We didn’t take much time off over Summer so we were determined to squeeze in a short trip before Winter arrives. I was excited to go back to Visby (on the island of Gotland) and spend a few days by the sea. It’s somewhere we visited last year and we thought returning to a familiar place would encourage us to have a slower holiday. Plus there were still plenty of things we didn’t get a chance to explore last time.
We caught an early train to the Destination Gotland ferry terminal. The online check-in process asked people to confirm they had no Covid symptoms but plenty of people were coughing so we went up to the outdoor deck. We would have gone out to take photos anyway, that just meant we stayed outside a bit longer.
Don’t let these calm photos fool you, the wind was strong and ice cold.
Frozen organs signalled it was time to go inside and warm up. We found a great spot next to the window, in a quiet area of the boat. Or is it a ship (a joke for Columbo fans)? I drank the worst cup of coffee I’ve ever had — it tasted like burnt rubber. Scott had better luck with his hot chocolate.
The waves started getting pretty choppy, throwing sea spray at the windows. I could hear wind howling through the window seals. Curling up with a book, some sweets and a view of the sea was perfect for passing the time — three and a half hours at sea.
Hordes of hungry seagulls greet arrivals at Visby. The ferry churns up the sea and gulls circle above, swooping down to catch fish forced to the surface. Sometimes they fly right past your face!
We booked a hotel room overlooking the sea; I love this view. Knowing we only had a couple of days in Visby, we decided to make the most of it and head out before the weather turned. Some pretty dark clouds were rolling in off the sea.
It didn’t take long to find a handful of sea glass (something I love collecting).
Me looking a bit windswept on the beach! We were spared by the rain in the distance and just got the sunshine. And a small rainbow…
We ate at a tiny crêperie that night. Both of us polished off a large savoury crêpe and when I ordered a banana chocolate one for pudding, our waiter replied with “to share?”. I said we were going to have one each and he looked a little suprised. We ate both of them and he exclaimed “oh no problem” when clearing our table. I’m not sure whether he was impressed or thought our stomachs were bottomless pits. It wasn’t very lagom of us.
A great first day back in Visby 🙂 Next: story 2.
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