Beautiful Basel

The fun continued with Erik and Erin! We spent almost a full week together and the whole time was packed with activity. We visited Germany and France, as well as exploring Switzerland. I want to thank them so much for being such great hosts! Erik provided me with an e-bike so that I could keep up with Erin on our daily treks. How was I so lucky?

One weekday Erik was scheduled to take the train to Freiburg, Germany to meet with some folks. Erin and I decided to ride along with him and explore this old historic city while he worked. The German trains are super clean and modern and super quiet. Erik was picked up at the train station. Walking, Erin and I easily found ourselves in the middle of this wonderful cobblestone city. The city was preparing for a wine festival that was beginning that night so there was a bustle of activity. Go to Erin's blog for some really great pictures of Freiburg. I loved the little rivulets that ran down the small streets. Freiburg is considered one of the most bike friendly cities in Germany and you can get a small glimpse of that through the video I took of bicycles parked outside of the train station. And this was just a fraction of all that were there.

One day we decided to drive to Alsace, France to visit their vineyards and lovely landscape. The wine was lovely and we enjoyed a relaxing meal sitting outside a very parisian restaurant.

On a quiet Sunday we drove to Lake Lucerne, Switzerland for some swimming and picnicking. This has got to be one of Switzerland's most beautiful cities. Erin said that it is her favorite. The flowers (and pillars of flowers) were breathtaking as was the loooooonnnng Chapel Bridge. It seemed to go on for ever.

But I have got to say my FAVORITE thing to do while in Switzerland is swimming (floating) down the Rhein followed by a good old fashioned picnic. After a hot ninety degree day, jumping into the icy cold water of the Rhein and floating for a good mile (?), one can't help but be rejuvenated for the rest of the day! Folks walk upstream as far as they desire, take off their clothes and tuck them into a waterproof bag, jump in and proceed to float down the river. When you have had enough, you begin to work your way back to shore, open your bag, dry off, dress and rendezvous with friends. I saw young men in dress suits, apparently on lunch break go through this procedure. When they were done, they stripped down, put their suits back on and went back to work without skipping a beat. So cool! And refreshing! I am so glad that I had a chance to experience this. Thanks again Erin and Erik for a memorable time!

Thank you Sweden!

(Kris took this pic at midnight from hotel room.)

I can't believe that it has been more than a week since we left Sweden. The last two days we returned to Stockholm and stayed on Gamla Stan the oldest part of the city. I think that all of us felt a little overwhelmed by the commercial side of this area and weren't prepared for that after spending two weeks in the more rural and less populated areas of Sweden.

Gamla Stan has narrow cobblestone streets and some buildings dating back to pre-16th century. On one of the narrowest streets you can touch both buildings as you walk down the street. The old square Stortoget (video above) was where Christin II beheaded eighty political adversaries in 1520. Gruesome! It is hard to believe such an event took place in such a quaint setting. The event is fittingly referred to as the "Stockholm Blood Bath".

The three of us felt compelled to visit Skansen Outdoor Museum one more time. We were so glad we did because it put together some of the pieces and answered some questions that we had while visiting. The interpreters at Skansen are so helpful and knowledge about Swedish history.

One of the incredible things we learned (at least to me it seems incredible) was about the traditional dress of the woman in the Darlarna province. The woman of this area would walk to Russia to do trading. I know, can you imagine walking to Russia from the central part of Sweden???? Boggles my mind! There they would trade for these beautiful scarves (among other things), like the one in the picture below. The scarf became somewhat of a status symbol showing others that you had been to Russia. Eventually the scarf became an important part of the traditional costume of this region.

We heard many stories like this that impressed me with the resourcefulness and hardy spirit of our ancestors. They had to eke out a living in some pretty rugged conditions. On Oland, there was not much but limestone rocks, scrub and wind....lots of wind from the Baltic and the little island was always vulnerable to attack from other countries. In the southern region the population became too great to be sustained by the land and as a result twenty-five percent of the population emigrated. In the central part of Sweden, the industry was iron and copper mining and timber-cutting, a difficult way to make a living. In addition, long winters and rocky soil added to the challenge.......but so so beautiful with lots of water and pines. All parts of Sweden are scenic and the people warm and friendly. It was hard to leave but all three of us feel as though we'd like to return someday.

The three of us parted at the Stockholm airport. I'd say we were a pretty good traveling team! Mom and Kris returned to the states loaded with stories and pictures of our journey. I went on to Erik and Erin's in Basel, Switzerland.

