Stora Karlsö
Over lunch on the Lido Deck and with the central Baltic island of Gotland to starboard, we approached the two island gems of Stora Karlsö and Lille Karlsö. All three islands belong to Sweden and Stora Karlsö has the distinction of being the second oldest national protected area in the world, after Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Home to the Baltic Sea's most significant sea bird colonies, it was purchased from the Swedish Crown in 1887 by the visionary naturalist Willy Wöhler; early on the guided walking tour of the island, we were shown a bronze plaque commemorating him set onto the limestone cliffs. We had arrived at the height of the Spring flower season. With swathes of wild garlic in the shade of the cliffs and the characteristic limestone flora on the island plateau, the island was a riot of color. Beyond the historic lighthouse were dramatic limestone cliffs that housed guillemots and razorbills on their ledges, active in their breeding season. Eider ducks and scoters were visible in the sea below.
The island has been inhabited since prehistoric times and a number of artifacts from the stone age were on display in the local museum together with an excellent collection of natural history exhibits. The café sold gray sheepskins from the island's sheep, a breed that goes back to the earliest domestication of livestock in the neolithic period. Before warming themselves with a cup of strong Swedish coffee, a few brave souls joined the hardy historians for a quick dip in an unseasonably cool Baltic, the temperature according to the ship's Captain being 57 degrees. The warm sunshine of the day somehow accentuated the coolness of the water. Bracing and appetite-whetting was the general verdict - the latter never a bad thing for Sea Cloud II!
Over lunch on the Lido Deck and with the central Baltic island of Gotland to starboard, we approached the two island gems of Stora Karlsö and Lille Karlsö. All three islands belong to Sweden and Stora Karlsö has the distinction of being the second oldest national protected area in the world, after Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Home to the Baltic Sea's most significant sea bird colonies, it was purchased from the Swedish Crown in 1887 by the visionary naturalist Willy Wöhler; early on the guided walking tour of the island, we were shown a bronze plaque commemorating him set onto the limestone cliffs. We had arrived at the height of the Spring flower season. With swathes of wild garlic in the shade of the cliffs and the characteristic limestone flora on the island plateau, the island was a riot of color. Beyond the historic lighthouse were dramatic limestone cliffs that housed guillemots and razorbills on their ledges, active in their breeding season. Eider ducks and scoters were visible in the sea below.
The island has been inhabited since prehistoric times and a number of artifacts from the stone age were on display in the local museum together with an excellent collection of natural history exhibits. The café sold gray sheepskins from the island's sheep, a breed that goes back to the earliest domestication of livestock in the neolithic period. Before warming themselves with a cup of strong Swedish coffee, a few brave souls joined the hardy historians for a quick dip in an unseasonably cool Baltic, the temperature according to the ship's Captain being 57 degrees. The warm sunshine of the day somehow accentuated the coolness of the water. Bracing and appetite-whetting was the general verdict - the latter never a bad thing for Sea Cloud II!
