May 12, 2024

The weather has turned beautiful. The nights are still quite cold (around 4 degrees C.), but I’m warm in my sleeping bag. Just after sunrise, I step outside—and wow! The lake is perfectly still, a mirror with a touch of mist, and the silence only “broken” by birdsong. Once again, I feel so lucky.

As is becoming the norm, I putter around a bit and don’t actually set off until almost 11. No one cares, of course—but that little voice in my head still tells me I could be moving faster.

Around Spanish lunchtime (hot meal around 2 p.m.), I cook by the edge of a small lake. On the menu: brown beans with some fresh veggies and sausages. Tastes amazing again. I enjoy a long break and mess around with Instagram—I’m starting to get the hang of it, though it still feels a bit tricky.

After passing the charming village of Markaryd (Småland), with its quirky church and freestanding bell tower, I have to walk quite a bit further to find a good place to camp. That’s tough, because honestly, I didn’t feel like walking any more. Still, my body feels good and my knee isn’t bothering me much.

In the end, I find the perfect spot—right by the water, with a table!