Saturday night in Kristianstad was a very lively one; not for us but for quite a few customers at the pub just below our B&B. With ears plugged and pillow wrapped around we managed a fairly good night's sleep. Sunday morning was very quiet indeed and after a quick breakfast we began the longest stage of the tour.
First stop outside town was the beautifully built wetland information facility "Naturum" in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve called "Vattenriket". Close to downtown and a fine place to learn about the freshwater wetlands surrounding Kristianstad.
The father of Systema Naturae, Carl von Linné, was here too (in 1749), described the biodiversity and gave all the plants and animals Latin names.
Near Viby by lake Hammarsjön we encountered two families of White Storks frog-seeking in a meadow ...
... not far from Gustav Adolf's church built around 1100.
We then reached the town of Åhus which is formed around the mouth of Helgeå river as it flows into the Baltic Sea. Åhus itself has a very mixed beauty with a lot of architectural diversity, to put it politely.
This agricultural silo facility is definitely the least charming place in Åhus.
South of Åhus we biked 20 km in a friendly pine forest next to the coastline.
Midway we stopped for tea and knäckebröd and a refreshing dip in the Baltic Sea.
Dogs in Sweden have their own beach stretches, signposted at the appropriate places.
We then headed inland following an old railway right-of-way from Maglehem to Brösarp.
After shopping food in the village of Brösarp we headed for our B&B 7 km farther along the trail. The weather has been extremely pleasant all day and excellent for harvesting.
Today's stage turned out to be 72 km long. Around 4 p.m. we reached our B&B "Kuskahusen" which is situated in the midst of a nature reserve. We are having blueberry soup tonight so it is all very Swedish.
– – –
Tomorrow we'll be back on the coast visiting Kivik and ending the day in Simrishamn.
