Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Halland, Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Blekinge
Municipalities: Kungsbacka, Mark, Svenljunga, Tranemo, Gislaved, Gnosjö, Värnamo, Ljungby, Alvesta, Växjö, Älmhult, Osby, Östra Göinge, Olofström, Tingsryd
Thursday 15th of July
00.15 Some teenagers have parked a moped car and a regular car on both sides of Christer's parked car. All the vehicles are here outside the hotel Nattmössan on the outskirts of Kungsbacka. The young people hang on Christer's car, roar and honk with their own vehicles. We can only hope they will not harm the Golf. Tomorrow morning, a long journey awaits in the heat. It's time to sleep.
08.42 I do not sleep deeply when the night is warm. An open window has not helped so much. Now we have woken up and also had time to eat our purchased breakfast here at Nattmössan. The news reports severe floods in western Germany.
09.36 The Golf seems to be unharmed and unaffected by the teenagers. It's time for us to make it to Kinna. It will be our first destination. On the other side of the road (Inlagsleden) stands a bus from the orchestra Flamingokvintetten outside a workshop.
10.04 We're on our way. The news on the radio reports on the first case in Sweden of Covid19 in a dog. Maybe it would have lost its face mask or ignored working from home? We ourselves have reached Fjärås and then continued east on Tostaredsvägen.
10.20 At beautiful Hajom church we have turned out on Hajomsvägen.
10.37 After crossing the river Viskan and going through the neighbouring town of Skene, we finally arrived at Kinna town. We are about to park the car.
10.47 The car has been placed on a desolate parking area at Lilla Lyckegatan. A shop we passed on foot offers both massages and fortune telling. We are heading for some place that can serve us coffee. You will not need a fortune teller to figure this out. Kinna is the main town of Mark municipality in southwest Västergötland. It has a population of 15,448.
11.01 We have circulated around the centre of Kinna to look at the town and to look for a suitable café. We have seen a little of each, including a sculpture of a winged horse and Kinna church.
11.16 Café Skrädderiet (http://skradderiet.se) is a nice café with decor, details and gadgets from bygone times. We bought sandwiches and coffee. The toilet that I visited just now turned out to be part of the staff room. During my time in there, a teenage girl had time to change in the locker room outside the toilet. We never saw each other though. Be it good or bad luck for me, we'll never know.
13.42 Now we are in Småland and Jönköping County. We left the car at a free parking near Östhjälpen in Gislaved. We are seated on a bench and Christer just suggested that we should buy an ice cream each. It remains to be seen if we find someone.
16.52 NRJ Hitstory is heard on the radio at Pizzeria San Marino (https://pizzeriasanmarino.se). Here we will soon have dinner, one roll each. We have once
again tried to avoid eating pizza. How long will it last this time?
21.16 We refill with drinks as best we can. We hope for a quiet evening and night, without active youth. Our accommodation is an old rectory. Even last year we stayed in an old rectory. That time it was in Äspö, Skåne. Södra Ljunga, the village where we stay is associated with Per Henrik Ling, the father of Swedish Gymnastics. He was a son of a priest who lived between 1776 and 1839. There is a Ling Museum and the football field outside is called Lingvallen. Mr Ling was a member of the Götiska förbundet, the Swedish Academy and Knight of the Order of the North Star. He also developed a system of massage and muscle stretching. This technique is today called classical or Swedish massage, and is the most widely used form of massage in the Western world.
Friday 16th of July
We are saying goodbye to Hotel Nattmössan in Kungsbacka.
Sätraplan, Kinna.
The flying horse, public art in Kinna.
Kinna church.
Coffee and sandwiches, a perfect light meal.
Christer is visiting Café Skrädderiet.
Café Skrädderiet in Kinna.
A short stop outside Tranemo.
The Swedish old lady is celebrated in Gislaved.
We felt that Gislaved was a rather boring town.
Värnamo station building.
Bruno Mathssons Plats, Värnamo.
Beautiful flowers around the river Lagan.
Värnamo church.
Kyrktorget, Värnamo.
The old courthouse in Värnamo.
Värnamo town hall and public art, Marknadsbilder (Market pictures).
Peter in the room at Södra Ljunga Hostel.
Södra Ljunga Hostel.
Queen Sofia and the king Oscar II on the wall.
A room with a tiled stove is not common.
We had a visitor just before midnight.
08.46 German phrases, children's voices and tobacco smoke reach us through the open window here at Södra Ljunga Hostel. From Germany and Belgium comes more news about the severe floods. Over a thousand people are missing in Bad Neuenaht-Ahrweiler, Belgian Liège is under water and the death toll has risen to 92. In fact, we have once changed trains in Liège, although that was 12 years ago.
