Sweden

Sweden

This will likely be one of the shortest visits we will spend in a country this summer – it certainly has been thus far, but not due to lack of enjoyment or beauty.  Sweden is topographically different from Norway and as we traveled East along the South coast of Norway, we began to notice the changes.  Giant fjords plummeting as far below as above the sea, gave way to longer, flatter and shinier rock formations which are characteristic of the Swedish coastline.   

Our first stop was in Strömstad where we enjoyed a few days of local seafood, Laurie had 2 days of the spa which were incredible, (a Swedish massage was, naturally, a must)  and we all enjoyed our first days in Sweden immensely. 

Traveling South and weaving our way around the rocks of the Swedish archipelago, we were charmed by the lovely towns and summer villages dotting the landscape.  None of them busy as this is the end of the season, I had the feeling that even at the height of the summer, these quaint villages would be limited to the regular holiday makers who come yearly to the same place.  Despite being a holiday town, each stop felt as though it remained a community and each retained its charm and hospitality. 

The Koster Islands are part of the Kosterhavets National park and the  North and South Koster islands are connected by an electric ferry on a cable.  We first saw this system of connecting islands on Strömstad but the main difference between these is that anyone can operate the ferry in Strömstad but one must have a license to do so in the Koster Islands.  This was unfortunate since we sat out some rain and did some hiking on the North side planning the South side for the day before our departure.  It was only when we were reading the translated instructions did we understand that tourists such as us would have to wait for someone with a coveted license and card to happen by and transport us.  We could have dropped Takk in the water and taken the RIB over but as it was the day before our departure and lots to get done, we opted to skip it.  What we did love of the North side though were the gorgeous and groomed trails with so much flora and fauna I couldnt begin to list.   With a permanent population of approximately 340 year round residents, that number swells to over 90,000 considering the tourists.  There are no cars permitting on the North island and bikes are only allowed on the main roads, not the hiking trails.  There were a couple of restaurants and a grocery store which was closing shop the following day, so very limited in supplies.   Most people will arrive by one of 16 ferries arriving daily from Strömstad and we saw lots of day trippers in town to enjoy a hike. 

On our last blog post I mentioned that there are 2 things we love about hiking in Europe.  1 of them is that there aren’t signs and barriers to nature to “childproof” it against hikers excercising bad judgement. The second thing we love (and I never said in our last post) is that trails often meander through the back gardens or fields on the property of people who live there.  It is not unusual to find oneself in the field of a farmer or back yard of someone overlooking the sea or mountains.  When we first arrived in Europe I felt really self conscious and nervous creeping through peoples back yards.  It took a lot of encouragement to make me see that this is totally normal and nobody minds.  In Norway one can set up a tent anywhere they wish provided it is not within 100 yards of a home.  Imagine this in the US?  Hikers throughout Europe are free to meander through anyones back yard on a hike – just close the gates behind you?  Sure, in some neighborhoods in the US it would be fine.  I remember a couple of times looking into our back yard to see a bunch of teen boys playing a game of jumping fences and occasionally diving momentarily into a pool.  We also have fruit trees that some kids help themselves to on their way to-from school. Both of these things make me chuckle and remind me of my own youth.  But I dont think it is the typical mindset in the US.  Signs warning, “Forget the dog, beware the owner” with a shotgun in the mans hand come to mind.  And the continued and loosening interpretation of our second ammendment make me think that we are getting further and further away from the mindset that our native Americans held which is that land can only be enjoyed, not owned.    Im not on a soap box here, just pointing out differences between the Europeans and Americans.  One of the great benefits of traveling the world is the ability to see ones own country without the myopic vision of standing too close.  Im not judging one better than another, we just like observing differences and “feeling” our way to which resonates more. 

Meandering our way from the Koster Islands to Smögen was certainly one of the best cruising days we have ever enjoyed.  The enormous and shiny rocks emerging from the water as well as the quaint and brightly colored unique buildings dotting the landscapes made us feel part of the ancient history of this area.  And the treasures we found in Smögen included lovely shops and restaurants dotting the quay where we were moored, as well as lovely walks along the huge rocks and giants kettles (giant potholes – remnants of the last ice age formed by retreating glaciers) dotting the landscape.  Of course, we aren’t on vacation but rather living so we were delighted to find, a short dinghy ride away, a wonderful grocery store where we could re-provision and get the larder and pantry restored. 

Of particular difference from a boating standpoint this summer,  in the Med we typically anchored out most of the summer or occasionally went into marinas which had us barricaded behind a secure fence – there were only limited stops in which we were open to the larger community.   This summer though, we havent done much anchoring and there are virtually no large marinas.  First, regarding anchoring out, the water is too deep to set our anchor much less provide for the minimum 3X1 scope we typically put out.  And second, the cost of dockage is so reasonable, it is nice to be tied up in the community and free to get off the boat and meander at will.  In fact, while we have found food, restaurants and most other tourist things very expensive, the dockage is only about 1|3 of what we are used to paying.    In terms of marinas, the mega-yacht marinas with yachts cloistered behind guard gates simply dont exist here.  Far more typical is a tiny floating marina which appears to be open only in summer and typically houses smaller boats, or far more common, the public quay is used which is where all of the ferries, day tripper boats and any and all pleasure boats just find a spot and pay for the night.    In this type of arrangement,  we dont exactly “blend” in with our larger than typical boat and our giant US ensign waving off the stern.  As a result, we have made lots of new friends and felt as though we didnt even have get of the boat to find our favorite aspect of travel – meeting the locals.  And here it is easy to do with most Swedes speaking English, there is virtually no communication barrier. 

It goes without saying that the weather is far cooler than we have ever experienced.   Jack and I are loving it!  Alec is happy but missing his weekly trips to the underside of Gratitude to give her a rubdown.  It’s not summer for this Florida boy unless he is in the water, and this is way too cold for our comfort to swim.  But we have been able to, and have fully loved, hiking all summer long with heat not even entering the equation. 

We leave Saturday for Denmark so despite the numerous recommendations from friends and lovely Swedes who have come to say hello, we will have to save these stops for another visit.  We have several events for the next few weeks which are “hard points” in the schedule.

Lego House Tickets for our on board Lego fanatic (Jack), we are so excited to visit Catharina, Erik, Peter, Ida, Päl, Christian – cousins of Alec in Copenhagen,  Janie is coming to visit us in Copenhagen, and we must be in Stuttgart, Germany for Volksfest and Colins arrival.  All of this is to say that once again, while it seems that we have all the time in the world, we must keep moving.  So the next stop is Skagen, Denmark.    Thanks for your generous and gracious hospitality Sweden!  We have so enjoyed our time here and look forward to our return.