july-2011

MILAN (BERGAMO) | PARIS (BEAUVAIS) | PISA (FLORENCE) | ROME (CIAMPINO) | TRAPANI | VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
feel the pinch
Johan at work
Inspecting our fresh haul
Our writer serves himself
when he’s on his boat, hauling crabs, mackerel,
lobster and shrimp onto the deck. He throws
out salmon as bait, lowers a cage attached
to a 40m rope, waits a few minutes, and then
wheels it up triumphantly. Every 10 minutes,
another 10 crabs appear. It all seems too easy.
Johan grapples like a wrestler with his catch
and skilfully deactivates the crab’s desperate
clawing. Not to be outdone, I reach to grab
a crab by its shell. “It’ll take your fingers off!”
screams the fisherman, showing me the scars
on his arms. “When a crab attacks, you have
to wait until it let’s go,” he warns. “If you try to
pull it off, it’ll clamp harder.”
With our work done, we take a leisurely
cruise past rugged, rocky landscapes; tiny
islands inhabited only by horned goats. Back on
dry land, we follow our bounty to the Ekenäs
kitchen, where a team bakes bread, sautés
scallops, roasts lamb and, upon seeing our
catch, boils water in gigantic pots. The crabs
re-emerge on a platter; a mass tangle of claws
jostling for space with shrimps, mussels, cockles
and oysters, all caught that same day.
By the time we’ve prized every speck
of meat from every pincer it’s gone 10pm,
although there’s still enough sunlight for a
bike ride. With no cars on the Koster islands
– the ferries aren’t big enough and the roads
aren’t wide enough – it’s the main mode of
water bed
Floating hotel Salt &
Sill will look after your
herring, fl oating and
sauna needs
Where to
stay
GOTHENBURG:
CLARION COLLECTION
HOTEL ODIN
Sweden’s second city
is the gateway to the
west coast, and you
may want to spend a
night here on arrival. We
highly recommend the
Hotel Odin, conveniently
located next to the train
station. The restaurant,
you’ll be relieved to
discover, does an
excellent seafood soup.
TEL: +46 (0)31 745 2200,
WWW.HOTELODIN.SE
KLÄDESHOLMEN:
SALT & SILL
“Salt & Herring” in
English, the world’s fi rst
herring-themed hotel
also fl oats and boasts
Sweden’s fastest sauna.
If you’re into herring,
saunas or, erm, fl oating,
it’s the place to go.
TEL: +46 (0)304 673480,
WWW.SALTOSILL.SE
SOUTH KOSTER:
EKENÄS
There’s only one hotel on
South Koster island but
it’s a good one. A range of
bedrooms are available
to suit all budgets, from
small cabins to spacious
suites.
TEL: +46 (0)526 20250,
WWW.SYDKOSTER.SE
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