From Vättern, Vist and Birds

Last night's barbecue was really delicious! It did rain a few drops beforehand, the wind picked up for a few minutes, but when it became clear that no storm was coming, we set up our outdoor canteen. Only the tough ones come into the garden!

Equipped with mosquito bracelets and citronella candles, we held out until about 10 p.m. and then fell into our bunks. The first night was quite satisfactory. Everything is a bit tight, and when someone sleeping in the alcove turns around, the sleeping area in the back also shakes (and vice versa, of course), but that's camping. After getting up, no one complained about lack of sleep or any kind of pain.

The morning started with freshly baked bread rolls from the campsite kiosk, tea, coffee, medium-boiled eggs, and a sufficient selection of sausages and cheeses. Then we freshened up, packed up, checked out, and started our journey. After Robby drove the mobile home for a few kilometers yesterday, he took over the majority of the route today. He wanted to not only drive on highways and expressways, but also see some of the countryside. We followed his wish and immediately found the wonderful little lake Dagstörpssjön, which invited us to take photos and fly the drone. By the shore, in the middle of trees, a young man seemed to have spent the night in a tent and offered us the spot, saying he would be leaving in an hour. All alone, in the middle of nature, with only a tent and a campfire, he seemed to have realized his very own dream.

But as we wanted to continue, we politely thanked him and continued our journey. The nature of Sweden is beautiful to look at. Healthy mixed forests on an immense scale, perfectly straight paved roads, but also winding gravel paths and countless lakes... We were also impressed by the typical Swedish wooden houses, which almost exclusively have red facades. This made us wonder why red? Not blue, not yellow... If we meet a Swede who can unveil this secret, we'll let you know.

The drive continued north on the expressway. First, make kilometers again. Suddenly we were overtaken by a convoy of camper vans: 11 Italians! They probably rented a pitch all to themselves.

After a driver change, we approached Lake Vättern, which we almost passed in its entire length of 135 km or will pass tomorrow. On the lake, there is the island of Visingsö, which according to legend was created by a giant named Vist. He threw a tuft of grass into the lake so that his wife would have something to step on when crossing.

Now you're wondering how I know this, I admit it: Wikipedia ;-)

We saw the island for a long time, driving along the shore of Lake Vättern. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to take a photo or even see the castle in the south, which is said to be Sweden's oldest.

In the evening, after the day tour of 352 km, we arrived in Karlsborg at the harbor. A small but nice camper van parking lot right at the harbor. Friendly fellow campers from Großenhain kindly explained how things work here: parking fees are paid at the machine with Visa, the ticket is placed visibly in the car, and the receipt contains the code for the sanitary building (which, by the way, is absolutely top-notch! Clean and even with a rainforest shower - all inclusive!).

For dinner, we had pasta today, also delicious!

As a conclusion to the day, Robby took out his camera equipment and is now trying to capture the sunset at Karlsborg harbor while I delight you with some new reading material.

However, it's not so easy to concentrate as there is an amazing phenomenon happening here: hundreds, maybe even thousands of swallows flying in a flock, circling around 3-4 times, darkening the sky, and then landing together on 2-3 neighboring trees. And then they all start chirping at once... I hope you can imagine how that sounds! Incredible!

Now it's getting a bit chilly, mosquitoes are coming up from the water, but we are prepared with our bracelets. See you tomorrow, sleep well.

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