Gotland is a beautiful island in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. Amid rustic ruins and cobblestones of Visby lie quaint shops and restaurants. Along the water front is an ice cream parlor that boasts 290 flavors (all quite delicious and I am rather partial to the saffron) called Glassmagasinet. Enjoy a cone will gazing at the water and the docked boats. Further down the beach, we stayed at Tott Hotel, a modern hotel with made up of individual houses furnished with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious kitchen and living room area with a fold-out bed, and a patio with a beach shower, complete with a view of the sea. The room even had a laundry machine, a much needed utility that was an added bonus to our stay.
After a few days stay in Visby, we went further north to Fårö, another island above Gotland, so named for the many sheep on the island. There are several good places to buy fine quality sheep skins here, one of the classic island's goods. Here the land is beautiful, with long stretches of road through fields and trees, a very scenic natural scene. We stopped at several beaches as we drove to Fårö, which are covered entirely with white stones and fossils. If you love rocks, you will love these beaches, with fossils and trilobites in nearly every stone. |
We stayed on Gotland near Fårö, at Fabriken Furillen, a small hotel on an old lime quarry. The hotel has just 18 rooms with entrances from the outside that are industrial in style yet incredibly cozy. The hotel has a relaxed and cool vibe and exhibits beautiful Swedish style. An expansive and luxurious breakfast is available every morning, with an array of fresh bread, cereal, and fruits as well as two skillets to make your own omelet or Swedish pancake. Sit outside in the sun and enjoy a cup of coffee to the smell of the sea and the view. The restaurant at the hotel is also sublime, although like the hotel, pricy. Fabriken Furillen also has many bikes with which to explore the area, free of charge. Take advantage of this and bike out on the many bike trails in the area with your camera and perhaps a sketchpad or notebook. I don't know about you, but I love finding a little spot, just me and nature to sit and read, write or sketch in. And a camera is of course a must-have on your little escapade, you never know when you will have the perfect photo opportunity! Within a half hour drive from the hotel are a smoked salmon and fish shack--a place you must stop at to experience true Swedish fish...and the smell is captivating--and a beach just feet away from a small "lake" with an abandoned and heavily graffitied building partly underwater. You can swim into the building from an underwater entrance and jump out the windows into the water--just be wary of loose nails and shards of glass. The colorful graffiti and eeriness of the partly submerged building are captivating and is place you are not likely to forget soon.
I am sad to leave Gotland. The beautiful island teems with photo opportunities and adventures yet to be taken. I hope to return someday, notebook and camera in hand, to enjoy the peace and mystery of the island of sheep and rubble.
What I love most about this crazy life is the adventure of it.
~ Juliette Binoche