days 69 + 70 two day journey!

Yep two days in trains with a stop over in Oslo...

Short blog for two days for sure! 

Stockholm to Oslo..

Away early having given my breakfast token to my dorm mate, the 7.27 train excludes that lovely breakfast!!! 

But I'm on a mission that I won't complete until three days from now ... It's a bit daft really as it's only a selfie ..... But you'll see ...

The train journey, Sweden is really really flat the scenery doesn't change much either, pine trees, silver birch, one small gathering of oak! 

Boulders, Placid lakes becoming frozen placid lakes! 

with small hills!

I did see some reindeer! Briefly!!

This isn't a country of expansive views the farthest horizon being no more than a mile away. 

At 11.45 we cross into Norway country number 11! 

We're in logging country passing a huge train full of logs and a logging yard

before passing through this fairly populated area, the houses are certainly clustering together whereas in Sweden they keep their distance! 

Into Oslo and the station, my first view is of a cruise ship from inside the station!

stepping out and Oslo seems to be the epitomy of multiculturalism, not in a good way, on top of this my hostel which is only a short walk from the station is pretty much where the druggies and down and outs gather for a fix or whatever.... Travelling can't always be about wonders! 

I get food in hunker down in the very empty hostel for the night, I'm alone in a 6 bed dorm.... But it has a kitchen built in! So I can cook....a pizza.... I'm so sick of pizza!! 😁

Oslo to Stavanger

Today's trip is shorter than yesterday but takes longer!

The landscape is different, it's like taking a train through southern Scotland to to Scotlands northwest, hilly covered in trees going to mountains with steep drops

and eventually huge boulders I mean at least the size of houses!! and no I didn't manage to get a decent picture!!!

The weather isn't the best and doesn't look to change before I leave this area! 

So all pictures are grey! No sign of spring in Norway!

It did brighten up about half way as we entered Kristiansand with it's houses set amongst boulder like cliffs

the blue skies did lighten my dozing mood! This is the first train I've actually fallen asleep on!!

I'm so looking forward to driving in Iceland!!!

Back into the grey and down along the fjord to Stavanger 

i reach the end of my line! 

Literally!

I won't be going further west from here by train! I'll back track in a few days. 

First impressions of stavanger, this is a port town so lots of restaurants to cater for the cruise ships it feels ok tho, much better than Oslo.... 

Finding the hostel I'm shown around by Flora a Cuban lady speaking Spanish in Norway.... Oh this is fun!! 

She's actually lovely and got a big hug and called momma by me! I think she liked that! 😁

This dorm is for 4 plus another four beds in a separate room, but bonus there's another kitchen! 

I'm joined later by a French chap who's driving and climbing (I think)! 

Really nice guy we managed some good banter! he offered that we should go out for a meal in town, but I'm done in, a quick meal from the food I'd bought in town and my head was down!

And I slept!!!! 

day 68 A Golden opportunity!

Today was well planned out in my mind, it really didn't follow the plan in a rather excellent and astonishing way! 

My first call was to get to the archaeology museum as it opened at 11am , I got there late ....

Breakfast was the egg on sausage again can't fault that! 

I was sat on a long table with a family at one end me in the middle and another chap at the end, the family and the other chap were all from America, the family were chatting away, their conversation turned to wigs..    seizing an opportunity get the table chatting I whip off my cap stating not much use to me! In context with what they said and the unexpected nature of my action i got them all laughing! 

And the table chatting! I'm getting good at peopling!!

The single chap 'Marteen' from Arizona was in a need of a chat to we sat there long after breakfast, discussing politics the state of the world and vikings! 

It was a very profitable chat we exchanged contact details and I now have options of places to stay in Arizona, Palos Verde and San Carlos in the Americas! 

Also a great list of places worth visiting!

Throwing my itinerary in the air has been hugely profitable! 

How often people offer their homes wether they're home or not is mind blowing and rather humbling, I know when I'm traveling on foot or now by train the kindness of strangers shines brightly! 

So much good in humanity when we don't let politics polute us!.

Finally off I walk down to T-centralen hoping to catch a bus 24 minute wait makes me look at the tram ... Going exactly where I'm heading, I jump on and once again see no way of paying! I'll accept that!

Stepping off I have a short walk to the museum and big leap back in time! 

If Valhalla is a Viking nirvana then this is a metal detectorist Viking Valhalla!

swords!!!! So many!!!!

