Saturday 26th May

Our last full day in Sweden and we decided again to use the City bikes, firstly to cycle to the, apparently, little visited island of Riddarsholmen where we were promised a lovely church Riddarsholmskyrchan and lots of handsome administrative buildings. We were not disappointed. It was very quiet which is really surprising since it is accessed directly from Gamla Stan which is the most visited island in Stockholm

 Great views across all of Stockholm and very, very few visitors.

Crossing back to the district of  Noormalm, we cycled eastwards along the waterfront  and past the Town Hall which features in the background of the above photo. Then back towards Ostermalm, through the Kungstradgarden park and parked our bikes at the cycle rack on Birger Jarlsgartan - no problems this time. We visited the Ostermalm's Market Hall which is in temporary accommodation whilst the historic and lovely original market hall is being renovated. As we expected all of the produce looked wonderfully fresh and appealing. A stroll back down to the waterfront and the LLW declared it was time for an ice cream before we walked back to our hotel.

This afternoon, we have booked a cruise around the island of Stockholm and as we walked towards the jetty we were hoping that the boat would be cool because the sun was fierce and it was very hot. We decided to sit inside by open windows and this was a great decision since a good breeze was created and we were kept cool whilst I'm sure some of those who sat outside would be frazzled.

Great views across all of the islands and a useful audio commentary highlighted many of the important buildings around the city. We even  passed through a huge lock into the fresh water lakes

We both agreed it was a good boat trip and showed us a lot more of the city. Back then to the hotel for dinner and then settle down to watch the Champions League final.

Friday 25th May

We are not sure how long this weather can continue but there's no change in the forecast for the next week or so. The Swedes are amazed and apparently whilst they often get sunny Spring weather, these temperatures are very unusual. Breakfast this morning was partaken at Hotel Skeppsholmen outside on the lovely terrace and by 08:30 it was hot!!

Now Ray had been plotting some cycling and has persuaded the LLW to try the City Bikes which are Stockholm's answer to London's Boris Bikes. Cards were purchase at the very reasonable cost of £14 for 3 days and we strolled the 10 metres or so to our local bike rack just outside the Museum of Modern Art. The cards were presented to the card reader and magically two bikes were released from their locked state and after adjusting saddles off we went. The plan was to cycle to the island of Djurgarden which whilst very close to Skeppsholmen required to cycle via another island. We were soon on Djurgarden but Ray was not happy with his bike and the chain had come off twice. The bike was returned to a City Bike's rack on Djurgarden and a more suitable bike unlocked. 

Near the bike rack was a jetty serving the ferries, with views directly across the water to our hotel

Off we went then to cycle along the southern shore of the island through lots of verdant parkland, past churches and museums and with frequent views across the busy waterways.

The bikes were retuned to a rack and we walked the 200 metres or so to the Vasa museum which houses the almost intact remains of the warship of that name which sank in Stockholm harbour on its maiden voyage in 1628. Apparently the shipbuilders got the design wrong and this hugely expensive warship was top heavy! Apologies about the poor photo but flash was not allowed and it was dark in the museum.  It was fascinating with reconstructions of various areas of the deck to demonstrate what life was like for sailors in those days - a very tough life.

Now the LLW was warming to the City Bikes and we decided to hire some again to cycle to the shopping area and to find somewhere for lunch. She was however, not amused when the rack refused to give her a bike stating that she already had one on hire.  After a few tries and help with a magic touch from a local (everyone we have met in Sweden has been charming, instantly friendly and keen to help) we were on our way again slightly uphill along a major boulevard with a well marked cycle lane.

We spied a park not far up ahead and at the same time a Coop Supermarket appeared on our right -with a screech of brakes the LLW leaped off her bike and raided said supermarket for lunchtime provisions. The local park, Humlegarden, was only a short distance away and we walked across a busy junction to find a quiet, shady bench for our picnic. The LLW surprised all and sundry by announcing that she did not fancy any shopping today and wanted to cycle on. Now this brings me to the subject of the Handbags and Shoes "Sinking Fund"! Those of you who read the blog regularly will be aware that the LLW has a penchant for said accessories and has been known to buy in bulk. In order to finance these purchases, Ray started to put cash aside into a Sinking Fund so that the frequent purchases would not come as too much of a shock to the Jacksons's cash flow. Now, please don't tell the  LLW, but she has been really very abstemious recently, and the Sinking Fund has amassed a tidy sum which Ray is considering blowing on other goodies!

