Beautiful days along Vättern's shore

This is part three of our gastronomic road trip, you can read part one here. here and part two here.

We left Hjortkvarn and beautiful Boo behind us and travelled further down towards Omberg. In the evening we found a place beyond the Omberg golf course where we parked for the night. If you pass the golf course, there is a very nice place with a bathing cliffs, barbecue areas and Stora Lund's nature reserve, which despite its name is a rather small, but beautiful area.

After being lulled to sleep by the strong wind, in the morning we were ready to explore Omberg. We started with a trip to Alvastra monastery ruins and then went on to Rökstenen. The monastery, which is from the 1100s, is surprisingly well preserved and it is possible to imagine how parts of the monastery may have looked in the past. There are signs posted in the area for visitors who are curious to learn more. An exciting place to visit.

If a 12th century monastery isn't old enough, the Rökstenen, erected in the 9th century and considered the longest runic inscription in the world, is not far away. The stone was erected by a man who wanted to honour the memory of his dead son, and although scholars today have been able to decipher the runes, the text contains a curious collection of poems, legends and elements that have given the Smoke Stone its mythical history. Nowadays there is a reasonably accepted interpretation, but new theories emerge from time to time in the media. There is also a permanent exhibition in the area with more information on the history of the stone and, of course, the text in its entirety.

At lunchtime we headed towards Borghamn where we actually intended to eat down the guest harbour, but there were so many people that we chose to move on. By chance, we stumbled upon a restaurant that just opened for the day and that we had not previously heard of. Gyllenhammar's restaurant turned out to be a small gem located in a house with a lot of carpenter's joy. They served a well-prepared three-course menu in a beautiful setting. I can really imagine how cosy it is to sit outside in their leafy garden in the summer.

So it was finally time for a hiking trip again. We stopped at Omberg Ecopark which is located in southern Omberg. What an area, you can stay here for a long time to discover all the trails and the varied nature. For those who do not want to camp, there are several places to stay, including a hostel that just got new owners. The hostel is in the middle of a major renovation so hopefully it will be in top condition by summer. Here you will also find Omberg's tourist hotel, a rich old tourist hotel that also has a really good restaurant. As we mentioned earlier regarding our tour, it was difficult to get the restaurant visits together during the Easter weekend and during the prevailing corona restrictions. This was one of the restaurants we actually intended to visit but they were unfortunately closed that day.

The ecopark has a number of good hiking trails and we chose Ellen Key's trail, just long enough for a short trip with its 6 km and with a reward halfway through as you also pass by Ellen Keys Beach. On this windy day it was nice to walk through the forest with the slope down to the water at a reasonably safe distance. However, it was warned not to go too close to the edge. Surely some bloggers have come too close to the edge in search of a good picture.

Along the way, the thirsty for knowledge could also enjoy reading quotes from Ellen Key, one of my favourites can be found above. The beautiful house with its fantastic location is usually open as a museum. Unfortunately, they have not opened for the season yet and it is unclear whether they will open this year at all. We therefore had to settle for the view from the garden, but it wasn't too bad either. After this little taste of the area around Omberg, we can really recommend a trip here.

We had planned to spend the night at Omberg but the strong wind made us move on instead. We returned to Borghamn where we found a place right by the water near Östgöta-Dals hembygdsgård. Hembygdsgårdar feels like a phenomenon from the past but this seems to be an active association with a lot of activities. It's easy to understand why. The farm has a beautiful waterfront park with several well-preserved buildings that they also rent out. A summer party here can be just about as good as it gets!

The evening offered a fantastic sunset and even though it was both cold and windy, we had a nice last evening on tour. Of course we celebrated the evening with some bubbly.

Finally, it was time to turn back home, but first we wanted to make one last stop. A few kilometres north of Motala is Håleberget Nature Reserve which felt just right for a break on the road. From the name you understand that it was a hilly hike and it was quite steep in places. However, it was well worth the effort when you got up the mountain and got to see the beautiful view. There are two trails in the area, the trail up the mountain is 2.1 km and the short trail that does not go up the mountain is 0.7 km. Both perfect for a short stop on the way.
Incidentally, Verner Von Heidenstam's home Övralid is also in the neighbourhood. A beautiful house located near the water with a nice café that is open in the summer.

This is the last of our posts about our gastronomic road trip. We had a fantastic week with many pleasant experiences of all kinds. Good food, beautiful nature and a cosy trip in our campervan. For those of you who haven't tried a campervan, do it! A different way to travel and a fun complement to hotels or tents. Renting also worked very smoothly.