Hammarberg Area

We spent the weekend in Hammarberg territory and it was beautiful! Here are a few of the many pictures that we have taken. This is iron country and very mountainous. The houses in this area are typically two stories high and seem bigger than the southern part.

This is where the Hammarberg name began and traces back to the late 1600's. Johan Parsson had eight sons and they all took the name of Hammarberg. "Hammar" meaning hammer and "berg" meaning mountain. It would make sense that with iron working, there would be blacksmithing or the use of the hammer. At the kyrka (church) in Logdo Bruk we found indications of iron working. I have included some pictures of the grave markers that are wrought iron (Mark, I know that it isn't technically wrought iron but I am not sure how else to refer to it.) It was so artistic and beautiful. I had never seen anything like it.

I know it seems odd that I would include pictures of a cemetery.....but hey, we did spend some time going to them and looking for ancestors. At Timra, where Carl Eric Hammerberg was born, we saw more unique grave markers......the area in front of the headstone was sand and each one had a pattern raked into the sand. Very artistic.....and in this region, there is a lot of sand.

See that car in the background....the one behind Kris....well the calculations are in and that car got an unbelievable 67 mpg. I know you won't believe it, but it is true. It is diesel, manual, ISG (idle stop and go) and Kris said it was a dream to drive. Kia Ce'ed Eco. I wonder if they sell it in the states.

Check out this trio of beautiful Hammarberg horses.

We wanted to share with you a little of the roadside lupine....but I suggest that you turn the sound off because all you can hear is my jacket whipping in the wind. LOL

Midsommarsafton

We left our little cottage in Falun today and drove north to Sundsvall. It was midsommarsafton (midsummer's eve) today so we could see signs of celebration as we drove along.

We saw a daddy with a wreath of flowers on his head riding a bicycle toting his daughter. At gas stations birch branches were tethered to the pumps. You could see people in the fields collecting bouquets of flowers for the maypoles. Traditionally girls collect seven to nine different flowers in a bouquet and put it under their pillow to dream of the one they are to marry.

We came across this wonderful man and his horse coming home from festivities. He had birch boughs tied to his cart. If you look closely you can see the wild flowers in the horse's mane.

Ever since we started driving in Sweden, we have seen these signs.........

and finally, today Kris spotted this moose in a field. We circled back and luckily he was still there so that we could take this picture!!!!! So cool!

Then to top it off, there was a double rainbow tonight after a light rain!

We are going to travel to the Hammerberg area tomorrow and look up some of the home towns of Hans Eric and Charlotta. Good night for now!

Fika and Hammarberg

We have made a wonderful discovery and it is called fika (pronounced feeka) and it is a coffee break, it is a break from work. A time to sit down with family and friends to drink coffee and have a bun. Kris, Mom and I have decided that we love fika and are going to make time for it every day.

While we're on the subject of good things, I want to share with you another wonderful dinner that we had on our little porch at our stuga (cottage). This is a pretty typical meal, usually served at breakfast but we like it best in the evening with beer or wine. The jar is pickled herring with mustard......really delicious!

Falun is known for its mines, particularly copper mines. They have produced 2/3 of the copper for the world. Anyway, Mom picked up this brochure at the copper museum on iron mining and looked who she found inside.....
Lars Erik Hammarberg. He is second from the left. Is he a relative???? I know that Hammarberg is the former spelling of Hammerberg. Does he look like a relative???? Let me know what you think.

Sundborn and Falun #2

Tuesday I had some trouble with connections but we have had some really full days. Yesterday we went to Mora (Zorn's home) and Nusnas where the dala horses are made.

We have made some interesting observations in Sweden:

• People in Sweden aren't dependent on carrying drinks around like U.S. One doesn't see people walking around with water bottles, Starbucks or sodas. We have seen many cafes but no Starbucks. When people drink kaffe, they sit and drink kaffe.
• People in Sweden ride bikes everywhere. It is common to see folks of all ages riding bicycles.
• Many Swedes enjoy ice cream - I mentioned that in another blog - and the ice cream is very good.
• The workmen wear shorts in the summer and in some cases, no shirts. We are trying to get a pair for Peter! Let us know if anyone else is interested in a pair. They seem to be so happy to have sunshine and warm weather that they'll take every opportunity to soak it up.

Another observation that we have had is that we haven't seen people walking around with cell phones. You just don't see people walking around texting and talking on phones.

• Swedes seem to love their dogs. We see them everywhere and all breeds. It is fun to see. They ride on scooters and in bicycle baskets. We even saw a Ramona look alike......isn't she a doll?