09.14 Our Värnamo purchased breakfast has been eaten and we begin to get ready for cleaning, check-out and departure. 09.47 We are soon ready to continue travelling around here in Småland. More views and places should be seen and also told about. We'll start by seeing Ljungby, the city we just went by last night. 10.14 Hey look. We're back on track. What has the goddess of fate figured out for us today? Maybe she has no clear plans but mostly improvises? 10.21 We had barely got out on the road as a car ended up right behind us. When we swung out from the village road there was no car but suddenly it was just there. It's happened before. Are we under surveillance? 10.55 The car (our vehicle) was parked at ICA Maxi in Ljungby. We went to Espresso House at Lilla Torg and got our morning coffee from Rebecca. I sweat a little even this day. Ljungby in western Småland is an old trading place where various trade routes meet. Today the city has 16,052 inhabitants. 11.28 At Stora Torget here in Ljungby we have first seen the statue Astrad and Götrad and now we look at the statue of opera singer Kristina Nilsson. Little Ljungby has some things to show. Astrad and Götrad lived around the 1000s and is according to a rune stone some of the first inhabitants here in Ljungby neighbourhood. Kristina's singing talent was noticed at Ljungby market in 1857.
Lilla Torg, Ljungby.
A fountain makes a day more interesting for a retired old lady.
Kristina Nilsson´s singing talent was discovered here in Ljungby.
The public art project Staden (The city) on Stora Torget.
Ljungby church at the end of Storgatan.
It is beautiful in Järnvägsparken (Railway park).
11.46 After having immortalized another church it is time to say goodbye to Ljungby. How many churches have we actually taken pictures of during these two summers in Sweden?
11.52 Via Märta Ljungberg road we made it out of central Ljungby and out on road 25 towards Växjö. Who was Märta Ljungberg then? According to Wikipedia, she was born on the 26th of May, 1656, died on the 4th of October, 1741, and was a Swedish innkeeper and donor. She ran the important inn in Ljungby until 1729 and her donations were an important part of the founding of the city of Ljungby. 12.16 Road 25 is also at the same time road 23 in the vicinity of Alvesta. We just had some rain. It is welcome after the last hot summer days. 12.31 Highway 25 and 27 just became a two-lane expressway. Växjö is getting closer. 12.46 Some people walk, use bikes or drive cars on the road. We ourselves choose another option. We walk through another beech forest. However, we all have the same goal, we are going to Kronoberg castle ruin at Helgasjön north of Växjö. We have left the car on a small meadow that serves as additional parking here. 13.12 Kronoberg castle ruin is located on Slottsholmen in Helgasjön. Once upon a time there was a castle on the Swedish-Danish border. The rebel leader Nils Dacke stayed here for a while. Now it's mostly just a ruin and a nice excursion destination. During the medieval era, the castle was a bishop's castle but was handed over during the Reformation to king Gustav Vasa and the Swedish crown. 13.17 We refrain from visiting the ruin itself. It costs money and it is actually most visible from the outside. 13.28 A fallen giant lies on the shore of the lake Helgasjön. It is a large tree trunk. We now rest on it and ponder what we do next. It is check-in at the accommodation in Växjö that is closest on the agenda. What do we do before that? How do we get the time to run until we're in the room? Here by the lake someone has thrown away a smaller music system with cassette deck.
A nice shade in the beech forest.
The lake Helgasjön north of Växjö.
Kronoberg ruined castle.
Christer at Kronoberg castle.
It is hard to play music with this one.
The car is not feeling well.
13.46 We chose to sit here by the lake and read for a while in our books. All of a sudden Stella came to visit us. She'd rather go to us than to the lady she came with. However, the lady got what she wanted. Stella was carried out and dipped in Helgasjön. By the way, Stella is a dog.
14.11 Enough excursions for today. It's time to go towards the car and travel towards our coming home in Växjö. 14.30 An orange light on the dashboard of the car indicates a malfunction in the exhaust cleaning if you believe the car's manual and manual. The car starts but the idling is irregular. In addition, the exhaust smells like in the good old days before there were catalysts. 15.06 At Ryttmästargården by the castle ruin and Helgasjön we discuss solutions to the problem and we eat some snacks. The car can't take us to a lunch spot right now. How do we solve this? Dare we drive away at all? Do we have to call a workshop? 15.31 Volkswagen workshop here in Växjö is contacted. They have at least a week of waiting time to be able to help. We don't have that time. The lady there recommends looking for a smaller workshop instead. 15.41 Christer has looked for geographically nearby workshops using Google Maps. A new workshop is called and contacted. The woman who responded greeted that they might have the opportunity to send out some who can check the car here on the spot. That sounds promising. Let's hope so. 15.44 The workshop Mekoexpertens Växjö AB in Norremark, part of MekoPartner/Mekonomen, sends some people here to us. Many thanks to helpful Sandra on the phone. 16.12 We are waiting with excitement and anticipation for the service people. We wonder what the verdict will be. How does this affect our nationwide tour? We are mentally prepared to stay here in Växjö for a few days and maybe take the help of bus and train to look at the surroundings.
