Day trip to Ystad, Ales stenar, Sandhammaren (11.07.2018)

Normally, at workaway, you only work half a day and have the rest of the day off. But since you can't really make trips that way, my host family suggested that I work a full day and have the following day off completely. That way, I also have time to take day trips and see more. I gladly accepted this offer, so today I had my day off after working yesterday.

I decided to first visit and explore the famous crime scene of Inspector Wallander. After breakfast, I headed to Ystad. I parked my car at the harbor in a large parking lot and went to get a parking ticket. However, here you could only pay with a card. So I inserted my card, but the machine did not accept it. I tried a few more times, but it just didn't work. Perplexed, I stood in front of the machine and asked a waiting man if he could help me. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong and there was a trick to it. But he also couldn't get a parking ticket with my card. So he offered to pay with his card, which I gratefully accepted because I didn't want to have to find a new parking space in the city. But when I tried to give him the 10 kronor afterward, he said it was a gift. I was a little puzzled and thanked him very much. Afterwards, I realized that something like this would probably not happen in Germany, someone paying for the parking ticket.

After this resolved incident, my exploration tour could begin. First, I visited the Sankta Maria Church from the 13th century, which is located at Stortorget (market square). This square is also featured in some of Wallander's cases. I then continued through small streets with cute little houses to the city's monastery. There is a beautiful rose garden next to it where you can have a nice little picnic. I visited some other beautiful sights in Ystad and ended with a second breakfast at the Wallander Café.

Back at the car, I reset my navigation system and continued on, heading towards the past to the 'Ales stenar'. The largest stone ship setting in Scandinavia is located above the steep shore. It probably dates back to the Viking Age, although the exact date is uncertain. The purpose of this stone formation is also unknown, although there are two theories about it, which can be read on large information boards before reaching the site. This already shows that the 'Ales stenar' are now a major tourist attraction. So I also noticed that you can't get a clear view of the stones without seeing other people in front of them. I found this to be a shame because you can't really let the stones have an impact on you and contemplate their meaning.

However, it was all the more beautiful to sit on the steep shore and simply enjoy the view of the open sea, which touches the sky on the horizon. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy this for very long, as I suddenly saw a large spider making itself comfortable in my backpack. I jumped up and tried to remove it, but it wasn't easy because it was very windy. After about 5 minutes, I managed to get rid of it and continued. The path led me down the steep shore to the water, where there is a fish smokehouse and the associated restaurant. However, since I am a vegetarian, this was not an option for me to have lunch there. But otherwise, it's probably very tasty there.

Since it was only about 3 PM, I decided to drive a little further. I came across a beautiful beach, Sandhammaren. I took a long walk right by/in the water. This was a nice way to end the day.

Kilometers driven today: 208