Day 23: Past lakes and forests to Rimforsa

I had a quick look around town - there was a market happening in the Stor Torget and it was just like Yungaburra Markets, but without the local farmers and their fruit and veg...  took me right back! - I pedalled out to Astrid Lingren's Varld - ie amusement park based on the stories by Astrid Lingren of course - and Pippi Longstocking...  but the queue was so long and the price was too high for just a quick look around,  so I decided to head off on my way to Rimforsa.

today I trusted the SverigeLeden signs and they took me exactly where I wanted to go this time.  hardly any time on the main roads, just small and sealed roads winding through farmlands and thru the typical Sverige forests of pine, birch and still oak and sycamore...  still heaps of wildflowers and I saw again today several patches of lily of the valley....  ahhh....  the hedges around most of the farm houses has lilac and the flowers are blooming in their purples, maroon, pink and white and the perfume is really quite lovely!

and there were lakes today too...  riding along a road with a lake at its edge is really very nice.  but there were some ridges to ride up, but Ms Google told me they would settle down after the first half of the ride.  One grind took me up to Djursala and the farm lands there were up the side of the hills with cows stuck half way up - also reminded me of Malanda - so a bit of FNQ day today...  really pretty country here...

I had told myself not to stress about the hills today and just take it easy and this is what I did - and it ended up being a really pleasant ride.  the weather was cool and it did rain later in the afternoon.  still a bit of juggle getting the right amount of layers - but grinding up the hills makes me hot, then the wind chill factor coming down freezes me ears and makes me eyes run....  just can't get it right!!

it started to lightly rain just out of Rimforsa, but not enough to stop and put on all the wet weather gear.  I stopped at a Gamla Kyrka - ie old Church - but I think there were some recent renovations.  it did have a real chill in the building but it was really calming.  Particularly like the WC in a little house out the back - my first visit to a Combustion toilet - will post the instructions fyi later.

arriving into Rimforsa is really pretty, its on a lake and was feeling rather chilly, damp and tired but found my lodgings for the night no worries... But wait - there's no one here, no key for me in the letter box,  so a few phone calls to various numbers only revealed recorded messages and wah???  my swedish lessons weren't long enough...  so I opened the envelope for the other person and found another phone number and eventually, a guy turns up, gives me a key, takes my money and just under an hour later I am in my room....  I have had some really easy to find places and then again, not so easy... this was one of them....  was a bit miffed because I thought I would be staying in a rather grand mansion - but ended up in a comfortable but felt like an old folks home - institutional No 1...  so yeah, the cranky Chris showed up for awhile....

so here are some photos - but there won't be any canola pics - saw only one paddock and it was not in full flower!!  how far north have I come !!

tables set up ready for the buyers to arrive

Astrid Lingren's World - entry gate - I hadn't got to the end of the queue to buy a tick
so I quit....

Trying to see inside without a ticket - failed

again, peering over the tall fence - failed again!!!

one of the many beautiful lakes

with a beautiful barn close by

can you get more Swedish than this??

Farmlands at Djursala - beautiful country here even tho there are hills

and a beautiful house to live in

Lupins!!!!

so now we are in timber country and the bell tower is all timber apart from the bel

and the church walls are clad in timber shingles - beautifully designed

but boohoo!!  the door was locked - wished I could have a squiss inside

into the forest for lunch - away from the traffic - peaceful...

nooo...  I don't think its a face - or???

I thought this would be a bridge, but it was a causeway - crossing a large
lake system

nice place to launch a kayak

Gamla kyrka

loved the contemporary design of the pews - or are they old?

a beautiful view from the graveyard

and the combustion toilet with instructions as promised