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...
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!
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!
Can't beat fried bread....
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