Fifty shades of hay
July 24 in France ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
After two summers island hopping in Greece it is time for something different. Plus it is just way too hot in southern Europe (I think we’re on the third or fourth heatwave of the summer) so we are chasing the cold and heading north to Sweden. This will also give me the opportunity to try out a whole new range of puns, alongside regular inappropriate comments.
It all started yesterday when Jess and I had to go to Toulouse to collect a campervan we have hired that will be our home for the next four weeks. The first thing I noticed about the van was that despite it being rented from a French site, it is a German registered van. I told Jess that meant she couldn’t mention the war, I did once but I think I got away with it. Everything was smooth with the hiring process and we were soon on our way home so we could spend 4 hours packing it all up so that we weee ready to hit the road first thing this morning. We then spent another hour or so this morning packing more and tidying the house so that by ten thirty we were ready to roll, So not quite first thing.
One sad thing to report about our trip is that there have been further casualties and now there is not just one fallen comrade but two as Ruby will also not be coming with us this year, she is staying in Paris with Lily. This is doubly sad of course because it means there will be no highbrow and higher quality blog to read and remind me of all the things I forgot to include. In fact, I was just talking with the other two, their names escape me for the moment, about how much we were all going to miss them both.
The drive was smooth, it is so awesome to be on the road with no real itinerary. We do have a vague plan, but as we always say, adventure stinks of wee, so if things go wrong or we just have a change of heart, nothing is set in stone so we can adapt. We did have to name our van and as it is German I started to say that if it was the 80s we could have gone with Nena, of 99 luft balloons (a banger) fame when the twins both piped up and said we have to call it Nena Schwartz. When asked why, they said it was a family in-joke and that it would be very funny, although it seems that maybe I was not in on the joke as I had no idea what they were talking about. But Nena Schwartz it is! After a couple of hours we were hungry and needed to change driver so we pulled into an aire but it was very full and there wasn’t really any space. So we slowly drove around trying to decide if we should go round one more time. These are the crucial decisions and so important to get right so Jess and I were playing ‘what do you think?’ ‘I don’t know what do you think?’ right up to the point we had to decide and then Allegra just said ‘drive on to the next place!’ So we adapted, just like that. It’s good to have someone in the van who knows what they want. It was just as well she did because the next one was not far and much nicer so we could sit at a table under the trees and enjoy some lunch.
Jess was on the next driving leg and it seems she drew the short straw as the motorways we were on by then were much busier but she handled it like a pro. As we drove through the French countryside it was impossible not to notice the impact of all the hot weather we have been having for what seems like months now. Where normally we would be driving through a variety of lush greenery with fields of every shade, now it just seems dry, with every field looking like gold or beige hay. We stopped for another break and at these services they had a selection of giant food for some reason. So there were metre long dried sausage, huge tubs of crisps and popcorn and the one that did for us, extra long tubes of biscuits. (For reasons not entirely clear to me I need to refer to them as dihscuits, the twins assure me this is hilarious). As we are big fans of beers and biscuits this was an easy choice, although alas, as much as I searched I could not find a giant beer to match.
The last leg was me again and the motorways had quietened down again so it was all smooth cruising. All that remained was to decide where to stay for the night. When I suggested to Jess that we could go to Beaune I could tell that she was up for it although the look of shock on the twins faces quickly ruled that out. The next option was Dijon but no one was keen on that, they all agreed that it didn’t quite cut the mustard as an overnight stop. The final option was Belfort and as I can’t think of any humorous reason to include that if it wasn’t to be our destination that is where we are now. Dinner has been had, dishes have been done and we are all quite weary. I don’t think there is too much anxiety to be sleeping in a campervan again although it wouldn’t be a surprise if there was. After all, the last time we did this we were awoken at about 1am to shouts of ‘the van is on fire’. Hopefully tonight will be much more restful than that, as tomorrow we are heading for Germany.Read more
Hope for the best, plan for the wurst
July 25 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Our first night sleeping in the van passed uneventfully, although it did feel like the whole van wobbled any time the twins moved around, and they were amusing themselves greatly before sleeping in time. It took me back to when they were younger and some nights all the girls would be a little hyper before bed and I would get a little antsy and try to quieten them down, it worked sometimes but often it didn’t. It did seem to do the trick last night though and we were off to sleep after a tiring day. We did wake quite early today, I think with thoughts of the road ahead for the day.
We started moving around and getting ready, waking the twins up and getting breakfast and coffee/hot chocolate to start the day before getting the van ready for take off. We needed a quick trip to the supermarket before we got going, there were a few items we realised we either had forgotten or not thought of bringing. The supermarket was very possibly the nicest one I have ever been in. If you imagine the kind of supermarket you would see in a tv ad, well stocked shelves, very clean and smiling staff everywhere. We got what we needed with no messing around as we had another long day ahead of us. Jess was doing the first leg today and again she got the short straw with the motorway traffic. German motorways are not a patch on French ones, way too much traffic and roadworks everywhere so it was very stop-start. I just amused myself by telling her that for the duration of our German adventure she would need to address me as mein Herr and also by talking with a German accent. There is nothing that does not amuse me if I talk like this, especially jokes about ze toilet and ze breaking of the wind. Speaking of which, as the German word for exit is ausfahrt, there was no end of opportunity for me to chuckle away to myself.
Time for lunch and we found some services to stop at, not particularly appealing but we all needed a break. Everyone needed the toilet and since I have to empty the one in the van I try and encourage the use of other facilities wherever possible. But it turns out that at the particular services we stopped at, in order to spend a penny, you have to spend a euro! Per person! There was no way I was paying €4 so it was back to the van. Except for one of us (who shall remain anonymous), whose need was greater, meaning that 1€ was a price I was quite willing to pay to not have to deal with it later. All the important stuff is here! Lunch was had and we were back on the road, my turn to drive. Much like when I was a passenger, I just amused myself with the names of many of the towns we passed, there was Bad Herrdei, Aldschlag, Zwinginglöw, Arsfeldt and Bad Homburger to name just a few. The trick is in knowing which is a real place and which exist only in the imagination of the 12 year old inside of me.
Our stop for tonight is in a town called Einbeck, chosen equally as randomly as our stop last night, but much more successfully. Whereas last night was a little beaten up and run down, tonight, while still being a little rugged is in a car park next to a swimming pool. To pay for our pitch and electricity you do so at the pool, and two free tickets to the pool. So we quickly got changed as we didn’t have long before closing, when we got back the woman actually told us it was finito (didn’t know that was a German word) but despite not understanding each other we managed to get her to let us in to what was a very lovely pool, Jess got to do some laps and the twins and I enjoyed the various water relaxation features, right up to the point I felt cold air being blown right up my Bundesliga. Then it was time for the pool to close so it was a quick shower, back to the van to change and then off to the bistro associated with the pool for a spot of dinner, and beer. There are some things the Germans just get right. We did know our veggie options were going to be limited so to minimise our guilt, Jesss and I went halves on a veggie burger and a schnitzel, the twins had no such qualms and went full meat. We did spend a moment giving thanks to the pig who sacrificed so much for us. The food was excellent, the payment process not so much. For some reason Visa and Mastercard don’t work on their payment terminal, only some other card we couldn’t quite understand what, and we did not have enough cash. So Jess and I left what had and then had to hot foot it to an ATM which was 10 minutes away and then get back before they closed to give them the remainder. Lucky the food and beer were so good really. Anyway, travelling is tiring work so we are all back in the van now and ready to sleep, it’s Denmark tomorrow.Read more
Be careful what you wish for
July 26 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We were not very urgent bouncing out of bed this morning, we figured we had the hang of this driving caper. So, we took our time, had some breakfast (but only one measly cup of coffee) and took care of things like filling up our water tank as it was getting low then headed off to fill up with petrol before we got into the serious part of the day’s driving. It was just after 10 as we set off with the promise of a 6 hour or so jaunt north towards Denmark with a right turn at some point to head in the direction of Sweden. When we pulled into our campsite at about 7.15 it was clear that something had gone awry.
We started out full of beans following our lovely day yesterday, amusing ourselves again with humorous names, such as an aire called Up’Bummenhalle, I kid you not. Tate even asked if Germans gave things funny names on purpose. I was forced to tell her that yes they do. Then there was a moment that was a bit of a novelty at the time but looking back now, that has definitely worn off. It was when a few drops of rain hit the windscreen, we announced it with great fanfare to the girls in case they missed it, this is what we were searching for after all in escaping the heat of home. Jess had spent some time emailing various spots for us to stay the night and had managed to secure us a place in what seemed to be a very cool spot on an inlet in a fairly calm location, so she had done well there and we felt like everything was under control.
It seems like from that point on things deteriorated. Around Hamburg there was a seemingly never ending series of traffic jams, the annoying sort where there is no apparent reason. And the rain stuck around, nothing too serious though. But with all the traffic and the stopping and starting it seemed that Jess and I had both drawn the short straw today. I have decided that tomorrow I won’t include any short straws so with any luck we should have a better drive. A long third day of driving also made us a bit irritable, in a way that only being cooped up in a vehicle while conditions seemed to conspire against you can. Then there was a 30 minute or so delay at the border crossing, so much for free movement but I guess that’s what happens when a country decides it needs to ‘control’ immigration. And then came the deluge as the heavens opened and seemingly all the rain we have missed out on for the past few months decided to pour down on us for the rest of our drive. But we kept on going and things were looking up and we were just about 30 minutes from our destination when we got an email from our accommodation to say that because of the time and the weather that they suggested we stay somewhere else. FFS!! So Jess worked her magic and despite it being about 7pm on a Sunday night with options dwindling fast had found us a spot 9 minutes away. Amazing!! So here we are in Odense.