^^^^^^^ the four pommels and quillions from the swords display!

hoards..... Many hordes!!!!!

beautiful jeweled pendants

God figurines

God pendants..... Possibly Christian

rune stones! With the inscriptions highlighted

Thors hammer pendants, with amber jewellery

Raven mounts

cross pendants from as far away as Byzantium

the actual helmet that I'd seen a copy of at Gamla Uppsala!!

intricate clasps!

more swords!!!

glass polishing stones.... Never heard of these before!

amber toggles!

of great interest to me is this ring brooch from Gotland! The island that my Pommel has been linked to!

silver, gold, niello paternation

and hacked edges of silver to retain the gold....

all of those descriptions apply to my Pommel! 

I can see why they made that association!!

I didn't think Viking treasure overload was possible! But it happened here, what a privilege!!!!!

There were some nice areas for kids to play and a darkened hall with a video showing how life in the Swedish wilds would have been possible, the boats, the wildlife the terrain, the food, simplistic hardship, struggles, the people,the children, it ends with young boy equipping himself and stepping from his village to face whatever nature and the gods throw his way.... I can relate..

I may have been born to the wrong era and country. 

From these sublime halls I step back into my current reality and IT issues!!!

I knew my Esim was due to run out today so I'd purchased and thought I'd installed a new world wide 365 day SIM.... Yep not completely.... I have no connection to the workings needed for my modern world! Also I can't finish setting up the SIM without WiFi.... Time to go free WiFi hunting as I can't tell which bus tram train or come to that anything is without this tool. 

I find one!!! And get the Esim going thank the gods! 

Sitting reconnected by the docks in the sunshine I sort accommodation for tomorrow night and plan the train journey, it's intercity and I can't reserve a seat for some reason.... I need to get to the station, and now!!

It's mid afternoon now so enough time, I walk through this appealing city back to the station and the hunt for a ticket office starts, for such a large and major station the office is a tiny booth with just two people working away! But I get my seat reservation sorted quickly and easily! 

Once again it's so much easier getting around when your language is English!!!

With the bar at the hostel calling a pint and time I write out yesterday's blog, I need time to consider today's...

Back to the dorm to pack my kit my early train and dorm mates require me to be ready now not early morning... With that sorted another beer and a burger at the bar, before bed.

Day 67 not all that glisters is gold!

Got a little side trip planned today! 

I'm off to the Viking spiritual pagan heartland! 

Uppsala! Or more accurately Gamla Uppsala.... But I'll explain that in a bit. 

Breakfast done, once again the egg on sausage on fried bread bloody lovely! 

I leave to get the right train and cut it fine the trains at the platform when I arrive! 

Still no issues! And I'm on the second floor of the train watching the late winter landscape rush by, yellowed old grass, pine and silver birch set amongst cold looking lakes and rivers and heavy rocks throughout

oh yeah did I mention it's overcast and cold, did I also decide to take only a thin fleece jacket? Oh yeah! 

Hard as nails me as I step out from the train.... At least I am for 10 minutes before the temperature seeps through! Hands in pockets and pace up! 

I have a three mile walk to Uppsala Gamla from Uppsala town, it's flat tho so walking is easy and it's good.... I have my energy and my pace back! 

Yeah I'm still cold but as I get within sight of my destination the sun breaks through lighting up Gamla Uppsalas church!

also lighting up one of the mounds/barrows... This is special land.

And passing through some woodland to the left in the picture I pass some modern spirituality a place to meditate on the very slight ridge( it's also the biggest ridge in this flat land)

Having a nose there's a modern stone circle there, each stone with at least one painted stone on top and an inscription.....

the pearl of god...

the pearls of love.......

Etc etc! There are about 10 of these here.... Bit odd but there you go! 

On I walk getting close to the mounds all fenced off but people still climbing to the top ..... Rude not to! 

and a chance to put a new selfie stick to use!.... I hate pictures of me!!

The mounds are vasthogen(west mound) mitthogen(middle mound) and osthogen yep..... East mound.... Followed by a fourth mound the Thing..... No not a dodgy 80's horror movie 'thing' is the name in Swedish for a meeting place undoubtedly it lost meaning in English....

Legend has it they contain the pre-Viking kings Aun, Egil and Adils, who appear in Beowulf!

Passing the mound you see a depression in the ground where the dead were cremated before burial there's a curious feel to the place, I've never had anywhere give me the impression of being pushed in the small of my back....odd but peaceful place!

in the vicarage garden beyond the fence a female burial was found... High class with grave goods that may have related to Freya, nothing visible from a quick nose over the fence🙃.

Osthogen contains the remains of another female noble, and at least another 300 mounds are here not that I noticed during my visit! .... The ridge perhaps? It was certainly lumpy! 

