First morning in Bunge Air Base where we stayed. Breakfast in the most special hangar, by the side of Viggen:
There was another couple on a visit, from Göteborg, and Inger had baked kanelbullar (cinnamon rolls) for us:
Flemming and I were going to spend that rainy day on the island of Fårö, north of Gotland. Fårö has an area of around 110 km2, and a population of 500. We took our car and drove to the ferry – the island is separated from Gotland by the narrow Fårö-strait, and connected by ferries. It is free to take a ferry, and they go as often, as there are cars, bikes, or other passengers. If it’s late, and you get stuck on either side, there is a phone number you can call, and a ferry would come and pick you up.
Islands of Fårö and Gotland are famous for their rock formations called rauka. They are a result of erosion during the Ice age and are unique to Gotland and Fårö. Fårö probably got more of them, and there are long parts of the coast with raukas of different shapes. One of the most known is Digerhuvud nature reserve, and the largest rauka area with 3.5 km of hundreds of them.
The beaches of Fårö (and Gotland) can be very dangerous; at Digerhuvud the bottom falls sharply at the pallet edge till 80 metres deep:
It is hard to walk on those rocks, although it is just lime…
We saw the old harbour area, and then walked to a place where the Saint Olof’s church once stood. A story goes, Gotland was converted to Christianity by the saint Norwegian King Olof who was murdered in Norway in 1030. Many churches in Gotland have a statue of Saint Olof, and some are named after him. The remains of the Saint Olof’s church were surrounded by a circular churchyard, with the remains of a cemetery nearby:
Kutens Bensin (Kuten’s Petrol) was another place we made a stop at. The place is a cult phenomenon where rock bands performed in the past. The advertisement said, it was a perfect place for anyone who liked rusty old car wrecks with soul, genuine rock’n’roll and and a true sense of the fifties:
At that place, there was a restaurant called “Crêperie Tati”, and it offered crêpes and galettes de Bretagne in many variances. We decided to give it a try. Standing in a long line we hoped it would be worth the waiting time:
There was lots of crap around, and it was entertaining. Menu placed outside was very useful:
We got in after about 15 minutes, but didn’t get any table – guests were supposed to hunt a table themselves.
Finally we succeeded, and after a long waiting time our galettes were served. Flemming said, it was the worse couch he ever sat on in his life:
Galettes were ok, tasty enough, but rather fatty. Our conclusion was – if you make it ugly enough, it will attract attention, and at one point of time become trendy. Then you can serve mediocre food, have inferior service, and most of the customers will be happy to pay.
We continued driving around, and took all the small roads we could. A sign below asks to close the gate after passing, and a sheep says “thanks”:
Langhammars nature reserve is a magnificent destination on Fårö, and its rauka area is one of Gotland’s most visited sights. There are two cairns above the rauka area, at the highest point of the slope, stretching down to the sea, 15 metres above sea level. The cairns are 6 and 9 metres in diameter. The larger cairn has a depression in the middle (photo below). Neither of the cairns has been archaeologically excavated. Their position indicates they can be dated to 1,500 BC (!). An interesting legend is connected to this site.
The legend has been handed down through generations of Fåröese. An old woman is said to have fled the Black Death plague, in the 14th century. She fled to one of the raukas at Langhammars. The rauka was hollow at the top with a natural entrance on the side. That was where she made her home. She was said to be very wealthy. When she died, numerous valuables were found there, and that rauka was given the name Guldstugan (The cottage of gold).
There are around 50 raukas on the beach at Klajvika, and they are some of the most photographed raukas on Gotland. They are even pictured on the back of the Swedish 200 kronor banknote:
The rauka that looked like a head of a beautiful African girl. I’m standing at its neck – just to give you an idea of, how big it was:
The beach was a true paradise for Flemming, who found many fossils:
Rauka formations consist of harder limestone that withstood the abrasion of sea waves. They are remnants of ancient reefs that existed in the tropical sea 430 million years ago. We actually found many rocks where we could clearly see the reef structure.
We could easily spend hours in this wonderful place. We loved its remoteness and the silence on the pebble beach. But there were other things we also wanted to see on Fårö. So we took a selfie and headed for the easternmost part of the island, to visit the Fårö Lighthouse.
A short stop to take some pictures of sheep. A local car driving after us had to stop as well, because the road was very narrow. They patiently waited and laughed at us – tourists taking pictures of sheep! 🙂 But it is not only sheep, it is a picture of a Fårö landscape:
The lighthouse was closed due to COVID-19, and after going a bit around it, we continued our journey to Ryssnäs (Russian isthmus), at the tip of the southernmost part of Fårö. And there we wanted to visit the English cemetery, which is fenced by fourteen granite blocks and an iron chain and houses 27 small burial mounds:
During 1853-1856, the Crimean War was fought, which was an armed conflict between the Russian empire, and an alliance of Great Britain & France. Both the English and French fleets then used Fårösund (a village close to “our” Bunge Air Base) as a fleet base in the Baltic Sea.
In 1854, cholera broke out. Two hospitals and a kitchen were built on Ryssnäs. A home for the doctor was also established. In the strait between Bungenäs and Ryssnäs was an Allied ambulance ship, called “Belle Isle”. The dead, among them Allied commanders, were buried while the crew was sunk in the sea.
A house from the old days on the photo below, with a garden. The ground floor was used for cattle, and first floor was occupied by the owners. Small garden fenced by a wall. The roof was made of eelgrass:
Some people believe that the eelgrass roofs only exist(ed) on the Danish island of Læsø, but in fact the eelgrass was once commonly used around the world – everywhere from the Dutch Wadden Sea where it was used for building sea walls to insulation of homes in New England.
Stunning beach of the Ryssnäs:
It was late, when we got back home to our luxury hangar. We had simple dinner in the Air Base kitchen:
After so many nice experiences we just wanted the basics – eat & sleep 🙂
