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...still Tuesday but in Sweden now.
Coming from Finland, we slept on
the roadside, fine accommodated behind
closed curtains in our hotel del la JAMBO.
It was an
evening one does not forget easily. These colors over the lake
radiate peace.
Nature at it's best. The peace and
stillness. Not even a duck was seen
Wednesday 26-8-09
This morning continued our journey toward Stockholm, the capital of
Sweden. The distances are long, we drove all
day. The general
speed limit is 80km/h. Sometime up to 110 on dual lane highways.
The Swedes are extremely obeying drivers. Always on the
safe
side, they stay 10-20 km below limits. Speed
cameras and radar, mounted. on roadside poles enforce the limit rigorously
.
The camera reads you license plate, the
radar your speed and the computer print your
ticket, should you be too fast. Within days, the
fine
comes into the house, no policeman need to
do anything.
We had often "more on the clock" than was allowed. And never get caught, thanks
to our GPS, This wonder of electronic, mounted
on
our front screen tell us when a camera/radar looks
at JAMBO. If we are too fast, warning us with a
flashing wording on the screen
"safety camera ahead" plus a
ringing tone. Not a bad instrument.
It was
the same GPS, which brought us to
Badelundabygden, which was in prehistoric
times one of the trading hubs of the Viking
age.
Here Anundshoeg is Sweden's highest burial mount and in the grave
field at the foot of the mound (hill) there
are large stone ships and
some twenty large graves.
When we learned in school days that Columbus discovered America,
the teacher should have said, " rediscovered
in recent times."
Because there is evident proof now that the Viking, or Norse men,
these explorers, warriors, merchants and
pirates raided and
colonized wide areas from the late eighth to the early eleven
century. In their long ships they travelled
as far as the Caspian sea and
Newfoundland, which, as we all know is part of Canada.
The largest
mount of Sweden, burial place of a Viking
king
A Rune stone for the king.
The legend tells that
Anundshoeg was a
meeting place over centuries for the local
population.
In the middle ages, the newly elected king of Sweden rode past
Anundshoeg. Therefore, the road was marked
with long rows of
Monoliths and one large runic stone
the stones are
lied out in an ellipse form "It is a ship"
they claim
.
stone,
and in the rear the largest mount of Sweden
the theatrical group in rehearsal
And just by coincidence,
the rehearsal of a theatrical performance
took place this very evening, beautiful
singing in old Swedish
language. A feast for eyes and ears hearing
the music and seeing the performers dancing
between the stones.
The play goes around a
Viking king who intended to unite all
smaller kingdoms into one, his, but was
killed before.
His sons and
daughters following his dreams of unification and invited the
very rulers to a banquette worthy of kings.
The unsuspecting guests,
while praising the hospitality, were stubborn when it comes to give
up their power (nothing has changed since
then).
That evening, they had plenty to eat and even more to drink. What a
fine life such a king had those days back
Killing such an invited
king is a pretty standard procedure. Retiring into his chambers,
perhaps with a chambermaid to undress him
from stinky booth and
underwear, to wash him a bit, before he sunk into the fresh linen
of a kings bed with baldachin and gaze,
together with the maid,
(most of the time.) This was the funny part. While he, intending to
snore after these happy minutes until a new
sunrise, his
chambermaid tip toed out, and gave signal to the waiting men. The
kings face showed the happiness of the
sensual pleasures
encountered, when the dagger slit his throat.
All of them were murdered that night, by order of the son. Indeed,
drastic measures to unite a land. But at
least he climbed up to the
heaven of love before he went down to a warmer kingdom for all
misdeeds.
The night we
slept here in our hotel de la JAMBO.
Thursday 27-8-09
On we went towards Stockholm and branched off on this 300 years old
village, no more occupied. The typical wood
houses were build
by the Lutheran's that is Christian congregation, as they came for
mass on horses from afar. They needed in
these harsh weathers a
place to stay, therefore the whole village was build. There are
several reasons to look at it. First we
notice that every building was for
itself. The walls never join with the next house.
The village
today, as 300years ago
The joining of logs, without nails
the roof covered with birch bark
the whitish birch trees
Then look how the roof was covered. with
bark of the birch tree, held down with wood
logs..
