On our way to our next campsite in Second Norway, we stopped in Lolland and spent a wonderful family day there. I had discovered this charming, family-friendly place during one of my holiday exploration trips and was immediately taken with it. We arrived at Lolland station, had a quick look around and then simply started walking.

A few basic facts about Lolland first:
Lolland is one of those places in Second Life that feels less like a carefully polished destination and more like a little world that has simply grown over time. Built around waterways, docks and an old harbour, it mixes worn industrial buildings with green corners, art, quirky little gathering places and unexpected details. There is a beach, a station, a cinema, a pub and plenty more to discover, but much of Lolland’s charm lies in the spaces in between — a boat tied up by the quay, an overgrown courtyard, colourful bunting between old walls or a piece of art where you least expect it.

LANDMARK: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sakura/157/224/23

There is also a community behind the place. Lolland has its own Second Life photo group, where residents and visitors share everything from landscapes and town scenes to events and everyday moments. Perhaps that is why it doesn’t feel like a sim built merely to be looked at. It feels lived in — a little untidy in places, wonderfully individual, and full of things that make you want to turn the next corner.

All of that sounds very much like the sort of place that would give our little rabble plenty of opportunities to go exploring, spend some relaxed time together as a family and keep our children happily entertained.

The first one to accomplish that, of all creatures, was a donkey. I’m not kidding. On our way into town, we passed through a more rural part of Lolland, with farm animals and the aforementioned donkey.

Villie was so fascinated by the friendly fellow that she had absolutely no intention of moving on.

Given the chance, she would probably have crawled straight through the fence to spend more time with her new best friend.

Liv regarded the whole situation rather more suspiciously, but then the donkey was enormous from her point of view, so her reluctance was understandable.

Somehow, we managed to lure Villie away from the fence and set off on a long walk through town.

Lolland has been created with an incredible amount of attention to detail. Rural little corners give way to areas of carefully arranged chaos, a small harbour sits alongside more urban spaces, and there are playgrounds, cafés and picnic spots scattered throughout. Everything feels original and as though it has grown naturally over time — a little bit bohemian meets amusement park, and absolutely lovely.

We felt at home almost immediately and ended up staying for quite a while. During my earlier exploration trip, I had even come across a little show where children could join in and dance. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one happening when we visited with the kids, but that certainly didn’t spoil our impression of the place.

There was a little market down by the harbour, which I personally found rather difficult to leave behind. Our children, however, can be extremely persuasive. I will say no more without my lawyer present.

A stop at a small playground gave us parents the chance to catch our breath for a while, feed Henry and watch the girls play.

Naturally, we had brought provisions with us, so we happily wasted away lunchtime there in the lovely weather. Henry soon fell fast asleep again, and I’m fairly sure even Mike closed his eyes for a little while.

Eventually we moved on, because the girls had spotted a fairground from quite some distance away and were determined to get there. When we arrived, the Ferris wheel turned out to be a little too adventurous after all, but the aeroplane carousel was apparently within acceptable limits.

Villie even took the donut she had just bought at one of the stalls onto the ride with her. Mama already had the sick bag on standby…

But our eldest daughter demonstrated a remarkable resistance to fairground rides, and the bag remained unused.

She even went on the chair-o-planes with Daddy afterwards.

Eventually the girls had had enough, and we ambled on towards the beach. The afternoon was slowly drawing to a close, and we made one more brief stop at a viewpoint, where Mike naturally couldn’t resist having a look through the telescope.

What exactly he saw, he never told us. Coincidence? I think not.

A few steps led us down to a really lovely family beach with blankets and beach towels laid out. We promptly claimed one for ourselves and settled down for a little family picnic. Henry insisted that it was time for his afternoon meal and then spent quite some time looking around with great interest. He also made friends with a cat, who joined us as though she had been part of the family all along.

By then, we had reached the point where all of us were thoroughly exhausted, so we packed up everything — children included — and headed off towards our next holiday home.

But that, once again, is another story.

Stay tuned for Part 4!