From red houses, green forests, and white beaches

According to some locals, the Swedish East Coast should be renamed the 'Caribbean of the North'. Big words, but I have to agree. After leaving Töre, I continue south, following the E4 and the beaches. And indeed, one almost white beach follows the next. They are not very large, but mostly empty, even though the Swedes have been on summer vacation since mid-June. I suspect that the water temperature, which does not fit the idyllic setting, also keeps the locals from enjoying the beach. I try to take a dip every now and then and I have to say: 15°C is way too cold for me. But never mind...it's still beautiful and you can park the camper van overnight at the empty beaches.

However, the beaches are not the only attraction of the area. Here they are, the red-painted wooden houses from my vision of Sweden. In addition, a small green forest, a white garden fence, and a neatly trimmed front yard. One could almost believe that Swabian dropouts have settled here.

The design of the roads is also amusing. The E4 runs as a collector road from north to south along the coast. But as soon as you leave this highway, gravel roads start right at the exit. Only within the villages there is asphalt again. Even entering and exiting the highway has its own flair here. No large roundabouts or loops...you just make a turn.

From the height of Bjuröklubb, the water temperatures finally rise to a tolerable 18°C and the beach vacation can begin. Apart from that, there is not much to report. I'm enjoying the last days of the tour and not doing much besides swimming and sunbathing. Every now and then, I use the bike, but the motivation is limited.

One should perhaps highlight Stockholm. I actually just wanted to pass through, but then decided to explore the city by bike...and I would have regretted it if I hadn't. The old town and the many small archipelagos are really worth seeing. The city consists of over 70 small and large islands, so you can do sightseeing here from the boat.

Museum fans can spend weeks here. I myself only visited the Vasa Museum. Here, a real 16th-century sailing ship is exhibited.

After Stockholm and before going to the island of Öland, I want to visit Lönneberga and finally fulfill my childhood dream of seeing the Katthult Farm. The area around Vimmerby, the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren, is the backdrop for all the characters she invented. Whether it's Michel, Pippi, Ronja the Robber's Daughter, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, the children from Bullerby, or Nils Holgerson, they all have their homes and a kind of museum in the different villages. You could spend days here again, but apart from Michel's home, I only visit the Bullerby Farm and the exhibition in Astrid Lindgren's childhood home. That's enough.

Sunrise and sunset are slowly returning to Central European times. It is completely dark again and only gets light again around five o'clock in the morning. But the temperatures in the camper van already rise to pleasantly unbearable 25°C in the morning. No sleep after seven o'clock...well...maybe I should have reconsidered the color black when I bought it. Apart from that, with each day I am getting closer to the ferry in Trelleborg and I have to admit, there is no beaming eye that I'm going home again, only two crying ones. I could still stay here a bit longer.

Since I've summarized a good week now, here are the individual stops:

Töre - Jävre - Skellefteå - Bjuröklubb - Norrmjöhle - Sörfjärden - Stockholm - Skansundet - Lönnenberga/Vimmerby - Seby