Swedish Small Towns
Phase 3, our final phase, is now in progress. We awakened in Oslo quite early, and after another Norwegian buffet breakfast that we have come to love, we made our way to the airport. There was much discussion about whether to take a taxi or a walk to the train station. I guess I lost the discussion because we walked down the busy, but entertaining, shopping area to the Grand Station. Again, I’m thankful that this time, I packed well. I learned my lesson (again) last year when lugging my huge suitcase onto a train in Italy and trying to cram it into small taxis in Israel. Anyway, we found the ‘fast train’ to the airport where we needed to go to pick up a car rental from Avis. The train ride was really fast, smooth, and quickly transported us into a rural setting. The Avis Car Rental experience was a disappointment. We waited nearly 2 hours to pick up the car, but I did meet an interesting Italian lady in line that helped pass the time. By the way, electric cars are strongly encouraged here, but, as much as I thought that a good thing, I read one too many horror stories about difficulties with charging stations for us non-Scandinavian speaking kinds. Maybe, next time! This road trip through several countries, even in a gas guzzler, marks the beginning of the final phase of our trip.
Our GPS took us easily out of the city and onto uncrowded, scenic rural roads. We are amazed at the lack of traffic and the great road conditions. We continued through many LONG tunnels in Norway then easily passed into Sweden without even a border crossing stop. There was a sign that said, ‘Welcome to Sweden’ and that was it. We drove through lots of little communities, passed by many lakes, farms, and through more tunnels. There are miles and miles of pastures, and the farmers were hard at work. Interestingly, there are only 3 colors of houses throughout the region – barnyard red, gold, and white. I guess only the real rebels paint a house blue, green or brown. (One more thought about the tunnels – as a kid, we used to try to hold our breath through small tunnels we encountered driving in the mountains. Well, you’d pass out here. The tunnels even have exits into other tunnels. Mind blowing.)
We didn’t arrive into the city of Kalmar until about 8:00 pm due to our late departure but with the long summer days, it was no problem. In fact, we arrived to a huge street festival. The street to our hotel was closed and crowded with people. It caused a bit a chaos initially, but we eventually figured it out, parked at the train station, and checked into a grand old hotel overlooking the main square. Fimurare Hotelet did not disappoint. The staff quickly explained that we had arrived for their annual city celebration. We joined the fun, tried the street food, listened to the music, and spent a lot of time watching the locals enjoy themselves. There seemed to be something for everyone – families, teenagers, and even the people like us.
The fresh choices at the buffet breakfast were once again very pleasing. I can’t see or taste much difference between those buffets in the Norwegian hotels and the one here in Sweden. They all beat the US hotels’ attempt at breakfast. This Swedish hotel did place a big focus on locally sourced items and offered fresh, not processed or overly-sugared choices. I got a giggle out of the yogurt-like dish proudly names ‘naturally soured milk’. I don’t think the US travelers were going for that too much.
We spent most of the next day aimlessly wandering the streets of Kalmar. It is easily walkable with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. We spent a lot of time in the old town, the Kvarnholmen area, and the waterfront. We followed Rick Steves’ walking tour along the cobblestone streets, visited the quite impressive cathedral, and even made a quick stop by the beach. There were people swimming there and it just reminds me again that 70 degrees here is very warm. We are wearing shorts for the first time, but it is a bit chilly. In hotter climates we have visited, we have seen folks pull out the scarves and mittens when the temps drop to 70. We also spent some time sitting in our hotel parlor catching up with our communications back home. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon before heading back out for the evening. We decided to try the local favorite – Ernesto’s- where we were able to eat outside some great Italian food, prepared we are told by Ernesto himself, who relocated here from Naples almost 30 years ago.
The following day we decided to explore the lake region nearby near the town of Vaxjo. We spent most of the day in a small community called Kosta. We explored the famous Swedish Glasriket (Kingdom of Crystal). Kosta Boda is the oldest of the glassblowers. We were able to explore their museum and then actually watch the artisans at work. It is so fascinating, and I still have no idea how these artisans can create their amazing sculptures with such minimal tools, a fire, and a blow pipe. Of course, we had to visit their store and pick up a few pieces – only to find that I can order Kosta Boda glass from Amazon. Geez! Well, I know my small little pieces are the real thing. We even got a photo/bio of the creators. So there, Amazon!
We made it back to Kalmar in time to take the castle walk. Kalmar Slott is a great medieval experience. We crossed the moat, climbed up the embankments to the cannons with a clear view of the sea, and we even peered into the dungeon below. After that walk, we returned to the old town and returned to our favorite spot that I call the Troll Bridge Pub. I don’t know the name, but it was a cute little café/pub under a bridge. The bridge dated back to the 1600s and for some reason it reminded me of the fairytale about the Three Billy Goats Gruff with the mean trolls waiting underneath.
This marks the end of our three-day Swedish experience as we continue our road trip to Copenhagen in the morning!
