#throwback – June 4, 2024

As strange as the place seemed, surrounded by all that felled wood, it’s wonderful here. The sun filters through the trees, and the strong scent of wood continues to enchant me. I sniff to my heart’s content. Around noon, after some writing and daydreaming, I head toward Söderköping.

The trail follows the Göta Canal, with its many locks. A serious difference in height needs to be bridged here, and it’s fascinating to see the locks lined up like steps in a staircase. As a Dutchman, I’ve seen plenty of locks in my life, of course—but I still find them beautiful. Such an outstanding example of craftsmanship. At one of the locks, I have an extended lunch at a picnic table, thinking about times long past—how the canal was dug, how the locks were built. To be honest, I can’t picture it properly. All I know is that it must have taken a massive amount of manual labor, without the techniques we have today.

Söderköping is a lovely, welcoming little town, with a town square, charming streets, and colorful buildings. The ice cream shop on the square is doing well. People are dressed for summer and full of good cheer. One of the streets is decorated with flower-shaped spheres—truly stunning, and the contrast with the steel-blue sky is phenomenal.

I would have loved to stay much longer in Söderköping, but I still need to walk a bit further to get away from the houses and find a quiet spot for the night. From the 30%-off bin at the supermarket, I pick up burgers and vegetables. I am Dutch, after all—even if I feel like a citizen of the world.

At the end of a dead-end road, I finally find a place to camp. It’s hard to find a patch of ground where I can actually get my tent pegs into the soil, but eventually I manage. No rocks or stones this time—just rock-hard clay.