Sweden, Part 1

 

Karlevi Stenkvarn

Our trusty Garmin had allowed us to travel without worrying much about low bridges or roads that wouldn't accommodate our width and weight. So we don’t look closely at our route anymore, we just trust it to get us there. We travelled North from Copenhagen and arrived at what we thought was a toll booth for the bridge to Helsingborg, Sweden. The lady in the booth was surprised that we didn’t know we were heading for a ferry. Dermot asked if we could turn around and take the bridge instead and she said we’d have to return to Copenhagen to do that! Sure enough, Garmin’s route was over water but not over a bridge. Garmin obviously lacks communication skills. We paid up and had a quick and pleasant trip. 

Sweden is 80% wilderness and there are many signs along the road warning of moose. I can’t wait to see a moose, this being Spring, I’m hoping for a mama and her calf. Of course, I want to see them while I’m safely inside a van but not in the middle of the road as we're speeding along. 

Click here for our photos, "i" for information.

Växjö

Our Ojaby campsite outside the town was small, had quirky but acceptable facilities and bordered a small park on a large lake. We were welcome to swim, though wrapped in our warm jackets we couldn’t imagine doing that, but a few kids were. 

This small town has a unique double spired church, a few museums and a nice little downtown area on another large lake. The Smålands Museum/Glass Museum had decent historical exhibits and gorgeous art glass exhibits. Between the two museums were several very intriguing historical structures. I lifted the following two descriptions using Google Translate and lightly edited them for brevity:

THE WINDMILL FROM ZIRKÖN: On many of the inhabited islands in lake Åsnen there were windmills during the 19th century. The farmers who had their own mills did not have to transport their grain long distances to have it ground. The windmill is in two parts, where the upper one can be turned to catch the wind from whichever direction it is blowing.

HIGH LOFT COTTAGE FROM SUNDRANÄS: The building originally stood in Sundranäs in Angelstad's parish and was a tenant farm under the lieutenant colonel's residence Sundranäs. Since the 1750s, the croft has been known under the name Skogstorp, but was called Fiskaretorpet when the former soldier of Kronoberg's regiment, Jonas Larsson Fiskare, moved in in 1815. Those who later lived in the croft made a living partly by fishing in Bolmen, which caused the name Fiskaretorpet to live on. High-loft cabins with one or two high lofts added to the side of the low residential part were common in mainly southwestern Småland and in the northern parts of Skåne and Blekinge. They are also called Southern Gothic houses.

The Emigrant Museum was also interesting because it mainly followed emigration from Sweden to America and what happened once they got there. There’s a very good app you can download called Kulterparken Småland if you’d like more information. They even have a research library for those tracing their ancestors.

One night Dermot spotted a hare in our campground at night. Biggest bunny I’ve ever seen! Looked like a dwarf kangaroo. We were too impressed to think to get a picture. 

Glasriket: The kingdom of crystal. 

The history of glass production goes back hundreds of years in the area between Växjö and Kalmar due to the abundance of trees to fuel the forges. Because we happened to travel here on a Monday, many of the "Glasbruks" were closed but we visited a Glass-blowing Museum and nearby shop.  It explained the economic forces, as well as the evolving technology and tastes that shaped what was produced. There were many lovely pieces as well as art glass and art exhibitions.

Kalmar 

Our Kalmar campground experience was comfortable with modern facilities, in a parklike setting and, best of all, we could bike to town and grocery stores. Birdsong surrounded us during the very long daylight hours, the weather was mostly sunny and we could even hike into forest right from our campsite. We biked into town and did the RS walk, popped into the Cathedral, and had lunch at an old house, the top floor of which included many small rooms filled with mismatched tables and chairs set on creaky floorboards and hung with various framed photos and paintings from a bygone era. While the place was interesting, our sandwichs were meh, so we splurged on their specialty cobbler which was also only okay. We both really enjoyed the not-too-big and not-too-small city.

We visited Kalmar castle. The recreated kitchen was enormous and the tables were laden with plastic food designed to show just how sophisticated and creative the chefs could get when they had to set their dishes before royalty - even enclosing live birds into pastry so that diners got a surprise when they cut into it and the birds flew around the dining hall. One wing of the castle had an art exhibition with music and video of Impressionistic paintings projected onto the castle walls. It was visually stunning.

