Parting Shots [Marstrand and Fjällbacka]

What is the shortest day of the year in Sweden? Summer. Hat tip to Paul for the joke.

This past weekend, the weather was unexpectedly oh-so-nice. Warmer than the average highs for Summer (60's). So, off we went on some short road trips to explore western Sweden.

On Friday, we ventured North from Goteborg along the coast to the town of Marstrand. The town is located on an island that is reached by a very short ferry ride - 3 minutes at most. Marstrand is very quaint. And it has its own fort which crowns the island. Quite distinctive. While Smogen is more of a working fishing village, Marstrand is a Summer resort that attracts the well-to-do crowd. On this day, that seemed to be French tourists.

TJ and The Girls. In the background is Carlstens Fortress, the 300 year-old fort that overlooks the town. Still trying to find out what that little room is off the upper part of the fort. A loo with a view, perhaps? Or a prison cell. The fort did have prisoners. If I were a prisoner, that's where I'd want to stay. Unless it also doubled as a loo.

On Saturday, we headed even farther North to a very small town near Tanum. To visit a work colleague. Again along the coast.

First, a brief synopsis on the geology of western Sweden. Sweden was covered by glaciers which scoured the granitic and metasedimentary rocks bare. The results were especially noticeable along the coast. There, vast areas have much less soil and, as such, have fewer trees. Very spartan. Many of the islands (referred to as an archipelago) have this strangely beautiful combination of smooth rock surface and minimal vegetation. A lot of sea grasses. And lichen.

We made a pit stop in Fjällbacka (the "fj" is pronounced as something close to "hwa"). The town has a large granitic hill from which you get a good view of the surrounding archipelago. I made it up, but The Girls sat this one out.

How quaint is this town? That superlative probably will get overused as we continue to explore the coastal towns of Sweden.

To see more of the town, check out this website. It's in Swedish, but try the Galleri link for a visual tour through the seasons.