Staying at a hotel that is a member of the Historic Hotels of Europe group is not our usual style. Usually it is too expensive and the people who stay there are on a different kind of journey. Nonetheless, we were able to get a reasonable rate, (now that’s a relative term...we are in Sweden...) in an economy room and we thoroughly enjoyed their breakfast. The hotel is known for its restaurant. The house made buns were exceptional and the quality of the food made our stay worthwhile. Not to mention the comfortable bed and fluffy pillows.
The weather pattern is continuing with a violent storm in the evening and through the night with thunder, lightning and heavy rain. We’re relieved that this isn’t happening (so far) during the day.
Brosarps Gastgifven - two dining rooms -the one without tablecloths offers the same food, but you can take your dog in with you.
The first 25 km to Srimishamn were very hilly and quite beautiful. After a particularly steep gradient of about 20% we were rewarded with a panoramic view of the sea, and the whitecaps were visible from this distance. Wow!
Winds will be with us all day. Once again we are loving riding along the Baltic Sea. We got back to sea level at the seaside town of Kiviks and then we started to climb the hills again. At times we are directly along the shore or we are above and looking down along the lush farmland at homes nestled by the sea. The bird life is very active with sea birds, hawks, swans, western jackdaws, black headed gulls, etc all envigorated by the constant wind.
The navy is in town. These vessels are heavily armed as the Swedish government takes the protection of their vulnerable shoreline very seriously.
We met this man who is also touring at the harbour in Srimishamn. Josef is from Vienna and he is in the midst of a long trip. He is going to Nordkapp, the northern tip of Norway.
At Srimishamn we completed the cycle route Sydostleden (#2 on brown signs) and began a brand new route called Sydkustleden (#3 on red signs) which will take us through Malmo and all the way to Helsingborg. The new route was inaugurated just last week and we are happy to report that it is very well organized with excellent consistent signage. It started off with a bang with 15 km of breathtaking riding along the sea. It is hard to imagine that it can get better than this.
Meeting friendly Swedes is becoming a big part of our travelling day. We stopped at Srimishamn to look at the harbour and we met such interesting people, all of whom wanted to hear our story, but also to share tips about their beloved country.
This region has beautiful tradional reed roofed houses
We are staying tonight in the country outside Borrby in an apartment which is part of a small family run restaurant hotel. There are four self sufficient apartments and we are settling in quite comfortably enjoying the view of the countryside. The hotel and restaurant are housed in an old barn on the family farm.
Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles) Total: 2,444 km (1,518 miles)
