13 | June | 2022 | The Cannon Family's travel blog

After a wonderful night’s rest in the comfy bed in the dark room in the peaceful country, we tested out the new appliances with a Sunday fryup. The sunshine was plentiful and we managed the fried eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee with little fuss. (Frank didn’t break a single yolk.) We can also confirm that the new shower works well with lots of hot water – bliss!

After cleaning up, it was out into the beautiful day. We assumed that because it was Sunday, there would be little to do in the way of visiting museums or shops so we planned a day that was very relaxed and meant we were mostly outdoors. (Yes, another day to take advantage of our Swedish sunscreen!) We walked along the seafront from our apartment to the beach in neighboring Svarte. The views were stunning, the path lined with poppies, and the sea FREEZING cold. “Baltic” is a phrase used in Scotland to mean freezing cold and I can tell you that the Baltic Sea at the tip of southern Sweden is exactly that! And yet people were swimming! Apparently I’m not as hearty as the natives. On the way back to the apartment we stopped at a stone circle known as Disa’s Ting. The name originates from an ancient legend, where Disa, the goddess of fate, is sitting in court (Ting) someday and probably dates back to 400 BC or so.

We wandered back to the flat to grab the car keys and see what else there was to explore. We had seen a sign for Trelleborg about 40km away so we decided that was as good a place as any. Apparently there is a Viking fort there which we think we drove by and it has a street lined with palm trees which we definitely found. (Our hosts have subsequently informed us that it is not the nicest seaside town but we thought it was okay. ) We wandered about and found the place where American-style consumerism was alive and well: the shopping mall was open! We enjoyed some entertaining statues and a quite palatable GF pizza for lunch.

The rest of the day’s exploring was a little less successful. We wanted to visit a castle so we headed to Glimmingehus which is supposed to be the best preserved medieval castle in the Nordic region dating back to 1499. Of course we arrived 20 minutes before closing so we had to make due with a distant view. To make up for it, we got some ice cream at a little coastal village before making our way back to the apartment. Our only real plans for the day were dinner reservations at the super swanky Villa Strandvägen in Ystad but we had time to relax (Frank napped) before heading out.

And what a dinner it was! Holy hidden gems Batman! If you had told me that I would find an amazing wine pairing dinner in a small city in southern Sweden, I would have laughed. But we did. From the terrine of wild Swedish boar and lumpfish roe to the blue mussels and roasted beets and the main courses of pork belly roulaude and Dover sole, the entire meal was amazing. The wine was expertly paired and the rhubarb desert was outstanding. The night was completed by watching an episode of Wallander – the Kenneth Brannagh version – based on the Henning Mankell books that are set in Ystad.

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