This workshop saved our Växjö visit.
Sometimes you are prepared to wait.
Ett kvarter, Växjö. We will sleep here one night.
A nice evening in Växjö.
Stortorget, Växjö.
The residence in Växjö. Here you can find the governor of Kronoberg County.
16.28 Two gentlemen of Arab origin appeared in a car. Now Christer and I are in the new car. It will tow Christer's car to the workshop in the district of Norremark. One of the men drives the towing vehicle. The other one controls Christer's car. Let's go.
16.34 The man in the Golf honked. We stopped by. Is something wrong? It smells burnt, as if someone cut metal. Since we tow, we drive a small detour on smaller roads. 16.49 The rest of the towing went well. Now Christer and I sit in leather armchairs at the reception at the workshop. We have also been offered coffee. On the way here we have talked to the driver about our professions, how maps came about and whether we can be sure that the Earth is really a globe. 17.19 We are still waiting. The woman behind the counter (Sandra) has called and heard about a spare part. Is this about Golf? We don't see any news as good news. Then they work on it all and there is hope. 17.48 According to Sandra, originally from Sarajevo, Bosnia, they are soon ready. Is that good news or what? OK, now it should be run. They may have changed an ignition coil. 17.57 It is serviced and ready. It was an ignition coil that had broken or what now ignition coils do. A big thank you to the staff at the workshop. Brilliant that they could help us in such a short time a Friday afternoon in the middle of the summer holiday season. 18.40 After having bought beverages and breakfast at Lidl next to the workshop and then drove through central parts of the city we are now at Ett Kvarter (https://www.ettkvarter.se) in the south in Växjö. It is a restaurant that also has some hotel rooms. We're all alone here. A key was waiting for us in an envelope. Now we will become reasonably human through showering and some rest. 19.58 We are now out walking in Växjö. Because of the car problem, there will be less time than planned here. But right now we are not walking. We enjoy a bench break near the pastry shop Askelyckan. I have been here many times over the years. It's not quite the way I remember it. My father was born and raised south of Växjö. My family and I visited my grandfather and grandmother sometimes and then the city was visited from time to time. Växjö is the second largest city in Småland and also capital of Kronoberg County. It has a population of 71,009 people.
Växjö cathedral.
Carl von Linné surrounded by flowers.
Ducks in Växjösjön.
Utvandrarnas hus (The emigrants house), Växjö.
Vilhelm Moberg´s street ends here.
We found tonight´s take-away dinner at Hot Wok.
20.20 After walking across Stortorget we now sit on a bench near this trip's second cathedral. The orange coloured Växjö cathedral dates back to the early Middle Age. The church has undergone many alterations and changes but still remains in the very same place where it was once erected. Outside the church there is a sculpture of Saint Sigfrid. He was an English bishop who during the first half of the 1000s was active in Norway and in Sweden. He is considered the Apostle of Småland and Västergötland.
20.39 Since the last note, various photographs have been taken. Among the immortalized things are the cathedral, The Emigrants' House and statues/busts by Carl von Linné (Linnaeus) and Peter Wieselgren. Now we are down by Växjö Lake. Here there is laughter and cosiness in the lukewarm summer evening. 20.51 The planned Indian dinner restaurant King of India does not close at all 22.00 as we thought and as we read on the internet. They are already closing at 21.00. Weren't we worth a little Indian after this intense day? Well, we'll have to find another solution. 21.17 The solution to the whole thing became take-away food from Hot Wok (http://www.hotwokpizza.se). We have purchased each set of four small dishes as well as accompanying drinks. Now it's time to get home while the food is hot. 22.40 The dish we chose was just right. This was just what we needed. However, there was a lot of spices in the seasoning and, to say the least, hot and stuffy in the kitchen here at Ett kvarter where we had our dinner. One can sum it all up with the fact that dinner made us sweaty and thirsty. Now this day should be rounded off.
Saturday 17th of July
08.03 The bird life of Växjö awakens outside our window. Although they may have been awake for a while already, long before us. Another day of travelling is here. There's a train coming. We hear the sound of falling bars a distance away from Ett kvarter where we are.
