utö, one of thousands of islands in the stockholm archipelago, is in the southern end and easy to get to without a car. many of the islands are an oasis for a summer home, swedish flag swaying in the breeze. we chose utö because the weinstein family wanted to cycle and having visit the island before (take a peek here), we knew it would be ideal to ride around.
after an early morning departure to catch the train/bus, in just over an hour, by boat, we arrived in the marina with its cute little red buildings, just as i remembered it. we settled at the bakery with tea and pastries - kardemummbulle and sockerbulle - on the lawn and enjoyed the warm sun.
we put our gear into our bike baskets and rode off down the main road that was flanked by forest on one side and the island's edge on the other. falu red houses dotted the landscape. there were cows to visit with. and, much to kai's delight, one of the military bases was open and he found some souvenirs to bring home.
the roads weren't as flat as i remembered them to be so it was a challenge for some of us (yes, i was one of them but at least i had some company).
our first stop was the beach, alostora sand, on the southern end of the island. some of us took naps, others played in the sand or wandered off to explore. it was a lovely spot.
after resting at the beach, we stopped for lunch at batshaket - a hut serving smoked fish and shrimp. i was looking forward to this meal. love everything about it!
with bellies full (except for jason's belly, he doesn't eat smoked fish) we climbed back onto our bikes to find a swimming spot. well, a swimming spot for the kiddos... the water was cold.
the middle of the island is owned by the military and when we visited last year, much of the interior was accessible, we could meander in the forests but this time they were off limits with many side roads closed off, including the beach we wanted to visit. instead, we stopped at the same little beach we did the year before...
i hope this one day allowed the weinsteins to experience a little adventure into the heart of sweden's summer lifestyle. nothing fancy, simple forests and water... i'd happily spend a week here.
next on the weinstein itinerary was to visit some picturesque towns... click here to see our time in mariefred, sigtuna & värmdö.
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