All that remained to do was whip up a gourmet dinner and given the weather what would be more tasty than a bit of campervan chilli, even if I say so myself it was Lee Dicious and really hit the spot. Now though, the drivers are completely knackered and we have one more day of long driving to go. Just under 6 hours, sounds doable.Read more
Three bridges to Oland Island
July 27 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
A blue sky was over us as we awoke bright and early for our last day of long driving for the moment to get to our destination of Sweden. We managed to get the twins out of bed at a ridiculous hour, for them, and were on the road at 7.30. We started on the island of Funen, the second largest Danish island, and because in the dry weather Danish motorways are fairly chill we had crossed the very impressive bridge onto Old Zealand, the largest in no time at all. Then it was a quick zip past Copenhagen before a tunnel then another impressive bridge to take us to Sweden. The border control into Sweden was much more in line with my expectations, there were several booths but all were un(wo)manned so we could just drive straight through. That was a couple of hours in to the drive so it was time for a switch of drivers. We stopped at some services and needed a bit of a snack, and coffee, to keep us going. Because we had left so early this morning we didn’t have a chance to pick up any Danish pastries so we had to grab some of the lesser known but equally tasty Swedish pastries.
Jess had a spell of driving and it was all fairly uneventful, it seems like my plan of only including long straws had paid off. As I sat there I was looking out for amusing place names but I was out of luck, as we sped past Kallax, Songesand and Friheten I just felt like we were driving through an Ikea store. We needed to pick a couple of things up for the van en route to our next stop so with a bit of Ecosia research I was able to identify that Biltema was the place to go, one of the reviews described it as Ikea for men. I explained this to the twins but I think they may have got the wrong end of the stick and had visions of shelves full of Swedish men to browse through as they disappeared for a while. They also had a cafe where we all managed to get fed for about 13 euros. Gourmet it was not, but the price was right.
One last leg today and it was like the rest of the day, no real issues. One last bridge as well and it took us over to Oland, an island off the coast of Sweden. We made our way to the north and a campsite we had randomly picked, it seems pretty nice and we all quite happy to be stopping for a few days. After over 30 hours of driving and more than 2300kms we all need a bit of a rest. We strolled down to the beach for some fresh air and to stretch our legs. I had a little paddle and while I don’t want to say it was cold, it certainly was Baltic. I hopped out pretty quickly when I saw few small jellyfish near me but it turns out they are fairly harmless. We are all fed and mostly cleaned and ready to relax for a few days, it’s good to have finally made it.Read more
A pun free zone
July 28 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Last night promised to be windy-woo with some strong gusts and we weren’t sure it would be ideal for the twins to sleep on the top floor so our plan was to put up a tent and Jess and I would sleep in that and they could have our bed. But the twins obviously feel like we are too old for that sort of caper and were very insistent that they would sleep out there. Little do they realise that they fell for our cunning plan. It turns out it was very windy but they were nice and cosy in the tent and slept well so it all worked out fine in the end.
One thing with driving for 4 days is that you don’t have time to get any work done so that was what was on the cards for today and Jess and I were up early and cracking on. We were very surprised when not long after 9 Allegra emerged from the tent, and even more surprised when very shortly afterwards Tate did too. This is most unlike her, she would normally sleep through anything. We told them that since we were working they could lie down and chill out in our bed, Tate informed us that she didn’t think she would go back to sleep now as she was properly awake. They lay around with Allegra reading and Tate dropping off to sleep in about 5 minutes. We enjoyed a very nice cinnamon bun for some morning tea, these Swedes are onto something there, very tasty. At about 12.30 Allegra had finished her book and asked if it would be ok to wake up Tate as she was a bit bored. Once she was awake they both went off for a bit of a wander as we carried on working and then when they got back it was time for lunch.
The afternoon started off in much the same way, Jess and I carried on and the twins went off to lie on the beach for a while. It was still quite windy and even though the sun was out it was not particularly warm. But apparently the beach was pretty busy and even quite a few people were in the water. They are so lucky they have each other on days like this, it must be pretty cool to have your best friend around all the time, even if occasionally they wind each other up. When they got back we had basically had enough of work for the day and so all headed off to the campsite shop, all campers get a deal where if you buy three ice creams they are only about €1.20 each, they obviously knew their market with us. Very nice it was too, even if it’s not quite the weather for it. But then it was time for the main event, the family challenge on the mini golf they have here. We all started off a little slowly and after a few holes I did have to let them all know that the three of them would be sleeping in the tent tonight if one of them beat me. I am lying here now with Jess next to me in bed so I probably don’t need to be any clearer on who lifted the old Claret Jug that was on offer to the victor.
What better way to relax after a sporting exertion than to laze around back at our van with a bit of beer and biscuits Swedish style. The concept is fairly similar to the Greek version, although neither the beer nor the biscuits are of the same quality. Although, it has to be said that beer and biscuits on a bad day are still beer and biscuits so I can hardly complain.
Not much else to report, a very tasty pasta surprise was whipped up while having a little chat with Lily and Ruby and now the poor twins are off washing the dishes. It’s a bit unfair on them, when there were 4 girls the washing up was split but now there are only two they are doing it twice a day. And there we have it, one whole blog with not a pun to be seen. We will talk about it always.Read more
Major Bumsore
July 29 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
The twins slept in the tent again last night, not for any particular reason but just because they wanted to. Funny twins. Our plan for today was a bike ride, but before that we had a morning to crack on with some work and for the twins to sleep. This was all good and when it was around 11.30 we thought we should wake up the twins so we could get moving. One of the sad things about it just being the four of us is that it has meant the demise of RuPaul’s bakery, without the chief of marketing the business just didn’t stand a chance. On the plus side, this means that Jess made the sandwiches today and no word of a lie, she makes the absolute best sandwiches. I don’t know how she does it, as far as I can tell the ingredients are the same but there is something about them that just makes them taste good. But I am getting ahead of myself.
We were hiring bikes from the campsite and unfortunately they didn’t seem to have any men’s bikes so it was ladies bikes all round. But we all got set up and we had all our food with us so we were good to go. We had an ambitious plan for the day which involved a lot of riding but we figured it wouldn’t be a problem. To start off with, finding our route was a bit of a challenge, it’s not easy to follow Google maps while riding. Also there was quite a stench of farm muck so that wasn’t pleasant but it didn’t last long and soon enough we were whizzing along lanes and paths through countryside and woods under a clear blue sky. It was actually warm-ish today, nowhere near what we are used to but nice for Sweden. After about 10kms we reached the coast and the mainland side of the island and found a place to sit for lunch. As i mentioned, Jess had made us delicious sandwiches and we had some customary Swedish pastries, a new one for today was Weinerkamm, I could not tell you what it was apart from very tasty. We also had some crisps, dill flavour which I bought in an impulse, I can be very suggestible. After lazing about for a while it was time to hop back on the bikes and head down the coast. It was some easy riding, a gentle breeze blowing and no real traffic to worry about, but every time we rode over a cattle grid I did think of my Lily and her terror of these when we first did family bike rides. After a bit we stopped for a short break and I had a little paddle, the water was actually not too bad, although not quite the clear blue of the Greek islands.
The next section of our ride had a destination as our goal, an ice cream farm. Not sure how they grow it, but I was keen to find out. We were getting a little sore from the ride but just about managing, although a stretch on a bumpy, pebbled track was not particularly helpful. After about 25kms we reached the farm and joined the queue for a table. It had been quite warm and sunny so we all needed a break and were looking forward to a nice ice cream. When we sat and looked through the menu, it was almost impossible to choose as there were so many options. And looking around we could see children with ice creams bigger than their heads so we weren’t going to miss out, although I made va an executive decision that Jess and I should share, the twins had no such thought. When they arrived they were huge, definitely the largest I have ever had, not sure it needed the addition of a donut to round it off. It was all Jess and I could do to finish and I certainly wasn’t feeling very comfortable, the twins couldn’t manage to finish theirs, we should have taken before and after pictures.
One last stretch was needed and since this was our first bike ride for I don’t know how long, and our bums were already in pain, none of us was very keen, but we didn’t have much choice. So off we went, luckily most of it was on some flat, paved paths and so it was easy going but we were all doing that little bum dance you do on a bike trying to find a way to sit that wasn’t painful. I think it is fair to say that none of us found it. We had one little break where Allegra started to get cramp in both her thighs and wasn’t sure she was going to be able to make it but she is a trooper so she eventually got back on and we headed to the campsite. After 36.75kms and about 5 hours including breaks we made it back. We are all in a bit of pain, we’ll be sleeping on our front tonight, and I would like to smugly announce that three of us got sunburnt due to lack of suncream and one of us didn’t, although I won’t go so far as to name names.
Poor Jess had to deliver a live class by video tonight, no way could I have mentally focussed on that, so fair play to her. I just packed up the tent and got some things organised as tomorrow we are moving on.Read more
Lunch at Gusum Lake
July 30 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Back on the road today after a very enjoyable break from driving at Oland, it was a very chilled out island. We were super efficient this morning, it’s actually quite easy packing up Nena Schwarz to get ready to hit the road and we all took on our tasks and got sorted. The drive today was to Stockholm but unfortunately since we were in the north of Oland and there is only one bridge it meant over an hour to head south then an hour back north until we were level with where we started from. Cardamom buns were the order of the day today, and they lived up to the high standards of other pastries we have had. Jess decided to use the time while I was driving to get some work done, very efficient, which meant that I was left to mutter humorous comments to myself while reading all the road signs. Obviously none of them were very humorous because none of them are coming to mind.
After a while Jess’s battery died and it was getting close to lunchtime so we were going to need to switch drivers. We had been driving past a number of pretty spectacular lakes and since we were in no rush I suggested we find one to stop at for a nice picnic lunch, there is no shortage of them in Sweden. After a few minutes searching she had found one, next the village of Gusum. So we drove there, alas no lake. A closer look at Google maps revealed that it was on dark settings and what had seemed to be a lake was merely the outline of the town. Nevertheless, we found a playing field to park at and enjoyed a lunch of the usual sandwiches.
