We will be doing a figure 8 loop of parts of Sweden and Norway and to start we headed north towards Stockholm. It is over 600 kilometres from Malmo so we stopped for the night at Jonkoping on Lake Vattern.

Setting off from Malmo it was only a short distance to our first viewing stop, Lund, a university town with lots of green and of course lovely old buildings. There wasn't a soul to be seen. Maybe the students had gone for the summer? It was Sunday morning, so if here they were probably still in bed. As the streets were deserted and it was raining and cool, we decided a city drive was the best way to go.
 
The southern Skane area of Sweden is quite flat, and a lot like Denmark It is farming land. Graincrops are still very young, but rapeseed is in flower and the yellow fields make some wonderful sights. As we travel further we started to see more forests, and in the middle of one of these we see a rest-area. Lo and behold, there are not many European countries that have such things. It seems there are a number of these across the country. The rain had stopped, and it was handy Bob had filled the thermos with coffee that morning. We enjoyed our drink in the hush of the forest. 

We now see farms with huge red barns, churches with a more spare but solid look and cattle out in the fields.


 
Jonkoping was cold and wet as well, but we managed a walk around town. Unfortunately for the locals their Music Festival was a bit of a wash out. Out door seating at cafes was wet and market stalls were waiting for customers. That unique way that European strawberries have of pervading the air with their scent was happening here and so with strawberries in hand we went back to the warmth of the hotel.

I imagine that with its lakefront setting that this is a lovely spot in summery weather as there is a lot of outdoor type summer tourism associated with the area. Interestingly the town was once known for its match stick making factory and now has the world's only match museum. Closed on the day we were here though.

The next day was sunny as we took the tourist route along the edge of the lake, We found another forest at Omberg for a morning coffee. Here the hikers were out in force, making the most of the chance to be outdoors.

We were surprised by the massive Vadstena Slott at Vadstena also on Lake Vattern (which is a very long lake). Built in 1545 as a fortress to ward off the Danes it is solid and in excellent condition. It has living quarters in one of the walls and a large open area inside which these days is used for music and theatre productions. We were surprised at this attraction as it was worth seeing, as often there is little distinction in the guide books about how worthy an attraction is for a visit. I guess they can't be preferential but sometimes we go out of our way to see something that was hardly worth the drive.

We went off route to the Gota Canal, opened in 1832 to provide transport for iron and timber between Stockholm and Gothenburg. Here too at Borensberg is a hotel in a lovely setting where we thought we might get an early table for lunch. But no such luck. Booked out. Apparently it is Mother's Day here today! Who would have known, but later in the day we saw a queue outside a florist shop. At 6pm some obviously thought it was not too late. 

And then into Stockholm. On first observations a place that has more cars than its roads can cope with. It was a little chaotic getting to our hostel, as the GPS could not find it. There were road works too, and bus only lanes that seem to start and stop in ways that unwary travellers can find hard to escape. But we finally found it. On a cliff and out of sight. But we were home. Well, for four days anyway.