Finspang to Kalmar, Sweden
Trip Start
Jun 02, 2012
1
2
20
Trip End
Jun 28, 2012
Kalmar, Småland and Blekinge, Sweden
Monday, June 4, 2012
The island off the coast her is called Öland, and the area has a reputation for sunny, windy weather. Sure enough, as I drove south, the intermittent rain and heavy overcast gave way to patches of blue and some lovely sunlight by the end of the afternoon.
The bridge across to Öland to Kalmar was the longest in Europe at the time it was built in the 70s. On the other side, I found the tourist information office and got additional maps and clues to do some planning. In addition to balmy weather, and a flora that is Mediterranean in some ways, the island is famous for its windmills. About 400 of the original 2000 remain, and they do add an attractive quality to an already charming rural island.
This evening, I tested a stroll through different parts of old Kalmar, wandering through neighborhoods that are several hundred years old, and finishing at Kalmar Castle, centerpoint of the union of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway during the 14th and 15th centuries.
Just finished up dinner in the hotel pub with one of the best hamburgers I can recall. The Swedes and Danes are wizards with sauces and all things pickled. This burger was finger-lickin’ good!
Comments
Looks like a lovely spot for a walk, Dan. I hope you are starting to recover from the crazy flight! The burger story confirms a suspicion I had...an old friend used to eat burgers with absolutely nothing on them, and marked it up to his Swedish heritage, which always sounded like baloney to me! Maybe I would like Scandinavian travel after all...
Looks like a beautiful place to walk and ....have one of those great hamburgers!