Vikings!

This morning was a wonderful chillax morning in the sun at the Summer House, but this afternoon we decided to go on an outing. Elisabet drove us in a big loop around part of Lake Åsunden and we made several stops. The first stop was to take a look at this beautiful church in the town of Oppeby. A little later, near the town of Björkfors, we stopped at an old vintage gas station, preserved as a kind of museum. We also made a stop to look for a geocache which was well hidden but easily found.

We went a little further out of Björkfors and had a picnic lunch on a small island near the lakeshore where there was a swimming spot. Thankfully, I had not packed a swim suit so we couldn't take a dip but it was very beautiful and there were several children enjoying it.

After lunch we continued on our driving tour and went to a place where there had once been a significant Viking settlement along the lake. There was a large Viking burial ground on a mound above the lake, with 24 standing stones in the shape of a Viking ship. This was built during the late Iron Age (500 - 1050 AD in Sweden). Alice, the expert rock climber, couldn't resist jumping on some of the stones.

Below the burial ground was a large dock where we had a picnic fika and enjoyed this beautiful view of the lake. We looked for another geocache right there where we'd been sitting but sadly didn't find it.

It was a great outing on a perfectly beautiful sunny day. The day was finished off by a visit to the restaurant at the nearby camping site where we each enjoyed a plate of delicious schnitzel and fries.

Read Alice's version of today here.