BYXELKROK TO KALMAR
Day 81 Wednesday, 21st August 2019
We set off at 8am – some of the other boats have gone, our Swedish/American neighbours are just casting off. We pass Bla Jungfrun, a small island shrouded in mystery, between Oland and the mainland. It’s now a nature reserve. Legend has it that witches gather here on Maundy Thursday, before Easter. There are daily ferry tours from Byxelkrok to Bla Jungfrun during the summer season.
Our neighbours, who have both Swedish and US passports, leave before us and this is their boat against Bla Jungfrun.
Borgholm Castle looms on the horizon. We stayed 2 nights at Borgholm last year and visited the castle. The castle dates back to the 12th century and has been called Scandinavia’s most beautiful castle ruins but it’s not at all like our ruined and very picturesque Yorkshire abbeys! The castle deteriorated when it burned down in 1806. Abba and Bob Dylan have used it as a concert venue.
Malcolm thinks he’s seen ‘Pommern’, which we went aboard in Mariehamn, approaching us! It’s the ‘Vega Gamleby’, a 31 m sailing ship, going north with all sails flying.
We’re heading south and the wind is from the south so we can’t sail, but people are tacking across the Kalmar Sund – they must know it really well, where the shallows and the cardinal bouys are situated. But eventually the wind shifts to the SW and we can sail for an hour until we go to our next waypoint before the bridge – wind on the nose again! We’ve already got our oily bottoms on and have to out our kagouls over the top as it starts to rain.
We arrive in Kalmar at 5pm.
Go to the Harbour Office in the Tourist Information centre – a long way round the marina as we’re moored under the hotel which is less busy than the other end, which has a road with buses and a train station. The girl tells me that the toilet and showers nearer to us are shut as it’s now the low season (everyone’s gone back to work, she tells me) – the only ones open are next to the Tourist Information Centre!
We go to ‘Grona Stugen’, recommended in my Lonely Planet guide, as ‘this gem of a restaurant serves up dishes that are gorgeous on the plate and even better to eat! The food is very beautiful to look at (and delicious) as you can see from the photos below. We both have Fish Stew as a main.
Lady Hamilton 2019 
Well, Joanna, I’ve just been off piste for 4 days (staying in a Scarborough hotel with no accessible WiFi, would you believe, ……we were there for the cricket festival!) and returning to your blog, I’m amazed at how much you have done in the interim, not only that, but how prolific your output is. How do you find find time to write about it in such interesting detail?
Anyway, despite lack of WiFi, said hotel did offer fantastic views over the North Bay from our bedroom and even a great view from the loo. And the North Yorkshire coast takes some beating…..but you know that, don’t you?
Keep on blogging, I check in every day. And safe journey home.
Carol
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Hi Carol, It’s taking longer to write my blog than it did 9 years ago – might be senility setting in. But I forfeit keeping the boat clean on the inside and the outside – that’s my excuse for not doing any housework! It’s so special that you enjoy reading the blog. Thank you. xx
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It doesn’t read at all as if it takes you time to write, Joanna, your style is so easy and fluent. You retain so much info about all the places you visit, you must still have a much better memory than mine! I guess you will be homeward bound soon?
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We’re heading southwards now and hoping to get to Fehmarn by 4th September and have to winterise the boat and take all our stuff off. We’re travelling back on a ferry and should be home by 10th September. PS I keep the information leaflets everywhere we go so I can crib from them! xx
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I thought I posted yesterday to say how your blog reads as though you write it easily, it is so fluent and interesting. Must have failed to make the post. You must be coming home fairly soon?
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