Fully rested we got on the move again with Jess taking over for the run to Stockholm and not much happened to be honest, sometimes a drive is just a drive. So we just enjoyed the changing scenery, from pine trees to lakes to wheat fields, it is a very picturesque country. After a while we drove past a big Ikea sign, i hadn’t felt it too much before that, but you really know you are in Sweden when you see those 4 yellow letters. Shortly afterwards some Volvos drove past us with ABBA playing nice and loud and after that I ran out of stereotypes.
We found our spot for the night fairly easily, it is basically a giant car park at a convention centre, nothing flash. We had to do a bit of a reccy of the neighbourhood, which doesn’t have too much but we did manage to find a coffee shop to have a drink and our success rate was 50/50, the twins got some delicious milky biscuit flavoured sweetness and Jess and I had fairly bland lattes/machas. Then a quick tour of the supermarket for a few essentials, always fun in a new country to see what little gourmet treats they may have. We found several but managed to resist most of them, for the moment, I am sure they will be calling our names soon enough.
A bit of work to round off the day, followed by a reasonably tasty dinner, although it is possible I have reached the end of my campervan repertoire. Dishes for the twins but we are all quite tired, it seems to be a bit of a theme. Tomorrow, we explore Stockholm.Read more
Stockholm syndrome
July 31 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
The twins told us they need an hour and a half to get ready to go and explore a city, apparently they can’t go into town without hair and makeup being just right. We woke them at 8.45 for our day in Stockholm and 78 minutes later we were on our way, they did well. We walked to the train station to find our train literally waiting for us, with plenty of seats available and within 10 minutes we were at central station. We actually weren’t completely sure that we were because it was almost spotlessly clean and bright, we didn’t have to dodge people to get from one place to another and there was an abundance of happy staff actually acting in helpful ways. Not what we are used to at all.
We didn’t really have much of a plan apart from just explore and so Tate managed to find us a Kpop Photo Booth which is apparently a thing. When I say she found it, this was on Google maps, she had a bit more trouble actually finding it. But eventually we did and we put on some silly headgear and took some photos. Then it was a stroll in search of a boat, although despite finding the water we somehow missed the departure point so we just kept walking and being very impressed with the city. We strolled along the water then through some parks on museum island and came to a maritime museum which had free entry onto some old boats so we thought the price was right so why not. At first we stood around in awkward silence, not really having much to say to each other, but one of the boats was an icebreaker and so that got us all talking. That’s the third time today I have made that joke. The boats themselves were quite interesting, although possibly not a museum I would have paid to visit.
We continued on searching for a cafe for a little morning tea and cardamom bun and then it was time for a boat trip. While we waited we were watching the rollercoasters and other rides at the amusement park that was there, mostly they were a bit much for me and I am not sure i could have gone on them, but luckily that was not part of our plan. The boat trip was an awesome deal. There are loads of hop on hop off boats which charge a fair whack but there are also commuter ferries that charge the equivalent of a metro fare and so we got a lovely two hour cruise on the waterways around some of the islands for almost nothing at all.
We returned to the centre and by then it was time to think of food. We didn’t have to think too much, as last time we were here we went to an awesome vegan restaurant with a spectacular view and so that was where we were heading to today. We asked the twins if they remembered it, but as Allegra pointed out, that was half their life ago. We walked past the palace which was nothing special to look at, just a big square block really, and through the old town to the far side of the city and then found our way to Herman’s. It is a buffet style restaurant, a veritable smorgasbord (a Swedish word contributed to the English language, interestingly enough so is ombudsman), where you pay, they give you a plate and you just go for your life. It was pretty empty because we were there in between meal times, our plan was just to have two meals, so we got a table under the giant trees with a view over the water to the old town of black roofed buildings and also the green parks and trees of the islands. We loaded up our plates and we were in vegan heaven. We polished off the first lot, had a little pause and then went back and loaded up for a second time. That too was finished, although we were slowing down a bit by the end. It is fair to say that the combination of the food and the location made for a very awesome meal. Lucky really, because I wouldn’t have wanted to have had to complain to the smorgasbord ombudsman.
We definitely needed to walk some of that off so it was back through the old town and some of the more touristy areas which also took me back to our previous visit here. You see, I think there is a point in every parents life when your children think you are amazing and are completely in awe of you. For me, this was on our previous visit to Stockholm when the girls would ask me the time and I would shade my eyes look up to the sky and say, ‘well judging by the position of the sun I hunk it’s about 3 o’clock’ (for example). This happened a few times, I can’t remember why they were asking, but each time they were massively impressed. Eventually I had to point out to them there was a massive church steeple with a clock in it that could be seen from just about everywhere. Pretty much that was the high point of my genius in their eyes and it has been all downhill ever since.
A little bit more of a wander was all we had left in us as we were all quite worn out so we headed back to the train station where a train was waiting at the platform. Got to love the Stockholm metro, which even put on a couple of good looking Swedish boys for the twins to snack on. In fact, there is not much about the city not to like. It is very scenic and very clean, loads to see just wandering around, delicious food and a real lack of the usual brands that make a lot of cities so generic. Also, we have visited twice now and each time it has been blue skies so I think the weather must always be pretty good too. All in all, I can see why people might get a case of Stockholm syndrome. We have to leave tomorrow but we have fallen so in love with the city we are no longer sure we want to.Read more
What’s not to lake
August 1 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
A little bit of work started our day before we were getting on the road. We couldn’t be bothered to do much though so eventually just woke up the twins so we could get going. We had to tear ourselves away from Stockholm, as much as we didn’t really want to and the blue skies and morning warmth made it all the harder. We set off at about 9.30 and at the first opportunity I managed to direct us the wrong way. As a man I find it very difficult to take directions from a digital voice and so rather than play the instructions on Google maps i prefer to just follow the blue line. This is fine up until the point of uncertainty, when I always seem to select the wrong option. So we had to take a small detour but were soon enough back on the blue line. Fair play to Jess, she barely reacted to my directing her the wrong way and just carried on calmly driving.
We were heading further north today, I think our overall plan is to see how far we can get in the time that we have with no particular destination in mind so we fairly randomly picked a campsite to head towards. Because we have a reasonably short time and we are such a long way from home we do need to keep that in mind so as Jess was driving I was trying to do a little planning for when we will need to leave. It’s not much fun thinking about going home when you are trying to enjoy a holiday so I gave that up fairly quickly. We did need to stop at a supermarket to stock up on some essentials so we found one of our new favourite Coops and wandered around making impulsive selections.
Once we were all stocked up and refuelled Nena we were back on our way and thinking about stopping for some lunch. Jess suggested a couple of spots but it was a case of not realising how amazingly scenic the spots were until we were going past them on the motorway having passed the exits. So we sort of decided by default to eat on arrival. Following the blue line again took us in the direction we wanted to go but we eventually got to a point where it was taking us on gravel roads and by that stage it was the only choice we had so there was nothing else for it. Unfortunately this really added time to the trip and as I had not had lunch yet there was a definite feeling of mungriness building up.
Eventually we got to our campsite and it is fair to say it is pretty basic but it is on a lake and there is a beach on one side and pine trees on the other so not too shabby. Plus I got to have my lunch. Not too much else going on, we had just about run out of clothes so needed to do some washing although getting it dry is going to be difficult. The twins announced they were going to have a nap, so that’s what they did, and I got a little extra work done. Jess whipped up a very tasty dinner with some gourmet choices impulsively picked up at the Coop, always nice for me to have a break as the twins are getting a little tired of hearing about how I have run through my repertoire of meals. Luckily the never get tired of me having run through my repertoire of humour, at least that is my understanding. The weariness has nie set in and we are now relaxing with hot chocolates.Read more
Wooden it be nice
August 2 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We sort of had a choice today, either get the inflatable canoes out and go for a paddle or get the walking shoes out and go for a walk. Although the water was calm, the weather was not too warm so we all agreed that it was more walking weather than boating weather. We did a bit of a search and were coming up short on options for our walk as there was nothing showing on our app. Then I managed to spot a cafe by a lake that was 6.5kms away, obviously meaning a 13km round trip which I was a little worried may be too much and not to everyone’s liking. But luckily, when it comes to motivation, we have always been much more responsive to the carrot (cake) than the stick and so we very easily all agreed that was the plan. So far so smooth for all our decision making today.
Getting organised was next and that was also pretty easy, Jess took care of the walking gear and I got the sandwiches made while the twins just took care of getting themselves ready. Midday came and we were out the door. We were a little unsure of our route, as I said there was nothing showing up on our app but we figured just take a chance and if it fails we can always go on the road, even if that would make it a bit further. Given how smoothly everything had been going so far it was no real surprise to see a signpost exactly where it should be at the start of the path and off we went into the woods. I know that Ruby in particular will be very pleased to hear that there was a wide range of magnificent trees, even if the vast majority were pine. Our path started off as just that, then developed into a loggers track and the last part was on the road, although it was very quiet. Until the road, we may have been the last people on earth as it seemed we had the whole wilderness to ourselves. Just before we reached our destination there was a little playground and there was one thing that we all had a go at swinging around on, very fun. Where the cafe was there was an old church next to the lake so we laid out our rug and sat and had our picnic. Once we had polished that off we moved on to the cafe which was very basic, like so much of Sweden it seems that keeping it simple was their goal, but they did have a good selection of cakes so we chose 4 different types to be washed down with tea and coffee and took our seats on the vintage furniture. We cut everything into 4 so we could each try everything and it was all nice and tasty. While there we realised that the owner reminded us a lot of our friend Steve, we christened him Swedish Steve. This also made us realise that appallingly we had forgotten his birthday which was the other day while we were driving. We agreed we needed to do something to rectify this.
