Ystad is a regular stopover for us when traveling to and from Sweden. It is of course famous as the setting for multiple murder mysteries, solved by Inspector Kurt Wallander, and is a pretty Hanseatic town, full of cobbled streets and little rows of brick and wooden cottages.
The Harbour wall has some berthing alongside, and it makes a good place to engage in conversation with the locals passing by.
We had a lovely time chatting to ex-submarine commander Lars Jeppson, who was also the lighthouse keeper here in Ystad. Now he has Parkinson’s disease, and has retired. A very interesting man, with a career history as an engineer ensuring Sweden’s submarine fleet was among the world’s best.
Among many topics, the conversation turned to the situation in Ukraine, and to Sweden and Finland’s likely decision to join NATO after decades, or centuries in Sweden’s case, of neutrality.
For a naval commander, the threat from Russia was never too far away. It seems that the Baltic Sea has always had a frisson of East-West friction, and it is only more likely now to be more obvious.
There is certainly the sound of fighter jets patrolling the air for Russian sorties across country borders.
What a lovely harbour for you to have as a regular port of call. Very pretty, and I’ll look out for it next time I watch the crime series.
It’s just a bit like Midsomer Murders, constant troubles in a pretty spot!
Hope you are continuing to have fair weather.