We soon arrive back at the waterfront and after a short unplanned detour along Strandvargen, we executed a swift u-turn and were soon back on out home island. However, the City Bikes threw up one further problem when as we tried to lock the bikes back into the rack, it refused to lock them. Ray consulted his City Bikes App (yes everything has to have its own App these days), which informed the intrepid cyclists that this rack was currently inoperable. The App redeemed itself by also directing us to another rack only about 300 metres away.

Back then to our hotel for  rest. The hotel is classic Scandinavian design, most of which looks god and works fine. However, we are totally bemused by our bathroom sink (see photo below) which has a large smooth, white stone positioned over the plughole and where a normal person would expect the sink to be. Anybody got a sensible explanation for this?

Thursday 24th May

We were sad to leave Lyrestad but after 4 days of wonderful weather it was time to head to Stockholm. We left early for the 3 hour and 300km journey north and east to the capital. Or to be more precise we headed for Arlanda airport as we needed to drop off out hire car first. The journey went like clockwork and a minute after leaving our hire car, the taxi arrived to take us into the centre of Stockholm and out Hotel Skeppsholmen on the island of the same name. Our driver had some problems as several of the streets he wanted to take were closed due to road works and after several diversions we arrived safely at our hotel. Hotel Skeppsholmen has wonderful views over the waterfront and a peaceful garden in front with roses blooming!

We then spent a few hours walking around our island Skeppsholmen, Kastellholmen and Gamla Stan (the old town).  The city is looking stunning today and is busy with tourists and locals alike out enjoying the weather.

The LLW had decided that it was time for a change food wise and had instructed Ray to seek out a suitable Thai restaurant close to where we were in Gamla Stan. Restaurant Siam was located only 0.1km away, we sat outside and enjoyed a very good meal.

The walk back to the hotel seemed a long one and we were very tired when we arrived there. Hotel Skeppsholmen is a modern conversion of what was originally a military barracks and the conversion is of course in the typically Scandinavian style of quite basic and very quirky.

Wednesday 23rd May

The LLW had some work to do so Ray was sent off to cycle to Sjotorp this time taking the very quiet road through the forest and across farmland. No vehicles encountered en route!

The marina at Sjotorp was busy, with maintenance work being carried out on various classic sailing boats, and two of the canal cruisers moored there.

The Gota Canal which was built between 1810 and 1832, stretches for 190 km between Sjotorp on Lake Vanern and Mem on the Baltic Sea with 58 locks along the way. In combination with the Trollhatte Canal it connects Goteborg with Stockholm. The days of commercial use are long gone but the canal has a new lease of life as a tourist attraction.

Before returning to Lyrestad, I cycled around part of the lake and along some country roads, which as you can see were very busy!!

The LLW then joined me for a reprise of this ride and a picnic lunch by the shore of Lake Vanern. We managed to find some shade which was much needed as the temperatures climbed again. 25C today and more to come over the next few days.

In the afternoon we drove east of Lyrestad and explored some lovely countryside around lakes Viken and Kryksjon. As you can see, the locals thought he lake was warm enough to swim in but we were not tested on this occasion.

Tuesday 22nd May

This morning we planned to cycle eastwards along the canal to Toreboda which is one of the larger towns on the canal and we decided to set off quite early to avoid the heat of the day. The brilliant blue skies and verdant green of the countryside made for great scenes all the way and I hope the clarity of the views is apparent in the photos.

Our hosts at Asgarten had informed us that another canal cruiser was due on or stretch of the canal today, this being the Bellevue which is a day cruiser travelling east to west and leaving its passengers at Sjotorp to return by coach which whilst less of a belle vue is a much faster journey. Clearly the canal cruising season is ramping up rapidly.

