Sweden (9): Marstrand, Continued

Morning Hours at Marstrand

Marstrand is a nice part of the Gothenburg region and I decide to stay one more night. However, having just passed 2 service-free nights and with 3 more yet to come, I change to the ordinary camp site for my last night in Sweden. Beside the bathroom and waste water, I also invest entire two minutes in the cleaning of the living room floor, put fresh blankets on the bed and whatever it takes to make Hector sparkle and shine.

The result is great: I could start right away for further three weeks or months. I take a breath and dream of endless travelling, all calm and relaxed, all cosy inside Hector and all comforted with people I meet along the way and sunny weather and great food and… wait: here and now I am in Sweden and I do have sunny weather, so I stop the dreaming and continue the living.

Marstrand Camping

The camp site, like almost all of them among Sweden, is okay and that’s it already. Later I promenade down to the heart of Marstrand’s village, get some liquorice at the local supermarket and find a wind-shielded bench in the sun with view on the harbour. My only concern is the risk of catching a sunburn, but I prefer sunscreen over rain and am able to deal with the conditions.

Traveller’s Hard Life

The next morning is cold but sunny and my jogging route takes me out to the nature reserve of the skerries. A lot of the distance is deep within nature with rocks, high reed and hardly visible paths. Thanks to the jogging routine that sneaked in during holidays I see a lot of my surrounding and appreciate the different landscapes.

Rough and Beautiful

This evening I have to catch the ferry from Gothenburg to Kiel and, aiming not to miss it, I decide to pass the day with easy hobbies. I take my skateboard and get started, definitely out of habit on the first meters. Little by little the moves develop and with sun on my skin and wind in my hair I stroll direction downtown. Before I realize what happens I drop in the local kayak rental and sit inside a bright yellow boat.

I never would have guessed that the North Sea can shimmer in all those shades of blue. I paddle through the Skagerrad and pass by tiny red houses with greeting inhabitants, a sailor café and rough stones in azure water. Whenever a yacht passes by, my boat dances on the waves and I enjoy one of the most wonderful hours of the entire Sweden trip.

C5a

When taking the kayak back to the rental shop I pay 80 SEK and with a wide grin I jump happily on my skateboard and get back to Hector. The jogging-hiking-camping-kayak-skateboard-chick is back, yeah! Not even the road charge controls at Gothenburg’s city highway (nor the expected tickets) inflict my euphoria. In the late afternoon, Hector stops in front of the Stena Line ferry that will swallow us up for the night.

D1a

Sure enough Hector snatches the pole position while I go upstairs to a cabin that is almost as huge as Hector’s inside.

D5a

My own, private, all-mine bath room has to wait. First things first, I think, and minutes later I discover the open deck of the ship. Compared to the Rostock-Trölleborg ferry this is larger and contains several restaurants and bars, one even at the open deck. I invest my last Swedish Kronor in a beer and wonder how much this day has in store for me.