We set off on our way back and stopped again at the playground for a bit and then stopped again at a loppis. These are everywhere in Sweden and are basically a permanent garage sale. We had a look around this one and found a rug that we thought would go perfectly in Lily and Ruby’s new flat so we picked that up, strapped it to Jessica’s bag and we were back on our way. Most of the way back it looked as though it may rain, and at one point there was a very sudden loud rumble of thunder but apart from literally a few drops it was dry all the way. We did stop at one point to make a very silly film of us singing a Swedish birthday song for Steve so hopefully he will not be too upset it was late. We also sat for a bit of a break with a pb&j sandwich, or in Tate’s case a j sandwich as she is not a fan of pb. The last stretch of our walk was as enjoyable as the rest had been, we were all in agreement that it had been a very chill stroll and not that difficult at all. Back at the site we did all need to have showers and it was certainly one of the best campsite showers I have ever come across. It was a pretty awesome day all round, which does make me worry for tomorrow, but for that we will just have to wait and see.Read more
Meatballs and snabb
August 3 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Glorious blue skies greeted us this morning, almost enough to make us stay an extra day at Fonebo but sadly they just don’t have any supplies, not so much as bread for my lunchtime sandwich and so this was never really an option. We are still on our pilgrimage north and we consoled ourselves with the thought that at least we would be avoiding the non-tarmac road we came in on and it would all be smooth sailing, or at least smooth driving. About 10 minutes into our drive, just after we had passed the cafe we went to yesterday, the tarmac ended which meant a long slow stretch to start off our day, and there is not much that annoys me more as a passenger than our arrival time sliding, I like to feel like I am on time. But I just tried to tell myself to relax and enjoy the views and let the drive be what it was going to be.
In the end the rough roads did not last too long so we were able to get back to the motorway soon enough and we drove for a bit before finding a supermarket to get some essentials, it seems like we do this every couple of days. Today there was none of our favourite Coops around so we had to find a new chain, and one we had seen quite a bit was Willys, the one we stopped at today was quite a large store, it was a big Willys. This is a slightly more downmarket chain but we did manage to get everything we needed, all that matters really.
My turn to drive after that with not much to report. We passed through a few fairly non-descript towns, obviously this was not the most scenic part of the country. But that changed as we crossed over a very high bridge and entered Hoga Kosten, which was our inspiration for coming to Sweden. There was a parking area with a view of the bridge and gulf and so this seemed to be like a good spot to whip up today’s sandwiches for lunch. There was also a shop with very highbrow tourist stuff, €18 camping mugs, or Australian made leather hats, that sort of thing, so obviously we had a bit of a look around and Jess picked up a couple of gifts for our two fallen comrades.
The last leg of the journey today had a bit more iffy non-tarmac road but was mostly ok and we arrived at our campsite and picked out a spot with a fairly impressive view. We got set up and then just chilled out, which is actually not that common an experience for us. But we were just laying around on the mat outside the van chatting with Ruby for a while and Jess and I wandered down to the water. After a couple of nights off it was my turn back on the cooking tonight and on the cards was Monday night pasta, Swedish style. At the supermarket we had picked up some snabb which seemed like some form of macaroni. We weren’t sure if snabb is a brand name or if it is a type of Swedish pasta, but this is the type of impulse buy I have previously mentioned. We also had some vegan meatballs so it was going to be gourmet. On opening the snabb, they were the tiniest little macaroni tubes, I didn’t really understand why they needed to be so small, but basically it doesn’t matter how you dress it up, snabb is just pasta. Mix it with some meatballs and a tomato sauce though and it is a Lee dicious combination, you can’t go wrong and it was enjoyed all round.
We are going to make the most of the location and probably take another walk tomorrow, the rain is on its way so we have to enjoy it while we can. Even though it feels like we have not done much today we all seem to be quite tired, it’s hard work this being on holiday caper.Read more
And they were never seen again
August 4 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Nothing too urgent at the start of the day, although we had a plan to go for a walk we didn’t need to leave too early. Mostly we just needed to work out where we were going to walk to and how far could we manage. Looking on the map we found a restaurant that serves fish and chips and we thought we could go there, but at 10.8kms that would be quite the return trek. We all decided that given how easy our walk the other day had been that we would be able to manage, the lure of fish and chips was strong pull. Olivia had slept on her neck in a funny way last night so it was hurting her but being the amazing strong girl she is she soldiered on for the walk. A good thing about having a lunch destination is that we didn’t need to worry about making any walkers’ sandwiches, we just needed some walkers’ chocolate and walkers’ crisps, although we only had Pringles, and some water and we were good to go. Oh, and a large supply of medical products, just in case.
At about 11.30 we set off and with the map saying about a three hour walk, it was going to be a late lunch. It started off a little coastal and then before we knew it we had turned inland and were heading up a hill, the first sign it was not going to be the easy stroll of the other day. Then after a little bit of that we were turning again and heading into the woods. Now every time this happens on one of our walks, someone, usually Jess, says ‘and they were never seen again’, and we all have a little chuckle. It certainly does feel like you could disappear as the walks are so remote and there are very long stretches where you just don’t see anyone else. Anyway, this is obviously not the case today, otherwise this blog would not exist. After not that long of walking I managed to lead us astray, I was attracted by the sea and missed a turn. Not to fear, we had not gone too far past our turn so it was easy to get back on track. We just resolved to make sure to keep following the painted blue dots that were marking our path today. Tate’s neck was getting worse so we had to stop for some medical time with some ibuprofen and balm which helped a little.
Very random things tend to get noticed on a walk and some odd conversations are had. Today we spotted some very odd lichen growing on rocks, almost like afros, and Allegra named these coral of the land and we were all forced to agree. Then when walking through a patch of rocks Jess wondered where they all came from, as all around was trees and foliage. None of us was intelligent enough to come up with an answer. Personally I just thought it was very impressive the way the foliage and undergrowth just somehow knows to only grow up to the edge of the path, otherwise it would make it much trickier to negotiate the terrain. The walk itself was absolutely spectacular, some fairly tough sections with real up and downs but some stunning views of the coast, islands and the sea at various points. Then I checked the map and realised I had led us astray again, I had been too busy focussing on the blue dots on the trees and not on the blue dot on the map. This time it was a bit more of an overshoot and we had to go back about 5-10 minutes and start following yellow dots. Allegra pointed out that this was the second time I had messed up today and helpfully offered to keep a tally of this as the day progressed. Tate, who had been a little slow and not her normal bubbly self was still in pain so another medical stop was needed so Dr Jess got out her medicine bag and applied a balm and administered some pills again and we were on our way again, paying much closer attention to the map. Olivia was a trouper to do all this climbing and walking with such a sore neck. We were all impressed and sympathetic at the same time.
The walk continued in much the same vein, never staying as one type of terrain for too long so even as we were clambering up or down a rocky section we knew that soon enough we would be walking through a pine forest or along a path and then eventually we came out at a road for the last section. We were very happy to see our destination in the distance, although our 2.30 lunchtime had long since been and gone. As we reached the restaurant I zigzagged the last part so that our distance walked would end up at exactly 12kms, a bit further than originally expected. It was late so not busy and we ordered some food and beer and sat at an outside table over the water, a perfect location. Tate had ordered something fancy that was going to take 30 minutes but that was ok, we needed to rest our weary legs. While waiting we had to discuss our walk back and we were all in agreement that we would not be able to manage another 12kms. Luckily by walking along the road it was only 7kms so we decided this was a better plan. The food arrived and it was damn good, two fish and chips, some fried breaded herring and a fish pie type dish, all of which was polished off and washed down so we were ready to go again.
The walk back obviously not scenic at all, being as it was along the road but it was much quicker and easier. We even stopped at a shop for a few impulse buys. But now for some statistics courtesy of the good people at Apple Watch. We walked 19kms in total in 4hr 44mins of walking time. The third kilometre was the longest for some reason at over 25 minutes but the average was about 15. We noticed that we were going much faster when we were on the road and our times were coming down to just over 12 minutes when Allegra set us a challenge of getting under 12 minutes. Given that we were in the 18th kilometre by this stage we all obviously agreed and built up the speed in our rolling motion that our walk had degenerated into in order to protect our damaged joints and we were all very happy with the result of 11 minutes 37 seconds. After that it was a gentle unwinding back to our van and we were done.
That was just after 6, and all four of us climbed up onto the bed at the back. It us now 9.30 and we still have not moved, we are absolutely knackered. But it was all worth it, another amazing day.Read more
Crazy tvillingar
August 5 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Unbelievably it was 9.30 before we started waking up this morning, obviously yesterday was just a very tiring day and we needed the recovery time. I did wake up to some sad news though as I had a phone call from my mum to let me know that my aunt had passed away overnight so it was not the cheeriest start to the day. She had had a good long life and was always a cheerful presence, always laughing, and will be missed.
We did wake up to the promised rain, not heavy but just a steady drizzle and as we knew that this was on the cards for today we had planned accordingly and decided we would have a rest day and just focus on work. Also, we needed to let Olivia’s poor neck get better, after all the exertions of yesterday. So this is exactly what we did, we sat in the van and worked while the drizzle persisted outside, with breaks for food and showers and not much else in the way of family activity. Poor Jess also had to deliver a live class this evening, as she said several times today, she should have just said no.
The twins are brilliant at times like this as they just make the most of the down time and chill out, with bursts of laughter and crazy every now and then. They went out for a bit of a walk today, in the steady rain, and were happy just hanging out together without needing us to continually provide them with entertainment. We do make a big deal sometimes about how much we miss our fallen comrades and we absolutely do love it when the whole family is together but it is actually really enjoyable to have time like this where we just get to hang out as a fantastic four and see how, although they will always be our babies, they are so grown up now and such unique individuals, even though they are continually referred to as ´the twins’, which I know they secretly love. It is very special for Jess and me to have this time and to get to experience this different dynamic without the older two and their natural dominance due to being older. I guess I am just trying to say we are very lucky to have four such amazing daughters, all of whom are growing into very special young women and even more lucky that we all love hanging out together in whatever way we can. Tomorrow though, we need to get out of this van.Read more
Chasing elusive perfection
August 6 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
We had the very clear bones of a plan today, which we had discussed last night. It involved starting with a sauna at our campsite before moving on to another campsite just near where we had walked the other day and enjoying a wood fired hot tub at the sea, possibly with some more fish and chips. As I said, it was the bones of a plan but one thing we were all sure about, and were in full agreement on, was that we would start with a sauna.