09.18 Christer has, after an in-house breakfast Christer swished the right fee to the number 123 568 12 75. It is the payment for the room. Soon I'll Swish half that amount to Christer. We have neither seen any staff nor any other guests during our stay at this accommodation. 10.22 We have left our overnight place and are on the way again. Today's first stop is at Växjö's water tower in the Teleborg district in southern Växjö. The tower is also known as Echo tower or Echo temple. It was not intended, but the arched "ceiling" gives incredible echo effects....effects.... fects...ects. 10.30 We have captured the sound effects on film and listened to the echo of various sounds we made. 10.39 It's time to roll on, continue. Now we will find a smooth way out to road 23 that will take us south. 10.58 What a tricky exit from Bosgårdsvägen to road 23. We didn't see much on the right because of a small hill. We finally were successful. 11.14 Along road 23, near Gottåsa, we have stopped to clean the luggage compartment. It was raffled around a lot there yesterday when our mechanics would find a hook for towing. In addition, it is nice to stretch our legs for a few minutes. 11.42 Others also stopped at the same parking spot to do something completely different. A Danish family has stopped because the children needed to pee. For our part, it is cleaned and ready. Let's move on.
Morning in the room at Ett kvarter.
This day´s first stop will be in Teleborg.
These stone walls are typical for Småland.
The water tower in Växjö is called the echo temple because of its sound effects.
Walking to the centre of Älmhult.
Café Derés has changed its name.
11.55 There is not much of a settlement along road 23. It is mostly coniferous forest. We just passed over the river Helge å. Last year we met Helge å in Kristianstad in Skåne.
12.02 DA 80 874 can be read on the registration plate on the car opposite us. A short distance away is IKEA Hotel. What kind of furniture do they have? We are in Älmhult. It is difficult to get much further south in Småland than this. Älmhult was a village that grew into a station community when the railroad arrived. In Älmhult there were also some furniture factories. In 1953, Ingvar Kamprad from Agunnaryd came here and opened his first shop and exhibition. It became a company that developed into today's IKEA. Today 10 894 inhabitants live in Älmhult. 12.12 It is +26°C here in Älmhult. Then it's nice to have a bench break. We are now at Köpmanstorget. Nearby has, according to a sign, 167 cyclists passed today. 12.49 We have a coffee break at Konditori Esplanaden. Here, a white-haired lady has received a phone call from a granddaughter. Apparently the younger had been promised to leave the dog with grandma but now she sits here instead. The lady explained to the waitress/cashier that they have a key. They have been inside the apartment during the night and refurnished. Now the granddaughter came and got a key. She said she forgot food for the dog. Grandmother had the solution, give the dog oatmeal! The old lady said she was sitting on Derés. Apparently, that was the former name of this café. 13.21 We have, for relatively cheap money, entered the IKEA Museum (https://ikeamuseum.com). Now we sit here in a red sofa with white dots and will soon learn more about IKEA's history. 13.53 It was an interesting walk on two floors through modern Swedish history. It included the development of society, interior design from different decades and other things. We finished everything with a small film show. Some of what we saw here was familiar from our own life stories and our own childhood. Now we will soon roll on. I'll first take the opportunity to plug in the umbilical cord, the charging cord to my mobile.
Norra Esplanaden, Älmhult.
Peter and the girls.
IKEA Museum.
Ingvar Kamprad is saying welcome.
Objects from before.
Peter is trying to move a stone.
14.06 It cools nicely from the AC in the car and it is a varied music selection on the different radio channels. We are now heading into northern Skåne.
14.19 A BRIO man was seen next to the road and via a roundabout we reached Road 15 which we follow west. 14.35 We have parked at Östra Järnvägsgatan and sat down on a bench in the sun. Next to us is now Briogatan. On the other side is BRIO's Lecoseum. There are toys from the company BRIO in there. BRIO is an abbreviation for the Brothers Ivarsson from Osby. Many have played with wooden toys and toy trains from this company. In other words, we have reached another place on our trip, Osby in the northernmost part of Skåne. Osby has also housed other companies, as Swanson's Travel which arranges trips to North America and Lekolar, supplier of equipment to kindergartens and schools. Today in Osby there are 7,766 inhabitants. 15.07 The trains that roll into Osby are ordinary trains and not the classic BRIO trains. Now we have bought a little of each at ICA Supermarket and are currently sitting in a park, Centralparken. 15.14 Here in the park there is a bunch of gentlemen. It's the artwork Musikanter. Let's take a look at the lake instead. 15.36 We now follow the harmony trail down at the lake Osbysjön. It is a walking trail in beautiful environment with small stations where you should do different things to feel good. On the other shore is the work of Apan (Monkey) and Kaninen (Rabbit). It is yet another tribute to the company BRIO. It is beautiful here by the lake but our time is limited. 15.55 The next accommodation has via text message given us information about how we should act when we arrive. Christer has notified Diane when we are most likely there. Next new asphalt awaits to be torn and new borders will be crossed.