Food

Though we've never made fine foods a priority in our travels, finding Swedish foods in the off-season has been disappointing. There are a plethora of restaurants that have pizza and kebab - they don't seem to distinguish between Italian and Middle Eastern cuisines. We found a restaurant categorized as BBQ within biking range, but on arrival, it was more Middle Eastern. Good, but still not Swedish. Trips to the grocery store haven't inspired us to cook in the van much either.

Öland

Lest you think our trip is always well-planned, the two days we spent on Öland was based on the advice of a random guy we met while filling up at a gas station. According to the helpful Haga Campground manager, this island only has a four week season and we were here in off season. That meant many activities weren't available or had restricted hours and many restaurants were closed. Fine with us, the less tourists the better. We choose to visit Eketorp Fort the day we arrived. This site had been a ring fort in the Iron age, abandoned then rebuilt bigger in the middle ages. We were given an interesting and detailed history by the cultural anthropologist in Iron age clothing. It was situated right near a marsh not only for the fresh water supply but also as a sacrificial site.  Dermot enjoyed demonstrating his far superior bow and rubber-tipped arrow skills.

Millenia ago, glaciers scraped the top soil from the southern half of the island leaving very little covering the chalky limestone plain. This left an area that resembled one of Dermot's favorite places on earth, Ireland's burren.  The bright sunshine and Spring wildflower bloom at Möckelmossen was a delight. Some plants exist here and nowhere else on earth. There are small orchids and ferns living near many species of succulents and lichens.  Take a close look at the many species inhabiting the same tiny space.

We also drove North and climbed a lovingly preserved stone mill - Karlevi Stenkvarn. Then on to see the island's main town of Borgholm. The castle is a ruins we didn't tour but we did stroll the pedestrian area and took a few photos of picturesque houses.

Overall, we've really enjoyed the cool but mild weather and the very friendly and helpful people here in Sweden.

Denmark

Roskilde with a replica of a ship made in Ireland.

Odense

Our first stop was inspired by a New York Times travel article naming the new Hans Christian Anderson Museum among the 52 Places to Go in 2023: "A mystical new museum and garden with all you need to write your own fairy tale. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and Associates, the new Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense on the island of Funen is more than a museum. It's a mystical land featuring labyrinthine gardens that double as a public park. The museum explores Andersen's literary interplay between real and imaginary: You can gaze up at the sky through a glass dome and feel like The Little Mermaid; roam sunken courtyards illuminated by sunlight splintering through trees and engage with exhibits by contemporary artists and cylindrical spaces wrapped in latticed timber that suggest the city's traditional thatched-roof houses. The museum is as much about telling stories as it is about imagining your own: Creativity is encouraged at the magical Ville Vau children's center, where children can paint, draw, write and play dress-up amid colorful scenes from Andersen's fairy tales."

The city was small and easy to navigate. We rode our bikes in the first day because the weather was perfect for it. Most of the way it felt perfectly safe. There are, of course, many statues and references to H. C. We enjoyed the way the half-timbered medieval buildings leaned and bulged but were somehow still standing after four hundred years.

The internet hours had indicated the museum was closed that day but when we showed up at the attached H.C. Andersen birthplace, we learned that it was open but we were too late to tour it.  So bought tickets for the following day and received a beautifully made guide. 

Our photos here, click "i" for info.

After dinner that night I decided to brush up on some of the Andersen tales which were featured in the guide - searching out the full text on the internet. I didn't recall "The Snow Queen," so I read about three quarters of it. It's dark stuff, so I moved on to "The Shadow." It's about a learned man whose shadow takes over his life, and ultimately kills him. "The Little Match Girl" made such a strong impression when I read it as a child that I had no need to reread it. You probably already know that Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" has a far less happy ending than the Disney film. 

Despite the often frightening and sad fairy tales Andersen penned, the museum itself was very engaging with interactive exhibits that were whimsical, ethereal and often amusing. I’ve made made marbled papers so I loved seeing the lovely marbled book covers from hundreds of years ago and was surprised to learn Andersen also wrote in many others genres and loved to make paper cutouts as he told stories. Dermot's headset stopped working at some point and he wasn't motivated to get a new one. He was less impressed with the museum than I was.

