Family Afar: Big Rocks and Small Castles

Bjärred, Sweden -- Day 3

Björn graciously planned a full day of sightseeing for us all. It was a tight schedule and we planned to leave at 9:15, so, of course, we finally drove off at 10:15 -- something to do with a bunch of sleepy kids.

Meg had left early in the morning for a workout session on the beach with Annica, while I went out for the first run in ages... Madrid? The coastal trail, right across the beach was great; with cool weather, wildflowers, and the nearby campground, it really reminded me of the coastal path in Half Moon Bay where I used to run from time to time.

It turns out Björn is a consummate weather checker. Despite his continued dire warnings about rain, we had beautiful weather for almost the entire day. Before we left, he printed out a detailed route map, which showed our first stop at Ystad, about 50 minutes away. There we gawked at the old church built in the 1200's and roamed the little surrounding flower garden.

Next up was Alesstenar (Ale’s stones), which is something like a mini Stone Henge. Fifty-nine large stones had somehow been moved to the site some 1400 years ago, each one weighing up to two tons. They're arranged to form the outline of a ship, 220 ft long, and the stones mark the position of the rising or setting sun during the solstices and equinoxes.

There was a good crowd out enjoying the sunny weather and scenic views, as the stones are situated on a beautiful green plain overlooking the sea. The paragliders were enjoying the incredible weather as well.

For lunch, we walked down to the small nearby fishing/tourist village. The specialty is fish, particularly smoked mackerel. I attempted to order in Swedish, which meant that Meg and I ended up with both the mackerel and fried herring. Oh well, too bad for us.

Tour guide Björn was "asleep at the wheel," when we suddenly realized that we were late departing for our next appointment, our 2:30 English speaking tour at the Glimmingehus castle. Despite Björn's sore foot (ping pong injury), he, Meg, Dex, Kylie and I made it back to the car and the 15 miles to the castle just as the guided tour was getting underway. The castle itself is relatively plain having been built in 1499 when this region of Sweden was under the control of the Danish king. His right hand man, the Danish Counselor, Jens Holgersen Ulfstand, was immensely rich and built the castle as a means to protect himself against any potential uprisings or attacks. Our guide was excellent and made the tour extremely enjoyable, keeping the kids engaged by highlighting the various defensive death traps built into the structure.

Next stop was Björn's parents' summer house, just up the road and overlooking the Baltic and the small town of Kvik.

View from the deck

We managed to arrive at 4:30 for our pre-arranged 4:15 "appointment." They happily welcomed us all into their small, beautifully-kept home, and it was clear how much they adore their grandchildren. The views from the deck were outstanding. We had arrived for the traditional afternoon "fika" (coffee and pastries), usually served around 3:00. All I can say is Björn's parents set awfully high bar serving us a smorgasbord of cakes, rolls, complete with fresh strawberries and cream.