Jim hails from the seaside town of Cobh in the south of Ireland. He is a highly respected ornithologist and ecologist with more than 40 years of birding experience in Ireland, Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Antarctic, and the Arctic. Be...
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This was the first time National Geographic Explorer has visited Ahus, a small city of 11,000 people in southern Sweden. It certainly won’t be the last. This charming community is the world headquarters of Absolut, the iconic vodka brand. After a lovely Zodiac ride through the morning mist, we divided into two groups, one that toured the factory (and got a lesson in how to make a Cosmopolitan cocktail) and the other that strolled to a nearby beach where they learned about the town’s historic eel fishing tradition. After a delicious lunch together at the Absolute Home, an ornate building that was once the office of Absolut’s founder in the late 1800s, the groups switched places. It was a lovely visit to a picturesque community that we will “absolutely” add to our regular list of destinations. This was the last day of our expedition across the Baltic Sea, and we ended the day with the Captain’s Farewell in the lounge. I was moved to recite this fitting poem by Swedish songwriter and bon vivant, Evert Taube. I think it speaks to all travelers – those who literally take to sea and those whose journey is the voyage of life: While still the boat sails along While still the heartbeat is strong While still the sun’s rays on waves are a glittering throng Though you should suffer, perform each endeavor There will be rest soon for ever and ever! But that’s no reason at all To not be glad and stand tall It’s time to strike up a quite irresistible waltz! It’s such a great stroke of luck you’re alive now, my friend And can waltz through the day around Havana! And when your last money’s gone, go to sea once again With the trade wind your sailor’s bandanna Do your duty aright Go on land that’s in sight Take a kiss maybe two in the dance’s swift flight! While still the boat sails along While still the heartbeat is strong While still the sun’s rays on waves are a glittering throng
Our sixth day in Sweden was spent exploring the country’s largest island, Gotland, “The Pearl of the Baltic.” An unspoiled island with pine and spruce forests, hay meadows full of wildflowers, wide deserted beaches, old farmsteads, a profusion of country churches, and a capital city, Visby, with charming medieval houses and one of the best-preserved ring walls in Europe. Finding a berth after traveling 150 nautical miles from Stockholm, we immediately set off– cycling around the ramparts, visiting a sheep farm (with a few bronze age monuments thrown in), or taking a long stroll through the old town, which is what I did. Kathy, an English archaeologist who has been working on the island for the last 25 years, was our guide. Her first stop was the Gotland Historical Fornsal Museum. There are many treasures here–huge silver hoards, to begin with–but the greatest treasure is the array of decorated standing stones. For well over a millennium and a half, the Gotlanders erected skillfully carved stones decorated with symbols of renown, death, and resurrection, including dramatic scenes from the sagas of gods and monsters and entwined dragons filled with runes. A woman with a serpent-like object in her hand also seems to be involved in the event–can she be a witch? Might it be a valkyrie on the scene of the battle? The stones were probably erected both in memory and in honour of the deceased, and to foster the contemporary cults. They were not tombstones; they stood at road crossings and bridges to impress passersby. Kathy has personally been involved in the excavation of a number of skeletons, dating back to 2500 BC. This is not just a professional interest: she remembered how touched she was, removing a jar of food from the remains of a 19-year-old girl, given to her for her last journey into the underworld. The bones came alive, so to speak. The museum focuses on the heyday of Visby, when it was part of the Hanseatic League, that great medieval alliance of trading cities. It later declined due to power struggles and was eventually plundered in 1525 by its rival Hanseatic town, Lübeck. We then strolled through the utterly picturesque cobbled streets of Visby with Kathy. We passed sturdy warehouses from the 14th century, a number of ruined churches, the great German cathedral, and wooden houses covered under a freckled skin of tar. After lunch, we took another stroll to the ruins of St. Clemens Church, where the Visby Vokalensemble gave us a taste of their Försommarskonsert. About twenty singers sang a bit of Händel in perfect acapella harmony, followed by delightful Swedish and Gotland traditionals, while a bunch of upstart crows screeched along with them; it was an open air concert, after all.
Stockholm’s charm was on full display on this precious sunny weekend day. The city’s harbor was teeming with activity, from pleasure boats blasting techno music to dozens of intimidating military ships that assembled the day before to celebrate 500 years of the Swedish Navy. The water level of the harbor dropped a bit during the night, thanks to the departure of the massive USS Kearsage, a powerful instrument of war to send a clear message to Vladimir Putin that Sweden was off limits. Our morning began with a short Zodiac ride to the Vasa Museum, which features the carefully harvested remains of another awe-inspiring ship, the ill-fated boondoggle that keeled over and sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The shock of watching that powerful ship sink into the dark waters of the harbor all those years ago might have been akin to seeing the USS Kearsage suddenly tip over and drag all of its mighty cargo under the water. We then hopped in the Zodiacs for a quick jaunt across the water. Kolonien, a Swedish band, met us and proceeded to entertain us with their fabulous blend of Nordic fiddle tunes, haunting acapella songs about climate change, and up-tempo romps that had our guests clapping furiously, and even inspired some to dance in the aisles. Kolonien charmed everyone with their exceptional performance, funny and moving stories, and irresistible melodies. The afternoon saw our guests splitting up, some heading off on a walking tour of the lovely Gamla Stan, or old town, which is overflowing with beautiful historic buildings and meandering cobblestone streets. Another group headed to the lovely Millesgården Museum, which highlights the work of the famous Swedish sculptor Carl Milles and his equally accomplished wife, painter Olga Granner. The group continued their artistic explorations at Fotografiska, one of the world’s greatest photography museums, which features an astounding series of exhibitions of cutting-edge images. It was a magnificent day in Stockholm, leaving no doubt that it deserves its reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful and creative cities.
