Area: Province of Skåne and Blekinge.

I am starting my round tour through the Sweden in the province of Skåne, the most southern part of Sweden. Skåne, that has belonged to Denmark for many periods, has a rather flat landscape with large plains in the south and west and forests in north and east. It has many soft ridges and also long sandy beaches. The typical alleys of willow-trees that are seen everywhere close to the farmhouses, has a historical background. They were planted by order of the King in 1643 to prevent erosion of the soil.

The province of Blekinge, that also for many periods has belonged to Denmark, has a dramatic archipelago and has for centuries been the Naval Defence Port. Many of Sweden’s navy ship and submarines are stationed at Karlskrona. It was here the Russian submarine run aground and got stuck 1973. The type of submarine was called Whiskey. So that is why the text “Whisky on the rocks” is often seen on T-shirts and in headlines in this area.

Interesting points to see in the area are:

Area: Provinces of Bohuslän and Halland

The landscapes of the Västkusten (the West Coast) have been formed by the Inland Ice. Inland Ice is the name for the glacier ice that has been covering northern Europe during 100.000 of years, and nowadays only is present in Greenland and Antarctica. The ice has scraped the surface and grinded the landscape into smooth bare rocks. The some times wild sea has helped to wash the rocks clean. Inner parts of the provinces have lots of forests of birch and aspen.

Interesting points to see in the area are:

Stocken: small fishing village on the northwest coast of Orust (Island north of Göteborg), with a good camping place. I've been here in 2004 for the first time, and I've fallen in love with it right away.

Mollösund and Hälleviksstrand: two small picturesque villages at Orust Island.

Käringön: Small island outside Stocken.

Gullholmen: Oldest fishing village in Sweden, 11th century. Very picturesque.

Flatön: small island north east of Stocken known from lyrics by Evert Taube (the in Sweden well known and loved song writer).

Smögen: Nice fishing village that ten doubles its inhabitants in summer.

The beautiful island of Marstrand with its historic Carlsten Fortress

Tanum: Rock carvings, on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Varberg: Medieval town with a nice beach and tourist area Getterön.

Koster Islands: Swedish most westerly islands with unusual nature.

 

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Area: The Lakes of Vänern and Vättern and the area surrounding them.

This area contains a lot of historical landmark but also different landscape. The deep and dark forest of Tiveden was for long a time a forest you would keep away from, due to pirates, thieves, trolls and other dangerous creatures. In the old days this was described as the border to the wild and unreliably people of the north.

The area around Lake Vättern also has a lot of important historical sites like Alvastra Kloster, Visingsö and Vadstena. Göta Kanal the long waterway through Sweden with lots of channels and locks uses both of the lakes.

If you want to visit some islands; Visingsö in Vättern and Djurö National Park in Vänern are good choices.

Interesting points to see in the area are:

Vadstena: A beautiful little town with lots of history. Kungsgården for example which is the oldest preserved Royal building in Sweden, from the 11th century. You can also visit the impressive looking Vadstena Castle.

Alvastra kloster: Monastery founded by the only Swedish saint Birgitta.

Omberg: With remarkably nature and nice view from tower at the top.

Tåkern: The most important bird reserve of Sweden.

The National Parks of: Djurö (in Lake Vänern), Tiveden and Tresticklan.

Göta Kanal: the channel waterway across Sweden at Motala - Borensberg.

Vreta Kloster: A beautiful monastery.

Kaga: a lovely little church known for its beautiful frescos.

Gränna: with the Polkagrisar (typical Swedish red and white twisted candy).

Rök: Swedens most famous Rune Stone.

Rogslösa: With a door like you have never seen before.

The ruins of Brahehus

Visingsö: An island with a history. Location of the first Royal Castle.

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Area: The islands of Öland and Gotland on the East Coast, together with the area around Växjö in middle of province Småland is generally called Glasriket or Kingdom of Glass.

The Islands of Öland and Gotland have the best summer weather in Sweden, sunny but not too hot due to a smooth sea breeze. Öland you reach by a 6 km long bridge, Gotland by a ferry. Both islands have a unique and different flora and fauna compared to the mainland because of their limestone surface. Both also have a lot of historical memories. Visby, the ”Capital” on Gotland has so many that the whole city is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Tip: Buy strawberries before you leave Öland, they are particularly sweet and good here :-)

Glasriket/Kingdom of Glass: Glassblowing was introduced in Sweden 1556, by the king Gustav Vasa. He brought the best glassblower of that time - a Venetian - here. Since then almost 200 small glass industries has been established in Sweden, half of them in the southeast corner of county of Småland. Nowadays there are around 15 left and some have merged to bigger companies of course. Kosta Boda is the largest and has incorporated the famous Orrefors Company also. Orrefors had a big epoch with the designer Simon Gate and Edward Hall in beginning of 20th century. Still you can find extraordinary glass art here.

