Our second day on the island began from refueling. It was raining, and we were thankful to Bengt Eklund from the Ölanda flying club who kindly offered to pick us up in his car. With Bengt at the fuel station in ESMZ:
My friend Henrik is not only a pilot, he is also a sailor – i.e. good at tying knots! He took the responsibility for tying down our aircraft.
Before driving us back “home”, Bengt did a sightseeing tour for us. We were grateful for the time he used with us.
We got our bikes, and went exploring the north cap of Öland under the rain:
At the north point of the island there is a lighthouse called Långe Erik (“Tall Erik”), official name Ölands norra udde. The lighthouse is built in 1845 and located on a little island, Stora Grundet in Grankullaviken bay. The island is connected to Öland by a small bridge built in 1965.
The lighthouse is whitewashed, 32 meters high. It was designed by H. Byström and built by Jonas Jonsson. The former lighthouse keeper’s house is next to the lighthouse, with a few buildings from the 1900’s. The tower is open to visitors during the summer season for a small fee.
This area from air – we took this photo the day after, when we were leaving the northern part of the island:
After the lighthouse we were biking to Byxelkrok along the coast, stopping om our way when we saw something interesting, like the beach on the photo below, with big and flat stone formations.
Quite special place, and Henrik couldn’t resist being photographed either:
Norwegian tourists travelling with an impressive home on wheels:
And this is a grave field from the Viking’s time, the Forgalla Skepp, a Bronze Age ship shaped tumulus:
Over 1000 years ago, the Vikings buried their dead there. The dead rest in stone coffins made of limestone slabs, and under rubble surrounded by stone formations. There are over 50 graves in that area, some of which have been examined by archaeologists, who have found jewelry, weapons, and everyday articles buried with the dead.
Later on we had a walk down the shopping streets in Byxelkrok:
And a stroll in the harbour:
A little bit about the place were we stayed. Our cottage was 2-bedroom, it had a living room, a small kitchenette, a fridge, and a bathroom. One bedroom had 2 single beds, another one – 4 bank beds. It costed 1.500 SEK per night, plus 100 SEK for bed linen and towels per person.
View from our terrace:
There were children, but we could neither see nor hear them (the right upbringing!). Lots of bushes with flowers, singing birds, baby rabbits running around… An idyllic place to relax.
The photo from above we again took the day after. The Hälludden Stugby where we stayed is in the middle:
