Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Småland, Östergötland, Södermanland, Närke
Municipalities: Jönköping, Ödeshög, Mjölby, Vadstena, Motala, Finspång, Norrköping, Nyköping, Oxelösund, Flen, Katrineholm, Vingåker, Hallsberg, Kumla, Örebro
Thursday 6th of August
08.20 There are people in motion here at the hostel Strandterrassen (http://www.strandterrassen.se) in Gränna. There are doors that are being opened and closed. People walk out in our corridor. Today it will be another island excursion. This time, moreover, the weather is with us. It could be a really good day.
09.16 It is almost so that I have a certain longing home, home to my own bed and my own kitchen. However, there is one week left until that occurs. New adventures are coming. When you come home again, there is often a desire to again be out on adventure.
09.28 We've checked out and put our belongings in the car that is left in the parking lot and wait for us during the day.
09.45 Our tickets for a round trip with the car ferry to Visingsö have been purchased in a kiosk in the harbour. It's time to put ourselves in the long queue. It is extra long now that it is important to keep distance.
10.06 The small car-and passenger ferry Ebba Brahe is yellow. With good speed we now go out across Vättern. On board there are cyclists, families with children and dogs. Everyone is looking forward to a lovely day out on Visingsö.
10.20 We stand on deck here on the ferry. Being outdoors is great for photographing and filming. The weather is also on top.
10.46 Upon arrival at Visingsö harbour we met the sister ferry on the way to Gränna. Now that we've, just like on Ven, had ice cream cones, we'll soon fetch the rented bikes.
11.13 We waited a bit to pick up our bikes to avoid queue. A visit to Visingsborg has just ended. The video clip we made there would have been better if I had been more prepared. Now Christer saved it all. Visingsborg is a ruin after the castle that was here. Visingsborg castle was built in the 1570´s but was abandoned after the county in 1680 was withdrawn to the Swedish crown. It was used between 1715 and 1719 as a facility for prisoners of war from the Great Northern War, mainly Russian prisoners of war. The castle was laid in ruins by a devastating fire the night between 22nd and 23rd of December 1718. The prisoners of war have been identified as guilty of the fire but most likely it was an accident among the guards that started it all. Soon we'll pick up a red bike each.
13.15 The castle in Näs was the country's first castle. It was built in the mid-12th century and was a power centre in the struggle between two families. It was the House of Erik from Västergötland and the House of Sverker from Östergötland. Four kings have died here on Visingsö. They are Karl Sverkersson who in 1167 was murdered by Knut Eriksson, Erik Knutsson who died 1216, Johan Sverkersson who suffered from disease 1222 and also Magnus Ladulås around Christmas 1290. The castle in Näs was burned down and laid in ruins in 1318. Now it's time for us to step on. Now we're going north. If we continue south, we´ll end up in Lake Vättern.
17.37 We are once more in Gränna town and on the mainland. Now Christer has extended the parking time. We're supposed to be here in Gränna for dinner before we move on. We have taken our chairs and now sit down to read a little next to the Amiralsvägen road that goes from the centre down to the harbour.
20.31 Our next overnight spot is by Omberg, a mountain located directly at Vättern. The mountain reaches a height of 240 meters above sea level and is covered with dense forest. According to information, Sweden's northernmost beech forest should be here. It is a narrow and winding road through the forest that we travel on.
Friday 7th of August
We are leaving Gränna harbour.
Peter is writing during the ferry trip.
Ebba Brahe is taking us to Visingsö.
Dogs on holiday.
The arrival to Visingsö is celebrated with icecream.
A view at Lake Vättern.
Visingsborg castle ruin.
Christer on Visingsö island.
Peter in beautiful surroundings.
Brahe Church, Visingsö.
Christer is starting today´s bike trip.
Memory stone on the Russian churchyard.
Animals greet us on southern Visingsö.
Christer sits beneath the Sverker oak.
Lake Vättern is Sweden´s second largest and Europe´s sixth largest lake.
Näs castle ruin.
We found a shortcut from the west side of the island to the east.
The great silver fir.