That afternoon we wandered only as long as our thin blood allowed before dodging into heated stores to shop before returning to camp. That night and the next morning were very windy and cold but we happily tucked into yummy danishes for breakfast.

Roskilde

The wind formed white caps on the water and pushed our campervan around as we crossed the very long bridge between Denmark’s islands. Roskilde is famous for two things - its cathedral and its Viking Ship Museum where five Viking era ships were found scuttled/sunken in the fjord. These thousand year old boats were preserved by the waters and then discovered, excavated and carefully reconstructed. Replicas were also created and sailed to learn more. As a long time boat lover, I found it very interesting. In fact, the museum created an app that described each ship and provided fictitious narratives weaving some facts with conjecture. The app is called "Useeum" and provided information on other Denmark museums as well - its free and available to everyone.

Copenhagen 

Since we'd been to Copenhagen on our cruise a few years ago, we slowed down and focused on new experiences. We spent the better part of a day in the National Museum of Denmark. They had such wonderful Pre-history and "Viking Age" exhibits that we both were on overload by the time we reached the Middle Ages and more modern sections. It was clear that I'd learned very little about Scandinavian history. Some take aways were that Vikings treated women as equals but much that we see represented in TV and movies about them is far from truth.

The following day we went to visit the alternative lifestyle of Christiania. Here's Wikipedia's take on it: Freetown Christiania

We witnessed the tension between the relaxed "soft" drug laws and the reality when a man selling at an outdoor make-shift stand suddenly stuffed what he had in a plastic garbage bag and hurriedly dug a spot in a planter for the bag, covered it with dirt and then took off just before the police arrived.

Though there were people who looked homeless, there were also families with children, stores, eateries, and homes of many types. We had a nice shawarma lunch and wandered about taking it all in. 

That afternoon we fought the crowded streets and waited in line to take a canal boat cruise which was perfect on this sunny day. People all over Copenhagen seemed to be out making the most of the mild weather renting boats and relaxing along the canals in the less crowded parts of the city.

Next Stop: Sweden.

Belgium to Germany

The chocolate croissants delivered fresh each day to the camp satisfied our breakfast cravings but we'd had enough of jumping muddy trenches so we set our sights on the Netherlands. Having visited Amsterdam last year, we opted for Delft. 

Click here for photos, "I" for information

Delft, Netherlands 

DelftseHout Campground was a mere 20 minute walk from the city and had absolutely wonderful facilities. We arrived in the afternoon, set up the van, ate a light lunch and headed in. The walkway was lined with canals, the ever-present bike lanes and tall trees. Thoughtfully made signs that blended into the leafy environment told of various points of interest along the way such as nesting boxes and how many minutes walk were left to the center of town. The big draws for Delft are, of course, the white pottery with blue designs and being the hometown of Ver Meer, the painter of "Girl with the Pearl Earring." 

We visited the Delft factory - listening in as best we could on the talk given in German and noting the wide variety of items they made. Again we enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere of the area due to the lack of crowds. The most stressful thing was trying to stay out of the way of the many bicyclists as they speedily bumped over the cobblestones and wove expertly around obstacles (including us.) 

The Netherlands is the most densely populated European country but you couldn't tell that from Delft which seemed very livable. The people very often speak English and are friendly. Dermot remarked that most of the businesses seemed to be family-owned rather than chains. I loved watching the female rowing teams and people rowing boats home with their grocery bags in the bow. 

We took pictures of the houses lining canals; the stately, ornate city hall and several huge churches but we'd arrived a bit too late to tour the museums. 

We balanced out our diet with a healthy Hawaiian Poke bowl dinner but also visited a chocolate shop. They wrapped up our modest purchase of four chocolates like jewelry complete with a fancy bow.

Our next destination was Hamburg but we split the drive with a one night stay in Osnabrück, Germany where the campground owner gave Dermot the heebie jeebies. 

Hamburg, Germany

We arrived in Hamburg on Friday afternoon and headed into the heart of the lively city. RS's guide suggested a DIY tour via subway - parts traveled above ground and we were able to both get oriented to the subway, with help from very friendly locals, and spot many landmarks including the harbor and their spectacular concert hall on the water “Elbphilharmonie.” 