We awoke to some light rain, much less than there had been yesterday, and pottered about a bit, doing some work, organising cupboards that have been progressively untidier, and in the twins case, keep sleeping. Once we were all awake, one thing was certain, there would be no sauna today. Phone calls were made, weather forecasts were checked, future plans were considered and we decided that as lovely as our original plans may be, there were even better options if we just headed a bit further down the road, not too far, but just enough to make a start on our journey south. One of the problems we have when on the road and being so flexible with our plans is that we are always on the hunt for perfection when we should stop to realise that wherever we are is perfection.
So it was destination Kramfors today, although the probability of rain was going to be with us for most of it. It was not a very long drive, only an hour or so, and we had to pick up a few things from a shop so luckily we found a Coop. I always go in thinking we just need a couple of things but €50 later we walk out with a selection from the amazing choices they have, with some things we actually even need. We got to our campsite and got a very nice spot next to the water, just as we arrived there was a massive crack of thunder and when parking the heavens opened and there was an absolute deluge. We sat in the van and ate our lunch watching the rain on the lake.
That has pretty much been the state of the afternoon, any time we thought it may be easing up another downpour arrived. We have also reached that point where after two weeks on the road and two days being trapped by the rain that things feel a little difficult. Things get damp and can’t be dried, the disorganisation grows as things get stuffed into cupboards after being used, and being confined means we need to dance around each other to move from one part of the van to another. Food preparation also takes a lower priority due to awkwardness. In the beginning, it’s all salads and fresh vegetables, tonight it was a case of throwing 4 random ingredients into a pan, one of which was gravy, and serving it all up with instant mash. It was bloody tasty to be fair, but not exactly gourmet.
Enough of the moaning though, we still manage to have a good old laugh, both at the situation and at various things that just happen in the day, or something the crazy tvillegar do or say. This is just what perfection looks like today.Read more
Krapsleep at Kramfors
August 7 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
Our experiment last night was to swap beds, so Jess and I were up top and the twins were in luxury at the back. Nobody is really sure why, Jess just decided that was the way it was going to be. It wasn’t too bad up there, that wasn’t a problem, but being in close proximity to a train line certainly was. Who knew there were so many night trains in Sweden. There were also some louts playing loud music at about 3am and it starts to get light at about 4am and it is not a blackout tent up there. So it was a very interrupted sleep for us. Since I was awake with the light I decided I may as well get up and do some work. Then at 6am Olivia’s alarm went off, there was a new release from Stray Kids she and Allegra wanted to listen to as soon as it was out. So we were all awake nice and early. Jess moved down to the back bed and pulled a Tate, she said she was wide awake and would never get back to sleep but five minutes later she was out for the count.
We decided we didn’t like Kramfors (renamed Krapfors) and that we didn’t want to stay another night as was our original plan. So we found a walk we could do on the Hoga Kusten and a place we could park our van while we did and maybe stay the night and started to get organised. The place we parked is at a marina with a few van pitches and there is well maintained cabin with cooking facilities, a TV and sofa and shower and toilet, all kept spic and span by local volunteers. There are a few payment options, one of which is apparently to leave some cash in an envelope in the cabin as there were a few there that hadn’t been collected yet. Such a trusting community, we were massively impressed. We took a while getting sorted but Jess whipped up some of her special sandwiches and soon enough we were good to go.
We had picked another 19km walk to do today, it seems like that is our lucky distance. It is right at the beginning of the Hoga Kusten trail so we had to start off with a bit of road walking, including over a fairly high bridge, and it was quite windy as we crossed. But soon enough we were back into the mixed terrain of woods, rocks and coastal walks., although it was mostly fairly easy going. There was certainly a big improvement in Tate today, no sore neck bothering her as it was the other day, and it was clear that sha and Allegra had made the most of their comfy sleep as they led the way. After a while the path opened up into a big slab of rock overlooking the sea. and so we thought that was a good place to have lunch. Well fed from delicious sandwiches and well rested after a break we carried on our way with some more amazing views over two coasts. We reached our turn around point where Google maps had promised us an open road ce cream shop. But we had been lied to, it is only open on weekends so we were very disappointed. We walked on a bit when we came across a restaurant that was open and that as far as we could tell served some form of sweet goodness so our mood picked up. I walked in and when I saw someone walking around the bar area, after checking he spoke English asked if they served cakes here. He then informed me that he didn’t actually work there (I think he was on his way back from the toilet) but that yes, that was the sort of thing that was served. We then asked someone who did work there and she also assured us that that they did, so we all felt our mood improve. Then the waiter came over, and he did not speak much English, but he brought us a menu which had a fairly poor selection but we did our best to select a couple of options. I think the fact that there is no photographic evidence that we had cakes speaks volumes as to the quality of what we received. I then went in to pay and on the other side of the bar saw a display cabinet with a selection of three or four very decent looking cakes, I was slightly confused as to why these were not mentioned to us given that is what we asked about. So, our mood turned back to disappointed annoyance. It had been a real rollercoaster.
We still had about 8.5kms to get back to the van so we decided the road option was our best bet as our legs started to tire. Not the twins though, who seemed to be singing most of the way back, with Tate especially vocal. At one point, as my watch kept me updated on our speed which was about 12.5 minutes per kilometre, we decided we wanted to beat our record of 11.37 from the other day. We luckily had a nice flat stretch and it is fair to say we absolutely smashed it with 10 minutes 36 seconds. We were very impressed with ourselves. We were all feeling quite sore though so were very happy when we made it back to Nena Schwarz.
After some hot chocolate and biscuits the twins dragged themselves onto the bed and Jess and I made use of the showers. A yummy dinner was created by opening a couple of tins and adding vegetables and rice and we have now all collapsed into our beds, with us all back in our original places. Tomorrow we are heading south.Read more
One extreme to another
August 8 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
It was the best morning to wake up to today, clear blue sky and the water was flat, no breeze at all. It was so nice we sat outside to eat our breakfast while we waited for the twins to wake up. It was very peaceful and a perfect way to start the day. We needed to make a start on our long journey south and so that was the plan, we had a campsite booked so we knew where we were going to and it didn’t take us too long to get organised and get moving. The only thing we needed to do first was to pick up some fridge magnets and so we headed back to the place we had been a few days ago overlooking the bridge. Sweden is not really a place that does tourist tat and so it is not always easy to add to our collection. But we managed to take care of it and get what we needed and then we were on the road.
Our drive was pretty boring really, Jess was using the time to get some work done so Allegra had a spell in the front. We stopped to pick up some bread and then we needed to find a spot to have some lunch. After a while of passing a few possible spots I eventually got too hungry and just pulled over. It seemed reasonable and like there was a path down to the water but when we followed it, it led to someone’s house so we just walked back a bit and sat on the path to have our picnic.
After lunch Jess took over the driving with just a couple of hours to go and it was through real wilderness, just endless pine trees. We got to our next campsite and it could not have been more opposite to where we stayed last night. Instead of 4 pitches it was more like 5 or 6 hundred with people everywhere, not my cup of tea at all. But at least we got a spot away from all the crowds, next to the water. We had loads of fun stuff to do, like get all of our washing done and do the dishes, showers for the twins etc, so it was excitement for all of us. We went for a bit of a walk around the site, it takes 10 minutes to get to reception, and there is certainly loads of things to do here, how many of them we’ll do I’m not sure.
After getting everything done the time was getting along and we couldn’t be bothered to cook so the only choice was another 10 minute walk to the bistro and enjoy the delights on offer there. At dinner we realised that we hadn’t watched the final Heartstopper movie and so we decided we would all squeeze very uncomfortably onto the bed and watch it so that is what we did. All in all it was a fairly uneventful day.Read more
What an Orsame day
August 9 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Jess was in the zone this morning and when that is the case things happen. So while I got a bit of work done she got us all organised for another day out, today it was to be a bike ride again. Not satisfied with our previous effort of 36kms on our last ride, and given that we are on the shores of Orsasjon (Lake Orsa) we decided that a circuit would be better than a there and back ride and the fact that it is 45kms around didn’t put us off at all. Fair play to the twins, they are very accepting of these challenges we set and seem to just get on with it, probably because they actually enjoy them. So, as I said, Jess got us all organised and ready to go, her and Tate made the sandwiches, we got what we needed ready, and we were off.
First things first though, we had a 10 minute walk to the bike hire place. We got our bikes and adjusted all the seats so that we were all happy and comfortable (a very important point), although once again they only had ladies bikes, and it felt like the one I got was the ladiest of them all. Never mind, I just put my sack into the lady basket (not a euphemism) on the front and we were on our way. The circuit is part of a longer trail called the Siljan leden, quite appropriate really because we are a bunch of silly’uns. We were setting off just as the wind was picking up and it was very blustery, it seemed like the first half of the ride was going to be right into it as well. The bike path we had started on ended unexpectedly so we were on the road all of a sudden, not the busiest road but busy enough we needed to be careful, especially with the wind. The circuit was well marked to begin with but this then became very intermittent so we would be following it and the signs would then disappear and we would be relying on keeping the lake to our left and hoping for the best.
Allegra was really struggling today, lacking in energy, and when the bikes had been adjusted earlier it seems she was a little quick in saying it was good as her seat was a little low. Combined with the energy situation, the wind and a few small hills she was bit enjoying herself. Jess tried to get her to swap bikes as her seat was a little higher, although she is a stubborn bugger and wasn’t having that at all. Eventually Jess made her swap and that seemed to be an improvement. Then a little further down the road we saw a man in his garden doing some power tool work and Jess decided to stop and ask him if he might have a tool that would help her with her problem, the twins and I cowered in embarrassment just up the road, imagine asking someone for help! Jess said the man was very helpful and after a little searching it turns out he had just the tool she needed. The seat was raised and so she and Allegra could swap bikes again and everyone was happy. We still had the lake on our left but we were really struggling to get near it as the trail just didn’t go that way, so we just kept on pedalling. We didn’t even have any cyclists’ chocolate to give us energy. On looking at the map though it seemed like we would get closer to the water in a town called Krakberg, so that became our destination. We made it to Krakberg and navigated our way to the water and found we were at an amazing beach, which we had completely to ourselves. Not surprising really as it was only about 20 degrees, but luckily it was quite sheltered from the breeze. There was even a picnic table sitting there waiting for us so we plonked ourselves down and ate the well smushed sandwiches Jess and Tate had prepared.
