Saturday, June 29, 2013, Stockholm, Sweden

Saturday, June 29, 2013, Stockholm, Sweden

The day began with mimosas on the balcony as we made our way through an archipelago of 24,000 islands and islets. This is another popular area for holidays and there are about 50,000 summer homes and chalets along the way. There were these great little gazebos on some of the properties, and some of the little islets had only one summer home; just imagine spending the weekends in these beautiful places! It took us three hours to make it through the distance and it was an amazing, relaxing time.

We went into Gamia Stan which is the oldest part of Stockholm. The narrow cobblestone streets were lined with beautiful buildings dating back to the 14th century. We learned that Stockholm actually spans 14 islands, from the very tiny to larger islands. There are 57 bridges to connect these islands. We had lunch and continued our beers of the Baltic's tour at this little restaurant/bar in the square. The open faced sandwich I has was the best I have ever eaten!! It was on an airy toasted/crunchy bread, topped with ham, cheeses, tomatoes, and grilled to perfection.  We later learned that the cash conversion we did at the restaurant was accurate (we were sure we did not have it right); those sandwiches and beers cost us ~$100!  Good thing they were that amazing! At the restaurant, I asked to use the 'wash closet' and was given a wire whisk with a key on the end, directed around the corner, down the alley, first black door on the left. I don't think I can adequately describe this experience. The first door was this tiny medieval looking door - sure this was not the right location, I tried the key anyway. The door opened to a very dark stone hallway and staircase, down into the dungeon! I did find the WC at the bottom, but it was both interesting and scary getting there!

There are these small symbols above the door of many homes. It's a Phoenix rising up from the flames and has a crown on top. This meant you had purchased fire insurance. If your home caught fire and you had no insurance, they would leave if burn. Of course, it no longer works that way.

In the afternoon we did the Rooftop tour. This consisted of traversing across narrow (maybe 15-18 inch) catwalks, without railings, on the roof to the 8 story courthouse building. WOW, what an adrenaline rush! There was one span that went from one end of the building to the other at the peak of the roof; very scary! There are only two rooftop tours in the world and both are in Sweden. Glenn fought back a few demons and I almost chickened out at the beginning. At each tie down for the catwalk, you had to use one foot to guide your harness through the intersection, you had to maintain your balance on one foot while keeping your composure on this tiny walkway far up.

I don't want to sound paranoid or anything, but yesterday it felt like we were being followed, today we are pretty sure that is true. We ducked into alleyways (where the beers of the Baltic's tour continued) and we heard these words of whispering in Russian behind us. Though we have continued to keep moose and squirrel safe so far, the KGB is only one step behind us.

It's so sad for me that this vacation is coming to an end. It has truly been an amazing experience. We have stood on the edge of a volcano, toured palaces and museums, strolled through tiny fishing villages, experienced a beers of the Baltic's tour, got wet in the Baltic Sea, stood on the spot where all of our past and present leaders have spoken, walked through medieval sites, and profoundly experienced the scope and the impact of WWII on the people of these countries and the rawness that still exists today. This was an absolutely unforgettable experience!

June 22, 2013 - Visby, Sweden

Visby, Sweden. Visby is the largest city on the west coast of Gotland. Gotland is situated in the middle of the Baltic Sea about 50 miles from mainland Sweden. Visby is considered the best preserved medieval town in Scandinavia with a population of 58,000 residents. You must also have a job in order to live here. If you go off to University on the mainland, you are not allowed to come back unless you have employment. Our tour guide graduated with 22 in his class in the 60's and he is the only one who currently lives in Gotland because the others could not find work.

Like all of the countries we've visited thus far, American music is played everywhere you go. Mostly Bee gees, Queen, really a 50's, 60's, 70's variety - interesting to hear these familiar songs wherever we go.

Our first stop was at Almedalen which is a park where the actual medieval sea port was once located in Visby. When Visby was a trading partner with the Hanseatic League, the harbor was the trading center of the Baltic. Today, Almedelan is a peaceful park where a little child was trying valiantly to catch herself a duck.

We drove through the beautiful countryside and made a stop at a very old church. There are many old churches in Gotland, most with a very similar history and almost all of them were Lutheran. The alter was built in 722 and the cross was created in 1200. Most churches have the original building in the center with additions in the front and back. The church cemetery had water spigots and watering cans and gardening tools scattered around so people could maintain the graves. The graves were only 50 year leases then someone else was buried in that plot. The old headstones were placed against the wall.

Next we climbed a ladder over a fence (these ladders appear everywhere) to view a boat shaped grave. Graves of the Late Bronze Age were arranged in the shape of large ships, outlined by rocks. Bodies were cremated then the bones were crushed and cleaned and place in an earthenware urn and buried either in the boat or just outside. There have been 350 graves identified in Gotland.

We ventured down to a fishing station where bygone days Gotlanders gathered during a few intense weeks in spring and autumn to catch fish. There are many poles for drying nets and the village currently is used as summer houses near the sea. There were tiny huts where the fisherman stored their tackle and equipment and sometime slept. I found the wooden roofs very interesting, they are said to last for 50 years and are a common roofing material on the island.

Hogklint nature preserve was our next stop, this is basically a beautiful cliff side location with stunning views of Visby and the shore lines. We named the one rock formation bear head because, we'll, it’s a very obvious reason.

No beers here, the locals make their own beer for their own consumption. We didn't see any pubs, but maybe we didn't walk around the port city enough, ended up with homemade ice cream instead and it was wonderful!