GOTLAND - A Swedish Island in the Baltic Sea

June 15 - 18 2012

 

Gotland is in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It is a three hour ferry crossing on a very efficient ferry from Nynashamn (one hour north of Stockholm) , or on our return voyage to Oskarshamn from Gotland. It's easy to make a reservation for yourself and your car. The top deck has a restaurant,souvenir shop, and reserved reclining soft padded chairs with a sound system built in. There is also a cinema on board. The crossing takes 3 hours and 15 minutes. The island is 75 miles long and 35 miles wide. Gotland with its cliffs, unusual rock formations, bathing beaches, and rolling countryside is a beautiful place to enjoy so much.

 

We stayed in Visby. From the end of the 12th century and throughout the 13th, the walled city of Visby rose to the zenith of its power as the seat of the powerful Hansetic merchants and the trade center of northern Europe. During its prime, 17 churches were built , stepgabled stone houses were erected, and the townspeople lived in luxury. It was eventually ransacked by the Danes, and fell into decline. Sometime late in the 19th century, when Visby was recognized as a treasure house of medieval art, it became a major attraction.

Visby has many limestone quarries on the island, so therefore it became relatively easy to erect all of the churches and monasteries, and beautiful stone walls and houses. Surrounded by the Baltic Sea, it became a natural fortress. During the Viking days, the belief was such that if you buried your silver, it would go with your spirit to the hereafter. As a result, metal detectors were punishable by fines and imprisonment if found on the island. There are so many deposits of silver on the island from the Viking days that the govenment has rewarded the farmers if they leave the deposits in situ they will receive a reward equal to the "undiscoverd stash". The museum on the island shows the largest silver stash ever discovered in 1996.

 

Visby is such a magical place. The Swedish people say that the sun shines more on Gotland Island than anywhere in Sweden.

 

We took a ride to the northern part of the island where we took a ferry (7 minutes) to Faro where Viking ruins are still seen in the ocean, dating from 859. We dined on the boardwalk of the beach. Fortunately we left Visby before the Midsummer holiday on June 21st. A big holiday in Sweden.

 

The oldest house in Sweden is in Visby - it was orignally used for a storage area near the beach, behind the City wall.

 

The sheep is the national symbol of Gotland.

We made friends in Visby.

We tried on the 30 pound Viking armour in the Museum.