A remmalag comes driving on Visingsö.
Back at Visingsö harbour.
Christer is having Asian dinner at Wok & Company.
Brahehus outside Gränna.
We are driving north along Lake Vättern.
We are staying one night at Stocklycke Hostel.
08.41 Things are about to get exciting. The kitchen is in another building and we are going to get there to arrange with things for the breakfast. We bought the breakfast itself in Gränna last night.
09.33 We enjoy the trip's second garden breakfast. We sit in some garden furniture out on the lawn. Some other guests are more luxurious. They have bought their breakfast here and are eating indoors. It's a quiet morning. It went well to get what we wanted from the kitchen. Because of the lack of internet, we have not been able to plan the day in details. 10.43 We've taken a morning walk and looked at the mighty beech forest that surrounds us here. Now that we have rectified the way out of here, one way in, another out, and indulged us what we think is blackberries, we will travel further. There have been a few different kinds of berries on this trip. 11.07 Today's third stop has been made. The first was done along the way because I did not close the car doors properly. The second stop was made to photograph the view towards Lake Vättern from the road down from Omberg. This third stop we do together with other people, tourists, travellers. We all are at the ruin of the monastery and the king's estate in Alvastra. It's pretty well preserved and now sunny days are again. 11.12 It is time for some facts about this historic place. Alvastra monastery is a former Cistercian monastery. It was founded in 1143 by monks from the French monastery Clairvaux and, together with Nydala monastery, was the first Cistercian monastery in the North. Alvastra, in turn, founded the monk monasteries of Varnhem, Julita and Gudsberga, and Alvastra's abbot at times served as father abbot for the nunnery monasteries of Askeby, Vreta and Riseberga. Monastic life lasted without known interruptions until the monastery was dissolved around 1530 in connection with the Reformation. Now there are only ruins left of the church and the other monastery buildings (Source: Wikipedia). 11.37 There was a lot to see and document at the monastery ruins. Here is a memorial stone of the House of Sverker, the remains of a church and foundations from the monastery. I managed to lose Christer and instead of calmly waiting for him I wandered around by the car. However, everything has resolved and we are ready for departure.
Breakfast outdoors at Stocklycke Hostel.
Driving through the forests on Omberg back to the civilisation.
From Omberg we are admiring the views of Lake Vättern.
We are visiting Alvastra monastery.
The remains of the monastery church from the 12th century.
A memorial stone to the Sverker family. King Sverker the Elder was buried here.
11.48 It is right now hot in the car. I hope it gets cooler, otherwise it can get tough.
12.05 Just as we sat down to get ourselves a cup of coffee something occurred to me. I forgot to fill a thermos with hot water. Partly for now but also for later today. We're at Rökstenen (https://www.rokstenen.se) and Rök church. Here is one of Sweden's most famous rune stones. 12.31 Rök is a small village between Ödeshög and Mjölby and not known for much other than its rune stone. We've been to the stone and tried to find out what it says on it. It did not go so well to understand the runes. We didn't get much wiser from the translation. The text is supposed to say, among other things, In memory of Vémóðr/Vámóðr stand these runes. And Varinn coloured them, the father, in memory of his dead son. I say the folktale/to the young men, which the two war-booties were, which twelve times were taken as war-booty, both together from various men. I say this second, who nine generations ago lost his life with the Hreiðgoths; and died with them for his guilt. Theodoric the bold, chief of sea-warriors, ruled over the shores of the Hreiðsea. Now he sits armed on his Goth(ic horse), his shield strapped, the prince of the Mærings. I say this the twelfth, where the horse of Gunnr sees fodder on the battlefield, where twenty kings lie. This I say as thirteenth, which twenty kings sat on Sjólund for four winters, of four names, born of four brothers: five Valkis, sons of Hráðulfr, five Hreiðulfrs, sons of Rugulfr, five Háisl, sons of Hôrðr, five Gunnmundrs/Kynmundrs, sons of Bjôrn. Now I say the tales in full. Someone ... I say the folktale/to the young men, which of the line of Ingold was repaid by a wife's sacrifice. I say the folktale/to the young men, to whom is born a relative, to a valiant man. It is Vélinn. He could crush a giant. It is Vélinn ... [Nit] I say the folktale/to the young men: Thor. Sibbi of Vé, nonagenarian, begot (a son). The stone's writing is considered with its 760 characters to be the world's longest runic inscription. The rune stone is probably from the 9th century. 12.42 Our journey along Folkungavägen just passes a minor road leading to Särtzöga. How many Swedish villages have z have in the name? The letter z has probably been added in recent times. 12.51 We turned left in Väderstad and travel north. We are now near the bird lake Tåkern. 13.13 After parking at a free parking space near Kungsvalla ice rink, we are now in a park in Vadstena, Asylenparken. The ice rink is also the home arena for the hockey team HC Wettern. They belong in division 4 Östergötland. 13.39 Outside Noomie's Salon on Rådhustorget here in Vadstena there are two chairs. There, customers can sit and wait for their turn. It's a prima adaptation to the Corona situation. Now we take a short bench break on the main square. Here freshly fried herring is up for sale. Here in the small town of Vadstena live today 5 714 inhabitants. Now during the summer there are significantly more here.