The furnace was
located in the middle of the house, heating
all rooms
the church and reason for the village
These wood fired stove was big and warm. The rooms themselves had a
low ceiling, that the warmth will not stay
up somewhere and
the air is easy warmed.
Only 40kmw further is engraved in a granite stone is the saga of
Sigurd Fafnesbane, one which is widespread
in Europe, especially
Germany where it is enshrined in Wagner's "Nibelungenlied". An
ancient saga and family drama of betrayal,
envy and trickery, you
may want to know.
Rodmar had three sons" Otter was one of them. When he went for
fishing in the shape of an otter, the Norse
gods Loki Hoenir and
Odin passed by and Loki throwing a stone killed Otter. They
went to Rodmar later the evening and show
him their prey. The father
became angry and demanded they fill the otter skin with gold to
atone for their crime. Loki went down to the
Andvara rapids and used
his net to catch the dwarf Andvari who had taken the shape of a
pike. He had caught him therefore, the dwarf
purchased his freedom
with all the gold he owned except for one golden ring. But Loki
wanted it and ripped the ring from the
dwarf's hand. The dwarf angry,
spoke a curse over all who would come in contact with that gold.
The curse worked henceforth.
The father did not want to share the gold,
which enraged Fafnir another of the sons,
and therefore he killed his father. Later he
took
the form of a snake and watched atop over the gold. The second son
wanted the gold desperately. He brought Sigurd a foster son into
the trickery and forged a razor-sharp sword, named GRAM.
Urged by his foster father, Sigurd dug a
hole where Fafnir in the shape
of a snake usually slithered his way down to the lake to drink.
When Fafnir entered in shape of a snake the
trap, Sigurd stabbed him
through the heart.
the stabbing of
the snake
burning himself accidentally
Fafnir dead now, Sigurd roasted the snakes
heart over an open fire and burned himself.
He put the finger into his mouth to cool
them,
suddenly he understood birdsong.
The birds warned him, Regin planned to kill him, to get hands on
the treasure and advised him to kill Regin.
Sigurd cut his head off, that his thoughts would not escape into
the future.
The
saga goes on. Sigurd met Brynhieldr, which
prophesized he would marry another, what had
then happen. The course of the ring
followed him trough his life. Finally he was killed. Although he
had a daughter with Brynhieldr, she killed
his three year old son too.
Pretty rough times back then one could say.
the story
in pictures and runes along the snake body
Steadily, we were approaching Stockholm and
found in the afternoon with our GPs- a
camping place from which we could go by the
Metro Subway into the city. We stopped at this cheap and convenient
campground to stay for two nights.
Friday the 28-8-09
Stockholm the capital of Sweden lies at the eastern shores and the
Baltic sea. The name splits into Stock-holm
'log-islet".According
to a myth of the 17th century, the population of a Viking
settlement decided to move to a new place.
To determine its location they
bound gold on the log and let it drift on lake Maelaren. It
landed where today the tower of Birger Jarl
stands. Stockholm is the largest
city of Sweden. Here lives the monarch, it is the site of the
Government. 21% of the Swedish population
lives here, a total of over two
million. Its strategic location has been historically important.
Stockholm is known for its beauty, its
building and architecture, abundant
open water and many parks. That is that.
The Drama
theater
Nordic Museum
A beautiful facade
and a wall sculpture
an old anchor
sailing harbor view
The Royal palace
guard
Black and proud
making a living
on the Gustav Adolph square
A powerful nation needs a powerful army, and if she lies on the
sea, she needs ships the bigger and mightier
the better. Therefore no
wonder that in the 1620ties Naval architects and King put their
head together to design the greatest of all
ships, the terminator of all
what else floats on seas far and wide, the one which will teach the
arch enemy, the Poles a lesson for hundred
of years to come.
Which, once in use, will dominate the sea from the Baltic to
Jerusalem. This warrior of oceans was
planned big.
62 meters she should be said the architect. "No!" one Nobel man
commended. "the King likes the number 7.
Then we just add on and
make her 69 meters.
"And she must be high, to strike fear by only seeing her." Everyone
of the honorable and distinguished Ministers
agreed.
