Start: Halmstad
Finish: Steninge
Distance: 12
Total: 2019
I never know what I’m getting myself into from one day to the next. My walking today was pretty straight forward, though it was in the rain, but my lodging experience tonight is one for the record books.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was suppose to walk 25 miles to Falkenberg today, but because of the weather and the fact that I’m two days ahead, I found a place to stay about halfway between Halmstad and Falkenberg so I wouldn’t have to be in the rain longer than need be.
I got out the door at 9:30 after waiting as long as I could stand it for the rain to let up. There was a brief lull in the downpour, but I didn’t make it 10 minutes down the road before it started raining steady again. That’s how the day went, off and on downpours followed by short breaks. Luckily, it only takes me four hours to walk 12 miles so it wasn’t too bad. When I got within an hour of my destination, there was a small town with a supermarket, so I went in and had some lunch and got out of the weather for a little while. I made it to Steninge, which is right on the North Sea Coast at 2:00. I really had no idea what to expect regarding where I’m staying tonight, but it’s quite interesting, to say the least.
Tonight’s accommodations are at the Steninge Kuststation. In English Kuststation means coastal station. It’s directly across the road from the “beach.” When I arrived, I was met by Catarina Arvidsson, the owner and operator. Her business card says “Upplevelser, Mat, & Boende Vid Havet”; translated “Experience food and living by the sea.” So this is somewhat of a bed & breakfast, Swedish style. Catarina does all the cooking with one helper. She’ll cook dinner tonight for the guests who want to eat here, and breakfast tomorrow. There looks to be 10-12 bedrooms, but the water closets (bathrooms and showers) are down the hall and shared. There are several common areas where you can sit around with the other guests and drink coffee or tea and talk. Of particular interest to me was something I’d never seen before; as you come in the door from outside, there is a vacuum looking contraption on the wall that is actually a shoe dryer. There’s also a glove and socks dryer right beside it. Needless to say, my soaking wet shoes are on the dryer right now. Catarina tried to describe what’s for dinner tonight, but she totally lost me when she started talking about cabbage, beets, roasted artichokes and vegetarian burritos. Anyway, it’s an awesome experience and quite a change from your standard downtown hotel.
Tomorrow it’s suppose to rain all day, just like today. But that won’t keep me from my appointed mission; walk 14 miles up the coast to Falkenberg. I hope everyone’s weekend is going well. Mine is. JB.
