travelogue: skåne, sweden (part four, kullaberg's peninsula)

skåne is the southernmost county of sweden. in the five-plus years that we have been living in sweden, we heard so much about it. in particular, what a great place it is to visit for a summer vacation. so, with our trip to italy cancelled, we took a train westward, then rented a car exploring the coastline, big open pastures, and cozy cafés and restaurants. it was everything we've been told and didn't even think about italy. well, kindof :)

because i am writing this months and months later, i will stick to the highlights, short and sweet. next up, the kullaberg peninsula which includes the communities of hoganas, molle, and arlid!

place to stay:
* strandhotell in arild, a cute little village on the east side of the peninsula

* we arrived to a band playing jazz in the front yard, so we ordered some wine and enjoyed the music

* breakfast was delish with swedish favourites, egg and kalle (spreadable caviar), and liver paste on bread with pickles

* we walked each morning down to the habour and strolled the picturesque streets

places to shop:

* in höganäs, we went to bla hallen pop up, located in a huge old building, where there are so many gorgeous things to swoon over!

* between the hotel and höganäs, dunke design, a home furnishing shop, is worth a stop, the bottom three floors houses the shop and the top floor their home, it's gorgeous. while a vintage bottle opener followed us home, i am still thinking about their side table. the owner is lovely!

* hoganas saluhall, for food and home decor items, again, so many lovely items but i remember the local potato chips most, they're really, really good! the entire production chain – from planting the potatoes to frying and packing the chips - takes place a the farm nearby the saluhall! 

* at mölle krukmakeri, in mölle, yet another cute little village, you can buy pottery made on-site and also order one of their delish pizzas 

how to spend a sunny saturday:
* kullaberg's nimis hike takes you through the forest trail and then through a manmade trellis/mega hut system down to the beach designed by lars wilk, it was pretty cool. be warned, it's considered an 'artwork' so it may not be sturdy, wear good shoes and bring water! the hike back, uphill, was exhausting but there was fika at the end :)

* go to ransvik beach, swim and then lunch at their well-located restaurant right on the beach - fresh shrimp for me and salmon for my boys
* hike to the kullen västra lighthouse which meanders along the cliff with views of the ocean all the way through, and, if you are lucky, you'll meet some cows on the trail

* dinner in mölle at brandstation, the old firehouse, for burgers. it's the only thing on their menu and well worth it.

the perfect day with friends:
* our first stop with jenny, nils, and erik was at the kullabergs vingård for wine tasting and snacks. who knew skåne had wineries! it was a perfect setting and the pouring rain outside allowed us to linger even longer... so kai and i wowed our friends with our magic card trick ;)
* we strolled through the nearby garden grounds of krapperup castle where we came across a pet cemetry! it was all very beautiful.
* we ate dinner at holy smoke bbq of which i can say holy smoke, it is finger-licking good! kai and i had the pulled pork burger and corn on the cob while the others shared a tray of smoky goodness. it's one of kullabygden's most popular eateries so we were thankful for the rain that kept many away.

an afternoon date with the hubby:
* with kai hanging out at erik's house, stefan and i went kayaking in the skälderviken bay. paddling and swimming; it was lovely!
* lunch at flickorna lundgren was delish, i had to have their fish soup... i love fish soup! stefan had a decadent pancake stack with meat and berries and was pleasantly surprised with his coffee :)
* driving back down the coast, to pick up kai in helsingborg for the last leg of our holiday, we stopped at farhultsbaden for a nap (stefan) and a swedish dip (me)
* and lastly, a quick stopover in vikens havsbad for ice cream 

next up, part 5 ystad!

previous posts, part 3 lund and helsingborg, part 2 skanör-falsterbo, part 1 malmö