A local delicacy!?

We had dinner at a Rick Steves recommended restaurant - Frau Möller. I chose Labskaus because it was described as “a local delicacy of corned beef, potatoes and red beets, all mashed up and topped with two fried eggs, pickles on the side.” Rather than mashed, it looked like it had gone through a blender. The true story behind why this became a local delicacy is not known for sure but one source said that it originated in the 16th century because these were ingredients that would keep on ships and served to extend the available meat. Fish was also served with it. Dermot’s pan fried pork was less traditional but more to our liking. 

Saturday promised dry weather and we decided to shop so we tackled the Ikea maze and then headed for groceries. According to multiple sources, few Americans visit Hamburg and that may explain why people seem so friendly and helpful to us. We had several strike up conversations when they heard us speaking English.

Irish Pubs are everywhere!

That night we headed for the “Shoulderblade” neighborhood for great people-watching and what turned out to be a mediocre dinner. Then we headed to the harbor for sunset and explored the red right district of Reeperbahn. This area is famous for launching The Beatles' career. Pictures don’t capture the raucous party that is “Grosse Freiheit.” Fans of the St. Pauli soccer team were heading home around midnight along with us jamming the subways and buses. 

Sunday was spent quietly as we made preparations for heading to Denmark. We knew we'd be back to Hamburg on our way back at the end of the trip so we weren't concerned with all Wed missed.

England to Belgium

 

Panorama in Ghent

Imagine leaving your tiny house for nearly a year in cold, rainy England with no heating. The unglamorous side of vanlife travel is that we spent several jetlagged days washing bedding, cleaning, shopping and repositioning stuff. Meals were functional and fit in whenever possible. We needed to wait until we got to the continent before recharging our phone sims so communication was intermittent and searches often failed. We spent one day each in rainy weather in Bristol, Cheddar, and Folkestone before driving onto the ferry for France. 

Arriving in Calais, we headed straight for the tiny town of Henù, France where Dermot’s grand uncle was buried. I was struck by how beautifully tended this grave was in the small cemetery after over 100 years. Birds were singing and the spring flowers were in full bloom.

Our photos here, click “i” for info.

 

The following is written by Dermot:

“After several failed attempts on other trips we finally were able to visit my grand uncle's grave at the Cimetiere Militaire De Hénu in France. He was Lt. James White and served in the Royal Army Vet Corps during WW1. He died on March 16th, 1916 in France, age 32. He was the son of Thomas and Anne White of Tulla, Co. Clare. I don't know when his grave was last visited by a family member, but I'm glad to have finally visited. 

Ironically, another of my grand uncles, Con Colbert, was executed in Kilminham Goal on May 8th for his part in the 1916 Easter Rising. He was a Captain in F Company fourth batallian. Colbert rail station, Limerick and Con Colbert road, Dublin were named in his honor. Some Tulla people will remember his brother Dan Colbert. Dan and his wife Nancy lived in the corner house on Main St and the road up to the graveyard. 

This is not an unusual Irish family story of one family member serving in the British Army in WW1 and another serving in the Irish Volunteers/Irish Republican Brotherhood for Irish independence from Britain.”

It had been a long day of travel and spent that night far outside of Lille, France, but the campsite was marginal and Rick Steves had no recommendations for what to see there so we headed for Belgium. Having already visited Bruges and Antwerp on our last trip, we opted for Ghent. 

We arrived at "Urban Gardens Camping" and were offered either a muddy hardstanding site with a big "pond" in the middle we'd have to find our way around; or soggy, muddy campsites that came with the warning that if we got stuck, they couldn't pull us out. We choose the one that wouldn't require a tow truck.

Ghent is less touristy than Bruges so we enjoyed the less crowded streets. We visited St. Bavo's Cathedral then half-wandered, half-followed Rick Steves walk. There were pretty canals and the distinctive Belgium architecture that invited us to explore even in the rain. The following day brought more rain and more mud so we did another load of laundry then set out for the second part of RS’s walk. The quiet streets were a joy except when we forgot our place and wandered into the bike paths!