Tip: If you like hand-blown glass like me, go to the “Factory Shop” and buy second quality. You can’t tell the different from first class and the price is less then half. I especially love the light candles.

Interesting points to see in the area are:

Area: The Lake Mälaren and the close area around it.

Mälaren is the third in size lake in Sweden. It has a climate quiet different compared to other close by areas. It is more humid and warmer in the summer, but not as cold in the winter. This has created a specific flora and also a special fauna. Several species of flowers and trees only grow around Lake Mälaren and in the south of Sweden. The mistletoe for instance is rather rare in Sweden but we can see dozens of them from our window.

Many fortifications and castles have been built around the lake. You can for instance visit 5 Royal Castles by boat on a 6-hour trip roundtrip from Stockholm. This building of fortification and permanent settlements began early, around 5000 BC, and there are many fort hills and archeologically sites around.

Everyone has probably heard about the Vikings, and you can still find lots about them in this area. I live only a 10 minutes walk from a very important Viking monument: The Sigurdsristningen. Being so close to a site like this makes me feel in touch with this part of Swedish history and has made me fascinated by the early history of Sweden. Around Lake Mälaren there are many spots where you can find signs of early culture, like in Birka and Sigtuna. Along the roads you can see a lot of Runic Stones.

Area: City of Stockholm and the archipelago outside the provinces of Södermanland and Uppland.

Interesting points to see in the area are:

Area: Roughly said: the province of Dalarna and northwards untill the border of Västerbotten.

Dalarna is a county full of historical traditions, more numerous and stronger traditions then in many other part of the country. Here the Swedes go when they want to se a "real" midsummer-feast or enjoy truly genuine Swedish folklore and fiddler music. It is no coincidence that The Folklore Symbol of Sweden is a Dalahäst (= Dala Horse) and it is produced in Nusnäs and only Nusnäs in Dalarna.

The main important industrial factor in this region has for many centuries been the copper mine in Falun. The company "STORA", that is using the mine, was founded in the 10th century and it is the oldest existing company in the world. An interesting spin off product from the mine is the red paint. This was originally a "waste" and not thought about for hundreds of years. That colour "Falu r?df?rg" (Falu red paint) is now by far the most used colour on houses throughout Sweden and has become a national symbol. Because of the high concentration of certain ingredients, the colour is a good conservator. And it is inexpensive! And as during 16th and 17th century red was seen as an "up class" colour, used only by the nobility, the country folk of course started to paint their huts and houses RED. Swedes are like that; they don't allow anyone to stick out too much ;-)

Interesting points to see in the area are:

Falun Copper mine On the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Lake Siljan

Rättvik and the view from top of viewing tower.

Sälen: winter ski resort and nice hiking area in summer.

Home of the painter Carl Larsson.

Vasaloppet: the largest and longest cross country ski race.

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Area: Norrbottens Län and Västerbottens Län

Coast of Norrland: The coast of the area of Norrland towards the Gulf of Bothnia is almost 400 km long. It is an outflow for many of the rivers - called 'älv' - that transport the big amount of water from the Fjällen and the big "slopes" to the coast.

The huge area for 3 big National Parks in the mountain area north in Sweden is an example of how the Swedes treat their precious heritage. This wild unbroken continuous area of National Parks and Nature reserves is as big as 9400 km2. That is a third of the size of Belgium! This is the last wilderness of Europe. Sarek National Park has not even hiking trails or huts.

Kungsleden (= Kings trail) is the most known and the longest of the many hiking trails in Sweden. It starts in Abisko and goes in a southerly direction. It is passing thru Abisko National Park, Stora Sjöfallet National Park and then lingers on the border to Sarek National Park, continues further south, and the trail ends 450 km later. There are self-serviced mountain huts every 15-25 km at the trail. Good starting points for hiking are: Abisko, Ritsem and Jokkmokk.

National Parks of Abisko, Padjelanta, Pieljekaise, Sarek, Stora Sjöfallet, Vadvetjåkka and Haparanda archipelago National Park.

Views from Njulla, Pielekaise, Kenekaise and several in Sarek.

Rapadalen river valley in Sarek

Waterfall Stora Sjöfallet

Stalouokta mountain Hut in Padjelanta

Boat tour on Akkajaure

Piteå havsbad: beach of Piteå with the highest water temperatures and number of hour of sun during the summer

Umeå älv river valley, road 554 and E12 towards Lycksele

Gammelstad: on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The best-preserved example of a 'church village', a unique kind of village formerly found throughout northern Scandinavia.

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