One slight disappointment on this trip is that we have not been able to do much swimming in any of the many lakes we have seen, partly due to the weather and partly due to timing, but I had hoped that today would be our chance and we had come prepared. So after lunch I got down to my swimmers and started walking into the water, which was quite cold but not freezing so I kept going. The water just don’t seem to get any deeper and I just kept marching in, it got past my knees but wasn’t really approaching the Mason-Dixon Line so I kept going. Eventually I just had to dive in even if it wasn’t very deep, I really needed a wee. Then I walked all the way back to the shore to collect Jess who was now also ready and we both did the long march back out. I dove in one more time but she wasn’t quite so keen. It was very chilly.
Time to move on after that, we needed to keep on moving and Jess had said she wanted to go to Mora but I said we should just go today, turns out she was talking about the town at the other end of the lake. We then picked out a cafe that looked nice and marked that as our next destination, only another 15 minutes away. I somehow managed to take a wrong turn and we were off track but we realised this outside another cafe and so we thought we would check that out to see if it was a viable alternative. One look at their cake display and we were all agreed it was. Four amazing cakes and hot drinks later and we were ready to head for home, surprisingly all of us with reasonably unsore bottoms. The ride back was excellently signposted and we had the wind at our backs so it was much easier than the way out, we were just cruising along the country lanes and paths and it was all good. We got back and it had taken 3hrs 20 minutes of riding time with an average speed of about 14kmh, not bad considering the conditions. Some other stuff happened when we got back, biscuits, dinner, dishes etc, but none of it was that interesting.Read more
Cruising the Inlandvagen
August 10 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
It seems like it is a bit of a windy week here in Sweden, forecasts for last night were predicting severe gusts. I am sure the top of the van would be fine but we don’t want to risk it and so we put the tent up and this time the twins didn’t put up much of an argument about sleeping in there so it was Jess and me who got to brave it. It wasn’t too uncomfortable, although the blow up mats did separate a bit in the night, and Jess did disturb me about 3am when she had to go to the toilet. The rain was also starting about then and the noise of that kept us awake a bit, but overall, out of ten I would give it a 6-7. It was a bit rude when the alarm went off, that’s not really a sound you want to hear on holiday but Jess did have a bit of work to do. So we got up and took care of that before starting to get everything ready to move on again. That seems to be getting a bit more frequent as we are heading in the direction of home.
One of the great things about camping life is just how helpful everyone on sites are. So for example, whenever we are packing or unpacking the van, or doing things like filling up the water, someone will come and help us. I know this because I will often hear ‘Hallo, it’s the water man’ or ‘Hallo, it’s the gas man’, and Jess and the twins will giggle away. I have never met any of these people myself, but they have proven to be very helpful to us over the trip, with so many things we gave needed help with, as they were again today as we were packing up.
We were ready to go about 11am, and after going to Mora to fill up, I thought it was best to just do it today, we were on our way south. The drive was almost straight down the middle of Sweden, on the Inlandvagen which covers quite a lot of the country. Jess was on the first leg and it was fairly slow going, for some reason the speed limit the whole way was 80kmh despite it being a good road with not much traffic so it felt like we were just trundling along. We made a quick stop to get some bread for lunch and then did our usual search for somewhere spectacular to eat but our hearts weren’t in it as Jess needed a break from driving and I was hungry so we just stopped somewhere acceptable. Then once on our way again after our sandwiches there was a very lovely spit about 5 minutes down the road. The story of our trip.
The drive was changing a bit the further south we travelled, less pine trees and more farmland, although still loads of lakes. Amusingly at one point we even drove past a town called Bjorneborg. Musically, after listening to a blend on Deezer that didn’t seem to contain any of my rocking tunes I decided that we had been in Sweden far too long to have not listened to ABBA so I made them play several of their bops to take us through to our destination, a place called Skovde, which would not be on our itinerary except it has a high ropes course and this is something Tate is keen to do again so that is our plan tomorrow. And tonight, despite it being a bit gusty, no one is too enthusiastic about the tent so the twins are up the top, hopefully they don’t get blown away in the night.Read more
Monkeying around
August 11 in Sweden ⋅ 🌬 17 °C
We all made it through the night, it seems the forecasts and our imaginations are always worse than the reality. We awoke to another glorious morning and bounced out of bed with a spring in our step. We hade some high ropes adventures booked in for this afternoon so that left us the morning free for one of our favourite Swedish pastimes, shopping at the Coop. We needed to stock up for one of the last times so luckily there was one not too far away, although Jess did feel the variety of their offerings was as varied as some of the others we had been to.
Once that was taken care of there was just enough time to have one of our regular picnic lunches before heading off to the adventure park. We were first ones there and so to start with we had the freedom of the place and after being briefed on the instructions we were off. Now there are three levels and we started off with a nice easy blue series although when I was 9 metres high off the ground it didn’t feel so easy. Tate though was finding it to be a piece of cake and was flying through it, and Allegra was doing her best to keep up. Jess and I were happy to go at our own pace. Then we did second, longer blue one and again it was fine, I was just putting my faith in the equipment and trying to focus on my feet rather than the ground way below, although there is absolutely no way to cross each section gracefully. Most of the obstacles involved wobbling supports and hanging on for dear life while trying to keep some sort of balance, and given the punishment I have put my knees through recently this was no simple task. But again we all made it through and now it was on to the red course. Tate was still flying through and Leggy was trying to keep up, Jess was encouraging everyone as always and giving me helpful tips to get through each section, I was just happy each time a zip line came round. Again, we made it safely back down to the ground. At this point, I knew I would not be doing a black one and Leggy was the same. Tate knew she wanted to and Jess wasn’t sure, so we watched some youngsters having a go and although they were managing it, it was a struggle. After a bit of this Tate couldn’t really be bothered waiting and so she just set off. Jess was a bit concerned about one of the challenges and had let herself cool down too much so decided not to so we all just watched Tate go around. She was having the time of her life, singing away as she made her way through and although she is only small in stature she is all muscle so whenever it seemed to be a bit difficult she just pulled herself through somehow. The last task was to jump off a plank 14 metres high and she just stood up there and did it, seemingly without a second’s hesitation. We were all mightily impressed at her strength, and not just her physical strength.
Anyway, we needed to get a move on to the campsite we were heading to for the night, it was only a two hour drive but we didn’t want to get there too late. On the way we very smugly had a conversation about how we had really made the most of the day by doing an activity before then heading onwards, we were content in the knowledge that the past few sites had been quietening down as it was the end of summer. We should have realised that we were tempting fate. We got to our destination to see a ‘full’ sign hanging out the front and on double checking this at reception it turns out it was indeed the case. A shame because it looked a really beautiful spot. We were all pretty worn out after our exertions, the adrenaline had well and truly run out and so this was the last thing we needed. But a quick check of the options around us and we located another spot just 30 minutes along the road and so we made it there where there was space for us. It’s a different type of setting but also not too bad, we had a bit of a stroll around the site to the water and then chilled back at our van with some chips and beer, before whipping up the most gourmet of gourmet meals possible with leftovers and smash. No one does it quite like Jess. Now though it is getting late and we are all knackered, perhaps a lie in is on the cards tomorrow.Read more
Turn around bright eyes
August 12 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
We awoke this morning to the sound of the wind flapping our awning which made Jess worry about something flying away so she decided to put it down. I was much less bothered and therefore not keen on getting up to sort it out. ‘Don’t worry, you won’t need to do anything’ she assured me as I rolled over. Maybe 2 minutes later the door opened again, You’re going to need to help me’ I was told. To say I was a little grumpy is probably an accurate description. After sorting it out I was completely awake so decided to do some work, Jess made a half-hearted effort but quickly gave up and fell back to sleep.
We decided we didn’t want to stay at the site we were out, it just didn’t have the right feel for us, then realised we had 20 minutes until check out and the twins weren’t awake yet. I leisurely finished my coffee then went to pay, by the time I came back they were just starting the van up, they had got sorted in record time. So we headed off in the direction of the site we had tried yesterday. On the way, we saw a sign for a small group of shops, one of which was a cafe so Jess did a screeching hand brake stop and we pulled in. Checking it online, the cafe looked like it did a good job so we felt certain we would end up there. We checked out the other shops first , the first was an odd mix of candles, soap, wallpaper and paint, very strange. The second was a garden shop with a nice selection, Jess decided to buy two small plants that we have now put in the drink holders in the front of the van and have named Tvillingar, because they are not identical. Then, in a display of resistance, we decided it was close to lunchtime so we didn’t need to have some cake. We will talk about it always.
