As is our tradition, the last day of travel is always spent on a big adventure. We were excited to introduce M and my brother to this tradition today, as well.
We were up early (too early to convince my parents to join us!) and on our way to the town of Rök in central Sweden. Rök is home to the Rök Runestone - a five-ton, eight foot tall rock with inscriptions from the 9th century.
This particular runestone is considered the first work of Swedish literature and contains the longest runic stone inscription ever discovered. Once used as building materials for part of a wall in an ancient 12th century church here, the stone was "re"discovered in the 1800s when the new church on site was being constructed.
The runestone contains a lost piece of Norse mythology and references Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. Thought to be an homage to the inscriber's son, who may have died in battle, the runestone is one of the most unique pieces of Norse history in existence.
After visiting the runestone and the church next door (and the beautiful wild lingonberry bush on the grounds), we headed to our next history site. This one was the stone shell of the Alvastra Abbey, a monestary built in 1143. Home to a group of French monks who relocated to the area, the facility was huge and contained a giant chapel (still somewhat intact), living quarters for the monks, gardens, a bathroom, guesthouse and infirmary.
This was an incredible site to explore and, just like at the runestone, we were the only people there. There were still a few completely intact rooms to wander about, stone steps to climb and even the old well was still present. We spent way longer than planned as there was so much to see.
One cool connection we discovered was that one of the maps from the 1600s we had looked at and photographed at Torpa Stenhus Castle (nearly 100 miles away) featured the Alvastra Abbey in its design. It's always so fun to find these types of connections. They always remind me of just how small this big world really is.
On our way back to the cottage, we stopped in the small town of Gränna located on Lake Vättern (the second largest lake in Sweden). It was an adorable litttle town with a beachy vibe. The claim to fame here is that it is the home of polkagris candy - a swirled peppermint stick which is basically grandmother of the J shaped candy canes we enjoy at Christmas time.
The candy sticks, of course, come in the traditional peppermint flavor, but you can also buy tons of other varieties, as well. They had nearly every fruit you could imagine, cocktail and liquor variants (piña colada, whiskey, tequila, champagne, etc. . .), and random others like Swedish Cookie, Turkish Pepper and every type of licorice one could imagine.
We had a blast walking in the downtown area and exploring all the local candy shops. There were so many great smells and bright colors. I wanted to explore everything and M basically did. I reminded her to "stop touching" so many times that she finally turned to me, took my hand and in the most exasperated tone possible said, "Mama, please stop saying that to me." 😂
It was a long day that has ended with a light but steady rain. The bags are packed. The cotttsge is quiet. Josh and I are sitting by the big window together listening to a real live moose bellow nearby. We'll be celebrating 9 years of marriage later this week and I can't help but reflect on this journey we've taken together and the role that our travels have played in strengthening our relationship (both our marriage and our friendship) and how it has been such a joy to share this experience with M.
I know she won't remember this, but I always will.
Comentarios