Medevi Brunn just 10 minutes north of Motala is the site of Scandinavia’s oldest spa. People have been coming to drink the water from the natural springs there for thousands of years. It is full of minerals and flows from the south towards the north, which is supposed to make it extra special. Countless people have lost weight here, drinking water, eating porridge and taking walks. We drank the water and tried out the oldest bowling hall in Sweden.
Vätterviksbadet is 15 minutes south of Motala. The water doesn’t look that great when you step in, but if you wade out a bit it gets deep with hard packed sandy bottom. It is an open spot, so it feels a little like being at the seaside.
Just a few minutes farther south lies Vadstena, perfect for an ice-cream and a stroll. Vadstena is so very, very, pretty, we could walk around there all day.
August and the sun came back with a vengence. Over 25 degrees and the only place to be is in the water. We’ve been testing lots of swimming places- Twenty minutes north of Motala on RV 50 lies Hargebaden, which combines swimming in Vättern with a warmed up pool and slide. Fun!
Vadstena is such a pretty little town.
We had some nice fika at a local café and then walked along Lake Vättern to the castle. The castle is surrounded by a square moat. Everything is frozen now!
Another great stop on RV50 is Vätternrummet. It’s small, unstaffed (and free!) but once inside, wow! Lots of things to look at, touch and discover. Aquariums full of fish, that are also presented in beautiful hand-carved wooden pieces. One aquarium you can crawl under and up into, sticking up your head in a sunken divers helmet. Folder & map to Vätternrummet. After you pass Vätternrummet you have another 40 minutes to our home.
Just south of Motala is an area with lots of medieval history. It’s a rich area: great soil, lakes full of fish and birds. Yesterday we visited the Cloister ruins at Alvastra. The cloister was founded in 1143.
The ruins were really fascinating. Panorama view of the cloister ruins (click on PLAY and then the small munks to get a view of the ruin where the munk is standing).
We also went hiking for a few hours on Omberg, a small mountain that sticks up along the lake (the cloister ruin is on the south side of the mountain). Today the mountain is mostly a large nature park. Beech trees grow there (they don’t grow farther north than here). I love being in a beech wood in spring! Here is a picture of Ingrid and her uncle Stefan outside the office of the park:
Places to see on RV50 along Vättern.
