Day 22: Back to pedalling thru pine forests and farmlands again to Pippi land - Vimmerby

So after an OK breakfast, just instant coffee as no one had time to set up the other coffee - I tried to find my way out of town.  thought I was onto the right path, but no - that was going in the wrong direction and couldn't find another bike path, so back to the highway.
I managed to zink off onto a small dirt road for a couple of ks and found a nice little waterfall to sit by.  but then back onto the main road again for a bit, before turning onto a not that major road where the traffic was really light - just an occasional car or 2.

so....  what was that about the Netherlands?  no hills?  that was the plan, but here I am in Sweden and although rolling hills would be an apt description and I know that they had nothing to compare to the hills of Japan, nevertheless, they were up and the down didn't seem that long before it was up again....

again, pine and sycamore, with a little more of the birch trees in the forests - and now lakes are happening too.  I went to one bathing area - which was quite serene - another time I cut down thru the forest to sit by a lake.  the weather was overcast and gloomy, so the lakes are all grey looking, but still they have a feeling of timeless - I guess because there is often no sign of humans - or at least just one rather rotting looking dinghy that's been abandoned forever!

I saw a black-throated diver on one lake.  they are a really beautiful bird and takes me back to my first visit to Sweden and it being the first water bird I saw then...  and today there were cranes and whooping swans in the paddocks of lush crops - so that helped the kms to slip past.

the dark blue-grey clouds decided to deliver what they had been promising all day, ie rain - but it was really quite light, just enough to blur my vision with wet specs.  I stopped on top of one of the hills and discussed the unfairness of weak legs, cold rain and generally have a whinge to 4 cows that politely listened to my story, then explained that - inte talar engelska - so I went on my way.  some of the cows have bells here - I just love that - takes me back to Heidi in the Swiss alps....

but eventually made it to Vimmerby - the hometown of Astrid Lingren, author of Pippi Longstocking and Emil and many other stories..   I found my lodgings for the night, Vimmerby B&B after swearing and cussing about the lack of street signs, but that's just a typical reaction to my arrival into a town!

btw Matias - do you remember the wooden sculptures (whittlings) we saw in Stockholm's art gallery?  apparently the guy lives in Oskarshamn and at one of the roundabouts was some of his work - haven't checked the photos, but will upload if they worked :)

goodbye Oskarshamn

chestnut tree in full bloom

Axel Petersson Döderhultarn  sculptures - but I think these might be a modern copy

a pleasant little stream

after this gushing little waterfall

interesting old storehouse - maybe not storing much now

Fika!!

I decided against a swim today

they hadn't seen Mama Moo for ages, they said....

maybe she was resting in this barn - it looks pretty old