So, it has been a long wait... But I can assure you this post would be worthwhile. :D
Well... Shelling has never been this ethereal, surrounded with beautiful scenery, cool, sunny weather and a whole load of unique shells. Yes, I went to SWEDEN! Yes, that's where your IKEA, VOLVO and ABBA hails from! As my school has an unique programmes called the GAP SEMESTER (Do check out
www.gapsemester.ri.edu.sg for more information!), I was one of the fortunate few to actually embark on a 13-day Environmental Studies Programme! And I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it! Essentially, we explored 3 different locations: Linkoping, Hyltebruk and Goteborg (That's when the shelling comes in!) So without further a do, here's a narrative of how that whole North Sea Shelling Expedition started... :)
So, here we are, on an island. These islands were formed when the ice from the Ice Age retreated. As such, the foundation of these island are generally formed with granite. In total, 10 islands form this archipelago, called the Northern Island Archipelago (I heard that there's a Southern Island Archipelago but... :/) Point to note, look at the pristine quality of the water.
A scenery so beautiful, and a photo almost suitable for a postcard...
The typical white-walled-red-roofed houses throughout the Scandinavian shore. All island towns within the archipelago are situated on the eastern shore of the island. Why? To avoid the cold nd harsh wind from the North Sea... :)
So, we arrive on the island of Rörö (Pronounced 'Rerrer', with a falling and rising tone for the first and second syllable respectively) where our island hike would take place. Apparently, sandy shores are a rarity among the islands so were considered lucky to have been to one of these. :) Rörö itself is the northernmost island in the archipelago, and also one of the smallest. We had a quick bite here. (Warm, delicious butter rolls)...
And we begin, a journey through along the island's coast...
Rocks... Rocks and MORE ROCKS!
This is interesting. During the Ice Age, the retreating ice brought a huge load of stones and pebbles to the western shore of this island. In addition, over thousands of years, the colliding rocks eventually developed a smooth, rounded surface. Just so you readers know, nearly ALL the rocks have a smooth, rounded surface.
As we hike along the huge granite mounds, we eventually stop for a lunch break, were I managed to take a photo of the stunning scenery... Gorgeous
And a rock pool! Wonder what's inside... ;D
Of course, SNAILS! These are a mixture of ROUGH PERIWINKLES and COMMON PERIWINKLES! These were pretty common throughout the coast...
and a sneaky little crab...
There were LOADS of Algae. Here are just some of the common red algae...
Jellyfishing!!! XP
Just a picture of the wrackline... By the way, BLUE MUSSELS were found scattered in huge numbers all over the shore.
Red Algae...
It tickles! Trying to find my balance on this algae covered boulder... The water was FREEZING (Well, in comparison with those in Singapore) Our tour guide was thoroughly enjoying the "as they deemed' warm water...
Now were on the eastern shore. The sea is much less active and choppy. Wave action is minimal...
COMMON PERIWINKLES...
Not too sure what this algae is... Anyone can help?
and a final portrait of these lovely, tiny creatures... :) So, below are all the finds from the trip!
ett: The ROUGH PERIWINKLE. These were the most common gastropods along the coast...
två: COMMON PERIWINKLE. Had a hard time trying to identify these...
tre: the vibrant and colourful SMOOTH PERIWINKLE... There were many hues of orange around. There's even a brown variant in the middle!
fyra: This is unusual. Most of the time, my shelling is restricted to the coast. But this time, I actually managed to find these beautiful pieces high up on the cliff, in the bushes. Yes, these are the WHITE LIPPED SNAIL. Commonly confused with a similar looking specie, this is a specie with high shell design variance. (Scientific Name: Cepaea hortensis)
fem: DOG WHELKS! These are classified under the family MURICIDAE (Yea, the ones with purple tanning spit and stuff...)
sex: NETTED WHELK... Only had 2 of these for this trip, which is a shame...
sju: The COMMON EUROPEAN COCKLE. Sadly, I did not manage to pick up any double valved specimens... :(
åtta: Last but not least (In fact, these were the most common shells along the coast), BLUE MUSSELS! I had some of these while at the Pizza Place.
All in all, Sweden is the perfect country. Beautiful summer weather, breath-taking scenery and lovely people. Shelling in Sweden isn't all about finding the most species of seashells (as in the case of most Asiatic nations), but instead, finding the best of the best along every single coast. With that, this is the end of my blog post! :)
