Sweden ~ Beyond Stockholm
“There most respected values were not only those forged in war but also---stated outright in poetry--- a depth of wisdom, generosity, and reflection. Above all, a subtlety, a certain play of mind, combined with a resilient refusal to give up. There are worse ways to be remembered.” - Neil Price, A History of the Vikings
Sigtuna, Falun, Uppsala, Dala are names of towns straight out of Viking History. Wandering through these beautiful destinations showcases that the Vikings were a lot more than the marauders that the world knew them as.
Hollywood and Marvel have given us their own spin on the Norse people or Vikings both their pantheon of Gods as well as the marauding, raiders who lived to go A Viking.
This trip through the heart of Scandanavia brought home a reality that while the Vikings were extraordinary seafarers, they built beautiful churches and universities as well.
As we drove past these little communities nestled along bodies of water, I imagined the long houses and communities established by Viking jarls that were home to the seafaring men during the winter months and their women and children all year round.
Clearly these are seafaring people still since almost every home had a boat moored to the front of their homes.
Sigtuna, a small-town home to one of the oldest churches in Scandanavia. It was a coffee and restroom stop with a short time to explore and check out the rune stones, the ruins of St. Olof’s church and the current thriving St. Mary’s church.
Built in 1000 AD this is considered the oldest church in Scandanavia. We were to hear many stories about how Christianity came to these lands and how the kings and jarls helped their people bridge between their old gods to the new gods.
It was a clear, cold and sunny morning with our breath frosting the air as we walked through the ruins of this beautiful church dreaming in the sunshine. We walked past the priest’s house and the rose garden still with some color over to the intact St. Mary’s Church.
MariaKyrkan or St. Mary’s Church was built in 1255 AD. It’s a beautiful brick church with clean, simple lines. It is one of the few churches of its time to survive intact through the Protestant reformation.
This could have been a scene anywhere in the world but as it happens it’s a park in Sigtuna across from the churches. I cut across the park in search of what one of my group travelers called the best coffee and came across this young man enjoying his morning under the watchful eye of his mama.
I stopped to say a quick hello and exchange smiles reminded of my own beautiful grandchildren back home in LA engaging in similar activities.
Next stop Uppsala, a charming university town and the Uppsala Cathedral.
While the cathedral is extremely imposing, directly across the front entrance is this large green cupola which is one of seven ancient anatomical theaters in the world, lit up by natural sunlight and a scene for gruesome public dissections
The building however was fenced off due to construction and/or repair work that was happening and not accessible.
Slap bang in the middle of a quiet university town and across from university buildings stands this magnificent cathedral. Originally built to outshine the Trondheim Cathedral in Norway, it is the largest cathedral in Scandanavia, Sweden’s coronation church for three centuries.
It is still very much in use today as we found out when we walked inside to find the church full of children of all ages milling around their parents. Apparently, they had just wrapped up some type of a children’s program.
The inside is absolutely gorgeous and heavily decorated. Another church on this visit that I was happy to tour and admire.
The town is charming full of blooming flowers, a large number of bridges and a host of cafes and shops as is fitting for a university town.
The church of course with its distinctive spires is so tall that it dominates the skyline of the town wherever you go.
Scandanavia is a biker’s haven with bikes being one of the major modes of transportation, then in a university town, enough said. Just don’t get in the way of a bike on his bike path, you will leave to regret it. I did!
Carl and Karin Larsson are credited with being the creators of Swedish style. Until this visit, I was not familiar with Carl Larsson’s paintings but have become a fan after visiting his home and seeing his work.
The gardens and river around the house are scenes right out of his paintings. Reminds me of a visit I had made many years ago to Giverny, home to Claude Monet.
The house is preserved just like it was in Carl and Karin’s lifetime. But the walls and even the doors are canvasses for Carl’s art. Portraits of his children through various ages and activities, tell the story of family life in the Larsson home. Visitors are not allowed to take pictures in the house, but it is so worth a visit.
Karin was an artist in her own right, though she gave up painting after she and Carl met and married. She is credited with the Swedish textiles that she wove while Carl painted. A quick stop at the local church where they are buried, a bit late to be able to go inside and see the painting inside though.
As it turns out Falun was far from the small town that I had imagined originally. Thanks to the copper deposits in the area, dating back to the fourteenth century it was once a thriving marketplace for traders.
That night we went out to a farm to table dinner, where I selected an absolutely delicious completely vegetarian meal. It truly was all about the bread at this restaurant where they use the bread to decorate as well as place mats as well as an accompaniment to the meal.
Falun’s copper mines produced as much as two thirds of Europe’s copper which made the kingdom and town very wealthy. Many of Sweden’s wars were funded by these riches.
A Viking long boat that was used by preachers to preach can be found in Dala where we stopped.
You can’t leave Sweden without a souvenir of a Dala horse which is a symbol of Sweden originating as a toy for children. Yes! I did buy one for my grandson. I also bought socks decorated with the horses for a couple of my friends and me.
Several types of Dala horses are made, with distinguishing features common to the locality of the site where they are produced, though the style pictured here is more widespread than others.
Vasaloppet or the Vasa Race is an annual long-distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday in March. The race was inspired by the journey of King Gustav Vasa when he was fleeing from the soldiers of Christian II at the beginning of the Swedish war of liberation.
It is the oldest cross country ski race with the highest number of participants having first started in 1922. This is the starting point of the race where we stopped for a quick photo stop on our way towards the Norwegian border.