Summer has started, and last weekend we celebrated the summer holidays by going on a trip to Borgholm here on Öland. We arrived there just in time for lunch and started with crêpes at the very cozy French-inspired Norrings Crêperie, where we sat by the wisteria in their cozy courtyard.
I ate a crêpe with strawberries and basil cream called A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Olof hit the galette Creamy shrimp.
In the same courtyard there is also the interior design shop. Furniture Mittbrodts who, in addition to their own furniture, also sells interior design from brands such as Lexington and Mateus. I love to browse in here. So do these little whirlwinds, and taking the Elm sisters into an interior design store always feels like a pleasure mixed with danger. Luckily, the owner pulled out a basket of toys for the girls to play with. The doll was full and wanted to take a nap in a candlelight. No big deal.
Then we walked down the pedestrian street to the harbor. I think most people who grew up on Öland have spent a lot of time in Borgholm during the summers. I myself have worked summer jobs at two different places here as a teenager, and always find it fun to come back.
You can easily spend a whole day in Borgholm, and several days in addition. Two of the most common and well-known destinations are Sollide and the old one castle ruinsBut as I said, Borgholm's city center is a real gem. Did you know that the city was founded in 1816?
The cobblestone streets are lined with beautiful wooden houses with carpentry work, and roses climb many of the facades. It is also at its most beautiful right now, when the roses are blooming in all their colorful glory.
Hanging out at the harbor and looking for roses requires ice cream! We cooled off with ice cream from Öland ice cream which has been around for a long time in Borgholm, and where they make the ice cream themselves.
Don't miss the elderberry sorbet!
A little further up in Borgholm, right at the red lights as you drive down to the city center, are lush and beautiful Borgholm's Commercial Garden with narrow little alleys where you can find shade on sunny summer days.
The market garden was built in 1926 and is one of the county's oldest market gardens. Much of what is grown and sold here is KRAV-labeled or organic. The old environments in the market garden have been preserved, and the greenhouses are sunken below ground level.
There was a lot to smell, even at low altitude!
Since it was such a warm and sunny day, we had promised to go swimming, and when we got to Köpingsvik's beach just outside Borgholm, the girls ran down to the turquoise water, leaving the soft sand swirling behind them.
It was shallow and really nice in the water!
The girls are like little fish in the water that never want to come up. The only thing that made Evelyn want to get up from the water and come home again was the promise that we would buy strawberries on the way home.
// Helena Elm, June, 2020
