Although I love talking about the archipelago, and could go on about it for hours, I thought it was time to switch it up a bit and talk about the southeast part of the country.  Two years ago, I had the opportunity to take a road trip from Stockholm all the way to Copenhagen and what fun it was!  A friend and I spent a week traveling south through Småland (Small Lands), a province in southern Sweden, and slowly made our way down.  Along the way I saw many idyllic settings throughout the journey, perhaps what you picture the countryside in Sweden to be.  Rolling green hills, red houses with with trim, beautiful nature and landscapes.  Småland in my opinion, looked like a never-ending postcard, it exceeded my expectations in places to see as well as its beauty.  It is amazing that it only lies a few hours drive away from Stockholm!

Our first stop was to the town of Västervik, a small town situated on the coast.  It has about 20,000 residents and is a popular place in the summertime due to its location on the water, as well as the Tjust Archipelago.  Östergötland archipelago is the name of the three archipelagos (one including the Tjust Archipelago), which lie off the coast of Östergötland province, and they are made up of nearly 9,000 islands!  Unfortunately for me we were not able to go because the high season had not begun so there were no ferries going out when we were there.  I could only stand there and look out into the water and dream about what their archipelago looked like....We were only able to spend the afternoon here, a quick stop for lunch and walking around the town to get a feel for it.  Hoping to get back out there soon!

Well it was time to hit the road so we could make it to our next destination by nightfall, Kalmar.  Kalmar is a small city situated on the Baltic Sea, that displays a fine example of Classicism architecture, a great example being the Kalmar Cathedral.  Linnaeus University is also located here, with another campus in the city of Vaxjö.  Together between the two campuses, they have about 15,000 students yearly.  One of the most famous attractions in Kalmar is the castle.  Located near the medieval harbor is the fortress built with a curtain wall.  It has played an important part in Swedish history since the 12th century.  We enjoyed the two nights we stayed here, taking walks, enjoying the scenery and nice restaurants and just taking it easy. 

Kalmar Cathedral (Kalmar domkyrka)

Kalmar City Hall (Kalmar rådhus)

Kalmar Castle (above and below)

Öland is the second largest Swedish island (Gotland being the first) located in the Baltic Sea.  It is separated by the mainland by the Kalmar Strait and easily reached via the Öland Bridge.  There is archaeological evidence that it was first settled in about 8000 BC.  On the island there are nineteen Iron Age ring forts, one which has been completely excavated, yielding over 24,000 artifacts.  The environment is quite unique on Öland as you will find old wooden windmills scattered throughout the flat landscape as well as the Stora Alvaret, a limestone pavement.  It was created by glacial formations about 500 million years ago and is now a UNESCO Heritage Site and covers about one fourth of the island.  On Öland you will also find Borgholm Castle, the ruins of the 17th century baroque palace.  It is only a ruin of the fortress, the castle having burned down.

Öland Glass House, a place where they are handblowing glass

We drove around the southern part of the island for the day and mid morning we stopped at the southern most tip of the island, where there is a lighthouse (Långe Jan) and a bird sanctuary.  Öland is home to a very large diverse of bird life (377 species have been observed here) and bird enthusiasts come from all over to visit the Ottenby Fågelstation (Ottenby bird observatory).  In addition to the sanctuary, you will also find an exhibition center and restaurant and cafe.  It is the perfect place to take a break and look out in the Baltic Sea or to sit and have a coffee while watching the waves crash and the birds flying. 

The lighthouse on Öland (Långe Jan) at the Ottenby Bird Sanctuary (Ottenby Fågelstation)

The sea as seen from the Ottenby Bird Sanctuary (Ottenby Fågelstation)

After our day trip we retired back for the evening for our last night in Kalmar so we could get up early and make the drive over to Copenhagen!  I am happy to report that I visited Öland again last summer, my boyfriend's family has a house there, and it was completely different than the spring time.  The whole place felt alive and when the sun was out, so were the people.  There were many activities going on throughout the island including markets and live music.  It was also nice to because I went to the northern part of the island this time, so was able to see something different.  Many families camp on the beach over the summer months so you will see many trailers parked down by the water and lots of barbequing.    Öland is a great place to visit in the summer time and enjoy some time laying out the many sandy beaches and cool off in the chilly Baltic Sea!  It is definitely worth the visit if you get the opportunity to visit Öland.

Borgholm Castle (Borgholms slott)

Öland

Talia Klundt is the Europe Editor for Wandering Educators

All photos courtesy and copyright Talia Klundt