he had stubbornly spent all of August trying to repair them with some kind of gunk and finally resorting to putting his foot into a plastic bag before putting it into his boots? I'm not really supposed to tell anyone this, but I'm sure I can trust you to keep it quiet. Sheesh, men! He has had these boots for decades, so it was high time they were retired and I was thrilled when he came out with nice new boots and a great rain jacket and pants. Äntligen!

We were still restless and the day was long so we decided to drive over the bridge to the mainland and do a quick tour of Kalmar while we still had the car.




This reinforced concrete bridge was built between 1968 and 1972, replacing the ferry service across Kalmarsund. It is just over six kilometres long and at the time it was built, it was Europe's longest bridge. It stands 40 metres above sea level at its highest point. It was a little scary to look over and see the water below. I think I've been on the boat so long that I've forgotten what travelling at this speed is like.




We drove into central Kalmar, which is a large and busy place, then around to the harbour area and on to the castle which I've always loved. I took the next photo when we were here in November five years ago, just to show you how striking the castle looks from the water.




Bear in mind that this was taken on a grey, cloudy day in late November and using my ancient Minolta camera, so it's not the best shot in the world but you can see that the castle dominates the landscape. I've always wanted to take a closer look, so we parked the car and went through the impressive stone portal and into the grounds.




The history of Kalmar castle stretches back over 800 years. During the 12th century a defense tower was erected to protect the town against pirates. A harbour was built and later the castle grew around the original tower. Kalmar Castle soon became known as “The Key to the Kingdom”, because it's location provided a significant defensive fortification right on what was then the Danish border. The castle acquired its present appearance in the 16th century, when the Vasa kings Erik XIV and Johan III rebuilt it in the style of a Renaissance palace.




And in the glow of the early evening sunset, it looks splendid. We took a leisurely walk along the ramparts, looked through the cannon turrets and crossed over the moat. There was a warm, friendly and relaxed feeling to the place aided by the large number of families having an evening picnic on the lawns. It's all a far cry from those warlike days when Sweden had illusions of empire building.

Across the way from the castle we saw a large, well maintained cemetary with the most beautiful chapel inside.



There was such a feeling of calmness, peace and solitude about this place and I looked around to see if there was any information about it close by, but I couldn't find any. We finished the evening by walking around the beautiful town gardens, sipping a drink and enjoying being on dry land, soaking up the sights and sounds of this lovely town. I can tell you that after such a full day, we were tired little teddy bears when we finally drove back across the bridge to the island.

In the morning we want to look a little at Färjestaden itself before we return the car and set sail again and see what other delights the Småland coast has to offer. But right now, I want to spend this treasured time relaxing, enjoying a glass of wine and a big dinner with my fabulous family.