Coming full circle
From Stockholm, we made our way south and stayed right next to the ruins of a little church close to Kronobäck, before crossing the 6km long Öland Bridge to the island of the same name the following morning. Öland is the second largest island in Sweden, after Gotland. It is 140km long but only 16km wide at the broadest expanse. It was settled as early as 8000BC by hunter-gatherers from the mainland, crossing the ice in winter. Easier to get to Öland today than it was in the old days There are several Iron Age burial grounds scattered around the island, as well as some 150 flour mills. There used to be around 1700 of them in the early 19th Century. Much of the island is still farmland, with fertile plains aided by the mild and sunny weather during summer. Gettlinge grave field At the northern and southern extend of the island you can find lighthouses, "Long Erik" and "Long Jan". While the northern tip is taken up by the Ottenby Nature Reserve, known for the gnarled ...