Start of holiday with caves and caves

We have an idea that it is good to kick off the holiday with a little trip. This summer we chose Gotland and Visby, a nice mix of history and good restaurants. A perfect combo for Rendahls. We're not much for high life and roasters, so we chose to go between the Almedal Week and the Medieval Week. Since we took the train and ferry, we didn't have access to a car, which limited the journey somewhat, but inside Visby there are plenty of bike rental companies so we could get a bit outside the ring wall anyway.

For the hungry, there is plenty to eat and drink in Visby. However, the recommendation is to book a table in advance. We hadn't booked anything before we went, so sometimes we had to eat at slightly odd times, but it worked out well. If there are only two people, it is often possible to solve it as well. Among other things, we visited Supper which is always good, you probably recognize the name from Stockholm and Åre where they also have restaurants. Henrik, who is childishly fond of pancakes, also wanted to take me to a crêperie he had read about. We probably stood in line for about half an hour before we got a place for lunch at Crêperie & Logi. However, it was well worth the wait. They had amazing food crêpes and it was with a slight sigh that we left, too full to munch on a dessert crêpe as well. It will simply have to be another time. For those who are just craving a coffee, there is cozy Fiket Österport right by the ring wall, or why not have a coffee in the garden by the Gula House?

In addition to looking around inside Visby, we also ventured a bit outside the city. Among other things, we cycled south towards Högklint, a nature reserve with a fantastic vantage point. Apparently, it's also a popular venue for weddings, something we quickly realized when we were almost crammed into the middle of the wedding bowl. Högklint has an exciting nature where the sea has hollowed out several caves in the rock, for example there is a cave that was once used as a hiding place for thieves. The cliff also has a rock ledge known as the Goat Hunger, because grazing goats went down on the ledge in search of the juiciest grass, unfortunately they couldn't get back up and eventually starved to death down on the ledge.

We also pedaled the good mile north to the Lummelunda cave, where we both got to go down into a real cave and heard the exciting story of its discovery. The cave has been known since the time of Linnaeus, but it was only when three curious boys made their own expeditions in the late 1940s that the entire cave was discovered. When the boys' discovery became known, it was told about a researcher from the big city who would take over the expedition. The happy life in Stockholm as a more theoretically oriented speleologist had, however, led to a body shape ill-suited for practical cave research and the researcher was thus put on a diet. After completing the diet, the researcher is said to have headed for Gotland and the Lummelunda Cave and there brazenly took credit for the discovery. Today, however, the three boys are recognized as the real discoverers of Lummelunda Cave and the visit to the cave revolves around their story.

No bike ride can pass without a food stop and we managed to have both lunch at Krusmyntagården on the way there and a coffee at Själsö bakery on the way home. Krusmyntagården is incredibly beautiful along the coast and has a nice garden, but was mostly experienced as a rather impersonal story with a focus on commerce. Commerce also prevailed on Själsö, but then rather in the form of admirable efficiency. A nice stop on the way during our bike tour.

Back in Visby, we had heard about a cozy walking path called Kärleksstigen. It sounded cute and should be explored, we thought. We found a beautiful and magical path with ivy covering the trees. Here we were also faced with a choice, which path should we choose?

Four days in Visby felt like enough to discover the city and its surroundings. Next time we visit Gotland, we will instead travel around a bit. Visby is beautiful but actually quite a bit of a tourist trap. The more genuine Gotland can certainly be found beyond the ring wall.