kalmstrom.com has its headquarters on an island just off the Swedish sound-eastern coast: Öland. My parents, Kate and Sigge, also have their permanent home here, so I will let Kate tell you more about Öland and the international reward recently given to "our" island.
Among all islands in the world, the well-known American travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler has chosen 30 that they especially recommend for a visit. I am amazed that our little island so far from the U.S. has been included in the list as number 20, right after the Maldives.
Öland is a paradise for the Kalmström family, but before learning about this reward I did not understand its international attraction.
This is the Condé Nast Traveler motivation for recommending Öland as a premier island to visit.
"A vacation spot for Sweden’s royal family, this island in the Baltic Sea is a popular summer getaway for commoners, too. Here you’ll find pretty beaches, dramatic limestone outcroppings, fairy-tale forests, and hundreds of antique windmills. The whole southern portion of the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its well-preserved farming settlement.Pro tip: Öland is brimming with historical sites, from the prehistoric standing stones at Gettlinge to the medieval ring fort of Eketorp. There’s also Borgholms slott, the ruins of a 12th-century castle ravaged by a 19th-century fire.
Getting there: Just off of mainland Sweden, the island is accessible by car or bus via the Öland Bridge."
More info about Öland
I could write a book about our beloved island, but instead I will finish this post with a few tips on further information about Öland. Wikipedia of course has an article, and the Öland tourist authorities have a site in English. If you search this blog for Öland or Oland, I am sure you will find some additional information too!
For many years I was a teacher of Swedish for immigrants, and I have written textbooks about my subject. These books were the base when the kalmstrom.com team created a website with rules and guidelines for Swedish grammar and word formation.
The grammar site has many pages, and there is a photo from a Swedish landscape on each of them. Not all of the photos are from Öland, but many are! You can also find some of the photos accompanied by Swedish music on the Swedish grammar playlist on YouTube.
The very best is of course to visit Öland! And if you visit several times it will never be the same, because Öland has something that most of the other island on the list do not have: distinct seasons.
The spring is beautiful with a multitude of wild flowers, and the autumn is mild thanks to the surrounding sea.
The Öland summer is sunny, hectic and crowded, and if you like that you should come in July. Or do you want solitude? Why not visit Öland in the winter and experience its hash and windy wildness?
Each season has its own magic on the island where we have the privilege to live and work.
Kate Kalmström
Sales and Marketing
kalmstrom.com
Business Solutions
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