The other day, when the August sun shone over Öland with its late summer light, we went for a trip to southern Öland. We drove along the eastern side all the way to the southern tip, and on the way we passed terraced villages, cornfields and fields with yellow straw bales and tall grass.
This particular field is located next to the row village of Näsby. The old row villages often had a common meadow where they grew winter fodder for the animals.
There are many nice terraced villages on Öland, and I particularly like Näsby for its beautiful old stone houses.
During the Middle Ages, when the terraced villages were built, the houses were built in a row along a village street, and these small terraced villages are now part of the South Öland Cultivated Landscape World Heritage Area.
At the bottom of the southern tip we saw some woolly little friends taking shelter from the sun in the shade of the house in Ölandssten. One of the sheep came forward and greeted us, much to the girls' delight.
Have you ever been to Långe Jan? At just over 42 meters, Långe Jan is Sweden's tallest lighthouse. If you grew up on Öland like I did, you've most likely been here with your school as a child.
Coming back as an adult with your own children is extra fun. You remember how high up it was, and the breathtaking feeling of being at the top of the lighthouse and looking out over Öland's southern tip.
Even though it's a bit up, it's definitely not difficult for the kids to get up. Both Evelyn and Lily thought it was really exciting and climbed all 197 steps, and if anyone was out of breath, it was probably us adults.
Luckily, there was ice cream, and it tasted extra good after walking up and down the lighthouse.
There is a lot to discover around Långe Jan. Here is also Ottenby Bird Station where research on birds has been conducted since the 1940s, and approximately 25000 birds are ringed here per year.
Here you can also find Naturum Ottenby with free admission, which is fun and educational for both children and adults.
Then it was time for food! Our favorite place this summer has been Stenhusa Krog in Stenåsa on southeast Öland, and luckily they're open until October. The burgers are super tasty, reasonably priced, and cleverly named after birds.
I usually go for the Kejsarörn burger with cheese, bacon, pickled red onion and truffle mayonnaise, and the girls usually eat sausages with fries. Stenhusa Krog is run by the Halldén brothers, who have actually also published a cookbook together.
While we wait for our food, we always take a stroll through the Nature Bookstore, which is located in the same courtyard. Here you can buy most things related to birdwatching, but also a lot of other fun things like gift items, books for both children and adults, and nice things for the home.
The girls had been campaigning all day to go swimming, so after we finished our hamburgers we headed down to Stenåsa beach for a swim.
The water was about as warm as it often is in late summer, and after swimming, the girls played for a while on the small playground located in a forest grove just above.
So many wonderful days this late summer has offered! Late summer on Öland is truly among the very best.
// Helena, August 2020
