| 7-Münster, DE | 8-Aabenraa, DK | 9-Borby | 10-Eksjö | 11-Stenberga | 12-Stenberga - Reunion Day! |
| 13-Brevik | 14-Brevik | 15-Ljungskile | 16-Ljungskile | 17-Gothenburg | 18-Gothenburg |
| 19-Gothenburg | 20-Stena (Kiel)-Home |
Saturday, July 11th
Stenberga
map link
We had all day to get an hour away from the campground. I didn’t want to arrive too late to the AirBnB that had been rented for the occasion, as I wanted to be able to help Sonia with setting things up and bringing in food and supplies that she had arranged. I know that my help wasn’t expected, but it was my way of trying to give back to those who had put in so much effort already.
The day dawned cool and clear. Every evening I was surprised by just how far north the sun set, and then in the morning just how little across the horizon it moved before it rose again. I really need to get up here for Summer Solstice one of these days. As Dan and I slowly moved about the campsite I noticed a bell clanging somewhere in the campground. I assumed that it was calling the kids to some activity, but then it clanged again a little later. And again. And then, as I walked to the facilities building I saw the source: someone was pushing the Breakfast Cart around the campground, selling pastries and goodies to those who wanted them. Clever!
We were a lot faster at packing up the campsite, as the motos never left the van this time. My Entertainment Director had spotted a potential activity nearby: Skurugata Nature Reserve. While most nature reserves bring to mind lush forests, or fertile meadows, this was neither. It is a rock canyon. More precisely, a kilometer-long gorge which runs up to 56 meters deep and sometimes as narrow as only 7 meters. The temperature range between the top of the gorge and the deepest points can be up to 20°C! This should be interesting to experience for sure. Thanks, Dan!
The road to Skurugata was rustic but well-maintained. Once again, I enjoyed being so close to the forests and seeing how healthy they are. After a few kilometers of good gravel we arrived to a nearly-empty parking area in the forest. With a quick check of the trail map, we were soon on our way.
Trail map – we followed the blue line
The trail to the gorge’s start
We reached the start of the descent in just a few minutes. Hmmm – pretty, but it doesn’t look very impressive
Still, it was a nice walk
Unfortunately we had started our hike just behind a group of people (and a dog!) and they spent the entire time talking. Nothing like trying to experience the wonders of nature with a constant conversation taking place nearby. Their pace was also about the same as ours, so it would have been awkward to pass them, yet annoying to wait for them to get far enough ahead not to hear them. Ah, “people”.
It was cool (pun not intended!) to feel the temperature changes as we went down into the dips. Maybe not 20° difference, but the obvious chill and how concentrated it was was fascinating!
Great geology!
We eventually climbed out the far end of the gorge and then even farther up to the peak, known as “Skuruhatt”. The view was expansive, with plenty of forest to appreciate. We could also see the water tower of Eksjö, almost 8 kilometers away. Impressive!
We successfully made it back to the van, returned to paved roads, and were on our way to our AirBnB in Stenberga. And we still had a lot of time. We took advantage of this and stopped by a shopping area to see what a “Jula” store is (basically a nice Home Depot) and what Willys had to sell (great grocery selection!). We also investigated Hööks (dog and horse supplies), simply because it was right in between the two.
While many people warned us of high prices in Sweden, I admit that coming from Switzerland, the prices seemed more than reasonable. In fact, we took advantage of these (relatively) lower prices to pick up some supplies to better organize our campsite.
While at Willys we stocked up on lunch supplies and planned to stop “somewhere nice” along the way to enjoy our sandwiches. We found that “somewhere nice” when we parked at the base of a local ski slope.
I was amused that Sweden often uses yellow and blue on their road signs
It was an incredibly quiet and peaceful spot and we enjoyed sitting in our little camp chairs as we chowed down on some tasty foods. Coming from the Swiss Alps, the size of the hill amused me, but they seem to make it work.
Forestry is alive and well in this country
As this is a relatively short day, let me mention a few things that I’d observed in my few days in this country. For one, the drivers were great: Super chill, conscientious about other vehicles, not interested in speeding down the road. It was a pleasure to share the roads with them.
Another thing we shared the roads with were pig transport trucks and horse trailers. The big transport trucks weren’t all that common, but I don’t know if I’d ever seen one before and suddenly: that’s the only livestock transportation I saw. And the horse trailers! I’d never seen so many horse-filled horse pastures before. I saw more horses than cows or sheep, which is impressive.
The road infrastructure is very good. The surfaces were all in good shape, and the signage was always clear and well-placed. There were even signs warning of speed cameras – well, some of the speed cameras. Some were still a surprise!
Swedish marshmallow farm
We arrived in Stenberga earlier than expected but used the time to walk around and check out the old school and the church across the street.
My maternal grandfather was born in Stenberga in 1904 and this reunion would be centered around his immediate family and descendants. I won’t bore you with the Slide Show of family photos, but I do want to share some interesting pictures from this part of my holiday to Sweden. And it was also the reason why we made it to Sweden this year and not “some day”.
The school my grandfather and his brothers attended during their childhood (now our AirBnB), built in 1860
The school from the back, with the church across the street in the background
Inside the school – I doubt the kids would recognize it now!
Many cozy bedrooms
Church view
Adorable wallpaper
Photo of the school from 1905 in the AirBnB (the school closed in 1960)
Just down the road is the factory where my grandfather worked, pin-striping carriages
The factory had switched from carriages to automobiles, but there were still a couple of carriages in the back corner
The reunion took place Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, with the last of us departing on Monday. On Sunday, it had been arranged to visit some of the old homes that the family had lived in. The dates here may be incorrect, as there was a lot of information thrown at me during this time.
The house of my grandfather’s parents*, where he lived until 1907, named “Yxhammar”
* the actual house no longer exists, but this house is from the same era and moved there in 1968. The original foundations are just a few feet away.
Someone else owns the house now, but this is what it looks like inside
Husqvarna stove!
The house the family moved to in 1908, where my grandfather lived until 1925
House built by Sonia’s father in 1925
All of these houses are within a two kilometer radius of the church and school, which makes my grandfather’s move to the US (over 6,000 kilometers!) when he was just 18 remarkable and brave.
Skipping Sunday’s Family activities, we are now back to our regularly scheduled Holiday in Sweden!