travelogue: gotland, visby (part 1)

spending five days on gotland was everything i wanted and needed... long walks by the water, the light, and time with my guys. all of it, good for my soul.

visby

strolling through the town is delightful, every corner is picture perfect. lots of art and craft shopping is available in visby. akantus, h10 butik, c. jenson and idyllien are all a must visit. i am very happy with my finds, such a joy to find little gems on our travels to enjoy at home :)

a visit to visby must include a walk around visby's wall. ours was taken in the cold wind so we cut it short to stop into the crêperie och logi for brunch. this cozy spot is a local favourite and finally, on this third visit to the island, we finally ate here. i knew i loved galettes during my visits to paris and visby's version didn't disappoint - mushrooms, lots of garlic, arugula, and creme fraiche! the sweet crepes were delicious too whether a simple one with honey and brown sugar or one smothered in nutella. we ate here twice!

our other meals were also thoroughly enjoyed. bolget was a lovely surprise. french food mixed with gotland flavours - my meal was a mushroom stew, kai had steak and stefan enjoyed his choucroute.   

breakfasting at ett rum för resande cafe was the best decision. the overnight oats with apple and maple was so good, i even asked for seconds which delighted the owner. and, after a bite, i really wanted stefan's scrambled eggs with prosciutto sandwich. ett rum is best known for the pasta dishes so if you are visiting, please try the pasta for me.

our dinner at bakfickan, a popular fish restaurant located next to st. karin church ruin, was all about the swedish classics... stekt strömming, fisksoppa och rökta räkor - fried herring, fish soup, and smoked shrimp. it was actually an especially lovely night out with my boys filled with laughter.

gula huset is the place to go for the local saffron pancakes so we did just that! my boys had a good-looking apple pie. we whiled away time playing cards and eating even more pastries that the lovely owner gifted us. 

in town, we met a couple of feline locals. it's inevitable that cats should cross our path on our travels. we've met so many that i think i should write a post about our encounters!

if, like us, you have a pastry breakfast, we suggest walking it off by exploring the nearby pier. there's a teeny playground, if you love swings :)

an afternoon at selma's city spa was a highlight. after our treatments, a relaxing massage for stefan and a facial / head massage for me, kai joined us. together, the three of us enjoyed the gorgeous pool until our fingers were pruned. perfect after sitting in the sauna.

we also spent time in the apartment. with the sun setting at 3pm, we had long evenings to relax. we picked up provisions from the local supermatket and charcuterie from visby ost (the cheese shop). we played terraforming mars and watched movies - i highly recommend both the revenant and the making of the revenant. 

speaking of the apartment, while we didn't stay in hotel repet, the one i booked due to water leakage, donners hotel didn't disappoint. spacious, minimalist decor, big bathroom with a very nice shower and kitchenette too.

the night sky was amazing while we were there...

visby is lovely but there is so much more to gotland. we spent our days exploring the west coast, south and north of visby... and as we have come to expect of this beloved island, we weren't disappointed.

the west coast, just south of visby is next.