Our first destination when we left Munkedal on Thursday morning was the seaside resort Bovallstrand. ("strand" is the Swedish word for "beach")
I'm not quite sure whether we got there by the road marked
blue on the map, or the alternative route below that one -
but around 10:45 am we had arrived.
Parking apps everywhere these days... and rarely the same one as the last stop...!
I had not done a lot of research on Bovallstrand
beforehand; but while we were there, and after, I learned that people
have been living in this area since the Stone Age; and from the 16th
until the mid 20th century its main industries were fishing for herring,
freight trade and quarrying. When the fishing diminished, the place was
instead turned into a popular bathing resort. A lot of old houses and
boat-houses from the 19th and early 20th century have been preserved;
and the village is especially famous for its so called "bathing islets" - connected by bridges, and with classic old
bathing cabins etc. This turned out to be
just where we had ended up after driving through the village; so we
parked the car and went for a walk out on those rocks. (As you can see,
we had better luck with the weather on our second day than on the first!)
 |
| Panorama view towards land |
Royal signature on one of the rocks...(Gustaf Adolf, crown prince back in 1935; but later King Gustaf VI Adolf. He was the grandfather of our present king, Carl XVI Gustaf).
Bovallstrand
is a small village with only around 450 permanent residents, and we
were only there for like half an hour, walking out on those islets - but it
felt like time well spent. :)
The rocks are so different; kind of rounded with folds in them. What is the big metal framework?
ReplyDeleteGinny, I assume it's some kind of sea mark (navigation mark). Not my area of expertise, though...
DeleteIt does look intriguing - I have a "thing" for places like that, where almost everything is focused on one single aspect of it, such as the sea front and bathing in this case.
ReplyDeleteThe rocks are fascinating and invite for some exploring, but I guess whatever lives there (sea birds nesting?) appreciates to be left alone :-)
Meike, besides fishing, summer tourism is probably the main source of income for most seaside villages these days.
DeleteMany years ago we would spend two or three nights in similar small sea-side places on our way up to Värmland. We always enjoyed the peace and tranquillity that they offered.
ReplyDeleteCarol, my impresson is that in most sea-side small towns and villages, life differs a lot between seasons. In the summer holiday period (and especially in sunny weather, of course) they're usually crowded with tourists; in autumn/ winter/ spring it's probably like another world altogether!
Deletethe photos are picture postcard perfect! that sky is amazing and the light was perfect to show off those bath houses, love the red color of the houses. so peaceful. you your got a lot of wonderful things into your 2 day trip...
ReplyDeleteYes Sandra we did - and there's more to come... :)
DeleteSplendid photos and a beautiful area!
ReplyDeleteThanks Denise. It's indeed very picturesque! :)
DeletePresumably apart from holidaymakers there is a weekend sailing fraternity.
ReplyDeleteGraham, lots of recreational boats along the coast in summer, definitely...
ReplyDelete