The birds are silent

In the early morning, I sit with my coffee in front of the little house. It is completely quiet. No concert of birds chirping. A strange feeling. I hadn’t noticed it before. But it actually makes sense. They no longer need to flirt, date, have sex, nest, raise young, or sound the alarm. Peace has returned to birdland. Last night, I did hear deer barking. I even crawled out of the house for a moment to see if I could spot them, but unfortunately.

Together over coffee

Then I receive a message from my friend J. “Want to grab some coffee together this morning?” For a moment, I think she might have confused me with someone else and that it wasn’t meant for me. But no. A little later, we have a long phone conversation. I hate talking on the phone, but this was really nice. In fact, I realize afterwards that I really needed this. Just a good conversation. With coffee, of course.

The Soteleden through the forest

The plan is to walk to Bovallstrand. I choose to follow the Soteleden through the forest. Although it’s challenging, I am happy with my choice. It’s beautiful. With some necessary challenges: fallen trees, steep climbs where I can barely get Wheelie up, and even a stretch along a cliff. But the scale clearly tilts in the right direction. Wonderful.

Myr is not a lake

I also saw a ‘myr’ on the map. Maybe I can take a swim in fresh water! A huge disappointment when I arrive there. Myr means mire and not a lake, that’s actually sjö. I need to brush up on my Swedish.

Wooden bridges and warm rocks

Bovallstrand is famous for its Badholmar: small granite islets connected to the village by wooden bridges. From the sun-warmed pink rocks, people jump straight into the sea. As always, people gather together. It’s nice to walk over the bridges and observe the scene, but afterwards, I prefer to move on again. Although people-watching is always fun.

A higher door this time

My shelter is just 900 m outside Bovallstrand, but you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere again. Another little house, but a bit more luxurious. I only have to bend down to go inside, and the benches are wider to make it a bit more comfortable to sleep on. What a beautiful day again!

Overnight stay: Bovallstrand