The church is pleasant even if it was built on the demolished pagen site.... Christianity for you! Then they had the cheek to move Uppsala and it's Christian cathedral to what was called Ostra Aros now Uppsala ..... Hence the current name being Gamla (old) Uppsala! 

To the left of the church porch is an old rune stone....

i wonder if the broken stone had particularly relevance to the dominance of Christianity? 

Inside the church is another collection of pearls! 

greater in number than at the mediation site.... They are used in smaller form as a rosary! 

thank Google for the translation!.

It's a modestly painted church which I'll always prefer

With a depiction of Saint George and the dragon in the entrance!

It's a bit faded of course. 

Next door is my first Stave Church.... 

These used to be common in northern Europe, less so now with the availability of stone and brick. 

I hope to see a few more before my path heads west. 

Now it heads to a cafe near the museum with a meat pie and a horn of mead to wash it down..... I know cheesy! 

on to the museum and I'm left a bit disappointed at the amount of artifacts that are copies! Yes it's informative but it lacks the physical honesty I want in a museum.... I know with my hobby I have a high expectation for relics. 

At least they had a seriously nice garnet adorned clasp!😍

a beautiful drinking glass..... (Not designed to be put) down from the Vendel period

was in a display with shield, sword etc etc..... Which you can see are copies

I'm glad to have visited here tho like Pompey archaeology and possibly Christianity has taken its detail if not it's soul.

A bus back to New Uppsala and the train back to Stockholm give me time for a brief visit to the waterline to grab a picture of a beautiful sailing ship! 

before food and eventually the sack claim me!

day 66 Stockholm souvenir hunting!

Well the hostel has certainly the best cafe I've seen in any hostel I've stayed! Breakfast was so nearly an English one! Fried eggs on Swedish sausage on fried bread..... Bloody lovely!!! I've been dreaming of a full English and this got close! , grapefruit juice and coffee on top and I'm full and away. 

Firstly I'm looking for my souvenir coin, I head for a bus stop to from T-centralen (no idea what the T stands for!) heading to the stop I pass the saint Clara's church a red brick building with towing copper covered spires pretty both inside and out

onwards I pass a funky statue right next to the stop

where I fail to get on a bus... You can only pay by app or card, ten minutes later I have the app and a three day pass and the next bus! Damn I'm efficient! 

I have two coin shops in close proximity to try.... The first is closed as it's moving location, the second doesn't hold hammered coins, nice guy runs it who recommended another in the town so back on the bus and I'm soon there, and yes he has what I'm looking for a silver hammered coin of Sten Sture regent of Sweden(1512-20) when it was part of the Kalmar union which was a union of pretty much all the Scandinavian countries except Finland.

with my souvenir sorted it's nearly lunch, so I wander down to and along the docks of the Malare , I've not said! Stockholm is made up of lots of islands a little like the Venice of the north minus the canals...

following the tree line (still can't walk on water!) I reach nice open cafe where I grab lunch of chai latte and randomly picking a Swedish name with no idea of what I've ordered I get a rather nice prawn salad

sitting in the blissful sunshine long sleeve shirt arms rolled up amongst Swedes in puffer jackets and woolly hats..... I expected the descendants of Vikings to be tougher!! 😄

Food down I investigate the building behind me, it's the town hall!

definitely a statement building you can see the towers from most places around, with funky features

spot the Viking! 

Swedish sea god?

And a beautiful courtyard

you can explore the interior and I probably missed an opportunity here but I'm off to the Viking museum!

On the wrong bus! Gives me a tour of the neighbouring island so I just kick back and enjoy! 

Back on the main island I walk to the right island.... Can't go wrong on foot!

I'm glad I did it's nice to have the time to grab the pictures rather than settling for bad shots

lovely building fronts here! 

The bridge to the correct island is quite a way away then a walk to the museum but I find it

i think museum is a strong word for it really, it's certainly worth a visit tho for the infotainment! Including a cute ride through a Swedish saga, some relics here

nice to see some runes.

One of the staff a tall bear if a man imagine Viking you see him! Turns out he's an archaeologist! The conversation turns to the Pommel i found, and he knows about it! Calling it the most important Viking find in the UK for years!.... That perked me up no end!, he explains that in Sweden the government claim all archaeological finds hence the lack here, but he does point me in the right direction for a museum to visit tomorrow! 

A slow wander back along the track off the island

passing the water again and time has flown! 

I catch a tram didn't pay, didn't know how! 

Back to the hostel! 

It's good to have had energy again!!

That damn flu really knocked me for six! 

Now to eat sleep n chill....a busy day tomorrow!