The Rök stone, a historical attraction
Rådhustorget (Town hall square) in Vadstena.
Storgatan, Vadstena.
Stora Torget, Vadstena.
The church in Saint Birgitta's monastery.
A short stop in the park outside the monastery in Vadstena.
13.47 Now we are waiting for Bella and Paesana. There are no acquaintances in the city but two different pizzas at Pizzeria Venezia. In addition to the two of us, here is a family that speaks an unidentified Slavic language. The pizzeria is located on Klostergatan at Stora Torget.
14.34 It was again great with pizza. When you're going to eat fast and satisfying, it'll do. We don't want to waste time on restaurant hunting when we only have a few hours in every city. Now we are at Vadstena monastery. It is located in a beautiful and peaceful part of the city. Another day then time flies faster than we thought and want. Here there is a park where people are enjoying the sun. Some have chosen to swim in Lake Vättern. 14.48 There has been a lot of history on this day. We started at a medieval monastery, continued with a rune stone from the Viking age and are now again in the Christian medieval world. Here in Vadstena is the Saint Birgitta Catholic monastery (https://birgittaskloster.se). In the monastery today live eight Catholic nuns from five different countries. The medieval monastery was planned and designed by Birgitta and consecrated in 1384. It was a double monastery that included both nuns and monks from the Brigantines order. It played an important role in the Middle Ages, when it was the mother Monastery of other monasteries of the same order. Vadstena monastery was closed in 1595, but in 1935 Brigantines order returned there and started a guest house. A regular monastery, "S:ta Birgittas abbedi Pax Mariae" was re-established in Vadstena in 1963 (Source: Wikipedia). 15.02 As of now it is +24 C in the shade. 90 kilos, breeze, black prince, said a man as we walked past him. What was that about? Now we are heading towards the castle of the city. Right now we are at Vadstena boat harbour and beach walk. 15.31 Christer and I can easily fit on a large stump in the park in front of Vadstena Castle. This is yet another of the castles that were built in king Gustav Vasa's time. It was built some castles then. The castle was erected as a defence facility in the 16th century. The defence plans was abandoned, however, and a representative residence was decorated in the building of the Vasa sons. After the time as royal residence the halls were used for, among other things damask weaver and as grain warehouses. It's an impressive building. 16.01 It's hot today and it is time for harvest. We are now heading for Motala. It says Bevent Rasch on a big house we just passed. 16.10 We just went over the part of the Göta Canal that is called Motala Ström. Now we are too, wondering which time in the order, parked to see a new city. 16.28 The gravel crackles from passing walkers and cyclists. We sit in the Canal Park at Göta Kanal. We have just received information that Motala's Espresso House closes at 18.00. Here at the canal we observe a sailboat that step by step makes its way past the various obstacles that appear along the canal. Motala is Östergötland's third largest city. It has a population of 31,340.
A hot day in Vadstena. A man chooses to swim in Lake Vättern.
