Serendipity

FINALLY. 

We got the day that we had been saving the prosecco for. The sun came out and we had a morning walk around Bovallstrand, a very nice little town with bridges connecting a few small islands and rigged up as a swimming spot, complete with changing rooms and toilets. We went to the grocery store and bought some shrimp, the classic nice Norwegian summer day dinner. So, we got a late start but the rest of the day was spent on the boat in sunny weather, still colder than we would have liked but it really does seem that we used up the good weather in Scandinavia in May this year. So, not exactly a SMEIGEDAG in the Southern Norwegian sense of warm. sunny and perfect - but as close as we can get to an occasion for limoncello spritzes and shrimp. Not close enough for the "Perfect Day" playlist I made on Spotify. I am still hoping for an occasion.

We went through the "Söta Canal" (Sweet Canal - which absolutely lived up to the name) and then started looking for places to try to dock for the night. We could already see that tomorrow was going to be bad weather and we will be yet another day delayed getting to the start of the Göta Canal, which is still our main destination. 

When looking for harbors, electricity is usually essential for us. Yesterday the wind was against us and the current was strong going through the canal, so we used a lot of power. We were also looking for a place with laundry facilities, and ideally also a wine shop. We use the Harbour Guide app to read descriptions of the nearby ports, their facilities, number of berths and possibilities to pre-book. So far, we have not been able to pre-book anything because we simply cannot plan far enough in advance to get a spot. We decided on three possibilities and tried "Gullholmen" first.  In the Harbour Guide, pretty much every harbor is described as "charming", "picturesque" or "cozy" and there are hundreds of them. So we were completely unprepared for the perfection that is Gullholmen. And I find my words falling short as well.

Circling around the island to get into port, the old wooden buildings built right up to the edge all have little wooden signs over the doors with cute little names. Some of the doors are open and you can see into old wooden living rooms with old wooden tables and chairs. Each with its own charm. It looks like a storybook. And yesterday it also looked very, very full. We made a swing into the marina to look for a spot and just continued turning to head out when the harbor hostess called to us, "Are you looking for a place for tonight?" "Yes," we responded. She signaled to us to dock alongside the pier and helped us dock in the spot usually reserved for the garbage removal boat. "He's not coming until Friday," she said, "so you can have it until then." YES. This is the kind of harbor host I like! We were docked right next to the bathrooms and shower. Bonus. (You might think that it's not so nice to be right by the facilities, but I assure you it is when the shower on your boat is not working.) 

We took a walk around the island and tried to figure out the "Systembolaget ombud" while I put our icemaker to work. Remember back in the start of this trip when I said I might get back to a full post on the wine monopoly in Norway? It's time for that now. We are about to drink our last bottle of procecco. I only bought two.

Back on the boat, we had a limoncello spritz and shrimp sandwiches.

I am blown away by how you can leave one great port, not have any idea where you are going to spend the next night and then end up with a surprise like Gullholmen. Not a bad place to be while waiting out yet another storm, this one with lightning and thunder. 

We have a "time warp" video from the bow of the boat uploaded to our YouTube channel here. It is a six hour trip compressed to 42 minutes.