We got to the campsite to check in, Jess had booked online to be sure we had a space, but when we got there we learned that they have some pitches only for drop in and once these are booked they put up the ‘full’ sign. But they have others that can be booked online and based on today we feel very certain that some of these were available yesterday, so we were very confused that they declined to mention this. They were lucky we came back to be honest, we normally just keep moving forward and don’t retrace our steps. But we managed to get in today and have a cool spot overlooking the sea. We enjoyed our lunch very lazily in the sunshine and were feeling very chilled out. It is something we don’t actually do that much as we are always either doing some activity or on the move so it was quite nice to just relax, we didn’t even put the stuff away as we were all so comfortable. Then I was looking through the campsite website for things to do in the area and they mentioned a farm cafe that was only 4kms away. As we were all feeling quite guilty about not supporting the local cafes after our decision earlier it was a real no-brainer. So we dragged ourselves up and got lunch leftovers put away and we were off. It was a very enjoyable stroll through changing scenery, as it always seems to be. We got to the cafe and it was a very nice setting with a very wide selection of cakes, too many for us to try one of each so we had to settle for one each, with some nice cups of tea to wash them down. While enjoying our food we saw a couple of little twins, maybe just over a year or so old and they were full of beans and always moving and Jess and I laughed with happy memories as we saw their parents trying to keep up and both yawning at the same time. There was also a nice farm shop there with a good selection of stuff and we picked up a few things. Unusually, they did not take cards st this place, and we did not have cash, and so their solution for this is that they give out invoices and you pay by bank transfer. They were very happy to give us the invoice and there was no expectation that we pay it immediately, they just assume that people are honest and will pay up. Another example of a trusting Swedish community, we continue to be impressed.
We walked back to our site and it was slightly chilly so we just lazed about some more, well Jess and I did while the twins showered and did the dishes. Another quality meal was prepared, no one opens tins quite like I do. There was also the eclipse happening this evening but as it was only about 80% here in Sweden and it was quite cloudy, I don’t know what to say, it wasn’t really dark, the total eclipse didn’t start. Turn around bright eyes.Read more
TravelerGlad you got to the nice site with the view, although agree odd they denied you entry previously! Plants are a cute addition to the family. Clear skies here for the eclipse but we didn't have special glasses needed. Did the thing with the colander though, and it did seem to get gloomier for a while.
30 Rock
August 13 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
There were no nasty surprises making us get up early this morning, just the sound of other campers going about their own morning routines. For us that means coffee and cornflakes for me and a cup of tea for Jess, trying to make it as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the twins. Today’s breakfast was a special one as today is 30 years since Jess and my first date, neither of us can work out exactly where the time has gone, but we completely agree that it has been an awesome adventure so far and are both looking forward to the next 30.
Apart from that the day didn’t start off too excitingly, just a bit of work before the twins started to stir and then the business of getting ready for a walk, sandwiches made, walking gear out etc. It didn’t take us too long, we are quite the well-oiled machine, the only thing slowing us down was Tate and her morning routine, but soon enough we were good to go. We had found a random lake on Google Maps and decided that’s where we were going to go, not quite so far as some of our other walks. It seemed the twins were maybe not quite awake as we set off as they were very quiet, this is usually a sign one of them is upset with the other but they both said this wasn’t the case and that they were allowed to be silent. As we got into the swing of it though they started to liven up. We were mostly going to be on country roads today although at one point we did need to cross the main road and Jess wondered how we were going to do it. I was slightly confused as I am sure she has crossed a road before and so I demonstrated a few options and it all descended into a Ministry of Silly Walks affair as we tested them out. And everyone was mightily impressed by the way I was able to skip and swerve at the same time. The walk was very much not as interesting as some of our previous efforts but that was ok, we were all just happy being out. Jess and I both agreed that the twins are such champions and very chill, they get told that we are doing a 14km walk and they are just like ‘cool’. When we got to the lake it seemed like we had found the only fenced off lake in Sweden and we couldn’t see any access to the water so we just kept walking around, eventually we did find a little spot were there was some rock next to the water so we sat there, bit another soul in sight. We sat there and had our delicious sandwiches made by Jess although it was a little chilly to think about going for a swim afterwards. As we chatted we all agreed that as a family we are a little obsessed by food. We discussed this over our walker’s crisps and walker’s chocolate and continued the conversation about 75 minutes later after a 5km diversion as we sat at the cafe we had been to yesterday. We had seen some signs for it as we walked and as we had only sampled 4 of their 8 cake options yesterday it seemed fairly obvious to us that we were going to go back. When we got there though the final choice was a little on the small side so we repeated one of our choices from yesterday. The standard was equally high so we were all very pleased we had gone back, and the twins got to strike the rabbits that the baby twins had been so interested yesterday.
It was 4kms to get back to the campsite and although our legs were starting to feel a bit on the sore side we were well fed and needed to work off some of excess cake so off we set. The twins just yakked and sang the whole way pretty much, quite the change from when we set off this morning. It was a nice leisurely final leg to make for just under 17kms in total and just under 4 hours. We got some washing done and Jess cleaned out the van, we are starting to prepare for our return home, and then sausage, beans and smash for dinner, you can’t go wrong. It has to be said that I am very happy with my decisions from 30 years ago, and this life we are living together. My Jessie, I love you.Read more
Vindon our sails
August 14 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
We have been watching the weather forecasts for the past few days as today has been predicted to be the last sunny day of our trip and since we brought our boats with us all this way and we have been waiting for an opportunity to get out on the water it seems that the stars were aligning. We were very happy to wake up to the blue skies and calm water outside our window. There was no great rush though as we had all day. So at about 11ish we started getting ready, it is a bit of a hassle getting the boats organised, pumping them up etc but we each took on our roles and we got mostly done and then realised we were one paddle short. Luckily the campsite where we are staying hires out kayaks and so we were able to get one from here. Then we were all ready to go except for our last minute safety checks, we had a 10 minute conversation about which of our several waterproof containers we should put our van keys in, amongst several other considerations. I feel like the Titanic was able to get out to sea quicker, although to be fair that didn’t end so well, so maybe it was a good thing to be so cautious. I clipped up my life jacket and noticed that it was for 60-80kgs, after all the cakes we have been having lately I wouldn’t stake my life on being within this range, although apparently I was going to have to as it was the only one we had.
We were ready to go, finally, so we set off. It didn’t take us long to get our rhythm going and it was not too tough as there was not much wind and the sea was reasonably calm, although Leggy decided she wasn’t a big fan of being on the water so she wasn’t much help to Tate so they were a bit slower than us, meaning we needed to let them catch up a few times. There are a few small islands around here, although some of them are not much more than rocks. Fun fact, Sweden has the most islands of any country in the world, today we kayaked around 5 of them. After about 30 minutes on the water we spotted a beach and made for it. I was very thirsty and asked for some water, at which point we realised we hadn’t packed any. We were all agreed that it was the water man’s fault. Then a discussion ensued where Allegra explained how you could boil sea water and collect the condensation if we were really desperate. I checked, but unfortunately we had not brought the kettle either. Never mind, we had another spectacular sandwich for lunch with a little rower’s chocolate as well, which is surprisingly similar to walker’s chocolate. We relaxed for a short while but a couple of members of the crew needed the toilet, not the sort that the sea could be useful for and so we had to head back to our campsite which wasn’t too far as we could take a bit of a shortcut. This allowed the crew to relieve themselves and also some water to be collected. Back on the water we made for an island although once we got up close we didn’t fancy the look of it too much but no problem, we could see another beach in the distance and made for that. We pulled up our boats and rested up on the rocks, I even jumped in the sea for a bit, although it wasn’t that great as there was a bit of long seaweed about and it was a little discomforting to swim through. So, back on the boats it was, heading for our original lunch spot which was a very nice setting, an island in a figure eight shape with a beach on either side of the narrow part and some grassiness and pine trees in the middle. We mostly just lay about, I could almost have fallen asleep there. Time to head back though and Jess was keen to swim, but she discovered the same issue that I had earlier with the seaweed so decided the boat was the best option.. We had some even calmer conditions for our return so we were back soon enough, feeling very wind blown and like we had had a day on the sea. Which of course, we had.
After getting back and getting everything packed away, which is even more of a hassle than getting it out we decided that we should make use of some of the other camping entertainment we had brought. So we had a quick game of Kubb with the twins wiping the floor with us then some frisbee, we decided to count our throws and catches to see how high we could get, a miserable 12 was our best. The problem was we had to throw it to Jess every fourth go and I kept throwing it too hard. Then Allegra stepped on the frisbee, it broke, and that was that. A quick kick around of the football and we had made use of everything, so it didn’t feel like such a waste of time to bring it all.
We are moving on tomorrow but have really enjoyed our time here at Vindon, it’s a really lovely spot and the weather has been kind to us and we have been able to really make the most of itRead more
TravelerLoving the captions - glad you had a chance to use all the kit. The boats look awesome! Would've been fun on our Broads holiday, apart from all the annoying tourists in their hire boats.
A windy, windy walk
August 15 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
A decision needed to be made this morning, we are trying to stretch the holiday out but aware we have to start heading home and the weather was starting to change with a promise of high winds everywhere. So we could choose between a small island near here (that is car free) and a walk in the wind or we could drive to Gothenburg (definitely not car free) and see some sights there. We were very unsure but were up early as either way we were moving on so we had time on our side. The day didn’t start off looking too great so as our first choice involved a bit of a ferry trip we thought we would head to the port and make a decision there. We needed to pick up a few supplies if we were to end up walking and so a quick stop at a supermarket was required. It was cold outside but it was a nice warm Willys so we definitely did not rush. I think by the time we got to the port it was pretty clear what we we were going to do so we made our sandwiches, got everything we needed ready and set off to wait for the ferry.
We were a bit early so needed to sit and wait, time for a coffee, but before too long it came into view. The ferry ride was only 5 minutes so we barely had time to get on and take a few photos before we had arrived and it was time to disembark. Where we arrived there are actually 2 islands that make up Gullholmen, one is very small and densely packed with houses, the other is larger and has part of the village but is mostly just wild. We wanted to walk to the far corner of it so set off on the path down the coast, at first checking out all the houses and then the scenery around us, both land and sea. The weather was even improving. I had passed up the opportunities for toilet breaks at the ports and on the boat as they were pay to play but the coffee I had was really kicking in and I was definitely regretting that decision. Especially since I wasn’t sure what facilities there might be to come. I was very happy then to see what looked like a cafe and even happier to see their outdoor toilet. In fact I was relieved in more ways than one. With a spring in my step we were back on the move.