The boat harbor at Strandpromenaden in Vadstena.
Vadstena castle from the 16th century.
A bridge is opened to make room for a boat in Göta Kanal (Motala Ström), Motala.
Motala church.
The founder of Motala city, Baltzar von Platen is standing on Stora Torget (Main square).
16.46 With neat and finesse Nathalie arranged with the coffee we ordered so many times on so many Espresso House. Wait a minute, wasn't the name the one who gave us coffee in Vetlanda also Nathalie? I don't think it's the same girl anyway. It is incredibly quiet here in our cafe and even in the city as a whole. On the Square a bit away there is a statue of Baltzar von Platen, he is counted as the founder of the city. When Göta Canal was built in 1810-1832, a variety of small communities grew up along the canal. In 1822 Baltzar von Platen built a mechanical workshop here in Motala, AB Motala Verkstad. Eventually, a place of Use and a city grew.
17.33 A duck is making a sound, the sun glitters in Vättern and I sit on a bench with the City Park and Vätterpromenaden behind me. Everything is just peace and joy but yet I am not travel satisfied. We still have quite a long way to travel this day. 17.59 A student from Magnuson Driving School who practiced backing into a parking lot slowed our departure. It remains warm and I would like to swim in a cool lake. 18.04 On route 34 we hand over Motala to other travellers. We're going east. 18.21 Road 211 is all but straight. It turns to both the right and left. It could have been worse though. Apparently a plane from Air India has been involved in an accident. 19.21 It was a long bumpy journey through Östergötland's sparsely populated area. Finally we came out on route 51 in the village with the funny name Prästköp. In Finspång, an urban area with 13 261 inhabitants, we found a visitor parking lot where the car was put. Here the end of our backs has since been placed at the Perfect Forno restaurant (http://perfectforno.com). Today's dinner should now be eaten. 20.05 A good dinner is done. At the table next to us sat some guys from Belgium who seemed to be invited by a Swede. A good continuation is bought at nearby COOP supermarket. Now Finspång should be left. There's still a bit left to drive. 20.33 We changed road 51 to E4 at Norrköping and now travel east. We just saw a deer next to the road. 21.04 We left the E4 in Nyköping. We continue on route 53. On the radio we listen to Bob Marley and "Could you be loved?"
Coffee stop at Espresso House in Motala.
Stadsparken in Motala, a lovely place to sit.
Time to have dinner at Perfect Forno in Finspång.
We are soon in Nyköping.
21.37 On the way to the accommodation First Hotel Oxelösund (https://hoteloxelosund.se) in yes, Oxelösund, I heard the number 212 in my head. It became my guess on room number. The correct number was 210. We were the last of the pre-booked ones today. It's good to be there. It's good with a hotel again.
22.38 It's nice to stay in a real hotel room again. Now we drink long-awaited evening coffee and watch a documentary from Oman, a country where we celebrated the New Year. It was eight years ago, the New Year 2012/2013. 23.12 The Indian aviation accident I mentioned earlier occurred in the state of Kerala. The plane slid off the runway and 17 people perished. 23.22 We have structured tomorrow's activities. We´ll start here in Oxelösund and finish in Örebro. Christer's father lives here in Oxelösund since 2013 and we will meet him tomorrow. Hopefully we can also meet his sister who lives in Nyköping ten kilometres from here. 23.52 A day and a travel journal are coming to an end. Now this year's second journal is basically fully written and it's time to sleep.
Saturday 8th of August
08.16 First Hotel Oxelösund offer a warm and comfortable shower. It's great when I want to wake up and get ready for another day. Yesterday we came here to Oxelösund, a young port city built around SSAB's steelworks. The city, which is the southernmost town in Svealand, has 11,396 inhabitants and many of these have Finnish origin.