• Fathers seem to be very involved and attentive to their children. Not that a person doesn't see that in the U.S. but it seems to be more so here.
• Everyone has been so kind and polite to us. Kris has been really great about trying to speak Svenska with people and they really appreciate that. I think we are received more warmly when we (she) tries to speak their language.
• The roads are in great shape even though the Swedes don't think so. I guess in their minds they aren't. When there is a road repair, there is little warning but at the same time it is very orderly.
• Round abouts are used a lot! We think they are great! When you make a wrong turn, they are the best for backtracking.

Last night we had a wonderful meal that we wanted to share with you. Crayfish, blue cheese, spisbrod and wine. Crayfish are a traditional food eaten this time of year.

Tuesday, June 22

On this day we went to the Zorn museum and to the Nusnas where dala horses were born. I am not going to write much here because I am behind on blogging but I did want to share a picture of one of Zorn's paintings to give you an idea of what an incredible artist he was. You may want to google him and see his other works.

We didn't stay long in Nusnas but had a chance to walk around in the little factory. It always impresses us that the Swedes unlike the U.S. put the onus on the public to keep themselves "safe." There aren't a lot of "keep out" signs and rules. One is on their own to wander around without restrictions. There is the occasional barrier but there aren't many.

Allmanstratten, or Every Man's Right is a unique right to public access in Sweden. I guess it dates back to the middle ages and it allows everyone the possibility to visit somebody else's land, to take a bath in and to travel by boat on somebody else's waters, and to pick the wild flowers, mushrooms, and berries provided that you leave the property unharmed. While taking a stroll Tuesday evening, and practicing allmanstratten, I saw this gorgeous sunset. I call it a sunset but the sun never did set. It was midnight and the longest day of the year.

A Day in Sundborn

(This blog was written on Monday, June 21)

We had another beautiful day in Sweden! Yesterday it rained the entire way from Kalmar to Falun but the sun emerged just as we were within 20 km of our destination. Also, I have to mention that we are renting a manual diesel C'eed Kia and it seems to be getting amazing gas mileage. We drove nine hours with one tank of gas. Gas is 12,62 a liter. We really haven't factored what it is but feel that it must be very good. When we do calculate the mpg, we'll let you know. Do they sell manual diesel Kias in the states? This one is an eco diesel too and we just discovered that it turns off when you stop and put it in neutral. Kris was thinking that it was dying but then realized that it was a energy saving feature. As soon as you put it in gear, it starts up again.

All of us remarked that Carl Larsson's did not disappoint. The weather was outstanding and his house was just like the paintings and pictures. It was so neat for us to be able to see the place first hand. I mean it was REALLY so amazing to be standing in the very rooms and walking around in the same places that were depicted in his paintings. And also, to see first hand the incredible textiles that Karin designed and created. She was also a furniture designer; Kris and I didn't realize that she did that.

We couldn't take pictures inside of their house so we decided that we will have to go back and take another tour while we are here. Carl uses his family as inspiration for his art and inside of is house he had painted murals of his children on the doors and panels. One could see that Karin and Carl were very family oriented and it was nice to hear little family stories from our tour guide.

Another discovery that we made is "glass" which is ice cream. It is the best and is everywhere. Anytime you see this little clown, you know that glass is somewhere near. Kris had lakrits glass today....licorice ice cream. You know what? It was very good.

Tomorrow we are going to drive even more north to Moro to see where dala horses are made and the home of Anders Zorn, another painter. The weather is supposed to be even warmer so we are looking forward to that.

Kalmar to Falun

Yesterday we drove nine plus hours from Kalmar to Falun. Kris did all of the driving, bless her heart. We made a couple of stops along the way and that undoubtedly made the trip a little longer.

First we stopped in Doderhult. Mom was thinking that Ernst was from this area but after talking to the pastor, it was decided that this probably wasn't the church. In any case, the church was beautiful.

Here is something that we have noticed. We have only seen one pick up truck and it was a vintage Ford. We have seen only one SUV. Everybody hauls trailers, campers and horse trailers with this little station wagons. We've seen Audis, Volvos, VWs, etc. but no huge vehicles.
We are staying at a wonderful stuga in Falun. Our hosts Eva and Bengt are so gracious and have a wonderful cottage for us. We slept very soundly last night and are really enjoying ourselves. Today we are going to visit Carl Larsson's home and can't wait. I will blog tonight and show you the pictures that we will take.