We woke up and got on the coach to an island called Marstrand. We actually had to stop on the mainland just outside and get a 2 minute ferry across the river to the island as there is no bridge and no cars allowed on the island. Marstrand was by far my favourite stop of the trip, the history of the island is so interesting and it was fascinating to be with such a knowledgable guide in the form of Anthony, we walked the cobbled streets and he pointed out buildings and landmarks and explained how and why they were there. The island was originally classed as its own republic in the way that Monaco is now, so it was a haven for the rich and also for criminals. The island is hugely popular throughout Sweden as a summer holiday spot and the population rises from it's usual 2,000 to 10,000 between May and September.
After a walk around the whole island which took us about 35 minutes we went back to where the ferry had dropped us and we were met by Marcus and Nickolas who run RIB Events. A Rib is a 'reinforced inflatable boat' and we went out on the open sea, stood up in the boat at 70mph, dodging waves and islands and at one point even seals. I was so scared before we left as I'm not much of an adrenaline junkie but it was absolutely amazing and I would highly recommend it, the scenery was amazing and the ride was just superb.
We got off the Rib boat at a floating hotel and restaurant called the Salt & Sill (Sill being the Swedish term for pickled herring) it was great to be able to get straight from the boat to the restaurant with no other transfer time/cost (although we did make the place look a bit untidy as we were quite windswept!)
We ate pickled herring, drank Schnapps and generally lazed around on the roof terrace for a few hours before popping on the coach for another hour or so to another island called Lysekil where we had the best afternoon EVER.
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