09.11 I put the key card in my pocket, we head towards the elevator and then starts a journey to a below world. 09.43 The hotel breakfasts feel simpler in these Corona times. Sure, I can take several of the prepared wrapped sandwiches but it feels wrong. 10.11 It was not easy to check-out today. We simply did not find any staff at the reception. After a while, however, a man appeared and the check-out was done. 10.35 After the check-out, we have quickly looked around in central Oxelösund with the centrally located Järntorget (Iron square) and Saint Botvid's church with interesting architecture. Whatever one thinks about its appearance, most people agree that it is more beautiful inside than on the outside. According to Arkitektupproret, the Architect Uprising, the church is so ugly that it brings thoughts to hell. It's not that bad. Let's go to see Christer's dad. He moved here from Östersund in 2013 to get closer to his daughter and grandchildren. They live in Nyköping but there is significantly cheaper housing here in Oxelösund. 10.57 We parked at the Adult Education Campus Oxelösund and then wandered over to Oxelögatan. We were admitted to the apartment and have been welcomed. In addition to Christer's father Bertil, his neighbour and friend Carin is here. It's nice to meet for a while but you have to be careful with the distance in these times. Christer has presented a gift in the form of candy canes from Gränna. Now other activities are happening. 11.43 After coffee with pastries we are now on our way in Christer's dad's car towards Old Oxelösund. Our vehicle is kindly left to rest for tonight's mission.
Entering central Oxelösund.
Christer and Saint Botvid church.
Järntorget, Oxelösund.
Coffee at Oxelögatan.
We are visiting Old Oxelösund. In the photo you can see the oldest building in Oxelösund.
A boat outside the café/restaurant at Old Oxelösund.
12.09 At Oxelö Krog (http://oxelokrog.se) in Oxelösund's oldest preserved building there will be coffee with pastries for Christer and me. It will be ice cream for Bertil and Carin. You can tell that the building is old. It's crowded and you get to crouch when you walk around in there. It is beautiful here in Old Oxelösund and the weather is really on top today.
13.49 Christer's sister Carina with two of her sons (Anton and Fabian) joined our coffee break. When the coffee was over, we went around a bit in the neighbourhood. We looked at some boats and walked around the archipelago Museum. The Corona restrictions make it somewhat impossible to enter the buildings without getting crowded. Now we travel further through the city. 14.18 We make a new stop. Now we are at Femöre Marina (Femöre guest harbour). It will now be ice cream from Café Glassfyren. Here you weigh your ice cream before payment. 15.06 Now that we´ve said thank you and good bye to the ones from Oxelösund we will slowly drive on here in Södermanland (Sörmland). It's oven hot in the car. It was even hotter recently in a car in the parking lot a bit away at Oxelögatan. A less content jealous man recently set fire to his girlfriend's car. You can still see the remains burned in the asphalt. 15.12 In anticipation of a vacant seat at Glimra car wash, we are waiting at COOP's parking spot. Thank God we have tokens left since the visit to Lund. 15.26 The car is freshly washed and all the tokens left. They could not be used in this car wash. We don't know if this car wash is newer or older. The tokens did not fit in all cases. Now we move on to the next destination. 15.44 Christer just parked the car at a bumpy parking spot at Kung Birgers väg in Nyköping. It's a new city, anyway for this trip. However, we have been here a number of times when we departed from Skavsta Airport. Because of that and because of lack of time, it will be a rather short visit here today. Nyköping, which today has 33,916 inhabitants, has a long history. It was a trading place here as early as the 1100´s and sometime around the 1200´s the castle Nyköpingshus was build. A castle which gained a central place in Swedish history during the Middle Ages. 16.07 It is warm inside the Sörmlands Museum in Nyköpingshus. Here there are interesting exhibitions about everything that happened here. However, I do not know if it is the long time we've been on the move this summer or the heat today that makes it hard to notice things. An event worth mentioning is the so-called Nyköpings Gästabud. It is the name of the events that took place at Nyköpingshus in December 1317, when Sweden's King Birger Magnusson imprisoned his brothers the dukes Valdemar and Erik, who were later put to starve to death in the prison tower at Nyköpingshus. They in turn had between 1306 and 1308 imprisoned big brother Birger. Even he was locked up here at Nyköpingshus. Both brothers died in the first part of 1318. It can be added that the sources of these events are not exactly objective.