Upon arriving at Toreboda, coffee was the first requirement and I am now seriously worried about the LLW since, in the first time in living memory, there was no mention of cakes being required. Now the LLW was expecting an important call from the office so Ray was sent off to observe the delights of Toreboda on his bike which part from the church and the shortest ferry in Sweden, were not that numerous!

Having cycling down to the shortest ferry, I did of course need to cross the canal this way. There is no charge and the ferry is operated by one man pulling on a rope and pulley which is attached to both sides.

On the way back we stopped for a picnic lunch at a delightful spot next to the locks at Hajstorp. The last two lunches are probably the cheapest ever for the Jacksons, consisting of ham, tomatoes and fruit purchased at the local supermarket for the princely sum of £7 for both lunches!

Early afternoon we decided to drive the 20 mins to Mariestad on the shores of Lake Vanern, which has an old town of wooden houses and cobbled streets.

Whilst walking along the lake shore, the LLW demonstrated signs of recovery by insisting upon a double ice cream, including rum and raisin

We have had a wonderful two days by the Gota Canal and the weather has been perfect- so lucky to have seen this beautiful countryside at its very best. One more day of cycling and then on to Stockholm. I would love to cycle the whole length of the canal staying at various places en route but sadly I don't think we would ever experience 7/10 days of the weather we are having this week. Temperatures are forecast to increase and 27C is likely in Stockholm on Friday and Saturday.

Monday 21st May

Brilliant blue, cloudless skies greeted us on Monday morning and after a good breakfast at Asgarden, we checked out our bikes and set off westwards and  downstream to Sjotorp which is on the shores of lake Vanern. The initial section of the Gota Canal at Lyrestad is very picturesque as you can see for the photos below.

The cycling was very easy and we sped along stopping briefly to admire the locks and the immense planning and construction effort that made the canal possible.  Apparently the engineer, Count Baltzar von Platen (a naval officer and government minister) was assisted significantly by the Scot Thomas Telford who was regarded as the foremost canal engineer in Europe at the time.

At one lock we met a very pleasant Japanese/American couple who asked us to take a photo of the two of them and they then returned the compliment!

Several locks led down to the canal marina at Sjotorp and we then cycled around a very small part of the shore at Lake Vanern (it is the largest lake in Western Europe!), before the LLW decreed that it was coffee time.  We sat outside at a small cafe overlooking the marina and having offered to get the coffees, the LLW soon emerged with two cakes, cream and custard as well!

There was now  a great need to burn off more calories so we headed south of the village through woodland with frequent views of the lake.

Back then to Lyrestad where we purchased some provisions at the local supermarket and enjoyed lunch al fresco by the canal. We watched three yachts exit the marina and wait for the road bridge to be swung so they could pass through and were about to cycle back to our pension when disaster struck! Perhaps a bit of an exaggeration but, whilst Ray was wheeling his bike (i.e. with no weight on the bike) the rear tyre rather exploded with a load hiss and immediate deflation.  Luckily we were only a 100 yards or so from our base and the cheery, Bjorn quickly exchanged the bike for a replacement.

We decided to follow the yachts that had left our marina and cycle the ~3.5 miles to watch them negotiate the double lock at Hajstorp. Since the users of the canal are limited to 8 kph, and even on a bad day the LLW can manage at least twice that, we soon overtook them and sat in the shade waiting for the lock keeper to arrive and let them through. As many of our readers will know, the Jacksons are expert navigators of canal locks (albeit only those of a French style - ecluse), but we were impressed with the crew of the sailing vessels as they passed through the lock system. 

Ray decided he had not had quite enough cycling so headed off in the direction of Sjotorp to hopefully intercept the canal cruise Diana which is today on its first journey of the season from Gotebourg to Stockholm.  As you can see Diana had very little to spare passing through the locks and and after watching it past Lyrestad, it was time for dinner and a much anticipated special chanterelles soup to start with.

Once again dinner was very good and the chanterelles soup did not disappoint. The LLW is still on a less alcohol kick so we were limited to 1/2 bottle again!  After dinner we strolled down to the canal past the front of our Pensionat and saw that the camp site had filled up with camper vans - more than twice as many as last night

It was a very still evening and the refections in the canal were lovely; a great end to a well nigh perfect day.