The first contact we establish with things is through the image, and sometimes the first emotions come from surfaces. Upon seeing the Fabriken Furillen, on the northern peninsula of Gotland, we are enchanted and moved. In an abandoned land, a former mining quarry, in the north of the north, man has created hospitality and poetry. Facing the sea, with the forest behind. As soon as you get out of your car you feel the desire to stay. You want to take in all that is around you: the sea, the craggy limestone formations and the myriad shades of grey. You sense the perfection of nature and the skill of man, so brave to bet on such a wild untamed land. You find the secluded pier, the path among the trees, and you imagine the narrow beach behind them. You wish you were one of those blond kids playing with pebbles so that you would have discovered this place years ago or one of those trees among which the kids are playing as they don’t have any other option than to stay. The check-in is quick. You don’t need any documents, just smiles, theirs and ours. -It’s not been easy to get here. The sat-nav couldn’t find the address-.-Of course, it’s because this place doesn’t exist-.
You can borrow one of the solid bicycles made available to the guests and go for a short adventure in the surrounding area. Kids are entertained by a rocking horse at the entrance. The sun starts going down and the sky becomes opaque. In the restaurant, lanterns are shimmering next to the plates, the waiters wearing long anthracite aprons take superb dishes to the tables with a smile on their face, lamps made of tulle hang from the ceiling. Your meal starts with “whipped butter” to spread on crunchy thin bread. The fish of the day is served on thick ceramic bowls the same colour of the aprons and it comes with pink prawns, potatoes with skin, stewed turnips, veils of radish, horseradish and eggs from the henhouse opposite the beach. Our room is called “studio” but is big enough for a