On our map, we had started out on a vag (way) and this turned into a stig (path) and before too much longer it had deteriorated even further and we were seriously clambering over rocks as we made our way around the south of the island. It goes without saying that the views were spectacular, and the wind was really getting blustery but we could see our destination, although it was a little far in the distance and it never seemed to get any closer. We had been following blue and red dots which marked our route but as we got closer these changed to white and these did not seem to be as well maintained. Also, white on coastal rocks is a bit of a rookie mistake. we spent 15 minutes going in circles following spatters of bird poop. Eventually we gave up as tiredness and hunger won out and we found a high rock to sit on and have our now customary lunch of sandwiches, crisps and biscuits. The wind was blowing a gale, howling in off the North Sea with the waves crashing into the coast. It was a completely opposite scene to the calmness on the other side of the island.
After sitting in the wind for long enough to recover, and as long as our hair could stand, we set off on our return journey, which was going to be a slightly different route to start with. There was a very helpful signpost at a crossroads (I use the term loosely, it was basically just a spot where a few pathways through rocks seemed to meet) and it pointed us in the direction we needed to go. It wasn’t too long though before we realised that maybe the signpost was not as helpful as we thought as there were no paint markers we could see. We weren’t going to go back though and just stumbled through the heather in the direction we thought we needed to go. We had been visited by a little sparrow at this point who just seemed to be swooping around us, we think it was trying to tell us we were going the wrong way and was leading us to the right path. It got us safely back on track and then we said thank you Mr Sparrow and he replied, top on the morning to ye, as has was an Irish sparrow. We said our goodbyes, but possibly we should not have nibbled at those little mushrooms we foraged.
Although our total walk today was only about 14kms we were all feeling very sore, a culmination I think of all the exertion of the past few days. So it was a bit of an effort crossing some of the landscape, especially with unreliable maps and intermittent marking so it was a relief to finally make it back to the vag. Then, in a development no one could possibly have foreseen, we popped into the cafe from earlier on to sample their cakes. We have developed a bit of a routine with this, we pick out four, then Tate cuts them all into quarters so we can all sample each of them and then we consider and discuss the qualities of each. You know the sort of thing, ‘ooh this one’s nice’, ´the texture of this is lovely’, ´my god, they’ve caramelised the coconut on this one´, and so on.
Anyway, after all that we still had 3kms to go and it was pretty hard work, as I said, we were all pretty sore but we made it back with time to spare for our return trip and then decided we would stay at the campsite we had been at earlier this week. We have really made the most of this island but sadly tomorrow we have to start the journey home.Read more
Sweden, shut up. You had us at hej hej
August 16 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
The wind yesterday built up and up so there was no chance we could put the top of the van up which meant a night in the tent for me and Jess, the twins have long since given up on that argument and are very happy to have the comfy bed. It really was blowing so although it wasn’t too bad in the tent, it was quite noisy and every now and then it felt like a gust came right through. So it was a bit of a disrupted night’s sleep and when the bright sunshine lit up the tent at 6am it was obviously not going to be a long night’s sleep either. A morning shower was on the cards, to take advantage of the last guaranteed campsite shower, so was a bit of work to get most of it done before the driving days. At about 10 we were all packed and ready to go for the drive home. I guess one downside of driving is that it is not as simple as just jumping on a plane and then a couple of hours later being home. But on the plus side we do get stop at Coop.
We left the island of Orust, as I’ve said it has been a very enjoyable place for us to stay and we could definitely see ourselves coming back. About an hour down the road there was a massive Coop and so we stopped there to stock up on all the good stuff we have been enjoying for the past three weeks or so. It was almost too big to find what we were looking for but we persevered and managed to get everything we wanted. Back on the road and we made our way through Gothenburg and were all busy marvelling at an awesome looking amusement park with loads of rollercoasters, including the driver, and we missed a turnoff, although it only cost us 5 minutes or so. We had some lunch and swapped drivers and carried on southwards and then Jess realised there were actually a couple of things we still needed and so we needed to find a second Coop of the day then switched drivers again. It was down to Jess to take us over the bridge and into Denmark and just like that it was goodbye to Sweden. It seems like ages ago that we arrived which is a good thing I think but we have certainly packed a lot in.
As I like to do, I have been thinking about the highlights of our trip, some of which have made it into the blog and others which we have just shared amongst ourselves and in no particular order some of these are: quality time with the twins, chatting with our fallen comrades, walking, cycling, canoeing, Oland, Orust, cakes, campervanning, Stockholm, Herman’s, lakes, scenery, calm Swedes, less IKEA than expected, less ABBA than expected, more Volvos than expected, Hoga Kusten, unexpected finds, walking, cakes, Coop supermarkets, Willys everywhere, maneckasorren, clambering, fish and chips, getting Tate out of bed, twins skincare routine, twins going out routine, twins bedtime routine, loppis, picnic lunches, deteriorating dinner quality, Lant crisps, crackers, robot lawnmowers, cottage cheese, snabb, biscuits, endless pine forest, endless lakes, endless islands, Gusum lake, not enough swimming, no saunas or hot tubs, they were never seen again, not Oslo, Ya mor deleava, unexpected cakes, avoid Kramfors, rainy days, windy days, number of moose seen zero, it puts the lotion it’s skin, minimal consumerism, trusting communities, the gas man and the water man, being up for a challenge, the amount of f bombs when the twins argue, you fat c***, endless innuendos, the declining tidiness of our cupboards, overeating ice cream on Oland, sore bums from bike riding, sore legs from walking, sore shoulders from canoeing, bruised arms from climbing, new Stray Kids album, pleasant climate and last but not least, cakes. I have probably missed out loads but remembering all that has put a smile on my face, always a good sign.
After the bridge to Denmark we drove for another couple of hours with not much excitement to report, barely encens any humorous place names. We are all very tired and Allegra seems to have developed a very painful shoulder, probably from sitting in one place for too long on the journey. Hopefully a good night’s sleep will help us all as we have got to do it all again tomorrow.Read more
It’s Rhine-ing again
August 17 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
I woke up this morning at 8.10 and knew we needed to get a move on as we had a lot of ground to cover. By 8.45 we were on the road, amazing job. Luckily, yesterday we had got close to the ferry port so it was only a 10 minute drive and a short wait and we were driving onto our ferry. We parked our van and then headed for the stairs. We could either go down a level to where the Irish folk were dancing, drinking Guinness and generally just enjoying the craic or we could head upstairs, it was too early for us so we chose the latter. We grabbed a coffee, some chai lattes and a selection of Danish and then headed up to the poop deck to enjoy the crossing . It was only 45 minutes so soon enough we were heading back down to the van and ready to go ashore and onto Germany.
We were off the boat fairly quickly and hoping to cover some ground but of course we had just spent 3 weeks in a leisurely cruise around Sweden so we had completely forgotten about German traffic, within less than 5 minutes we had hit our first section of roadworks and associated jams. It felt like the first section was stop start all the way and then we got near Hamburg and the map was telling us there was going to be a whole lot more stop than start, and on top of that there was a fair bit of rain which made the conditions pretty poor. But Jess managed to find us as route that went off the motorway but would actually be quicker, all we needed to do was Elbe our way through some of the su urns va and industrial areas, which we managed to do. Then we just needed to find a place to lunch and swap drivers which we also accomplished, it was a roadside services which had its own brewery, as you do. It also served a wide variety of beer direct from the fridges, I guess if you were in a hurry, and miniature bottles of Jagermeister at the cash register, I suppose in case you needed a bit of a heart starter. I passed on all options..
Jess took over the driving and although not as bad as Hamburg, it still just felt like really slow going. We weren’t even getting much joy from place names, not so much as a Bad Schlongung or a Vettpach to be seen. Another few hours passed and then it was time to switch again and to head for the campsite chosen for the night. I’m not sure but I feel like we may have crossed the Rhine 3 times on the way. Anyway, the campsite that looked so lovely on the site did not look quite so appealing in reality but by this time we did not have much choice so this is where we are staying. On the plus side, Jess did manage to find us a restaurant so we did not need to cook, just the small matter of a 2km walk to get there, but after sitting in the van for the best part of 10 hours that wasn’t a problem for any of us. A very tasty German dinner was had, washed down by some cold German beer and then when we got back to our van we had our first taste of some very yummy BTS Oreos. Now it is time for sleep with another day of driving tomorrow.
Allegra’s recap
It’s been almost four weeks since we left la belle France to spend summer campervanning around. And when I found out we were going to Sweden I was very happy because it’s always been one of my dream destinations and I had suggested it multiple times.
It didn’t take too long to adjust to the van life, we quickly found our rythm and our roles in the set up (special mention to Tate who made our bed for the grand majority of the trip even though we were supposed to take turns).
I had so much fun these holidays, they were very different from the last two years where we basically lived in our swim suits and went to the beach every day, but it’s good to switch it up.
I loved the bike rides we did even if I got very sunburnt and the walks were so much fun. My favourite was probably the 20km one where we had fish and chips mid outing.
One thing I noticed was the lack of arguments, I don’t think we argued even once which is probably one of the biggest differences without Lily and Ruby.
Our cake consumption was really valid, shout out to the carrot cake with lime shavings on top that we had on Orust. it just hit different.
I loved Stockholm it was a very nice city very calm and even though it was the middle of summer it felt like an early spring day not too hot at all so that was a nice change from heatwave France. And I found it cool that they have boats like the metro system.
Now we are driving back home and even though I am sad to be leaving I’m very excited to see my sisters again and even more exited to sleep in my own bed.
The four weeks have passed so quickly but you know what they say; time flies when you’re having fun.
I really enjoyed all the things we did and spending time as the fantastic four, we are a very funny group of people (mostly thanks to me and dad and sometimes mum, Tate is more of a spectator who laughs at all my jokes even though they aren’t funny, she’s a real one)
I don’t know how to end this so I’m just gonna hit you with the live, laugh, love Sweden 🇸🇪!Read more
Traveler
😁😒😮
TravelerOmggg I can’t believe you named the van Nina Schwartz I literally burst out laughing
TravelerShe was my german penpal Dad Lily and I were scandalised that you forgot