Ingvar Kamprad´s office.
The world´s first IKEA store opened in Älmhult 1958.
BRIO - Brothers Ivarsson in Osby.
BRIO:s Lekoseum (Toy museum) in Osby.
Genvägen, Osby.
Missionskyrkan, a church in Osby.
16.04 Along road 15 you will eventually reach Lönsboda and Karlshamn. We will follow the road a bit anyway.
16.33 Arkelstorpsvägen and Nytebodavägen are rollercoaster roads and back roads in the forest that we were sent out on by our mobile Google Maps guide, Ruth. Why don't we trust ourselves and the map instead? The convenience of obeying orders from a voice on the phone sometimes makes us take off from major roads and drive on various strange back roads because it happens to be a shorter distance. 16.38 We are at least in Blekinge province. That's good. We also hope that this road will take us to the place in Blekinge we have in mind. 16.50 Despite the forest drive, we actually arrived in Olofström, the only city in the province that we did not visit last year. It went from forest to city in a flash. The city is named after the iron master Olof Ohlson. He took over Petrefors mill in the 1700s. This is another place in Sweden that has been named by an ordinary person and nothing royal. Previously we have been to Örnsköldsvik and Kramfors. Are there more places like this? Before Olof appeared, the village was called Holje. Today there are 7,769 inhabitants here. 17.00 Google Maps-Ruth probably cannot be blamed for the routes. I must have chosen the path we got ourselves assigned, accidentally clicking crazy on the phone. Well, we did arrive after all. Here in the parking lot in Central Olofström stands a black Opel Rekord P 2D from 1960. 17.17 There will be a dinner at Katrin's Restaurant and Pizzeria. We're the only guests here, but in the window, a giant wasp flies around. It's probably a hornet, I don't think I've ever seen such a big wasp before. As soon as we dined here, we are heading north again. Olofström will be the southernmost place of this trip. Malå was the northernmost. 17.56 Before departure we rest by Holjeån river. A man walking his dog wondered if we were comfortable in the shade. We confirmed that was the case. 18.16 Google Maps Ruth is benched for the rest of the day. Instead, we rely on map, signs and ourselves to find the next place to stay. Hopefully it won't be too hard.
Christer has become one of the musicians in Centralparken.
The harmony trail will make us feel better.
A place to relax at Osbysjön.
A nice summer day at the lake, Osbysjön.
An old Opel is parked in Olofström.
Holjeån, Olofström.
18.27 Just now we were offered to turn off road 116 and continue towards Mörkamåla. Well, offered is perhaps not the right word, it was a sign that pointed that way. It sounded like a place in the darkest of Småland. Now we are tempted with another sign that says Snöfleboda 5 km. I think we'll skip that offer, too.
18.38 We are back nin Småland province after today's shorter excursions in Skåne and Blekinge. 19.17 We made our way to the right destination. Now we are checked in by Dutch lady Diane van der Meer at Norraryd Bed and Breakfast. We have a large room in a larger house just north of the community Ryd in Tingsryd municipality. It could be that we're the last guests these hosts have. She mentioned that they are going to sell the house but still hosts the guests who already booked a room here. We have received the information we need and have been invited to some welcome here coffee and pastries in the kitchen. 19.53 We are right now sitting in chairs out in the garden overlooking the beautiful lake. We have a little reading time in our books and soon we might take a dip in the lake. We must make use of the opportunities that exist. 20.41 It was for sure a dip. The second swim of the year was in Hönshyltefjorden, part of Mörrumsån (Mörrum river). It was perhaps too many water lilies for it to be a good swim but it's never wrong with a dip in fresh water. 22.46 The two of us reflect on the two recent years' travel by car through Sweden. Will they be missed when and if we become globetrotters and backpackers out in the world again? It is great to have the freedom to travel around in your own vehicle but at the same time it is a different kind of freedom not to have to look for parking spots or worry about if the car breaks down.
Peter has arrived to Norraryd Bed & Breakfast.
Beautiful pillow in our room.
Norraryd B&B with the lake nearby.
Hönshyltefjorden.
You can see 64 photos from July 15 in this photoalbum.
You can see 88 photos from July 16 in this photoalbum.
You can see 101 photos from July 17 in this photoalbum.