From the keel to the mast top she became 52m. "My King, 1100 square
meter sail should give her enough speed to
catch up with
any fleeing enemy ship and a shot out of one of her 64 guns would
sink a Polish vessel to where everyone
belonged. To the bottom
of the sea. Our 24 pounder, cannon will give it to them." declared
the naval chief and everyone agreed.
Indeed a cannonball had the weight of 12 kilo. Falling on a ship,
it will hammer its way trough all decks to
become ballast in the keel
or worst, make hole hard to seal again.
What name shall she bear? "VASA shall be her name" the king
decided.
Within 2 years she was build. Figures of the mythology adorn her to
give moral strength,
That is she, the
pride of Gustafus Adolphus the king of
Sweden
On the stern, the kings seal held by lions.
And a Pole squeezed under a bench, symbol of
defeat
Hercules was on board too
and the lion on the bowsprit
and even angels innocent in their nakedness
a mermaid and a roman soldier
All of these figures and artifacts had to ensure that the mightiest
warship of all Swedish times will have a long
life.
"She will live us all long out and will be famous one day" were the
words of the soothsayer which was called
to predict her future.
And everybody was happy, and clapped proudly, honoring what
the great King and his entrusted men had
achieved for the Glory of
Sweden. The 145 sailors had been hired, the best of Stockholm, 300
soldiers manned the cannons, officers and
captain were
selected, the ship was ready to sail.
On this historic day, the 10th of August 1628, the King Gustavus
Adolphus was up early. He had problem with
the his digestion and
just got an enema from his personal physician, but this morning his
ship, the one which will bring loot and
booty from enemies land,
the vessel no one dare to challenge, will set out to the maiden
voyage. He wanted to be on board on this day
of triumph, therefore he
rushed.
Arriving at the harbor in his Kings coach, he saw VASA rising high
out of the blue waters in all her splendid
colors, painted on so
lavishly. The king felt great. All guests were present, the
waterfront was full with onlookers. Even on
rooftops they stood awaiting this
moment of greatness, in which the ship was perhaps more important
than their ruler. When the music band had
end their part, the
king walked up the ramp and into the ship, passing saluting
officers.
On the way up were mounted these mighty
cannons, ready to bring dead and
destruction. He was perhaps inspecting them
,just as
Norhayati did almost 400 year later. Following the captain to
the upper deck and he walked to the reeling.
Seeing him, the crowd on
the pier cheered. "What a feeling this was, looking down to the
people so small" he thought and gave the
command. to set sail.
All hands worked and in no time the ship had sails up and a gentle
breeze pushed her away from the pier. But,
why is she leaning to
one side? The king exclaimed and indeed the ship inclined to
starboard. "every man to the other side".
Men rushed to board and the
ship balanced itself upright again. "Huh this was a shock" "You
Majesty it is only a small matter" the
captain said.
And on this historical very morning the
sails set King on board VASA was on her
maiden voyage." She will join my Baltic
fleet
victorious in this 30 years war " was the last words of the King.
Just 2 km away a sudden breeze blow into the
sail and she foundered
within minutes. Mighty VASA leaned under sails until she capsized.
What a dirty twist of faith. The largest and
most heavily armed
warship of her time adorned with hundreds of sculptures sunk on
that day. These were witches" claimed the
population. "A curse"
said others. It was hard to explain. But today we know the factors.
She had not enough ballast, and the king's
subordinates had not
enough courage to discuss the structural problems. Then again, with
enough ballast the cannon openings would be
too low above the
waterline. The ship was a miss concept.
With her sunk a hope of early victory. There was never an official
outcome of the enquiry. Just as today in
high politics.
the replica shows not enough ballast to keep
her upright
cannon openings, too low over the water
The soothsayer was right. This monstrous mistake went into
history books.
It is Friday evening, and cold,. We write
these lines in JAMBO. Tomorrow we move
south. Perhaps out of Sweden.
We close today with a photo from the camping ground here.
Is there anyone still out there who claims women are the weaker
sex? Look at this poor fellow. he can
hardly breath, holding her
intentions at bay. Gosh, this web site is not for the under aged.Further then click Denmark where our wondrous journey continues
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