2 – 3 August 2021
The weather has become very changable and generally cooler. It starts drizzling again when I make off along the western coast of the island slowly back to Färjestaden where the bridge will lead me back to mainland Sweden. It is extremly windy, even for my taste. I like Öland though. I have read about some more prehistoric places here and having always been fascinated by dolmen and so on I suddenly spot a few people walking in what seems a field. There is also a windmill nearby once again. The stones are set in the form of a ship. Gettlinge Gravfält is said to be one of the biggest graveyards of its kind on the island. There are more than 200 graves and it was used from around A.D. till the viking times.
I also pass a prehistoric table and there are certainly many more interesting places waiting to be visited, but the weather becomes ghastly and so I do not feel like getting out of the car and into the wind and rain. I drive on.
I’m on the road to Karlskrona, which is supposed to be an interisting naval town. And once again, upon arrival, the sun peeks out again.
But even the sun cannot do anything about the view that opens up to me when I arrive at Karlskrona’s campsite. It is sooo big, and there are such biiiig mobil-homes, and so incredible many of them. I just can’t, I can’t. So, I drive to the ‚Stellpläts‘ at the harbour seafront – all taken, not very cosy. I have learnt to trust and not panic, not to put up with it if my first attempt at finding a place for the night is not a big hit. Does Karlskrona look inviting enough to go for a stroll? No. I drive out of town and a little further south I find a family campsite right at the waterfront in the archipelago. I there also start chatting to Martin and Annette from Tegernsee, Bavaria. They had just arrived in Sweden and were happy to listen to some of my advice. We had a long chat!
The archipelago – yes, it IS beautiful. But after a while it is really repetitive. I’m happy to go for a morning walk, do my plank on one of the rock out there. Then I leave again. I realise that I’m slowly satisfied with nice pictures, experiences and memories and I kind of do not want to overdo the thing. On top, things to see and visit are far apart in Sweden. So, is it really worth to drive a detour of maybe 40kms to go and have a look at another glassbowing workshop? I’ve already seen two and for sure I will be tempted again and buy some nice glass. So, no. I’m longing for a change, something really different, no forest, no archipelago, something different.
But there are two more things that I want to see before leaving Sweden: Ystad and have a good look at the Öresundbridge. I try to drive on the road close to the sea. But this seems to be tricky as my GPS always tries to lead me onto the fastest track and that’s normally not the one along the coast. As I have no-one to guide me I have to stop several times, turn around but finally I manage to drive a long the coast and it’s really nice.
I stop in Simrishavn, which is supposed to be a nice, though touristy place. We are not in Smâland anymore, that’s for sure. This most southern part of Sweden had been Danish for some time and you can see right away. Red or other coloured brick stone houses, which you are also typical for northern Germany, have replaced the falun red timber houses.
Also the landscape has changed: A lot of open crop fields, farming land, cattle grazing. I like the more open landscape here after all the dark wood, though, I must say it is not as special, as Swedish as it was „up there“ in Smâland and beyond. And I really liked that typical Swedish ‚thing‘, especially in Fellingsbro!
Hennig Mankell, who I heard first of actually in realtion with Africa, long before I heard about the Kurt Wallander detective stories, because he often travelled to Mozambique and also Sénégal, said about the region of Skâne:
„I grew up among the forest of inner Norrland I think my spruce forest quota was more than filled at that time. Later, I soguht out open landscapes such as Skâne. This is also border country. This is where Sweden ends, or begins depending on where you are coming from There is a special dynamic to Österlen and the Ystad area that continues to atrract me.“ I found this description of the change that one can see coming to Skâne very appropriate.
Simrishavn is crowded. I see people wearing face masks again after such a long time, even shop-assistants. I realise that I’m not used to that anymore and fear the moment when I will cross the border to Germany again. Stay in Sweden and Denmark as long as you can, gives you the idea of „normality“. The atmosphere in the small town reminds me of English towns.
I try to pay in cash now as I am about to leave Sweden. I have almost not used any cash during these three weeks. It was only in the little country-side shop run by a friend of Maria’s where I woud have had to pay in cash as I have no „swish“ which is the Swedsh equivalent of our „twint“. Ironically, I did not have enough cash there to buy my white Gotland sheep skin and Maria had to lend me some.
Sweden wants to become cashless – I had changed some cash after my market experience in Denmark, where I only could pay in cash. In Sweden you can pay virtually everything, even an ice-cream at an odd stall, without cash. I even bought „Jordgubbe – strayberries“ from an old man at the market in Ystad and he was equipped to greet my debit card. I am very, very happy and lucky to have brought my multi-currency debit-card (WISE, sorry, have to promote it here as it is great!) It has worked perfectly both in Sweden and Denmark. The multi-currency debit card is great as you change money according to your needs and there is no expensive changing fee applied each time you change, the exchange rate is fair and you get an sms instantly after a purchase. You can also change only small amounts and once your Swedish kroner account is empty you will be debited automatically from one of your other accounts. So, unless you have no money at all, you are never out of money.
Martin and Annette from Bavaria had told me about Alenar Stena, the big standing stones near the village of Kaeseberga. They had been disappointed by the many tourists visiting the place. Yet, compared to Stonehenge it is a afternoon tea party that you meet at Alenar Stena. Annette had also mentioned that one is allowed to stay overnight on the parkground for a small fee. So, I arrived rather relaxed. I was fully equipped with fresh water, food and my emergency toilet at hand – nothing could happen to me. I was autark. So, I asked right away for a parking space to stay overnight (instead of staying in Ystad between railway and noisy main road). I had a look around. The places with electricity had already been taken. The spaces were huge. There was one sections for vans and mobilhome and one for cars. I reckoned that the cars would not stay overnight. So, if I parked my van close to that area I would not have any ugly Hymer or other huge ‚Husbil‘ in front of me. My plan would work out fine! To my surprise this ‚Stellpläts‘ was even equipped with toilets and showers and a simple sink to wash your dishes! Almost as good as a campsite – for 150 kroner.
So, late afternoon I went up to Alenar Stena. There were quite some people, but less than I had actually expected. And it is an impressive site, right up there on the hill. Just enjoy the pictures …
I also went down to the nearby harbour and found a fish smoke house where I equipped myself with all sorts of marinated and smoked herring. It would become a wonderful dinner! I still had some potatoes which I cooked on my tiny stove and ready was my meal.
At the harbour I – for the first time – really felt close to the sea. There was the smell of bladderwrack and other seaweed and tangle in the air. There were a few sailing boats towed to the shore and I was getting a taste of my sailing trip in Brittany in around two weeks‘ time. I was standing on the harbour mole for a long time. The archipelago had never looked like the „sea“. It looks like a lake all the time, yet beautiful it is as well.
When the sun set I was furious about mayself that I had not wited to go up to Alenar Stena now or gone up a second time. It was too late now, the sun already down.
The internet was crap, so after a long chat with the Dutch people next to me and a young German couple I went to sleep. I thought … shall I get up early, very early, to greet the new day up there at Alenar Stena …