The southeast - The Rough Guide to Sweden - page 204

limestone pillars formed by the eroding action of the sea, at the edge of a sandy beach.
he best beaches are along the east coast; starting at Böda Sand, the most popular
stretch is a couple of kilometres north at Lyckesand , with a nudist beach just to the
north, the start of which is marked simply by a large boulder in the sea. Small lanes run
east from the main road to the beaches, and there are many campsites signposted off
Route 136.

Böda Sand
From the hostel at Mellböda (see below), it's just 2km north to one of the island's best
sandy beaches, Böda Sand . Take the narrow road heading east to reach the gently
curving coastline of Böda bukten bay, which forms Öland's northeastern tip.

6

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING NORTHERN ÖLAND

Lammet & Grisen Hornvägen 35, Löttorp T 0485 203
50 . Housed in a building like a Spanish hacienda, this
restaurant has a menu tending towards spit-roasted lamb
and pork (hence the name). All mains are around 350kr and
everything is served with as much as you can eat from the
buffet. Daily 5pm till late.

STF youth hostel Mellböda, 50km north of Borgholm
T 0485 220 38, W [e-mail] . Large and
well equipped with a cosy kitchen. Accommodation is in
private cabins whi ch hav e their o wn toil et facilities. Open
May-Sept. Dorms 230kr , doubles 440kr

Småland
The thickly forested province of Småland makes up the southeastern wedge of
Sweden. Although the scenery is appealing at first, the uniformity of the landscape
means it's easy to become blasé about so much natural beauty. Småland is often
somewhere people travel through rather than to - from Stockholm to Malmö and
the south, or from Gothenburg to the Baltic coast. It does, however, have a few vital
spots of interest of its own, alongside opportunities for hiking, trekking, fishing and
cycling.
Historically, Småland has had it tough. The simple, rustic charm of the pretty painted
cottages belies the intense misery endured by generations of local peasants: in the
nineteenth century, subsistence farming failed, and the people were starving;
consequently a fifth of Sweden's population left the country for America - most of
them from Småland. While their plight is vividly retold at the House of Emigrants
exhibition in Växjö , a town which makes an excellent base from which to explore the
region, the province's main tourist attractions are its myriad glass factories . The bulk of
these celebrated glassworks lie within the dense birch and pine forests that, together
with a thread of lakes, make up the largely unbroken landscape between Kalmar and
Växjö. Consequently, the area is dubbed Glasriket , or the “Glass Kingdom”, with each
glassworks signposted clearly from the spidery main roads.

Växjö and around
Founded by St Sigfrid in the eleventh century, VÄXJÖ (approximately pronounced
“veck-shur”), 120km from Kalmar deep in the heart of Småland, is by far the handiest
base hereabouts. Though its centre is fairly bland and quiet, Växjö, whose name derives
from väg sjö , or “way to the lake”, is within easy reach of some beautifully tranquil lake
scenery. The town itself offers a couple of great museums , and once a year comes to life
for the Karl Oskar-dagar (second weekend in Aug) - a long weekend of unbridled
revelry in honour of the character Karl-Oskar, created by author Wilhem Moberg, who
symbolized the struggles of Småland's Swedish peasants in the nineteenth century. In
reality, it means Våxjö's youth drink themselves silly through the nights while daytime
entertainment fills the streets.