We have gathered outside Oxelö Krog in Old Oxelösund.
In the photo is Peter, Bertil, Carin, Carina, Fabian and Anton.
Skärgårdsmuséet (Archipelago museum) in Old Oxelösund.
Icecream at Glassfyren Café in Femöre Marina.
Christer is washing the car before the departure from Oxelösund.
Nyköpingshus, the medieval castle with so much history behind its walls.
Nyköpingsån is the small river running through Nyköping.
16.31 We are out by Nyköpingsån between the castle and the water. The next question to answer is how we´ll arrange with the dinner, we need to eat. Will it be here in Nyköping or in the next town, Katrineholm?
17.01 We chose the simplest solution, to eat now and have it done. The food we will eat will be served here at Restaurant Milano on Östra Kyrkogatan here in Nyköping. It's just stupid to wait to eat. We know what we have but not what we get. The restaurant has various interesting pizzas on the menu. In 2011, the restaurant won a prize for Sweden's most delicious pizza, a creation that included, among other things, hung deer, cranberries and lingonberries. 18.11 Although we did not choose any unique food, it was clearly excellent at Milano. Along Nyköpingsån we hurried back to the car and have set us in motion again. Road 52 takes us out of Nyköping and towards new bold goals. A low and intensive sun shines into the car in an annoying way. 19.13 It is +27 C around us here on the bench in Katrineholm. We divide the trip to Örebro by taking a break here to see what the town can offer. Katrineholm is one of all these towns that can thank the railway for its existence. Katrineholm was founded as a station community around Västra stambanan, the Western Main Line and received the status of municipal society in 1883. In 1917 they received city rights. The name Katrineholm comes from the farm Cathrineholm at Lake Näsnaren. Today there are 24,447 inhabitants here. 20.15 After an evening walk in the city and purchase of what may be needed at COOP, we will now travel further towards Örebro. Some words of wisdom were found on a poster at a Shell-station. "A yawn is a quiet cry of coffee!" We both agree on that. 20.28 It was easy to refuel at Q Star. It was somewhat more difficult to get us out to route 52. Various road works with closed streets made it difficult for us but we found the right passage after a while. 20.38 The last remnants of daylight are still fighting in the sky and we pass Vingåker. 20.52 We've just seen Sweden's fourth largest lake, Hjälmaren. There have been some lakes of varying sizes this year. 21.15 Tom Jones sings in the car radio and we have a part of Hallsberg municipality out there. 21.21 We were quickly in and just as quickly out of a roundabout. We're on route 51 now. There are 17 kilometres left.
We have left Nyköping and are driving north through Södermanland province.
Maria church, Katrineholm.
The church in Katrineholm is actually straight in real life.
Shell petrol station tells the truth about coffee,
"Yawning is a silent cry for coffee".
Katrineholm was not very exciting this evening.
The sun has set and we can see Vingåker in semi-darkness.
21.32 Tonight is one of those times when we are very grateful for the help in Google Maps. On the outskirts of southern Örebro there were various routes and roundabouts to be crossed. It would not have been easy to drive right everywhere in the dark without the guiding voice in the phone.
21.54 We are for the third time this year checked in at a hotel in the Good Morning chain. We have visited similar hotels in Lund and Jönköping. They have cheap, but quite crowded hotels that are often located on the outskirts of cities. It is suitable for car-borne travellers. We will now stay two nights at Good Morning Örebro (https://ligula.se/goodmorninghotels/orebro/). We are in room 216. A room short of space. 22.15 There is no WiFi that works here in our room. Is it too crowded here to fit WiFi? 22.45 We are not entirely satisfied with the end of our long summer trip. A pre-booked accommodation at a camping ground in Fagersta is now cancelled. We feel that we deserve a better end of our long trip. 23.21 A long day is coming to an end. Tomorrow there will be a whole day here in Örebro, a city we´ve never really explored before.
You can see 97 photos from August 6 in this photoalbum.
You can see 128 photos from August 7 in this photoalbum.
You can see 86 photos from August 8 in this photoalbum.